This morning as I’m driving towards the beach about to head out for a surf, I take a moment to pray and then set my intention. I try to do this every time because I have to remind myself not to get too serious, judge myself, or compare myself to others. I’m there for the fun and exercise. 

So as I was breathing and relaxing and preparing to surf, I heard the Lord remind me, “You are here,” and such a peace came upon me. I’m not over “there,” I’m here. I’m not needing to focus on anything else right now except for being with Him right here, right now.

I pictured one of those directories where the map has a big red spot that says, “you are here” and it made me smile. I think He was smiling too, because for me, I find it difficult to stay “right here, right now” in my mind at times and not be pulled away into something else. 

There are so many things that beg for our attention all the time but the Word tells us that “this is the day the Lord has made…rejoice in it.”(Ps.118:24) He hasn’t made tomorrow yet and yesterday (or an hour ago) has already gone. I’m to be mindful of the present moment and rejoice right where I am. 

Surfing causes my lack of mindfulness to surface. Unfortunately it’s a sport that’s very conditional; it varies with the wind, the tide, the swell (or lack thereof) and you can’t just go out and do it if the circumstances aren’t right. Plus I, personally, have a struggle with FOMO (fear of missing out), so when I’m walking out to the beach you sometimes hear, “Oh, you should’ve been here and hour ago!” or “It was better this morning.” Now I’m no longer here about to surf, but now thinking about the past and wishing I was there. 

This doesn’t happen to me just in surfing. I often spend time wishing I was thinner, stronger, could do somethings better, or wished I would have done something better/differently. My mind gets drawn into either the past or the future instead of rejoicing and being happy right where I am. 

But where I am today, right now, right here, is where I am. I’m not in tomorrow, next week, next year or yesterday. I’m right here. I’m to be still and know that He is God in this present moment. (Ps.46:10) Still enough to accept and trust in His goodness right now, and not worry about anything else. (Matt. 6:25-34) 

After having set my intention and hearing those words “you are here,” I felt the Spirit impart to me: “Right here is where you are to be. Whatever ability and agility you have is where you are right now. Whatever weight you are is where you are right now. Don’t look at others or into the future. Be where you are, right now.” 

He loves me right where I am, right now. 

I’m so grateful Father God is able to bring me such peace and comfort when I’m willing to listen. And my dear friend, whatever you’re hoping for or whatever has already happened, He’s right here with you too. Like me, I believe that He’s asking you to look at that directory of your life and find that red spot that says, “you are here,” then be there too, because He loves you where you are right now. 

• How do I remain at rest in God’s love when I can’t feel it nor sense it? 
• What do I do when I’m afraid — is He even there?
• How do I keep my faith and trust in God when things don’t seem to be going my way?

Fortunately, we have the Word of God to use as an anchor and grounding device when these types of questions come up. The Bible is unequivocally,  undeniably, and undoubtedly, absolute truth. It is a plumb line we can always use to measure everything else. 

So with this certainty established, let’s look at some of these questions.

The Word tells me God loves me no matter what. That there’s nothing I can do or say (or not do or not say) that would make Him stop loving me. (Rom. 8:38,39) It’s not about what we can or cannot feel, it’s simply an unchangeable fact. Just as I am my father’s daughter, nothing can ever change that; he was part of my conception. Even in death (my father’s) I’m still his daughter. So no matter what the circumstance or situation, nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.

Psalm 56 is a great chapter about fear and trust. The psalmist brings out many fears he’s feeling and how God so sees all the tears we shed He puts them in a bottle. (vs.8) Father is very aware of what we’re going through and wants to comfort us in the midst of these fears.

Hebrews 13:5 reminds us that He will never leave us or forsake us. And look at the context before that: 

“Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you.”

I can be content. I don’t have to worry about anything — not about money, food, my job, my kids, nothing. (Luke 12:27-31) Not that money is going to fall from the sky or a job is going to magically appear for me if I
choose to not look for one, but it’s a matter of me doing what I know to do in the natural, and trust Him for guidance and direction. Father God will take care of me. This is true because the Word says so, not because I feel like He will, but because the Word is Truth. Emotions change and can lie; His Word cannot. 

And when things aren’t going my way? Father’s love is still there. I have to choose to not lean on my own understanding (Prov. 3:5) but believe and trust in His care. It’s a choice. He hasn’t forgotten about me. In fact, the Word says He’s graven (carved) us on the palms of His hands. (Isa. 49:16) I’m that close to Him at all times.

David, the Psalmist, was very close to God, and I think one of the reasons why was because he asked a lot of these same questions. He expressed his fears and doubts to the Lord, being totally honest and straightforward with Him. And in the Word we can see where God answered him and comforted him. This vulnerability brought him closer to the Lord. 

This is the same relationship that Father God wants with us. So go ahead and ask Him whatever questions you have. Express all your worries and concerns. Then get in the Word. Maybe use a Bible promise book to help. Take some time to be in the Scriptures and let them ground you and be a foundation in times of instability. (Matt.7:24) Lord knows we all have doubts, frustrations, and questions throughout life, so it’s comforting to be established in His unchanging Word. 

Ah, that smell of rain in the distance and the sight of cumulonimbus clouds building in the sky. But such a tease as all of it stays miles away from my house, never to release one single drop of precipitation near me.

Once again I watch other parts of town get rain while we continue to go days without any! I try watering my plants every day but the poor things are dying in all this summer heat! Summers in Florida are so fickle. It’s either lots of rain or none, depending on where you live. Sometimes it feels like God has forgotten all about my plants.

And sometimes it feels like He’s forgotten all about me too. I notice good things happening to others, yet not to me. “Rain” is pouring on some people yet I haven’t felt a drop in days. I’m drying out, dying — just like my plants. Why, God? What happened? 

In these times we’re living in, I’m finding that I want to judge quickly, compare myself to others, and use my mouth to speak my thoughts and opinions to whomever will listen. However, I don’t think any of those are fruits of the spirit. I know God’s not mad at me and hasn’t stopped loving me, but it could explain some of these feelings — I’m looking at everyone else but me to be the problem. He’s waiting.

He’s waiting because my focus has been on all this external stuff around me. He’s waiting because I’m looking at all the negatives and “lacks” that I perceive I’m having. He’s waiting because He loves me so much He lets me rant and rave all I want until I’m so desperately missing that still small Voice in my life that I’ll shut up and take a good look at myself. And repent. 

Rain will always be falling somewhere. In fact, the rain falls on the just and the unjust. (Matt.5:45) It’s not a question of whether God loves me or not, He does and always will. It’s a matter of the condition of my own heart. Am I jealous? Envious? Proud? Self-righteous? 

I can tell a lot about my heart by how I respond to where the rain is falling.

Usually the problem isn’t about the things that happen or don’t happen, it’s about how I respond to them. I can’t always change or control what’s going on around me, but I can adjust my heart and how I react to those things. I can choose to be angry, bitter, and upset, or I can choose to be thankful, grateful and positive. As much as I want to put blame on someone or something else, it really is my choice. 

Deut. 30:19 — This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.

Here’s the choice: life and death, blessings and curses. Every day we have choices to make — to hear and believe what’s in the media, or read and believe the Word of God. I try my best to not watch much news because it keeps me from having to repent too much, as my heart is easily moved by emotional stories (and I start judging). 

I’ve been trying to count my “blessing stories” at the end of the day — those good and positive things that have happened to me throughout the day. Some of you may keep a gratitude journal in a book or app (and there are many!), but whatever you do, I highly recommend some sort of means which can help you make wise choices. I personally need the help.

When I feel like I’m forgotten by God and I see the rain on everyone else but me, I first express what’s in my heart to God (thank you David for your examples in the Psalms!) and then I make a choice to find something true, honest, just, pure, etc. (Phil. 4:8) to focus on. Gratefulness and thanksgiving keep me at peace while I’m waiting for it to rain on me. 

 

—By Cyndi

 

By Cyndi

Good ol’ Florida. Once again we’re getting pounded by a summer afternoon thunderstorm. The sky darkens all around, the rumbles roll in stereo through the air, and rain gets fiercely dumped onto the already waterlogged lawns. Cracks of lightening shudder the house at times while my cat anxiously hides in a chair trying to sleep.

Listening to the downpour outside, God gently reminds me that this will all be over soon. You see, usually within thirty minutes or less this storm line will pass over us. The thunder will fade into the distance, the rain will slack off, then the sun will come back out from behind the clouds and cause a layer of steam to rise from the roads. This is the normal, seasonal pattern of summer afternoons in Florida. Storms come and they go.

Such is the pattern of life also: storms come and they go. They darken our lives, wreck havoc on our emotions, and sometimes actually cause real damage — but they eventually pass.

On the Bible Study Tools website I did a search for “and it came to pass” and it came up with 446 results. Wow! I think we can soundly say that nothing stays the same. And this world-wide storm we’re all in right now will eventually pass. Obviously not as quickly as an afternoon thundershower, but sooner or later it, too, will pass and be gone.

So what do we do while we’re waiting for it to pass?

One of my favorite words that David used to describe God in the Psalms was “fortress.” Here are a few examples:

• • Ps. 91:2—I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God in Him will I trust.
  • Ps.144:2—My goodness, and my fortress: my hight tower and my deliverer, my shield and He in whom I trust.
  • Ps. 31:3—For thou art my rock and my fortress: therefore for thy name’s sake lead me and guide me.

A fortress is a place of “exceptional security.” We can hide in His love and rest knowing He will guide and direct us, keep us safe, and give us peace in the midst of whatever storms come our way. Whether it’s a medical, physical, emotional, or spiritual attack, He’s our stronghold, our high tower. 

Again God reminded me that just like I can sit in my own home with a raging bombardment of lightening and thundering all around me — even knocking out my “power” at times — I can reside totally unharmed and untouched by this disturbance. My fortress (my abode, the place where I live) keeps me safe and dry during it all. (Jn.15:7; 1Jn.4:16)

So, my dear reader, take refuge in our Fortress as these storms pass us by. Build walls of scriptures around you, encompass yourself with bricks of worship, and soak your atmosphere with His presence. Remove any fiery darts of media that try to attack your mind and instead rest and trust in our faithful Father. Abide in Him. There is no storm that will ever be able to tear down our High Tower. The deluge will come and go, but He will always stand strong.

___________

(Here’s a great song by Hillsong to keep in your heart during this time.)