God's promises Archives

We are in the middle of a remodeling project at our house. It’s just one of the reasons I haven’t blogged in a while. It’s hard for me to think straight when there are men walking all around my house. For a few days, they were in multiple rooms all at once! Mind you, I’m usually home alone all day so I found this sudden change of company somewhat annoying.

I won’t go into all the details but let’s just say, there’s construction dust everywhere and while it’s all going to be fabulous when it’s done, I’m a little crabby in the meantime. In addition to the remodeling, we bought a new bed, which was to have been delivered on Tuesday, January 23. The old bed had been taken away a week and a half earlier and I was ready to have my bedroom back together. Everything being done in my bedroom was finished, and once the bed was in, I’d have a place to go hide.

Enter the winter storm of January 22, which delivered 16 plus inches of snow to our area. I have never shoveled so much in my life, but I was determined to create a path, down the sidewalk and past the dumpster so the bed could be delivered on the 23^rd. I saw the delivery truck come up the street . . . and then slowly back away, never to be seen again. The company called to inform me the drivers felt it was too slippery and unsafe to bring the bed in. That’s when I lost it. I cried uncontrollable tears. Even with promises that it would be delivered the following Saturday, I was inconsolable. I’m good at drama.

On the way to my Sisterhood Bible Study Wednesday morning, I was still trying to pull myself together and after much self-talk I finally determined that living in a construction zone isn’t the worst thing in the world. It’s not life-threatening, or permanent (I hope) and, I simply need to keep my eyes on the prize—the finished project. It will, after all, be done in a few weeks and men will stop showing up at my door at 7:30 in the morning. Thankfully, I figured this all out before showing up at Bible study in my crabby mood.

Our lesson at Sisterhood that morning was on trusting God, and my friend Kristin, who taught the lesson, drove the whole “keep your eyes on the prize” message home. You see, as a Christian, we know the ending. And, as Kristin pointed out, “When you know how the game ends, watching your team head to the locker room at halftime, down by 14 points, doesn’t concern you one bit. You already know they’re going to come from behind and win by six points in the last two minutes of the game.” It would sure take a lot of stress out of watching the game, wouldn’t it? (Assuming you really cared who won.)

Isn’t that great? As a Christian, I know my “game” ends in heaven. So, when I’m walking through the muck of life, I needn’t get all stressed out, and overwrought with despair, I just need to keep in mind the prize that is coming.

God has given us so many promises. Here are just a few that will help you keep your eyes on the prize:

When we’re sick: “But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5 We may not see the healing today, but it’s coming. Keep your eyes on the prize.

When we’re lonely or scared: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 God won’t ever leave us!

When your finances are tight, God’s got your back: “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

When you are tired and feel like giving up: “He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:29-31

I know that throwing a few Bible verses your way isn’t going to magically take all your troubles away, but hopefully it’ll remind you that God’s on your side. Keeping your eyes on Him will help you (and me) keep our eyes off of our problems. And when there’s two minutes left in the game, we can be assured that the victory is ours. God has promised us that.

You know those crazy moments in life? Company is on the way, your house is a mess, and you really aren’t in the mood to have guests anyway. In fact, what you’d like to do more than anything else is curl up in the fetal position and have a good cry. If you could actually get into a fetal position, that is.

I was having one of those moments a few weeks ago. I was beyond tired and everything seemed like such an effort. I felt drained physically and emotionally. And I would have been pretty happy to rewind the clock about 12 months to a “pre-cancer” time period. And yes, company was on the way.

I am usually a little reticent when it comes to reaching out to someone and saying, “I could really use some prayer here” but that’s what I did in that pre-company moment. I sent a quick text message to a friend from church quickly explaining the situation and said, “I need prayer.” It was a “talk-to-text” message that I didn’t even have time to proofread before sending. When I look back at it I can see that not only was it a horribly written message but I did indeed sound somewhat out-of-control. Mostly I just desperately wanted to stop crying before our company arrived.

My sweet friend responded with these words: “Close your eyes, look at Him. Shhhh. Peace. He has you in His loving hands. Let this truth sink in.” And, most likely because she knows me pretty well, she sent a second message, “Really, please close your eyes and encounter Him. It’s the most important thing.” Does that not just fill you with calm even as you read it? Such great advice! It is exactly what I needed to do. Mind you, I didn’t do it because our company showed up almost immediately after I read her text, but still, just knowing that she cared and was praying for me gave me some peace. I was able put my happy face on and enjoy the evening with our friends.

But, the truth is that I’m not so good at the whole “shhhhh” thing. No doubt this is why I have high blood pressure. God, of course, knew there were going to be people like me because He made it a point to tell us to take time with Him. Look at these verses:

“Be still, and know that I am God!” Psalm 46:10
“Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” 1 Chronicles 16:11
“You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, LORD, do I seek.” Psalm 27:8
“I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” Psalm 16:8
“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13 “
Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.” Psalm 105:4

This is just the tip of the iceberg, as they say, of Bible verses that remind and encourage us to seek God’s face, seek his strength, and seek his peace. God promises us peace when we slow down and focus on Him. Promises! And I find it to be true every time I remember to actually do what He asks of me.

I’m sure there are days when God is just watching me thinking, “I wonder how long it’s going to take Nancy this time to remember to ‘be still?’ Truth be told, He’s probably not “wondering” at all. He probably knows exactly how long it’s going to take me and He’s just sitting it out thinking, “Come on, baby girl, you have all the tools you need to take your focus off your trials and turn it back on Me. I know you can do this.” (I like to think that God calls me “baby girl” as he cheers me on. And really, who besides God can call me “baby girl” at this point in my life?)

Eventually I get it together and remember His promises come with the command to turn my face towards Him. And once again the words of the old song ring true.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in His wonderful face

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace.

I hope you have a good friend like mine to say to you, “Close your eyes, be still, shhhh, God has you in His hands.” If you don’t, can I be that friend today? I promise you, you will never regret the time you spend in His presence. Promise!

Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

Shhhh . . .