Author: Barbara

My passion is to encourage women wherever they are on their life journey. In everything I write and in every opportunity to speak, my goal is to offer hope. May the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NIV

Who’s in Charge?

~ Barbara ~ Leave a comment

No Fear Here, 4

Iran threatens, Israel prepares, Hamas attacks, Russia boasts, Ukraine defends, African unrest intensifies, politics inflames, crime rises, finances shrivel, storms flood, fires burn. Our world is unsafe.

It seems that evil has the upper hand. King David knew how that felt—he was hunted, slandered, and threatened. But according to him, nations can be glad and even joyful when they know and honor God. In Psalm 67:4 David professed that his faith was superior to the unrest that threatened him:

“You rule the peoples justly
and guide the nations of the earth.”

God is in charge. A nation’s ignorance of His dominion doesn’t alter God’s power or jurisdiction.

At the end of the chapter David reveals the key to his peace in the midst of unrest. When we praise God, He blesses us and all the entire earth will recognize Him.

We must lift our sights above earth’s distresses and turmoil and let our attitude reflect our faith. If we confess Creator God is sovereign over all He made and the affairs of mankind, and praise him in this furnace of many afflictions, He will bless us. Friends, let’s start living out that truth and leave fear behind.

Finding Hope, 65 Meditations for a Broken Heart

Laugh and Sing

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Our world seems full of mockers and liars, those who deceive for personal gain and seek to hurt those who disagree with them. No, I’m not writing about politics, though I hear echoes of empathy from both sides of our fractured nation.

Whether the lies and exaggerations we hear are personal or political and, regardless of any awareness they are being used as pawns, there is a liar of epic proportions who stands against truth—the Bible calls him the Father of Lies. He is diabolically opposed to the One who is True and speaks truth. Think about the trigger words we hear daily.

  • From current headlines: antitrust lawsuit, pro-abortion ballot, Hezbollah targets, rocket attacks, extreme liberals and crazy conservatives, threats of recession, Putin meets with Iran, advocates to enable children to change sexual preference without parental knowledge, WW3…
  • Add natural disasters to the list: earthquakes, flooding, cyclones, wildfires, hurricanes…
  • Consider your tension when these locations are mentioned: Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Israel, Iran, Russia, China, Haiti, the U.S. southern border…

Each of these lists is only partial and raises questions concerning what our part is in any of this and a bigger question—what is God’s part?

Our blood pressure may rise but God’s doesn’t. From the onset, He sees the conclusion of each event and the final stage of history.

Psalm 59 showed me two things about crises this week.

  1. The first I’ve written about before but it bears repeating. God sees the conflict of nations, the fighting and aggression. He sees the wars waged against truth and the undercurrent of doubt in His goodness or sovereignty. But He knows all and is confident in the end result. Truth will be honored, and He will be glorified, and every knee will bow before Him. When He sees the raging nations, He laughs (verse 8). He scoffs at the nations exhibiting their self-importance and greed.
  2. God’s response is to laugh. Verse 16 advises our response—sing. Sing not because we are naïve but because we are informed. We know God is reliable. We know He will be a refuge for us and is our fortress and strength, whatever battles come our way, nationally or personally.

I am convinced the only way we will survive and thrive in the times we are living through is to see the threats around us through the lens of faith. Our vision will only be clear when we embrace the truth found in the Bible. When it is our daily intake we will be nourished and strong.

Finding Hope, 65 Meditations for a Broken Heart

Behind Us. Before Us.

~ Barbara ~ Leave a comment

Our Shepherd is good. He cares about our needs and supplies us with rest, food, and water. He guides us and protects us. He comforts us in our sorrows. He anoints us as His own and satisfies our souls with meaning. It is true—our cup overflows.

I look behind me and what do I see? There it is! God’s goodness and love.

I look in front of me and what do I see? More goodness and love in a forever home with no shadows, no fears, no disappointments.

I’m brought back to verse one: “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”

A relationship with God carries us through the difficulties of our present life and holds the promise of rewards in our future that are beyond imagination.

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6

Photo by Sally Teschon

Finding Hope, 65 Meditations for a Broken Heart