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

News Alert (3 of 3)

~ Barbara ~ 4 Comments

Current Headlines

  • Israel has warned that Hamas in Palestinian territories, as well as Iran, is likely to take advantage of the Ramadan season to start another violent uprising. 
  • Senate passes $460 billion package to fund the government
  • Putin warns the West that Russia is ready for nuclear war
  • FBI director warns of ‘very dangerous threats’ at border, smuggling network with ‘ISIS ties’
  • US-funded report issues urgent AI warning of ‘uncontrollable’ systems turning on humans

How do these headlines make you feel? Worried? Anxious? Powerless?

The God who is all-powerful is not wringing His hands or searching for plan B. Psalm 2 tells us He sees nations conspiring and people plotting but is neither worried nor anxious. Actually,

The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them (verse 4).

If we are impressed by weapons and armies, stymied by governmental decisions, frustrated by our inability to change things, we are looking for power in the wrong places. Psalm 33 corrects our vision:

No king is saved by the size of his army;
    no warrior escapes by his great strength.
A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
    despite all its great strength it cannot save.

It is not a vast military or strong defenders or powerful weapons that give us hope. It is confidence in the God who is over all and controls all—read verse 18:

But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.

When the psalmist asks, “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?” (Psalm 2:1) God’s answer reverberates above the tumultuous earth,

“I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain” (verse 6).

Fear not. Focus above. Feed on the Psalms.

Finding Hope, 65 Meditations for a Broken Heart

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixaby

News Alert (2)

~ Barbara ~ 1 Comment

Top news: the primaries, the slander, the accusations. Opinions are rampant, triggering divisiveness and suspicion. Who can be believed? It is easy to worry and become fearful.

But… this is the confidence we can have when we trust God:

He changes times and seasons; He deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.
He reveals deep and hidden things;
He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him.
Daniel 2:21-22

Fold up the paper and turn off the TV. Let the Bible feed your faith and replace your fears.

News Alert (1)

~ Barbara ~ 2 Comments

Whether we diligently follow the news or can only bear to take occasional peeks, we are not unaware of the troubling headlines that reveal a distressing view of our world.

Read enough?

Media headlines are enough to upset us during the day and keep us awake at night. We feel helpless and may wonder if God sees all this. Friends, read on.

From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind;
from His dwelling place He watches  all who live on earth—
He who forms the hearts of all,  who considers everything they do.
But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him,
    on those whose hope is in His unfailing love.

Psalm 33:13-15, 18

We are not without help. God sees, watches, considers. Hope not in leaders or armies, but in our powerful God who has the ability to create with a word and destroy with a breath.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixaby

Finding Hope, 65 Meditations for a Broken Heart

Dwelling and Feeding

~ Barbara ~ 1 Comment

I can’t move on to my next blog post until I share part of a verse that gripped me the other night. It is the last phrase in Psalm 37:3: “Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.”

I laid in bed and turned the words over and over. How does one “feed on” God’s faithfulness? Does it mean think about it? Or thank Him for it? When I feed on food I don’t just think about eating—I’d still be hungry. I thank Him before my meals, but I’m not full until I actually ingest food. How do I “feed on” God’s faithfulness?

You probably see the answer quicker than I did, but just before dozing off a picture flashed in my mind—the picture I posted last week. I saw the birds feeding on my husband’s faithfulness.

They were not deterred by the storm. They were not hiding in their safe places or huddled in a feathered conference. They were freely, innocently enjoying the food faithfully supplied for them.

Lord, let us be that simple. Guard us from the worries and fears that complicate our lives. Give us hearts that readily accept the gifts you freely give, the supply you never fail to provide. We are grateful. Thank you, Lord.

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
Psalm 37:3 NKJV

Finding Hope, 65 Meditations for a Broken Heart