Tag: trial

“Our bodies had no rest, we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. But God,”

Apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit wrote in 2 Corinthians 7:4-7 of hard times when they came to Macedonia—outside conflicts, inside fears.

“But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us . . . ”

We live in desperate times. Hearts around the world are broken and hurting today. Do we know the true and living God?

Jesus warned us in Matthew 24:4-6, “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.

Do you believe in Jesus? Do you have faith in God’s Word?

These are everlasting life or everlasting separation-from-God questions. Yes, these are heavy and important questions for this day in which we live.

Open the Bible in the Gospels and walk with Jesus to see and know Him more. Draw near to Him. He will draw near to You. If you don’t know Him, cry out to Him, He will show you His paths of life.

He is faithful to hear the cries of whoever will call on His name in spirit and truth.

There’s an old hymn, “Anywhere with Jesus.” Written in 1887 by Jessie Brown Pounds. She had turned her eyes to Jesus and opened her heart to His love, salvation, and power of His Holy Spirit.

No circumstance could change her home, because her home was in Jesus.

Consider Jesus today if you feel your steps are only harsh, dark, and without hope. Consider these words of truth from 150 years ago.

With the Spirit of God abiding in our heart, no matter the circumstance, we can proclaim:

Anywhere with Jesus, I can safely go;
Anywhere He leads me in this world below;
Anywhere without Him, dearest joys would fade;
Anywhere with Jesus, I am not afraid.

Refrain:
Anywhere! anywhere!
Fear I cannot know;
Anywhere with Jesus, I can safely go.

Anywhere with Jesus, I am not alone;
Other friends may fail me, He is still my own;
Though His hand may lead me over dreary ways,
Anywhere with Jesus is a house of praise. (Refrain)

Anywhere with Jesus, I can go to sleep,
When the darkening shadows round about me creep;
Knowing I shall waken never more to roam,
Anywhere with Jesus will be home, sweet home. (Refrain)

Together, let’s speak in a hymn and keep a heart of praise, because “Anywhere with Jesus, I am not alone, . . . Anywhere with Jesus will be home, sweet home.”

If you need prayer today, please communicate with me. We can cast all our care on Jesus because He cares and He’s able to help in all times of need.

Toni

toniryp@gmail.com

Notebook Praises: God said, “Let there be . . . and it was so.”

tonirypkema.com

We give praise and glory to God because He IS GOD.

His Word is “perfect, refreshing the soul,” Psalm 19 reminds us: “The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.

The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.

By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward” Psalm 19:7-10.

Are we going through a great trial? Yes, most people are challenged today, some are in crisis.

How is gold purified? Yes, fire.

And, there are times the Lord allows great trials that feel like a fiery furnace.

We must keep our eyes on Jesus, He draws near to the brokenhearted.

May we receive His Word and rejoice – even in hard times.

Why? Because God is faithful. He hasn’t left us, orphans. He is speaking. We must take time to talk to Him.

When we open His Word, we’re allowing Him to speak to us. What does He say about hard trial:

“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” 1 Peter 1:6,7.

“Lord help us hear Your voice and block out all others. Give us ears to hear what You have to say to us. We need to know You more. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Today, I pray that the Lord keeps us “rejoicing in Him” no matter what! God said, . . . and it was so! We CAN trust Him for what concerns us today! Amen!

tonirypkema.com

Bible Journal Along the way

Date: August 17, 2010

Today I was diagnosed with an invasive lobular, 5×7 cm- estrogen positive cancer tumor of the breast.

I have breast cancer.

In the evening, I opened my Bible to one of my favorite verses so I could see it on the page:

Jeremiah 33:3, Call unto Me and I will answer, and show you great and mighty things, which you know not of.

So, I decided to go off my Bible schedule and read Jeremiah today.

While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the LORD came to him a second time:

“This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it—the LORD is his name:

‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know’ Jeremiah 33:1-3.

The Bible tells us that “the word of the LORD came to him a second time.” I’m encouraged. Jeremiah heard these words not once, but twice, from the Creator of the Universe, the Most High God, the LORD:

“Call to me and I will answer you. . .”

“I will tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”

My ears are open. It seems in great affliction, the heart is ready to hear. I kept reading:

For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the houses in this city and the royal palaces of Judah that have been torn down to be used against the siege ramps and the sword in the fight with the Babylonians . . .

“ ‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security'”Jeremiah 33:4-6.

This was the word to Jeremiah concerning Judah and Israel, but on a day when you find out you have cancer and you open God’s word that speaks of a tearing down against an enemy, 

This is good news to my heart. My soul found breath again.

I can trust God. If He can do this for Judah and Israel, I can believe God to heal me.

I need faith for this battle. The Word of God will help increase my faith. 

“Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.”

“Dear Lord, I call to You. Show me great and mighty things through this trial. Give me understanding to Your Word. Help me believe! In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

“Give thanks to the LORD Almighty, for the LORD is good; his love endures forever.” For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,’ says the LORD. 12

Foundations. Still, . . . Be My Vision, O Ruler of All

The alpha, the beginning of an old 8th Century Irish Hymn is,

“Be Thou my vision.”

Foundational.

The omega, or ending of the popular, ceremonial hymn is, “Heart of my own heart,

whatever befall,

still be my vision, O Ruler of all.”

Foundational is faith in God, rich and secure.

Do we know about the foundation of the temple in Jerusalem?
God made sure that we could know the cost of the foundation.
But first, in 1 Kings 5, we learn the intent of heart of Solomon, David’s son who was anointed king after David died: I intend, therefore, to build a temple for the Name of the Lord my God, as the Lord told my father David, when he said, ‘Your son whom I will put on the throne in your place will build the temple for my Name.’
The heart of Solomon, the vision to build a temple for the Name of the Lord.
Do we remember God’s Word to each of us?
“ . . . do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”(1 Cor. 6:19).
Oh, how easily we forget. Let us speak aloud today, not forget our intent:
“Be Thou my vision, Lord of my heart. Not be all else to me, save that Thou art. Thou my best thought by day and by night. Waking or sleeping Thy presence, my light.”
“Be Thou my wisdom. Thou my true word. I ever with Thee and Thou with me Lord. Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son, Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.”
Are we one with God? What is it we seek each day? Do we build a house for the glory of the Name of our King?
King Solomon was given great wisdom, as he had asked the Lord.
The building  of the temple was planned and carefully executed. Cedar trees and fir trees were carried down through the sea from Lebanon.

“Solomon had seventy thousand carriers and eighty thousand stonecutters in the hills,  as well as thirty-three hundred foremen who supervised the project and directed the workers. 

At the king’s command they removed from the quarry large blocks of high-grade stone to provide a foundation of dressed stone for the temple (1 Kings 5:15-17).

High grade stone, not rough stone, but costly stone was used to lay the foundation.

The foundation of the temple, out of the view of man, but in God’s full sight. Our hearts intent, the foundation of our temple. Our spiritual temple, living stones?

“For you were bought at a price…” (1 Cor. 6:20).

Where is our vision? On whom do we look for stability?

“Forgive me Lord, when I think stability rests on me. You watch me lose my focus in the whirlwind of life.

“Be Thou my battle-shield. sword for my fight.

Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight.

Thou my soul’s shelter. Thou my high-tower.

Raise Thou me heavenward, O power, of my power.”

Foundations are seen by One, and One only. God sees. His vision is clear.
Believing that God cares about all the parts of me that no one else knows, and know one else sees, that’s foundational.
When everything I can see, everything on the outside, starts falling apart, (our temples, our physical bodies, or when the walls seem to appear to be crumbling, then the foundation is all that’s left.
When this world rates us and scores us at zero, God sees our faith and rates us as heroes.
Are we resting on the foundation of Rock?
Do we have faith in the Chief Cornerstone?
Laying costly stones for the foundation of our temples, are the choices we make to believe God.
Costly stones are—faith.
Everything rests on the Cornerstone.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”(Hebrews 11:1).
Faith is costly. But encouragement in the difficulty of laying a firm foundation is this:
“For by it the elders obtained a good testimony” (Hebrews 11;2 KJV).
In time, when everything passes away, the testimony will be that a careful and costly foundation was laid.
“Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise.
Thou mine inheritance, now and always.
Thou, and Thou only, first in my heart.
High King of heaven, My treasure, Thou art.”
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
High King of heaven , my victories won. May I reach heaven’s joy, bright heaven’s SON. Heart of my own heart . . .
whatever befall,
still be my vision,
O Ruler of all.”
(Be Thou My Vision, 8th Century Irish Hymn).
The foundation?
Faith.
Costly.
Sacrificial.
Vision on the High King of heaven. That is where my victories are won.
This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith, (1 John 5:4).
“Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, still be my vision, O Ruler of all.”
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End (Revelation 22:13).
For those who need to hear the spoken hymn and a victorious psalm:

"Trusting God is always the right thing to do." A happy birthday note to David.

“Trusting God is always the right thing to do.”
It might not always look like the “smartest” thing to do, but as each day dawns, if we seek the Lord with a yielded heart, doing the best we can, slippin’ and slidin’ along the way, He is our support.
His Hand is our hope and stay.
He offers grace, “unmerited favor,” and mercy, “not giving us what we deserve.” God is a faithful Father.
And God spoke from heaven in Luke 9:35, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.”

There was a day I heard God say those words to me, so I spend time each day trying to do just that – to “hear Him”
 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14.
Perhaps I’ll spend my lifetime discovering what this verse is all about. But today I write because we celebrate the birthday of my 9th child, David.
Happy Birthday David! How can you actually be 17 years old today?
Born in the year 2000, I will never have to stop and do math to figure out your age. My 2000 baby.
David, you are such a blessing. Words could never express.
From the beginning, well, you did have a bit of a rough beginning, at least from my point of view – you were my biggest baby of the 11 at 8lbs 14 oz.
But for you, it was probably wonderful to be breathing well at birth because you had the chord wrapped around your neck during delivery. Thanks to the best midwife on the planet, Marylou Nalducci,
and our Lord Jesus, (who was watching out for you then and is watching out for you now,)
you recovered it all. The purple blue face for the first few days, all the prodding from the Neonatologist, the tests. And then later, coming home to a houseful of kids who couldn’t wait to hold you.
It is days like this when you can say with a heart skipping with joy, “It is always right to trust the Lord.”
And now to think, you will be approaching your Senior year in high school. And smart as can be. No damage done in that rough beginning, that’s for sure.
“Thank you Lord.”
David, 17 years later your mom and dad will still tell you, “It’s always right to trust the Lord.” We might not always say it with an outward “skip and a hop,” in our voice, but with a deep resound.
But God has shown himself faithful daily. To you, to me, to our entire family. That is why your mom and dad love the Lord so much David. Because He loves us first.
And He blessed us on June 3 with you! “Trusting God is always the right thing to do!”
But you have experienced and seen for yourself, in the 17 young years of your life, that “trusting God” in life is a bit like a marathon. It has it’s ups and downs and dizzy spells and muscle aches.
Sometimes “trusting God” just plain hurts. Especially if you feel you are on mile 17 of the run, or again on mile 26, with rubber knees and bleeding toes! ( I wouldn’t know from running specifically.)
But experientially, your mom and dad can say, David, It’s always right to trust the Lord. You see, He is the One who directs your steps through the rough terrain and the smooth.
He’s there at the beginning. He waits for us to believe. He hears us when we bleed. He helps us persevere. And in Him, He helps us succeed.
Seek His face as you wake. Hear His voice in His word. Talk to Him throughout your day.
Trust God. He is faithful. Always.
David, before you get out of bed, take a hold of your Father’s hand – your Father in heaven, and follow His lead. He will show you the way.
I love you, forever,
mom
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
 in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.“ Proverbs 3:5,6.
“Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.“ Psalm 62:8.
“Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the LORD’S commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?” Deuteronomy 10:12-13.

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