The Citizen, 2001-12-19, Page 9And when I feel I can't go on
I can feel your hand..your hand
Gently lead me home
Beside the still water...
(Mark Miller, Greg Hubbard, Sawyer Brown)
THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2001. PAGE 9.
"I command you — be strong and
courageous! Do not be afraid or
discouraged. For the Lord your God is with
you wherever you go."
These words I got from a friend when we
moved to Canada years ago. So many times
I encouraged myself with these words in
difficult, troubling times and 1 got strength
from it.
Now when my daughter and her husband
moved away to start a new life in a faraway
city (not knowing what and whereto work),
I said goodbye with a few words written on
a card from the same Bible passage. To find
this card „nicely framed and hanging over
the kitchen sink in my daughter's new home
showed me how alive and helpful the word
of God is.
What really filled me with awe and
thoughtfulness was the realization as a
memory came up of how my mother used to
put all the unpaid bills in an envelope on
which she once wrote the words: "Do not be
afraid or discouraged..." so she was always
reminded of God's promises, even when the
bills came in faster than the money to pay
them.
How wonderful to see that God's word
and His promises are alive and powerful in
all generations! "Be strong and courageous!
Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the
Lord your God is with you wherever you
go."
What a hope! God, through Jesus, born in
Bethlehem, is with us in our troubles and
gives us strength to go thrbugh our days.
God bless you this Christmastime and in
the New Year. Remember God's promise,
believe it and count on it!
I was alone in a dark room on a Sunday
morning, struggling through a period of
depression. Music had often lifted my spirit
in the past, so I put in a tape. As I dozed on
the couch, one of the songs caught my
attention:
Still Water
Lord I talk too much
And say the wrong things time and time
again
Still, when times get rough
Yours is the voice that says
I can come home again.
Beside the still water
This world can't touch the
You're my shield, you're my true frietu
indeed
You're the still water
Where I find my peace.
When I feel far from you
All I need do is sit and whisper your name
You're the one place I know
Where I can go and find love
That never will change.
Beside the still water..
A memorable expression of hope, for
which I will always be grateful, happened at
a difficult time in my life. It was a time
between jobs, when we were living with a
great deal of uncertainty.
One day, while I was mowing the lawn, a
neighbour stopped by the road just to say
hello. Feeling really low, I talked about my
fears and sense of loss.
She was just the right person to open up
to. Being a recent immigrant, my neighbour
had first hand experience with similar
feelings, having to leave behind one way of
life for another. She shared with me her
feelings before the move — the anxiety, the
unknown, the loss, the unhappiness, etc.
Then on the plane coming over, she read a
verse in a devotion booklet:
"See, I am sending an angel ahead of you
to guard you along the way and to bring you
to the place I have prepared."
She told me she believed it was a
sign...given to her by God assuring her
everything would be all right. And it was.
My friend's empathy and experience gave
me a big boost. God knew of her need and
blessed her. I had hope. I finished the lawn
feeling much better.
Unfortunately, a few months later, things
weren't quite right and those feelings of
anxiety and loss surfaced again. It had been
a very stressful week. It was snowing
heavily...the beginning of a snowstorm. The
wildly swirling snow seemed to add to my
confusion and pain. Suddenly, in the middle
of this snowstorm, the ,doorbell rang.
There at the door stood my
neighbour...my friend.,.with a cheerfully
decorated bag full of cookies and a card
with an angel on it. On the card was the
verse: "See I am sending an angel ahead of
you to guard you along the way and to bring
you to the place I have prepared." Exodus
25:20.
It was a sign...living, comforting proof
given to me by God assuring me it would be
O.K. And it was.
There is a little word that slips off the
tongue daily without a second thought. But
hey! back up a bit and take time to think. It's
not I want, I demand as my right. It's I pray
1 may be granted. That carelessly used little
word is HOPE.
Some thoughts about HOPE...
HOPE
A four letter word that can change your
life if you will let it. To HOPE is to believe.
HOPE
That enemies may become friends no
matter how impossible it may seem.
HOPE
For the sick, that treatment may be found
maybe tomorrow. Even after countless
disappointments, it can happen.
HOPE
Cannot be allowed to die. Where would
we be if it did. No matter how bad things
get, we can }TOPE. We don't have to pay for
it. We don't have to wait to be given it. We
can't see it, feel it, smell it or touch it. But if
we allow, it can enfold us and protect us
from one's greatest enemy DESPAIR who is
just waiting to destroy us. Treasure HOPE.
Do not be careless and lose it.
HOPE
A precious gift from God that enables us
to survive no matter how bad it gets. Start
every day with HOPE and at the close of
day HOPE for a quiet and peaceful night.
And when finally our time to leave comes,
remember HOPE springs eternal. We live
life in the HOPE of life eternal. A promise
we believe because of faith.
To all of you, no matter how dark things
may seem at times, we HOPE the season of
Christ's birth may be the beginning of a
happy and HOPEFUL New Year.
May God bless you all.
When I was seventeen, I remember
everyone was frightened by the possibility
of nuclear war. Many people were building
fall-out shelters and stocking them with
food in case someone pushed the button,
which would precipitate war and leave the
world's vegetation annihilated and the
atmosphere unliveable. One day at school, 1
overhead a radio interview with a couple
from England who stated they were not
having any children. They weren't bringing
children into the world without a future, I
just stood there, devastated, with a hopeless
sinking feeling. I had wanted to get married
and have children.
Then, all of a sudden, I remembered that
God was in control of the whole world anJ
everything in it and my hope was restored.
Now here I am - six childrgn and four and a
half grandchildren later. Yes, God is in
control! May that give people hope as we
face the aftermath of Sept. 11 and yet
continue to celebrate Christ's birth at
Christmastime. •
...be joyful in hope
...patient in suffering
...faithful in prayer
...share with those in need
...practice hospitality
...bless others...bless those who are giving
you pain...bless...don't curse
.. be happy with those who are happy
...be sad with those who are sad
...live in harmony with each other
...don't let the bad stuff get the best of you, but overpower it with good.
Romans 12: 12-16a, 21 (paraphrased)
We wish you the HOPE that JESUS brings!
- Blyth Christian Reformed Church -