Believe ~by robin moroney

"Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness."  Genesis 15:6

Last week our minister, Craig, preached on believing.  Since I have the word Believe in some form all over my house, my ears perked up and my heart thumped when I heard Craig start his sermon.  At the top of the page of my notes for that day, I wrote my favorite word . . . . . . Believe.

In the sermon, Craig talked about Philip.  There isn’t a whole lot in the Bible about Philip.  But we do know that when Jesus told Philip to follow Him, Philip immediately went and told his brother Nathanael to come with him, that he had found the One they had been waiting for; the Messiah.  Philip was one of the disciples who spent a lot of time with Jesus.  He saw Jesus perform amazing miracles and he heard Jesus speak amazing things.  Yet, even after all that Phillip had seen and heard first-hand with Jesus, when it came time to feed the 5000, Philip was unsure of what Jesus could do.

“When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward Him, He said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?’  He asked this only to test him, for He already had in mind what He was going to do.

“Philip answered Him, ‘It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!’”  John 6:5-7

As much as he had already seen Jesus do, Philip’s response to Jesus’ question should not have been doubt.  What he should have said was:  “I don’t know how we’re going to feed all these people but I bet You have a great plan.  Let me line them all up and see what You can do!”

In John 14 Philip doubts Jesus again when Jesus says that He is God.  Philip says:

“Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

Then “Jesus answered: ‘Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?’” (John 14:8-9).

It seems that Philip, like me, had a hard time believing what he could not see.  There are a lot of things in the Bible that I struggle to believe.  There are also a lot of times when I ask God to show me first and then I’ll believe (how many times have I said “A burning bush right about now would be really great, God!”).  But there are also many, many things about God and the Bible that I truly believe with all my heart.  This is what I believe:

-- I believe that Jesus is my Lord and Savior and that He chose me and loves me beyond all reason.  I believe this because I have witnessed His love and strength.  I believe this because I have survived and healed from deep, deep heartache.  I have been strengthened and pulled out of dark places that I know without a shadow of a doubt that I could not have gotten through in my own strength.  I believe because there have been countless times when a word from the Bible took my breath away with its power.  I don’t imagine that or make it up – it just happens and it is real.  I believe because so many times a word from someone or a thought I have will be restated repeatedly in what I read in my Bible, in something I read in a study I’m doing or in my daily devotional reading.  So I believe that if part of the Bible is true, it is all true.  I believe because I physically feel the presence of God and I see His beauty in the world around me.

-- I believe in Satan and the forces of evil that surround us.  I believe that Satan is hard at work to break up families and friendships.  And I believe that he is succeeding way too often.  It is hard to miss the correlation between the evil that is happening in our world now and the warnings in the Bible.  People killing and hurting each other, children being abused and sold into sex trafficking and marriages breaking up at an alarming rate.  These are all the work of Satan.

Our world (and Satan) promotes independence and every man for himself.  We convince ourselves that we can do everything on our own and only want what’s best for us.  Me, me, me.  Mine, mine, mine.  The Bible is full of warnings of Satan’s ploys to isolate us from each other.  What better way to do that than to make us not trust each other and to convince us that we are just fine by ourselves.  Even as Christians, we like to tell each other and ourselves that God is all we need so we don’t have to ask for help or rely on others.  What a great trick Satan has done to turn this word from God inside out and use it to convince Christians that if we were more mature in our walk and if we truly trusted God then we wouldn’t feel lonely and we wouldn’t need others to help us.  This is such a lie!  We do need others.  We cannot go through this life alone.  But Satan wants us to think that we can. 

I believe that Satan is real because I have seen such evil in this world that I know that no human being with a conscience or a heart could do what some people do.  I believe that Satan is real because I’ve seen really good people make really bad choices that destroy their lives and the lives of others.  I believe that Satan is real because I have felt his darkness around me.

But I also believe that God can and will chase Satan away from us and that God will prevail and defeat Satan.  I also believe that God will not let Satan have me and that when I feel Satan bearing down on me, all I have to do is call on the name of Jesus and He will protect me.  Satan cannot win.  Only God can.

-- I believe that God speaks to me through my dreams.  I believe this because I have had too many dreams come true for it to be a coincidence.  I also believe that God will speak to each and every one of us in a way that He knows will get our attention.  I believe that the key to hearing God’s voice is unlocking our heart to receive His word.  He wants to speak to us.  But do we believe we can hear Him?  I do.

-- I believe that I have heard God’s voice.  Not an audible voice (although there have been a few times when I’ve heard someone whisper my name when I was completely alone ~ yes this gives me the heebie-geebies) but a voice that tugs at my heart and my mind.  There are many times when I hear just a name; a friend or a person I haven’t thought of in years.  I believe that those are the times that God wants me to stop what I’m doing and pray for that person.  I may not know what to pray but I know that God wants me to spend time with Him concerning that person.

There have also been times when I hear a name from the Bible (Habakkuk & Hezekiah for example).  At the time that each of these names came to me, I wasn’t reading about them in my daily reading (in fact, in the case of Habakkuk I didn’t even know who that was).  But I knew that there was something in their story that God wanted me to know.  So I believe that at those times, I need to get out my Bible and listen for God’s word to me.

-- I believe that God keeps His promises.  And I believe that God would not give me a word or place something in my heart that isn’t true.  I know the heart can be deceiving and that I can get my wires crossed and get the message wrong.  But I know that God won’t confuse me or put something in my heart that isn’t true.

-- I believe that God is always with me.  I believe that He knows what is best for me (even though I may think I know better than He does).  I believe that since the day God chose me, He has never, ever left me ~ not even for a second.  There are times when I have turned my back on Him and times when I have not felt His presence, but that doesn’t mean He left me.  He will never leave me, not ever.

-- I believe that God makes it cold and windy just to annoy me.  Ok, not really.  But I do believe that He allows us to be annoyed, hurt and afraid so that we will lean on Him.  I believe that He allows us to go through unbearable hurt so that we know that He is God and that He alone will carry us through it.  I believe that He will use those dark times to show us His strength and to bring us closer to Him.  I also believe that He uses those times to show us what we’re made of; to teach us that we are stronger or braver with Him beside us than we ever thought possible.  And I believe God sometimes allows heartache and pain to come our way in order to break our pride and self-worth.  When we grow overly confident in our own abilities and our own importance, I believe God brings calamity to us to lay us low and strip our pride so we will re-direct our hearts and lives to Him.

-- I believe in love and marriage.  I believe that God wants us to find true fulfillment in Him but that He also wants most of us to be joined to another in true love.  I believe that true love exists and I refuse to give up on it.  I believe that God has given me this desire so I don’t harden my heart; so that I will allow myself to feel love.  I believe that God’s timing is perfect even though I’m sick to death of waiting.  But I believe that when the time is right, God will fulfill my desire for a husband.  I believe that I would have given up on this a long, long time ago if God had allowed me to.  It has been God’s love and assurances that have enabled me to persevere during this endless waiting.  I believe in love of all different kinds and I refuse to give up on it or close my heart to it.

-- I believe that God has blessed me beyond what I could have imagined.  He has blessed me not only in the good times but even, more so, during the bad.  Even in my loneliest, darkest times, He blesses me.  He has blessed me with the love of my family and friends.  Most particularly, He has blessed me with the most amazing and loving person I know, Megan.  He blesses me with breathtaking displays of beauty in sun rises and sunsets.  He blesses me with spring flowers, fall colors and patches of warm sunshine to sit in.  He has blessed me with a trip to Italy, family trips to Hilton Head and, my favorite family time, the annual Turkey Open.  I believe that all these things are not just happenstance.  They are blessings that come straight from the hand of God because He loves me that much.

-- I believe that Jesus has the power to heal both physical and emotional wounds.  And I believe that He especially likes to do the impossible.

-- I believe in the power of prayer.  I believe that God is so pleased when we bow our hearts in fervent prayer.  I believe with all my heart that prayers can move mountains and rock worlds.  I believe that prayer is an amazingly, incredibly powerful thing.  I pray big because I completely believe that God can and will do big things.  I don’t usually pray sedate, wimpy prayers.  I pray big, bold prayers because I know God can.  I pray big, bold prayers so I can watch God in action and be amazed!  I ask God for the impossible because I believe God can do the impossible.  I pray it because He can do it.  I’ve seen it happen too many times to doubt it.

Believe.  It’s my favorite word because there is so much I believe but also so much that I struggle with believing.  I believe because my heart thumps when I hear His voice. I believe because I have seen God and I have felt Him. 

What is it that you believe?  What is it that you struggle with believing?  What is it that God wants you to believe that you just refuse to?  Whatever it is, ask God to reveal it to you and to give you the courage to believe it.

Remember:  “Jesus told him, ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe.’”  Mark 5:36

And

“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him . . .”  Romans 4:18

Our Father in Heaven, thank You for helping us to believe so many wonderful and exciting things about You and Your world.  Thank You for being patient when we struggle to believe.  Father, reveal to us the things You want us to believe that we are not and give us the courage to believe them.  Help us to know what is true and what is not; give us the discernment to believe what we need to and discard what is false.  We thank You so much for your love and for Your truth.  We are so very grateful to be Your beloved children.   ~robin

Friends ~ by robin moroney

“So no one told you life was gonna be this way (clap-clap-clap-clap)

Your jobs a joke, you’re broke, your love life’s D.O.A.

It’s like you’re always stuck in second gear

When it hasn’t been your day, your week, your month or even your year.

 

I’ll be there for you

(When the rain starts to pour)

I’ll be there for you

(Like I’ve been there before)

I’ll be there for you

(Cause you’re there for me too)”

The Rembrandts; Theme Song from “Friends” 

I hate asking for help.  It always makes me feel weak and needy.  And worst of all, it makes me feel vulnerable.

In the Friend’s song, there is a trifecta of woes:  “your job’s a joke, you’re always broke, your love life’s D.O.A.” (PS. I never knew they were saying DOA). 

For me, my trifecta is this:  your favorite boss resigned, your dog just died and your daughter’s moving away ~ far away, like to another planet (ok, that’s a slight exaggeration but Michigan sure feels like another planet).  It’s not that these are the worst things that have ever happened to me.  I’ve been through much worse.  And in the grand scheme of things and when I think of other peoples challenges, this is just a blip on the screen of life.  But each thing piled up on top of the other within a two week span of time has kicked my butt!  It laid me low for a time.

During this unsettled time, I’ve been praying for some insight as to what God wants me to learn from this.  The answer is this . . . . We need friends.  We need friends who are there with us through the harshest times.  We need friends who cheer with us when times are good.  And we need friends who pray for us and with us.  We need friends.  All kinds of friends.

As a single person who desires to be married again, people tell me all the time that “God is all you need.”  I guess in theory that’s true and to some people that’s comforting (it isn’t to me).  But I think there is danger in this statement.  The danger is that it can give us a sense that we should be able to handle all things by ourselves ~ just between us and God.  That statement fuels my attitude of “I don’t need anyone’s help.”  “I can handle this by myself.”  “I must be an immature Christian who doesn’t trust God if I can’t handle this without someone else’s help.”  I feel like the statement “God is all you need” encourages us to isolate ourselves and not allow others to help us during times of crisis or even during times of joy.  It sort of implies that we don’t need other people.  This simply is not true!

The Bible is full of page after page of stories where God sent friends to help someone.  It started way back at the beginning in the Garden of Eden.  Adam was hanging out with all the animals and plants.  He was feeling pretty good about life and God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.  I will make a helper suitable for him.” (Genesis 2:18).  Adam didn’t ask God for someone to talk to.  God recognized that humans need companionship and we need others to help us.

In Exodus, Moses had Joshua to help him.  In the New Testament, Paul had Timothy, Silas, Barnabas and a whole community of friends to help him through life’s troubled waters.  And in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus himself asked for His closest friends to pray for Him during His darkest hours.

Do we need God?  No doubt.  Are there times when God asks us to sit quietly and spend alone time with Him?  Absolutely.  Is God everything we need?  Yes, He is.  But that doesn't mean we exist in a bubble by ourselves.  And it doesn't mean we don't need anything or anyone else.  He calls us to be in fellowship with one another.  He sends us friends who help us celebrate the good things He brings to us.  And He sends us friends to lift us up and carry us when we are too weary to even lift our hands.

In Exodus 17, Joshua went out to fight the Amalekites.  God told Moses to go to the top of the hill overlooking the battle to pray.  So Moses went up the hill and he took Aaron and Hur with him.  And Moses prayed.  And he prayed and he prayed and he prayed.  He prayed to the point of exhaustion.  That’s when his buddies Aaron and Hur stepped in to help:

“When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it.  Aaron and Hur held his hands up – one on one side, one on the other – so that his hands remained steady till sunset.  So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.”  Exodus 17:12-13

Sometimes God asks us to get in the battle with someone.  Sometimes He sends others to fight for us and asks us to sit it out and pray continually.  And always when we are too weary to even lift our hands, God will send us a friend who will hold us up through the battle. And sometimes the friends He sends can come from the most unexpected places. 

The Christmas my marriage was falling apart, I went to our church one evening knowing that no one would be there.  I just wanted to sit and be quiet with God.  And I really wanted to see if I could find Jesus in that most unhappy time in my life.  As I sat in the front pew, the new music minister’s wife walked in.  I didn’t particularly like this person so I tried to ignore her.  She started to walk by me then turned and seeing my tear-streaked face asked if I was ok.  I told her that I was fine, that I was just trying to find Jesus during that season.  She hesitated just a second then came over and gave me a hug and prayed for me.  Her hug and her compassion at that very moment helped to get me through another lonely night.  I think that God will always send someone to help us through the dark nights.  But sometimes we have to open our hearts and our eyes to see them and we have to be willing to let them in to help us.

So when we need a friend and God sends one our way, are we willing to let them in and let them help us?  Are we willing to nurture those friendships so that when the battles rage (and they will), our friends are willing to get in the fight with us?

I have to admit that this is very hard for me.  I’ve never been good at nurturing friendships.  I’ve never been good at reaching out for help when I need it.  Thankfully, God has sent me friends who tell me, “I know you don’t need me to do this for you, but I’m going to do it anyway.”  And thankfully I am also blessed with friends who have the courage to call me out when I insist on doing everything on my own.  I’ve heard this more than once: “Why do you have to be so stubborn and not let me help you?!”  Oops.  Guilty.

Good friends are a true gift from God.  And most of my life, I have kept my friends at arm’s length and have not encouraged true closeness.  I have not always cultivated or nurtured true, life-long friendships.  But during this recent season of turbulent waters, I have learned to let my friends and family help me.  It hasn’t been easy.  I still want to be strong and appear that I have it all together.  But I have learned that my friends are one of the most precious gifts that God has ever given me.  I could not have gotten through this most recent time without my friends.  I pray that I have learned to never take my friends for granted and that I need to be there for you as much as you have been there for me.

And so I thank you, my dear, sweet friends.  I thank you for pulling me through the tough times.  I thank you for rejoicing with me through the good times.  Thank you for sending me cards, books, emails and FaceBook postings of love and encouragement.  Thank you for having the courage to drag my butt out of the house when all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and feel sorry for myself.  And thank you for having the wisdom to know when I really do need to be left alone with my sadness.  Thank you for knowing that McDonald’s French fries and a Dr. Pepper really does cure everything.  And thank you for not judging me when I insist that “Yes, another new pair of shoes will, in fact, make me feel better.”  Thank you to those of you who get in and fight the battles with me, those of you who encourage me to fight the battles I need to fight and those of you who give me strength to never give up.  Thank you to those of you who continue in fervent prayer for me when I am in a battle.  I thank those of you who let me just sit and cry and cry and cry when I need to.  And those of you who have the wisdom to know when it’s time to tell me enough is enough and it’s time to put my big girl pants on and get back to living.

I thank all of you my wonderful friends (and I include my amazing family as part of my circle of friends).  You are invaluable to me.  And I pray that I will be as good a friend to you as you have been to me.  You are much loved.

Remember:  “Two are better than one . . . If one falls down, his friend can help him up.  But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up.”  Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Heavenly Father, oh how we thank You for the friends and family you have placed in our lives.  They are each one so precious to us.  Help all of us, Lord, to reach out to our friends when we need help but also to not be a Sad Sally burden to them.  Help us, Father, to nurture our friendships and to hold them close.  Help us to remember that some friends are friends for just a season and some are life-long friends.  Help us to recognize when you send us a friend in an unexpected way or in an unexpected package.  We need our friends, Lord.  And we are so very thankful that You have given us this most precious gift.  We love You and we honor You and we know that You are the ultimate best Friend.   ~robin

Who Am I? ~by robin moroney

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.”  Psalm 37:7

So, let’s have a show of hands from everyone who can sit still for any length of time, shut your mind off and wait to hear from God?  If you raised your hand, I want to have a conversation with you so you can teach me how to do that.  I have never been able to quiet my mind for any significant length of time (except when I'm sleeping and even then it's questionable about my mind being still).  Every time I’ve tried to sit in silence to hear from God, I might last 30 seconds (on a good day) and then this is what happens:

Boy the birds sound so pretty today . . . . I wish that person would take their dog inside so it will stop barking . . . . I need to do some laundry . . . . Oh, I can’t forget to get honey next time I go to the grocery store . . .  and toilet paper; maybe I should make a list. No, you’re supposed to be sitting quietly with the Lord . . . Dang, I wish that stupid dog would shut up.  Who lets their dog stay outside and bark for 20 minutes? . . . . I’m really uncomfortable; maybe if I get more comfortable I won’t be so distracted . . . . yeah, that’s better. I’m really comfortable now.  Zzzzzzzzz . . . . And. I’m. Out!

Quieting my mind most definitely is not one of my gifts.  And frankly, I think it’s impossible.  But this message of being still before the Lord has come to me many times in the past few weeks.  It keeps popping up in my reading.  I’ve tried to just sit and quiet my mind.  But I have not been successful at it.

Recently, however, I’ve thought about being still before God in a different way than just sitting and trying to quiet my mind (which, clearly doesn't work for me).  This different perspective came to me several weeks ago when our minister, Craig, quoted this verse in his sermon:

            “Be still and know that I am God.”  Psalm 46:10

Then Craig talked about Moses hearing from God and God telling Moses that He is the “I AM” (Exodus 3:14).  When Craig, said that God is the I AM, I wrote this in my sermon notebook,

I AM . . . _________

During this sermon, it struck me that maybe being still doesn’t necessarily mean sitting quietly and doing nothing.  I know that we are to sit quietly and spend time with God.  But I think God is telling me to still my mind rather than constantly trying to figure things out.  When I think I’ve heard from God, I’m always trying to figure out the how and the why and the what if.  God just wants me to still my mind and know that He is the I AM. 

When Jesus walked on the water and told Peter to get out of the boat, Peter immediately did it (Matthew 14:29-31).  He didn’t think about it, he didn’t try to make sense of it, he didn’t try to figure out why or how.  He got out of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.  Peter’s mind was still and he knew that Jesus was the I AM.  It wasn’t until Peter started thinking about things and trying to make sense of it that he noticed the wind and rain and got scared.  And then he fell into the water.  Jesus wanted Peter to know that He is the I AM of all things. Including the miraculous and unexplainable.

When God asks me to do something, it’s not my job to try to figure it out.  It’s my job to be still and know that He is God. These past several weeks, I’ve been thinking a lot about who God wants me to know He is.  When I am able to still my mind this is what He tells me:

I AM the One who comforts you when you have a bad dream in the middle of the night.

I AM the One who gives you courage when you are afraid.

I AM the One who gives you strength when you are weary; and I AM the One who encourages you to persevere when you want to give up.

I AM the One who is always in control of the details (I know you think you are, Robin, but Surprise! It’s really Me).

I AM the One who knows the plans I have for you; and they are pretty awesome.

I AM the One who sends sunshine to kiss your face when you need it the most.

I AM the One who knows that your heart is lonely; and I AM the One who surrounds you with friends and family at the perfect time when you need to feel loved and not alone.

I AM the One who loves you so much that I have your name engraved on the palm of my hand.

Who does God want you to know He is?  I challenge you to write it down.  Don’t think about it.  Don’t try to second guess God.  Don’t try to make it make sense.  Don’t try to put it into a neat little box that you want it to fit into.  Don’t think.  Just write. Take pen and paper.  Take a deep breath.  Still your mind and write: 

Be still and know that I AM . . . . .  _________________

The answer might surprise you.  My answer surprised me:

Remember:  “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”  Exodus 14:14

Abba, Father, how we thank You for being the great I AM.  Thank You for reminding us that You are everything we need.  Please help me to still my mind and just know that You are God.  When I want to run things over and over in my head and when I feel the need to figure everything out and make it fit into a neat little package, help me to know that you are Everything. Thank You for being who we need You to be at all times.  ~robin

Through Deep Waters by ~robin moroney

On Ash Wednesday, I was thinking about Lent and what it means to “give something up” for Lent.  I was wondering how giving something up would glorify God and bring me closer to Him.  I mean, if I gave up something I love, like Dr. Pepper, would that really bring me closer to God?  Would I really think of God more every time I wanted a Dr. Pepper during those 40 days?  I don’t think so.  In fact, not having a Dr. Pepper for 40 days would just make me grumpy which certainly would not glorify God. 

So I wondered what I could do during the 40 days of Lent to strengthen my relationship with God and to bring me closer to Him.  And I decided that I want to read the Book of Psalms every day during Lent.  Starting on Ash Wednesday I'll read three Psalms a day and by Easter day, I will have read every Psalm. I am committed that during this time I will be still and listen for God’s voice.  And I pray that He will enable me to understand His will for me.

As I am reading the Psalms, I am struck by David’s amazing ability to praise God and thank Him even in the most difficult times.  In Psalm 6, David says to God:

“Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am faint; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are in agony.  My soul is in anguish.  How long, O Lord, how long? . . . . I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.  My eyes grow weak with sorrow . . . for the Lord has heard my weeping.  The Lord has heard my cry for mercy, the Lord accepts my prayers.” Psalm 6:2-9

David is in agony and he is worn out!  And yet he knows that God hears him and that God is with him.  This verse reminds me of my anguish during Hell Year 2004. I too have cried out in agony and I have flooded my bed with tears.  I have even said, "How long God?  How long?"

Even though David was in agony, he always seemed to find it within himself to not only cry out to God but to praise Him and thank Him.  Oh, that it would be so for me too.

In Psalm 18, David says:

“He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters."  Psalm 18:16

As I am nearing the 10 year anniversary of my mother’s passing, the end of my marriage and my season in the slimy pit (this all happened in Hell Year 2004), this verse reminds me of how far God has brought me.  God most definitely reached down and lifted me out of the deepest waters I’ve ever been in.  Time and time again His great hands have plucked me out of waters that threatened to overtake me.

In 2004, I truly did not think I would ever laugh again, love again or be happy again.  God has shown me repeatedly how much He loves me and how much He wants to bless me.

During these past 10 years, I have laughed, I have cried oceans of tears, I have loved (then cried some more).  I have been lonely and I have been surrounded by people I love and who have filled my heart to overflowing.  I have been angry and I have been frustrated.  I have had seasons when I was ravenous for God and His word.  And, sadly, I have had seasons when I didn’t spend much time with Him at all.  I have cried out to God in heart rending anguish and I have pleaded with Him to heal my broken heart.  I have laughed with God, I have cried with Him, I have yelled at Him, screamed at Him and pouted when I didn’t get my way. 

And I have praised Him and thanked Him for blessing me beyond my wildest dreams.  I have felt His loving arms around me when the warm sunshine hits my face and I have stood in awe of His power when thunderstorms have raged around me. 

Sadly, I have run away from Him.  And I have crawled into His loving arms when I have been too exhausted and worn out to even take another breath.

I have been through a lot these past 10 years.  I have been in agony and cried oceans of tears.  I have also felt such great love and excitement that my heart has filled with immense joy.  And I know that through it all, God has been right there with me every single moment.  And I know that He will always be with me and that He will always love me.  No matter what. 

And like David,

“But I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.  I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me.”  Psalm 13:5-6 

Heavenly Father, how I thank you for your constant presence in my life.  Thank You for staying beside me through the deepest oceans, the darkest storms and the brightest moments.  I am so grateful that You do not grow weary and that You never give up on us.  Thank You for giving us strength when we cannot take another step and for giving us courage to persevere when we just want to give up.  Thank You for the challenges in our lives that help us to grow closer to You and that teach us things about ourselves that we did not know.  And thank You for this glorious spring day that reminds us that You are always present and that You love us more than we could ever know.  ~robin

The Sound of Silence ~by robin moroney

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.  For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, Your Savior.”  Isaiah 43:2-3



God does not promise us that a life with Him will be smooth, comfortable or without heartache. In fact, Isaiah 43:2-3 says “when” we cross through raging rivers and blazing fires.  It doesn’t say “if” we go through hard times; it says “when.”

We have all been through difficult seasons.  Some of us have even been through seasons so difficult that like Elijah we told God, “I have had enough, Lord.  Take my life.” (1 Kings 19:4).  Perhaps you are in one of those difficult seasons right now.  If so, know that God is with you and will Himself take your hand and walk you through the storm:

“For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear I will help you.  Do not be afraid . . . for I myself will help you,’ declares the Lord.”  Isaiah 41:13-14

About 8 or 9 months ago, I had a dream that I was standing on the shore at the beach. Behind me, the sky was full of dark, ominous storm clouds. But in front of me was a spectacular sunrise that painted the sky in fabulous shades of orange, purple and red and was reflecting off the calm ocean.  As I watched the sunrise, I saw a man walking along the water’s edge away from me towards the sunrise.  As he walked away from me, I noticed that he was holding the hand of a small child who was walking beside him.

It was such a brilliant, vivid dream.  And every time I think of that dream, I wonder if it was symbolic of God holding my hand as I walk with Him through a stormy season.

You see, I am currently in a long and lonely time of silence with God.  Not because God has been silent, but because I have been.  I am walking through a hail storm of doubt.  I am doubting whether I actually hear from God.  And if I do hear from Him, can I really discern what He is trying to tell me?  I used to think I knew.  But life circumstances have made me wonder and have caused me to doubt.

And the truth is, I just don’t know any more. So I wait.  I wait, hoping that someday I will know when I hear from God.  And I wait hoping that someday I’ll know if it really is possible for me to know what He has to say to me.  

While I wait, I know that God is standing there waiting with me.  And I know that He will wait with me no matter how long it takes.  Isaiah 40:28-29 tells us:

“He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”

And while I wait, I know that He has my hand just like He had the hand of that little child I saw in my dream; I will trust that He will lead me through this storm.  And I will take His hand and walk with Him along the shore.

I hope you, too, will take God’s hand and walk with Him through the storm that He promises to lead you through.

Remember:  “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

Precious Jesus, thank You for standing and waiting with us when we are unsure.  Thank You for taking our hands and leading us through difficult seasons.  We are so grateful that You do not grow weary or tired and that you give us strength.  Help us to know Your voice and to discern your message.  We give our hands to you, as your beloved child, so that you can lead us through the storms of uncertainty.  Help us to find our way.  ~robin