November 2009
Dear Friends,
Hello again, if we met last month, or if this is new for you… today you are receiving a food box from Jesus Christ our Lord. Psalm 68:10 says “from your bounty, O God, you provided for the poor.” We are all poor in many ways but God provides for us. I found myself especially discouraged one day last month feeling poor in joy. Do you ever have those days when you feel in a funk? A dear friend reminded me of the verse I mentioned above and then on in verse 19-20 of the same chapter, “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.” Excitement flooded my heart as I was reminded that God carries my burdens every single day for me. Why am I getting discouraged or fearful or trying to fix the problem? We have the privilege to give our burdens to the Lord and He will carry them…DAILY. Why would I want to haul around my troubles if He will take them?? And then I got excited at the further promise that God saves, even from death. Sometimes my problems feel so heavy that I think I will surely die. I see no way out and I may feel afraid or alone. But God sees the full picture. He is bearing my burdens and He will save me and give me a way out. Not only will he save me from my temporary worries and concerns, but because of Jesus, who paid the ultimate price, He saves me from death. Because of Jesus’ death on the cross and because He has drawn me into relationship with Him, forgiven me of my sins and become the Lord of my life…I have a mighty fine home waiting for me, the eternal glory that far outweighs the junk I am facing here.
Maybe it is human nature that makes us run to that pit of self pity, addition, assuming the worst or whatever your pit might be. Those pits kind of feel like they are full of molasses and how will we ever get out? But God is faithful and He hears our cry and lifts us up out of that slimy pit and sets our feet on a rock and gives us a firm place to stand. (Psalm 40:1-2, 4) He is with us and He is available to be our rock. We are blessed if the Lord is our trust. Praise the Lord who forgives all our sins, heals all our diseases, redeems our life from the pit, crowns us with love and compassion and satisfies our desires with good things. (Psalm 103:3-5) We cannot begin to list all that God has done for us. He gives us every breath we take, He gives us sunshine, He gives us shelter, He gives us clothes, He gives us family, He gives us friends, He gives us laughter, He gives us hope and peace. So if you feel down and out and discouraged and beat down and bummed out, go straight to the God of the universe and give all those burdens to Him. He will bear all your burdens every single day. He loves us that much. Wow, I am always amazed. Praying Christ’s love will overwhelm us.
Living for His glory,
Jenny Waltman
Hebrews 13:16 “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”