the Lord’s amazing love. Amen.
19…A HELPING HAND
Good morning! I recently had a really nice guy come blow the leaves out of my gutters. As he put the ladder up to get on the roof, it reminded me of a story that took place with Alan several years ago.
I had just finished grocery shopping when Alan called me and asked if I was on my way home. I told him I was and asked him if he needed me to pick up anything before I left town. He said no but he’d let me pick something up for him once I got home. I didn’t think too much of that response until I was coming down the lane to our house. And that’s when I saw Alan. He was sitting on the roof, grinning from ear to ear. As I pulled into the driveway, I saw the reason he was sitting on the roof. The wind had blown the ladder down, so he was pretty much stuck on the roof until someone could put the ladder back up for him.
This incident reminds me of what we are told in Ecclesiastics 4:9–10. “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.” God never intended us to live this life by ourselves. It is much better to have a friend who can assist than trying to live life alone. Are you that kind of friend or family member to others? Do you look for ways to be helpful without being asked and then take the action necessary to fill that need? If you do, I can promise you that your life will be blessed. Here’s to sharing God’s love with others by offering a helping hand.
Lord, thank You for the reminder that we all need a helping hand from time to time. Please give us eyes to see and ears to hear what kind of helping hands others need. Then please let us be wise enough to extend the help they need. One day, we will need the help too, just like Alan. Amen.
20…OUR HELP
Good morning! Looking back at the story of Alan being stuck on the roof, I was reminded about some truths. First let me ask you a couple of questions. What would you have done if you had been left stranded on the roof? Would you have freaked out or would you have remained calm? Would you have tried to find a way to lower yourself to the ground without the ladder, which would have been dangerous? Knowing help was on the way, Alan was able to patiently wait until it arrived.
Do you ever have trouble waiting on the Lord? Even though we know it’s in our best interest to wait on Him, we often get antsy as we wait, or at least I do. I want to be more like David in Psalm 121 and remember where my help comes from. Verses 1-2 explain this. “I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from whence shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” David knew that the Creator of the mountains is the same Creator whom he had learned to trust for help.
We never know from minute to minute what life will bring us but there are a couple of truths we can stand on. If Jesus is our Lord and Savior, we know where to turn for help. From little things, like sending someone to give you a way off the roof, to big things like we read about through the life of David in the Bible. Once we’ve learned to trust the Lord in all things big and small, it’s much easier to patiently wait for help to arrive, in whatever form God sends it. And while we trust and wait on the Lord to help us in our time of need, we can still keep our joy and enjoy life. So, here’s to patiently and joyfully waiting for our ladder to arrive!
Lord, our help comes from You. Because we know You are always with, it is easier to wait for help when we need it. Just like with Alan, he joyfully waited for his help to arrive. Please remind me of this example when You see me impatiently waiting. It will bring a smile to my face, and more importantly, to my heart. Amen.
21…TEACH US
Good morning! As I was moving things around in my house, I came across a plaque in the shape of an apple. My sister gave me this plaque while I was still teaching. It has Psalm 27:11 printed on it. “Teach me your way, O Lord.” During my teaching years, I kept it on my desk as a reminder to keep seeking God, especially when situations would arise that needed a fresh solution from Him.
As much as learning God’s ways are important to our faith walk, I ran across another verse in Psalms this morning that will help us as we live out our days for Jesus. Psalm 139:23-24 says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.”
Just knowing about God doesn’t translate into a successful Christian life. As Christians, others look at us to see how we live out our faith. The verse in Psalm 139 reminds us that we need to continually ask God to search our hearts to see if there is anything blocking us from being all that He has created us to be. And once God shows us areas that we need to work on, we need to be faithful and let the Holy Spirit help us change our ways. Those that are watching how we live our lives will learn just as much, if not more, during our times of failure than those times when we have everything all together. So, here’s to letting God teach us so we can in turn teach others through the example of how we live our lives for Him.
Heavenly Father, as we live our lives for You, we know we can’t be those witnesses You have called us to be without Your constant help. As we study Your word and learn more about You, we pray that this would change the way we live. Thank You for Your patience as we learn to live out the life You have called us to. Amen.
22…TIMING
Good morning! I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about how the Lord wants us to wait on Him. There are situations in my life, like I’m sure there are in yours, that make me wonder how long the wait will be. As I wait, I was reminded about a story in Genesis dealing with Abraham and Sarah. Genesis 21:1-7 gives us that story of how God fulfilled the promise He had made to Abraham through Sarah by giving her a child in her later years. Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born. I don’t know how long you’ve been waiting for God to handle whatever the situation is in your life, but chances are that Sarah and Abraham waited longer.
As I was reflecting on this story, I was reminded of the pain and heartache we can cause ourselves and others by not trusting and waiting on the Lord’s perfect timing. Even though Sarah and Abraham caused themselves heartache when they took matters into their own hands with Hagar (Genesis 16), I wonder how Sarah and Abraham felt when Isaac was born. Was the birth of their son sweeter because they waited so long for him to be born, for God to fulfill His promise to Sarah? I think the process of waiting, even though we don’t enjoy it much, makes God’s answers that much sweeter. You know, there’s not one story in the Bible that I’ve read where Jesus was in a rush to do anything. He didn’t live a life of hustle and bustle like we all too often do. There are many reasons for why God has us wait but I wonder if one of the reasons is to make sure He has our full attention. Another reason might be so that there is no question as to Who brought the solution to our situation. With the story of Sarah and Abraham, there was no doubt, because of their age, that God brought them Isaac. Whatever you are waiting for God to handle in your life, let Sarah and Abraham’s story reassure you that God will take care of everything … in His perfect timing.
Lord, help us wait for Your answers to our prayers. Help us not to take matters in our own hands instead of waiting for Your perfect timing. Amen.
23…SNOW DAYS
Good morning! To all my teacher friends, a big “woohoo” for your Christmas break is about to begin!! I received a text yesterday from a friend of mine that I used to teach with. She sent a picture she’d knew I’d enjoy. They received 6 inches of snow the night before so they were having a snow day!! Oh, how I loved snow days when I was teaching and everyone from my students to the superintendent knew it. The kids would yell down the hall when they came in from outside, “Mrs. Estes, it’s snowing!!!” What they didn’t know was that I’d already been doing the snow dance …
