Tag: Hope

Our Deliverer

On By cdyeagerwritesIn Children, Devotions, Fatherhood, Parenting1 Comment

No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength.  A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.  But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. Psalms 33:16-19 (NIV)

The power of the individual has become so overblown in our society.  We elevate individuals to a height that they don’t deserve and can’t live up to and so we are perpetually let down by our cultural heroes.  We see this in athletes, actors, singers and politicians.  We even do this with Christians, making them celebrities of the church.  But our hope isn’t in others, it is in the Lord.

We look to the wrong things too often to help us in our troubles.  We follow trends twitter accounts, but we miss out on following Jesus.  This certainly isn’t about whether we should be responsible people or not, but where we get our strength and comfort.  As God’s children we should do everything to the best of our ability, but when the world is against us we need to trust in God and not ourselves or our resources.

God is our deliverer.  He frees us from our worries and wounds.  He heals our brokenness and purifies our hearts and minds.  He gives us life that overcomes death.  He satisfies our hunger and thirst.  Nothing we can get in this world can do any of this, but the arena of the world is where our children live.  We need to draw their eyes and hearts to the one who gives them everything they need.  We need to teach them not to put their hope in hopeless things.

Lord, be my deliverer.  Remind me that my hope should not be in the things of this world, but in the one who created it.  Help me teach my children to trust in You instead of anything else.  Amen.

The Challenge of Pain

On By cdyeagerwritesIn Children, Devotions, Fatherhood, ParentingLeave a comment

At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.”

 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. – Job 1:20-22 (NIV)

Loss is a part of life, but for some the loss is greater.  I have never had a Job moment.  The losses I have experienced were painful, but the extreme nature of Job’s misery has never visited my doorstep.  However, I cannot live with the misguided notion that misery will never darken my door.  There may come a time where grief could overwhelm me and pain makes its home in my heart.   I hope not, but that day may come.  Am I prepared for loss? Am I ready for the pain?

The true but uncomfortable answer to both those questions is no.  It is not as if I can manufacture loss and pain to practice, nor do I want to.  I can read about the experiences of others, but they are different personalities with different strengths and weaknesses.  What is to come is unknown to everyone except God and therein lies the hope for us.  God knows.  He knows what we will face, what we will need to face it and what will bring us through.

This is somewhat of a relief and a challenge.  It is a relief because we do not have to spend our lives preparing for our best guess of what might happen.  We do not have to live with the anxiety that question marks induce.  As a father, this is a great comfort, but also a challenge.  We must work diligently to be in step with God.  We have the advantage of the Holy Spirit that was not available to Job.  Through Him we have everything we need, but that does not mean we utilize all that has been given.  The challenge is to pursue a walk with God that leads through every step of every circumstance as He desires.

I don’t know if I will ever have a Job-like experience, but I am beginning to not worry about it.  I am more and more becoming concerned with God shaping me into the husband and father I need to be to face the challenges that lie ahead.

Lord, help me to be the man You desire me to be and the husband and father I need to be for my family.  Help me refuse the anxiety and worry that so easily plague my mind and heart.  Give me a faith that is strengthened every day by Your presence in my life.  Amen.

Our Deliverer

On By cdyeagerwritesIn Children, Devotions, Fatherhood, ParentingLeave a comment

No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength.  A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.  But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. Psalms 33:16-19 (NIV)

The power of the individual has become so overblown in our society.  We elevate individuals to a height that they don’t deserve and can’t live up to and so we are perpetually let down by our cultural heroes.  We see this in athletes, actors, singers and politicians.  We even do this with Christians, making them celebrities of the church.  But our hope isn’t in others, it is in the Lord.

We look to the wrong things too often to help us in our troubles.  We follow trends twitter accounts, but we miss out on following Jesus.  This certainly isn’t about whether we should be responsible people or not, but where we get our strength and comfort.  As God’s children we should do everything to the best of our ability, but when the world is against us we need to trust in God and not ourselves or our resources.

God is our deliverer.  He frees us from our worries and wounds.  He heals our brokenness and purifies our hearts and minds.  He gives us life that overcomes death.  He satisfies our hunger and thirst.  Nothing we can get in this world can do any of this, but the arena of the world is where our children live.  We need to draw their eyes and hearts to the one who gives them everything they need.  We need to teach them not to put their hope in hopeless things.

Lord, be my deliverer.  Remind me that my hope should not be in the things of this world, but in the one who created it.  Help me teach my children to trust in You instead of anything else.  Amen.

The Challenge of Pain

On By cdyeagerwritesIn Children, Devotions, Fatherhood, Parenting4 Comments

At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.”

 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. – Job 1:20-22 (NIV)

Loss is a part of life, but for some the loss is greater.  I have never had a Job moment.  The losses I have experienced were painful, but the extreme nature of Job’s misery has never visited my doorstep.  However, I cannot live with the misguided notion that misery will never darken my door.  There may come a time where grief could overwhelm me and pain makes its home in my heart.   I hope not, but that day may come.  Am I prepared for loss? Am I ready for the pain?

The true but uncomfortable answer to both those reasons is no.  It is not as if I can manufacture loss and pain to practice, nor do I want to.  I can read of other’s experiences, but they are different personalities with different strengths and weaknesses.  What is to come is unknown to everyone except God and therein lays the hope for us.  God knows.  He knows what we will face, what we will need to face it and what will bring us through.

This is somewhat of a relief and a challenge.  It is a relief because we do not have to spend our lives preparing for our best guess of what might happen.  We do not have to live with the anxiety that question marks induce.  As a father, this is a great comfort, but also a challenge.  We must work diligently to be in step with God.  We have the advantage of the Holy Spirit that was not available to Job.  Through Him we have everything we need, but that does not mean we utilize all that has been given.  The challenge is to pursue a walk with God that leads through every step of every circumstance as He desires.

I don’t know if I will ever have a Job-like experience, but I am beginning to not worry about it.  I am more and more becoming concerned with God shaping me into the husband and father I need to be to face the challenges that lie ahead.

Lord, help me to be the man You desire me to be and the husband and father I need to be for my family.  Help me refuse the anxiety and worry that so easily plague my mind and heart.  Give me a faith that is strengthened every day by Your presence in my life.  Amen.