Are you Gasping or Grasping? ~ in His Word
What will you do when your life is met with an
earthshaking, mind shattering event? Will you be up in His Word or will you be
down for the count?
This weekend I saw a portion of a couple of movies
I watched in my teen years. They were about a fighter. He was up in the face of
the competitor and pushing the issues with his fists so that he could win the
title. When life came at him he fought his way out doing what he knew to do. He
relied on the people closest to his heart to hold him up and when things got
bad he fell hard.
He did not know God; he had no where to turn but
further in despair.
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| Suddenly out of no where a hand reached into the water ... |
Sometimes life serves us a one two punch and it
knocks us to the ground. We feel as if there is no one who understands what we
are going through; and maybe there really is no person in your life who does.
We seek to find an answer in books, and in television self help videos and
whatever we think will help but the truth is those are not lasting helps. We
are as I was as an 8 year old child playing in a neighbor’s pool with my
family. Thinking I was a strong swimmer my friend and I went to the deeper end.
At one point I went further away from the edge than I thought I was and I could
not reach the side. I began to sink to the bottom. I struggled to grab hold of
the wall; but it alluded me; it was as if someone had placed it just out of
reach; and I went down a second time. Having had swimming lessons and knowing
that I could swim my family was not concerned. My neighbor stood at the side of
the wall watching me flounder and splashing as I gasped for help. He stood
there thinking I was playing as I sank again the third time…
Suddenly out of now where a hand reached down into
the water and pulled me out directly to the side of the pool where I sat
sputtering and burping out the water I had ingested as I had almost drowned
before him. If he did not know me well enough to realize I was indeed not
playing around I would have died that day.
When we do not know God, then we do not know who
it is who can help us and we “grasping at stars” to answer our prayers. I think
the first step in being blessed and not stressed is to accept that we need a
savior. We need someone to whom we can know is listening to our every hope, our
every dream and our every fear. We need to know someone will reach into the
water and pulls us out; we need to know that we have a Savior who is standing
there above us on the side of the pool; someone who is listening to your cries
for help and cares enough to reach in and grasp your hand. He will not drop our
prayers to the earth and shatter our lives but instead He will hold us through
those shattering times and comfort us by His Word and by His people surrounding
us with love.
There is something we need to do in order to know
Him.
We have to accept that Jesus died on the cross so
that we could have this love, and peace and even some joy in our lives.
~*~
25 Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God,
and the other prisoners were listening. 26 Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to
its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every
prisoner fell off! 27 The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the
prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. 28 But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill
yourself! We are all here!”29 The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along
with everyone in your household.” 32 And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in
his household. 33 Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed
their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. 34 He brought them into his house and set a
meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all
believed in God. Acts 16:25-34
Paul
and Silas could have run off when God opened the gates. They could have let the
jailer kill himself and the prisoners run off too; but they didn't. Instead
they chose to share Jesus with those around them. Because of this a whole
household was saved, not only Paul and Silas! Many of us today have been lifted
out of water or had our lives altered because of Paul or Silas. The Word, their
testimonies have brought us out of the deep water onto the dry ground of life
with hope, peace and everlasting joy.
Believe.
It really is easy when you think of it. I reached out and yelled when I saw the
man standing there at the edge of the pool. I believed he would grab my hand
and pull me to safety and he did.
We
can reach out to Jesus today and know that He is standing there wanting us to
reach out our hand to Him; He will be there for you no matter what you have
done, or might do. He loves you just as, where, how you are; reach out and
grasp the hand as He reaches out to you today.
Dear
Heavenly Father, we want to know You more. We want to see Your hand extended
and be not afraid to reach out and grab a hold of it that You may pull us up to
the place where we belong. Fill us with your strength to endure, hope for the
process and desire to do the work You have placed before us today; In Jesus’
name, amen.
Suggested reading: Acts 16:1-34, Philippians 3:1-21 , John 6:1-69,and Psalm 59:1-17