God is "Always"

A month or so ago, my 24-year old daughter and I had such a heart-felt and interesting conversation, where we spoke about times past - of conversations, of events, of family relationships. 

During this reminiscing conversation, Mary Grace was recalling her last conversation with her Aunt Jean.  (My sister went to be with the Lord five years ago after a two-month battle of aggressive lung cancer.)  Mary Grace (a very sensitive soul who might suggest she is otherwise) had a private conversation with Aunt Jean during her last visit in Virginia.  Any doubts Mary Grace may have had about her Aunt's love were erased when, during this conversation, Aunt Jean said to her, "I have always loved you, Mary Grace, from the moment I first saw you.  I have always loved you." 

Mary Grace and Aunt Jean in Tampa, Florida
soon after we arrived from Peru in 1988

As Mary Grace related this conversation to me the other day, her eyes filled with tears - tears of joy - in realizing again that indeed her Aunt Jean always loved her.  How precious it was for Mary Grace to be reminded of these words of loving confirmation in her mind and heart!  How encouraging and uplifting.

Mary Grace and her Aunt Jean in 2004 in Tampa, Florida

And, as followers of Christ, who study the Bible - we are reminded again and again - that the one true God is "Always" -  always striving, always watching, always protecting, always teaching, always guiding, and always loving. 

How encouraging to us!  How uplifting to us!  God remains - God is constant - God is always.  I can hardly understand this - and yet I drink it in like a parched traveler who finally comes upon a stream of clear, clean water - Living Water. 

Amazing!  O Wondrous Love,
Susie

Verses to consider:
I Samuel 15:29 - "Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind.”
Psalm 33:11 - "The counsel of the Lord stands forever."
Matthew 28:20 - "...for I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
I John 4:8 -  "...for God is love."
I Corinthians 1:9 - "God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

God is the Glue

I recently read the most wonderful story written by my friend, Marion, and asked her permission to post it. Please read it below:

This year, I struggled to find words to put to paper.  I knew the verse I wanted.  I knew the song I wanted, but still found no way to link the two together.  And I've learned that when the words aren't there -to hold on - to wait.

Last year, my father-in-law passed away.  I took his nativity set home with me.  It is very beautiful and very expensive, and I love it.  As God would have it, the box was flipped over and smashed to the ground.  I just cried.  I installed the entire set of broken pieces into the trash.  Well, you know that hard, stubborn head my husband has?  He dug all of it out of the garbage and, piece by piece, glued ever figurine together, all but one.  Jesus was the only piece in that entire set that wasn't broken.  I'm serious.

One of my son's dearest friends was admiring the nativity this year.  He had no idea the trauma this set had endured last year.  We laughed as I told him every piece is broken and meticulously super-glued together, all but one.

Rich, wise men and their camels they rode in on - lowly, poor, stinky shepherds and their unruly sheep they tended - a simple girl and the honorable man who covered and protected her..  All sinful - all flawed - all broken --- but One.  Jesus.

The song (I chose) is called "O Savior of Our Fallen Race" by Keith and Kristyn Getty

May you ponder this year just how lovely God meticulously super-glues your brokenness, snatching you out of darkness and the shadow of death, to guide your feet into the way of peace before a Holy God.

"By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."  Luke 1:78-79

Isn't that an awesome picture of God's redemption and Jesus' unbroken-ness? Isn't the song that Marion had chosen so perfect for this story.  May God be glorified!  May Jesus and His unbroken perfection be held high!  Thank you, Marion, for your gift of words!

In Him,
Susie

God is Peaceful

Rocking a sleeping baby, having a dear and trusted friend at our side at the precise moment needed, camping out on a still, clear night while looking at the stars, listening to a calm, melodious song - we drink in these peaceful times in our lives- as a dry sponge drinks in water flowing over it.

There are also circumstances in our lives that seem - outwardly - the very opposite of peaceful (pre-surgery, waiting for news of a loved one in an emergency, sitting at the side of a very ill family member while medical staff seek to find a cause).  Sometimes, during these times of outward-seeming chaos, we can also have a sense of peace.  We can feel the smooth waters settling into calm waves of hope and stillness. 

That, my friend, is a gift given to us by God.  In Ephesians 2:14, the Bible says "For He himself is our peace." 

When, in the very midst of a crisis or outwardly chaotic circumstance we feel a sense of peace descend on us - as if the peace was a blanket of sheer silk dropped from heaven, blanketing us with a sense of calm - we as believers recognize that our soul is at rest - and that peace filled rest comes from God.  At that very time, when outward circumstances scream chaos and yet our souls are still and calm, we may even think, "I know someone is praying for me right now."

Oh, how precious are those serene times!  How soothed we are to have peace amidst the storm.  What an great time to pray, "Thank you, Lord, for I know that You are keeping me still right now."

God is peaceful.  God is peace-filled.  God is peace-able.  God is at peace.  God is Peace.  Hallelujah!  Focus on Jesus!  For He himself is truly our peace.




Vivie sleeping next to her new puppy, "Sunny," summer of 2010

 Verses to consider:
Psalm 27:5  He will hide me and set me high upon a rock.

John 14:27  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Philippians 4:6-7  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

He Hideth My Soul          by Fanny Crosby

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock

that shadows a dry thirsty land

He hideth my life in the depth of His love

and covers me there with His hand

and covers me there with His hand.

God is Impartial - Part Two

And now, back to parenting -

Even though the love is the same among all my family's children, is the relationship the same?  Frankly - No.
Obviously, my relationship with a 40-year old is different than my relationship with my 5-year old twins, and there is a difference between relating to my son or my daughter. Then there is the aspect of relationship change:  If one family member is not relating to (talking, contacting) another family member; then logically that relationship changes.  The love isn't lessened, but the relationship is changed.  Close family relationships involve (ready...) "relating."  Back/forth, give/take, listening/speaking, helper/helped, forgiving/forgiven, and on it goes.  A relationship is two-way and if one person in the relationship is "not talking" to the other, the relationship is affected.

In a lifetime of our getting to know and understand our children, we will surely have times of challenge. While this is "normal," these times can be taxing.  Our hope as parents is that the years of a close relationship with each child will weave strong and enduring threads within our family tapestry.  Our hope as parents is that the foundation was set well, and that our children will remember the principles we set for them and desire a close relationship with us.

Back to God:  So, while God is impartial in His love, is there a difference in the "depth of relationship" we have with God as believers?  Sure!  There can be quite a difference.  Those who seek to know and follow God have a closer and deeper relationship with Him than those who either don't have or don't want a close relationship with God.  Just as the relationship between a parent and child (whatever age the "child") is deeper and closer with more time spent together talking and sharing experiences, the relationship is also deeper and closer between God and His child with more time spent together talking (praying) and sharing (studying the Bible).

As we (believers in Jesus Christ as the one and only Savior) become mature in our faith by studying the Bible, praying, fellowship with other believers - (exercising our faith and trust in God) - our relationship with God becomes closer and closer.  Are we more loved? No. Remember - God shows no partiality.  We have a closer, deeper, more wonderfully exquisite relationship as we grow closer to God, but we aren't more special or more loved.  We may see the love God has for us far more, because we notice His answers to our prayers, His direction in our lives, His beautiful creation, His encouragement to us, etc.  But we are not more loved than other "family members."

Two of my favorite Bible verses showing a deep personal relationship with God are -
1. Genesis 3:8 when before the Fall, Adam "walked with God in the cool of the night."
2. James 4:8 "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you."

Again, back to parenting - as a mother, I love each of my five children without partiality, but there is quite a difference in my relationship with each child of mine.  And so it is with God: He loves all without partiality but there is quite a difference in His relationship with each of His children.

Bible verse to consider:
John 13:1 "Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end."

O Wondrous Love

O wondrous love that will not let me go
I cling to You with all my strength and soul
Yet if my hold should ever fail
This wondrous love will never let me go

O wondrous love that’s come to dwell in me
Lord who am I that I should come to know
Your tender voice assuring me
This wondrous love will never let me go

I’m resting in the everlasting arms
In the ever faithful heart
The Shepherd of my life
You’ll carry me on Your mighty wings of grace
Keeping me until the day
I look into Your eyes

O wondrous love that sings of Calvary
The sweetest sound this sinner’s ever known
The song of Your redeeming Son
Whose wondrous love will never let me go

O wondrous love that rushes over me
I can’t escape this river’s glorious flow
You overwhelm my days with good
Your wondrous love will never let me go

2001 Sovereign Grace Ministry

Words and music by Steve and Vikki Cook

God is Impartial - Part One

Having been an adoptive parent for 23 years (three times, actually), I always marvel at people who say (thankfully, only a few), "How many of your children are YOURS?  Yes, I know you have five children, but how many are YOURS?" That seems like such a peculiar question to ask - at the very best, odd - and at the very worst, thoughtless.

On the same "starting line" in my family stand all five of my children, regardless of age, ability, or by what channel they entered our family.  I was truly blessed to carry two wonderful biological sons to birth, but I was also truly blessed to have God say, "Susie, I chose you to be the adoptive Mom for Mary Grace, Annah, and Vivie.  My two always-loved biological sons are as much a part of the family of five as the three adopted girls - and vice versa.  No favorites, no special ranking, no "She loves you more because you're...."  As the mom to Eric, Nathan, Mary Grace, Annah, and Vivie - my love to each of them is equal and undying.  I carry a heart of devotion toward them all - no exceptions and no exclusions.  Period. 

Time cannot change the love I have for all my "children."  Distance between modes of contact (personal visits, phone calls, letters, emails, texts, instant messaging, skype chats) cannot lesson the love or thoughts I have for each child of mine.  If one is out of contact for a time, that does not lower the "love ranking" for that child.  If one child is always attentive, that doesn't move him or her up to "number one spot."  Any conflict between me and one of my children cannot lessen the love I have for that child. I love them all - and will hold them all in my heart forever.


Eric - First Child - March, 1972






Annah - Fifth Child - October, 2006

 













With that said, I marvel at the same trait in God. I wonder how God could love the thief on the cross as much as he loved Jesus, His only Son.  I'm in awe when God answers a sinner's prayer after a hard, cruel, destructive life and moves that redeemed one to the front of the class, to sit next to "Teacher's Pet."  How can it be?  How can God extend that Hand of Forgiveness at the last moment of life to one, embracing the forgiven one with the same loving intensity as the embrace of a lifelong devoted follower of His?  How can it be?

One familiar supporting verse to believers is John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."  The verse doesn't say, "whoever, except for those who skid in (to belief in Jesus Christ as Savior of mankind) at the last possible second of their life." Another supporting verse that God is impartial is Romans 2:11, "For God shows no partiality." 

Personally, the concept of unconditional love (toward me) is a challenge to understand.  However - personally, the concept of unconditional love for each of my children - well, that's much different.  "Of course!" I say, "They are my kids!  Of course I love them without condition or favoritism!"

And so says God - to all of us.  He loves us and yearns for an intimately close relationship with us.  Get to know your Heavenly Father better today.  He loves you without reserve.  God has no partiality.

Bible Verses:

• John 3:16    "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."
• Romans 2:11   "For God shows no partiality."
• Acts 10:34   ³⁴ Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism ³⁵ but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. ³⁶ You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.
• I Peter 1: 17-21    ¹⁷ Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. ¹⁸ For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. ²⁰ He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. ²¹ Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God."

Hallelujah - what a Savior!
Susie

God is Working

Today has been such a wonderful day!  Having a holiday for Columbus Day, the day filled with work at home doing the usual (laundry, cleaning, cooking) and the seasonal (canning apple butter).  Of course, the day was interwoven with twin five-year-old daughters playing about, coming in and out and chatting.

This was a day off from work – and yet a day of working at home.

I love these days!  I love the freedom to pick and choose from the long list of “to-do’s,” designing a pliable, moldable schedule.  Nowhere to be – nowhere to go – just the nest-building, nest-primping activities of a “homemaker-at-heart.”  One thing this “homemaker-at-heart” loves to do is home canning.

To help store the canning for the winter, I looked on Craigslist a while ago for a small antique-y cabinet to fit in our kitchen.  Cupboard space in our small kitchen is minimal and it’s always fun to find a practical item for a “good deal.” After purchasing a jelly cupboard that was just right, I went to work canning fresh blackberry jam, dill pickles and pickled green beans. Now that apples have come into season, this weekend we continued our yearly family tradition of making spiced apple butter.

Today was the last of the apple-butter-making project.  It is such a sense of accomplishment to stand back after completing this enjoyable task and look over the finished product! 

As every day, several times today my thoughts turned to God. First of all, I thanked God for this day off. But even more than that, I thought today of how God is always at work. He is always helping, always comforting, always teaching the teachable, always loving, always extending a hand of mercy, and always speaking truth.  I truly rest in that!  Knowing that God is always at work gives me security and such joy. 

And also, there is a work God has done that is finished.  Jesus spoke his final words on the cross, “It is finished.”  (John 19:20)

As Mathew Henry Commentary so poetically stated,

“It is finished; that is, the counsels of the Father concerning his sufferings were now fulfilled. It is finished; all the types and prophecies of the Old Testament, which pointed at the sufferings of the Messiah, were accomplished. It is finished; the ceremonial law is abolished; the substance is now come, and all the shadows are done away. It is finished; an end is made of transgression by bringing in an everlasting righteousness. His sufferings were now finished, both those of his soul, and those of his body. It is finished; the work of man's redemption and salvation is now completed.”

Do you know God?  Do you believe in the finished work that Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross?  Do you know how God works to draw you to Him? 

Verses from the Bible:

Romans 8:28          “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,    who have been called according to his purpose.”

Philippians 2:13    “For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

Knowing Him,
Susie

God is a Detailer

Every so often, I am amazed by the simplest and "seemingly small" things in life. - Really and truly "amazed."

Yesterday, we happened upon two garage sales that were two doors apart.  Each garage sale had a great amount of little toys called “Littlest Pet Shop.”  At the first garage sale, they had a house and other little building for these cute, small, large-eyed plastic toys.  Annah and Vivie wanted these toys, but I told them we didn’t have any of the little animals to go with the buildings.  “Don’t worry,” the seller said, “they have lots of those at the garage sale two doors down.”  Oh yes!  They did!  At the next garage sale there were so many little toys and houses and swings and carousels and beds and all in perfect condition – and all at end-of-the-day prices.  How could I resist for my little girls? Well, we ended up happily buying a tableful of delightful little (and I do mean little!) toys to take home.

Annah and Vivie were delighted and quickly agreed to the new rule of “Only on the table – not on the floor” in order to play with their tiny new finds.  They spent the remainder of the late afternoon and evening opening the little baggies and setting up a domain of Littlest Pet Shop on the kitchen table first, then on the patio table.  By 10:00 p.m. last night, Vivie was still quietly setting up each tiny toy, collated as she wanted it to be, rearranging at will (hers).  She was so quiet and so intent that I, at one point, thought she had fallen asleep from the long and fun day.  No, she was working, and moving the little pieces (teacup, hairbrush, pet, etc.) into the order she designed. 

Needless to say, this set of toys is a “keeper” for the age of my just-five-year-old girls. They will have hours of imagination-building and concentrated fun with their find.

Okay, now to an analogy:  As detailed and precise and intricate as this set of Little Pet Shop toys are to Annah and Vivie – more is our world to God.  Hang on – please read through….

God has designed a finely-tuned, precisely-crafted, intricately-woven world for us all to enjoy.  It’s huge (the cosmos) -  it’s big (our globe) - it’s large (our country) - it’s manageable (our homes) - and it is small (our lives). God had the master plan, set it up, and has sustained it all since the beginning of time. 

As Vivie so carefully took each tiny toy and set it into its place, the God of the universe has carefully taken each one of us and set a plan into place for our lives.  That plan for each of us is specific, thoughtful, perfect, simple, gentle, redemptive, kind.  God wants a personal relationship with each of us, so that we can fully enjoy Him and relate – back and forth, for all our days.  It is so big of a concept, yet so very, very finely-tuned by our God.   God has shown us the “directions” (the Holy Bible), the “guarantee” (His promises), the “fall-back plan” (His redemption. forgiveness, and reconciliation through Jesus Christ).

The God of the universe is also a supreme “Detailer.”

Verses from the Bible (New American Standard):

For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."  Jeremiah 29:11

You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; For You have worked wonders, Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness."  Isaiah 25:1

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny ? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."  Matthew 10:29-31

Knowing Him,

Susie

God is a Story-Teller

As a foster parent, I once had a four-year-old girl who was quite traumatized in her brief years on earth.  She had seen and experienced far too much to bear.  On her first placement in foster care, she came to my home for a long time before returning to her mother, and then – a few months later – I was called in the middle of the night to take her again. It wasn’t until her second stay in our home that I realized to what extent she had been hurt,  and the realization of her background broke my heart.  When the other foster children were napping, I would rock Savannah and tell her a story.  The story was truly “off the cuff” where I would try to weave hope and wonder and daily living into this little person’s ears.”  Here’s how it went:

Once upon a time, in the land of tall trees, there was a little girl who was four years old.  She was a beautiful princess and she had a good life. She had long, flowing princess dresses and special shoes called glass slippers!  She would go shopping sometimes and the special driver of her beautiful car would take her to wherever she wanted to shop (sometimes it was Wal-Mart or Target).  If the little princess needed to get her chores done first she would tell her driver (called a chauffeur), “Oh, I must clean my room and put away all my toys before I go today!”  The beautiful princess’s chauffeur would wait patiently and then, at just the right time, would take the princess to her store so she could buy…..”

On and on the stories went, each one building upon the other. Trying not only to focus on wonder in each story, I attempted to introduce good character qualities.  Most of all, I tried to keep each story hopeful  – in any way possible. 

Sadly, Savannah was too hurt by life’s experience in her four years to stay in our home, and needed more intensive care.  Her second stay with us was brief, and she was moved to a therapeutic foster home.  I have thought of that little girl many times, wondering how she is today at age nine.

Fast forward to today:

In reading through the book of Numbers right now, it's interesting to read how the people complained about their provisions, knowing what we know - that God was leading them carefully through His man, Moses, and that all their provisions were coming from God Himself.  We see this – now - because we are reading the whole story - and we can read from the beginning to the end.  Yet, in our lives we complain of this and that – looking at an event rather than the whole picture - when we need to keep encouraging each other to rely upon the Author.

God has already written His whole story and it is compiled in many, many translations called the Holy Bible. God’s story isn’t “from the cuff” (as mine was to Savannah) but His story is perfectly thought-out, supremely organized, beautifully illustrated (burning bush, rainbows, pillar of cloud, pillar of fire, parting of the sea, etc.), magnificently worded, preciously poetic, and one-hundred percent true!

God’s story is in a way as Savannah’s story was meant to be – hopeful, full of wonder, character-building.  But God’s story is far more!  Events, experiences, trials, teachings abound!  God reveals who He really is in His Word.  From the beginning of Genesis, “In the beginning” to the end of Revelation, “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all, Amen” - God speaks words of direction, admonition, revelation, instruction, and perfect Love.  God reveals His plan of redemption through His Son, Jesus Christ.  God is the best Story-Teller ever!  Praise Him for the True Word of His Story!

To Savannah, with hugs and prayers for a better life –

Mama Susie

"But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you."         Psalm 39:7

God is Heavenly-Minded

My niece, Lesli, once wrote a blog about sisters and said "My Mom was 14 when her only sister was born, but they were so close. She adored her baby sister in the end - and at the end of her life, she was the one my Mom asked for. They never had to stand before a judge and say 'For better or worse, till everything else we do part...' It was just the way it was."

My sister, Bonnie Jean, died almost four years ago in the summer of 2007.  She was the oldest of seven children, and I am the youngest.  Even though we were at "opposite ends of the birth order" of the Leavitt children, we loved each other deeply.


Bonnie Jean Leavitt - 16 1/2
Susan Brigham Leavitt - 2 1/2
Portchester, NY

My very first airplane ride, actually, was at the age of 14, when I flew from our home in Denver, Colorado, to Lincoln, Nebraska, where Jean lived with her husband and three children.  The next summer introduced the second "annual visit" where I was met Jean's newest child, Mal, who had been born that spring. Yearly trips became a tradition, where I would reconnect with my sister and her family and they with me. 

My mind floods with precious memories now, as I recall glimpses of many visits and vacations we shared together.  Jean and I remained close over the years, as life circumstances happened - marriages, births of my two precious sons Eric and Nathan, family moves, our parents' deaths, cancer, separation, divorce, children's issues, adoption.  My sister established a Saturday tradition of calling long-distance, and during those calls we would chat about our weeks and family happenings.

Over the years, Jean and I would "analyze" our family of origin, playing the "armchair quarterback" role of diagnosing dilemmas or comparing opinions of "family" from our unique vantage points - Jean as the "firstborn" or me as the "baby of the family."  Jean and I were so different yet so alike in many ways.

We spoke at times about another sister who neither of us had been given the opportunity to know.  Twelve years after Jean's birth, and two years before my birth, another daughter had been born to Mom and Dad.  This little baby girl was given the name "Susan Baxter Leavitt" (I am Susan Brigham Leavitt) and she was born with severe spina bifida.  Within two weeks of her birth, Susan Baxter died and was carried in a shoebox-sized casket on my mother's lap to a cemetery for her funeral and burial.  Jean and I had melancholy moments where we talked about the sister we never knew.  I had told Jean about the conversation where our Mom confided all the details of Susan Baxter's birth and death, and the intense sorrow it had left upon Mom's life.


Bonnie Jean and Susie - Tampa, Florida - 1984

The years sped by as life marched on - and events came and went.  My sister and I enjoyed good times together with pleasant memories, and we had some very challenging times together that left us with painful memories.  Our bonds of sisterhood were stretched, rebounded, and stretched again. 

One day allmost four years ago, Jean called to announce that she had cancer and that it was untreatable, fast-growing, and terminal.  The words were short: The resulting shock was a shroud.  "I love you, Jean," I said through tears, with the decision to go visit her one last time.

Within two weeks, I travelled across the country with my three daughters (18 years old and 1-year-old twins).  On that emotional visit, Jean and I spoke about serious matters, laughed a bit, and cried a lot.
In keeping with the "prognosis," my sister, Jean, passed from this life within seven weeks of her cancer confirmation.  I travelled back again for her memorial service.  Many more tears - many more memories.

Engraved in my memory now is something that happened after returning home from Jean's memorial service.  One day while driving, a thought flashed into my mind.  It was as if this event were on a massive video screen before me.  I pictured Jean in Heaven - with no more pain of any kind - living the heavenly life we all long to live - peacefully and joy-filled.  Yet, followed by that, a second image came, and it took my breath away.  I exclaimed, "Jean's holding that baby! She's holding her sister!"  At that moment, not only was I sure that Jean was at peace - but there was also an added blessing to picture Jean holding her baby sister, Susan Baxter, who had long ago died.  My nurturing, "more-like-a-mother" sister, Jean, was getting to know a brand new sister.

Isn't this just like you, God, to show me this awesome picture of my sister, Bonnie Jean, cradling Susan Baxter in her arms, in your glorious Heaven! The sweet beauty of this picture soothes me.

But our citizenship is in heaven.

And we eagerly await a Savior from there,

the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him

to bring everything under his control,

and will transform our lowly bodies

so that they will be like his glorious body.  

Philippians 3:20-21

To my sisters - Bonnie Jean and Susan Baxter - with love and longing - until we meet again - forever -

Susie

God is Comforting

Watching the videos of the earthquake and the tsunami in Sendai, Japan, yesterday were shocking.  Literally, shocking.  To watch people (in or out of buildings and apartments) as their earth shook beneath them!  To watch a massive tsunami wash completely over farmlands, buildings, highways!  It was almost unbelievable to watch, and I cannot imagine the feelings of those who experienced it firsthand.

How do we wrestle with God’s providence when we hear or see of something so horrific? Can God comfort those who are affected by this?  Let’s look at God’s Word, the Bible, to find answers;

1.    II Corinthians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.”

2.    II Corinthians 1:6 “If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.”

3.    Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

4.    Hebrews 4:15  “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

5.    Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

6.    Psalm 147:3 “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

7.    II Corinthians 1:4 "Who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

8.   Psalm 34:18 "The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

     

      
The answer to the question, “Can God comfort those who are devastated in Sendai, Japan?” is a resounding “Yes!”  God can offer comfort and help now.  How?  God offers comfort through the strength of search and rescue workers, through the tireless help of willing volunteers who band together to offer housing, food, shelter to those affected by the earthquake. God offers comfort by directly speaking to the hearts and minds of the suffering, saying, “I am with you now. I will help you now. Trust in Me.”

God longs for us to know Him and His ways. God longs to comfort people. God is already there.




 

In the midst of all the death and destruction left in the wake of the 30-foot wall of water that ravaged northern Japan Friday, there was at least one piece of good news. A boat swept away in the tsunami caused by the 8.9 magnitude quake and feared lost at sea has been found with all aboard alive, Jiji Press reported.

 Trusting in Him,
Susie