thoughts by Helen Grace Lescheid Archives - Page 2 of 9 - Daily Devotionals by Thoughts about God

The Father is Waiting

Published July 17, 2022

The Father is Waiting

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (relief) Matthew 11:28

“I’ll come back to God when I’ve got my act together,” said one young girl. “Right now I’m too messed up.”

But why wait?

The Father is waiting for you to come back.

Jesus told a beautiful story to illustrate this: the story of the prodigal son.

The prodigal son squandered his inheritance money in wild living. Eventually he landed in a pig sty, without friends and desperately hungry. One day he said to himself, “How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger. I will arise and go to my father and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants” (Luke 15:17).

So he returned home. While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him (Luke 15:20).

The boy starts his speech of apology but the Father doesn’t let him finish it. Instead, he interrupts with orders to the servants to bring the best clothes, a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. A joyous celebration follows.

When they met in embrace, the son’s thoughts were on “How can I make this right again?” But the Father’s thoughts were on relationship: “My son has come home! Our relationship is restored.” The father’s complete forgiveness is by grace, not something the son has to earn.

This is how God receives us when we come in true repentance. With forgiveness. With joy.

When we do come back, God doesn’t just forgive us; He dresses us up with a new identity, He clothes us in a rob of righteousness. He shows us we are loved and that we belong.

Imagine! The Creator and Sustainer of the universe loves and values us that much.

Do you need to come “home” to God? Do it now. Come just as you are. He will receive you.

By Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission
To read more of Helen’s writings go to http://www.helenlescheid.com

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Be a Peace Maker

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peace makers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.” James 3:17, 18

“Do your children live near you?” This question is important to me since my children live far away—on three continents—and I don’t see them often.

“Yes, they live near me,” he answered sadly. “But I never see them. We’re not speaking to each other.”

How tragic!

But this man is not alone. I find that many a parent’s heart has been broken because a son or a daughter is avoiding them. I hear sad words like these: “My children never call.” “My daughter has time for everyone else but me.”

Can you feel the hurt in those words? Let me pass on what has helped me during a time when my children were estranged from me. Often an estrangement develops during a traumatic time such as a death or a divorce. Raw emotions take time to process. We need to give our children time and space to sort them out.

“If only we could talk,” I’d often think. “Then we’d come to some understanding.” But this may not be the time for talking. When you are in conflict, concentrate on reconciliation rather than resolution. How?

First, we need to realize that no family member can meet our love needs. Only God can do that. That’s why we need to bask in God’s love by feeding on Scripture verses that speak of His love and delight in us (such as Ephesians 3:16-19) When we’re secure in His love, we’ll be able to let go of the you-guys-owe-me feeling and reach out to our children in love.

Pray for each of your children by name with thanksgiving. I often used Scripture as my prayer such as Colossians 1:9-12.

Be a peace maker by reaching out: remember birthdays and other special occasions. Let your children know they’re welcome in your home.

Trust in God’s timing to bring you together again. It may take several years (as it did in my case) but in His time reconciliation comes. We have His promise: “Peace makers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.”

By Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission

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Living in Forgiveness

Forgiveness does not mean we excuse the wrong doing by saying “it’s no big deal. He/she couldn’t help it.”

“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times:” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times” Matthew 18:21

What is Jesus saying?

Sometimes God uses the most unlikely persons to teach us a lesson. One morning I was giving out pills to an elderly patient at the Care Home where I was working as a nurse.

We hadn’t really been talking –in fact she often didn’t make sense at all– but this time her speech was clear “We must live in forgiveness—every single day,” she said as she patted my hand. “When I think of how much Jesus has forgiven me I love him and I want to thank him and thank him.”

Of course she didn’t know that at that very moment, I was struggling with a forgiveness issue. This person had hurt me once too many times , I figured. I could not forgive again.” Now Jesus’ message came to me clearly: “Forgive him as I have forgiven you.”

How did Jesus forgive? Every time somebody hurt him, he forgave. Every time an injustice came his way, he forgave.

Someone has said, “Forgiveness is a lifelong process. Life is an adventure in forgiveness.” Jesus did not find forgiveness easy either. He showed us that forgiveness has a cross in it. It costs us something. But un-forgiveness has an even greater price: It makes prisoners out of us.

Forgiveness does not mean we excuse the wrong doing by saying “it’s no big deal. He/she couldn’t help it.” Forgiveness means acknowledging the wrong done (yes, it was mean) and then deciding to let go of anger and bitterness and the need to get even.

Sometimes it will require talking, but I’ve discovered when emotions are hot, talking does more harm than good. Forgiveness means I turn it over to Jesus and let him handle the unfairness.

Now it was time for me to act upon this truth. I hurried into the laundry room where I could pray alone. “Dear Jesus,” I prayed. “I want to forgive this person. I surrender the hurt and bitterness to you. I want to be free of it. I want your love to flow through me to this person.”

Is there someone you need to forgive.

By Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission

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God is Our Guide

“He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way” Psalm 25:9.

“For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end”
Psalm 48:14.

I was sitting in the middle section of a small theatre but my mind was not on the play. Once more I found myself in the middle of a crisis. Many important decisions had to be made but I didn’t know what to do. If only God would give me more guidance!

The theater darkened. The curtains on the stage parted. A beam of light coming from a control room behind me illuminated the stage. Soon the play unfolded before our eyes. Oh, Lord, if only I had more light, like that stage, I’d know what to do.

Half-way through the first scene, an usher came down the aisle guiding two late-comers. In his right hand he held a flashlight forming a small circle of light at their feet. Slowly he moved ahead to the appropriate row, then he shone the light onto two vacant seats. He waited patiently until the man and woman had sat down. Then he turned off the flashlight, and walked quietly back to the entrance.

That’s how I guide you! The thought startled me. I’ve given you the flashlight of my Word and my personal presence. Trust me. As you follow, one step at a time, I will see to it that you get safely to the right place.

Like the usher in the theatre, God has committed Himself to guide us.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5, 6).

“We sometimes spend time looking around for a green light, when we ought to keep going in the obvious direction until we find a red light,” says Dr. Charles Price ( Peoples Church in Toronto, Canada)

God expects His people to make decisions that are consistent with His Word, yet remain open and sensitive to any direct instructions He may choose to give. He may choose to use a Scripture that comes to you repeatedly, a set of circumstances that have fallen into place, some godly advice given by a person you trust, a hunch that you can’t shake, or a sudden insight.

God’s guidance will always move you closer to Himself.

Father, thank you for giving me your Word to guide me and your personal presence to cheer me.

by Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission

God Is Watching

“The LORD himself watches over you! The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade. The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.” Psalm 121: 5, 8 (NLT).

I was on my first airplane ride and I was scared! It all seemed so unnatural to be up in the air for hours at a time. What if the plane crashes?

I settled my uneasiness by repeating words from the Bible:

“where can I go from your Spirit? If I go to the heavens, you are there…if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast” (Psalm 139:9,10).

God is not up in heaven watching me through a spy glass. He’s up close holding my hand!

I’ve needed that same comfort when my children travel to far-away places. Sometimes I don’t hear from them for a long time. What helps me to let go of worry and panic? I repeat over and over the words from Psalm 139 and 121.

“Father, you know where my daughter/son is right now. You never slumber nor sleep. Let them feel your presence now and let them know you are holding their hands. Thank you, LORD.”

No set of circumstances can ever isolate us from God’s loving presence. Therefore, we can leave our loved ones in God’s care

By Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission

Forgiveness Opens the Door

“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6: 14, 15 (LAB)

I’ve pondered these verses. God’s forgiveness of our sins seems to hinge on how we forgive others. Why is this so important?

Forgiveness is like a coin with two sides: the forgiveness each of us needs from God, and the forgiveness we owe to other human beings. They are inseparable. One coin.

Unless we forgive we let bitterness control us. Bitterness is like a plug between me and God; between me and another person. Unless I pull the plug, His forgiveness and love cannot flow. There is no receiving without giving. As we give, it is given unto us. We just cannot have forgiveness in any other way, because that is the way life works.

“But it’s so unfair,” you say.

Yes, life is unfair, but let God handle the unfairness. He’s a God of justice and He’ll look after the unfairness in due time.

Forgiveness is a decision we make not based on feeling.

“God, I want to forgive. Give me the grace to forgive.” And then, “I do forgive (name) now.”

During the Second World War, Corrie ten Boom had suffered much in a concentration camp. Her father and sister did not survive the brutal treatment. By some fluke, Corrie was released. She spent the rest of her life proclaiming the message of God’s love and forgiveness.

One day after she’d spoken in a small church in Germany, she was at the door shaking hands. A man came down the aisle who looked strangely familiar. With a jolt, Corrie recognized him: he’d been one of the guards at the concentration camp.

“I can’t shake his hand,” Corrie thought, frantically looking for a way of escape.

“Forgive him as I have forgiven you,” Jesus whispered.

“Jesus. Would you do it through me,” she whispered as she lifted her hand.

And with that act, Corrie was free. Free to be the person God wanted her to be.

Dear Jesus, take over my heart so that I will see people as you see them and forgive them as you forgive them.

By Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission

Give Thanks in All Circumstances?

“Pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18

Life is full of challenges and some of you are in the midst of one right now. Maybe like the Israelites in Psalm 107 you’ve gone from one difficult period to another. They were hungry and thirsty wanderers in the desert, prisoners in chains, sailors reeling in terror at the furious storm…each time they cried out to the Lord and He saved them. Remembering this, they are encouraged to “give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.”

We are encouraged to give thanks in everything, not for everything. Some things are plain evil and It wouldn’t be realistic to give thanks for them. But we can give thanks “in” them. How?

Thank you, Jesus, that you know all about this.

Thank you, that you are with me in this.

Thank you that you are holding my hand as we walk through it together.

Thank you that you are acting in love even now “for your love endures forever”

I’ve found that as I look back on that difficult time, I marvel how God has lovingly brought me through it. And he will do the same for you.

Father, I can thank you in everything for your plans for me are plans to prosper me and not to harm me, plans to give me hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11)

By Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission

Soar Like an Eagle

You are not meant to be tumbling in the undertow; you are meant to soar.

“Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31.

Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by life’s problems? You want to soar above them but you feel yourself being sucked under. During one such time, a chaplain’s true story gave me hope.

“A friend and I were paddling down a river. To one side, high on a cliff, sat a bald eagle, its white head feathers glistening in the sun. As we watched, it soared into the blue sky, then swooped into the water, thrusting its strong talons into a big fish.

But then, the eagle got caught in the rushing current. Up and down it went with its beak firmly in the fish. Then both fish and eagle were sucked under the water. Why doesn’t he let go of the fish, I thought why does he insist on keeping it?

We were startled by a commotion downstream. “The eagle,” I shouted “It’s come up again.”

Sure enough, the majestic bird had broken free of the fish and the deadly torrent and headed for the surrounding rocks. For a moment the bird rested in the sun preening its soggy feathers. Then it spread its enormous wings and rose above the tree tops into the sky.

“Aren’t we like that?” the chaplain asked. “At times we feel sucked down into life’s raging torrents. Is there something that’s dragging you down? Like the eagle who wouldn’t let go of the fish, are you hanging onto a weight of resentment or bitterness or unrealistic expectations of what life should be like? Release it. It’s a weight that will drag you down into despair. Let the spirit of the Risen Christ buoy you up and give you strength to rise above your circumstances.

You are not meant to be tumbling in the undertow; you are meant to soar. Because Christ lives in you, you can live triumphantly.”

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is an offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23,24).

By Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission

If God is All-Powerful, Why Doesn’t He Stop the Evil?

God is not oblivious to the evil that has entered our world and sometimes our lives.

“For the son of man is going to come in His Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.” Matthew 16:27

God created persons in His own image, which among other things, means we have been given a free will. God has given us the ability to choose. He wants us to choose to love Him first.

When Jesus was asked, what is the most important commandment, he answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:29-31).

But for love to be real, it cannot be forced. It has to come from a willing heart. You choose to love. That’s the nature of love.

God does not force His love upon us. We choose to love God.

When we choose not to love God, evil enters and takes over. We see evidence of this all over the world in family quarrels, riots, terrorist attacks, wars…

God is not oblivious to the evil that has entered our world and sometimes our lives. A day of judgment is coming when evil doers will be punished and the earth will be made right again (Revelation 16:7). Jesus promised: “For the Son of man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done” (Matthew 16:27).

In the meantime, God is present in our suffering. He’s suffering along with us. Isaiah asks, “Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands” (Isaiah 49:15,16).

Imagine your name is written on the palm of God’s hand. He loves you that much.

Father, I don’t understand what is happening. I don’t like what is happening. But I know You love me and want only the best for me. I want to trust You more.

By Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission
To read more of Helen’s writings go to http://www.helenlescheid.com

Jesus says, “Come to Me”

“Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest,” Jesus said Matthew 11:28 (Application Study Bible).

In response to an article on prayer, a bright young lady wrote me, “When in trouble I hesitate to ask Jesus to help me. It’s my fault that I got into trouble, so I should face the music and not bother Jesus about it.”

I admired her refreshing honesty and her willingness to take responsibility. Still, it’s not a good reason to stay away from God. He’s longing to hear from us especially when we’ve messed up. One of the sweetest words in the Bible is “Come.”

The invitation is to people who’ve messed up. “Come now, let us argue this out,” says the LORD. “No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it. I can make you as clean as freshly fallen snow” (Isaiah 1:18 Application Study Bible).

The invitation is to people who haven’t got it all figured out. Come just as you are with all your fears, questions, doubts and failures. “Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest,” Jesus said (Matthew 11:28 Application Study Bible).

We need to tell God exactly what we’ve done wrong and how we feel about it. “I’m sorry, Jesus for …. (name it).” It’s important to be specific.

How do you think Jesus will respond? I hear Him saying the same words to us that He said to the woman caught in adultery: “I do not condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11). When we come to Him in this way, He washes away our sin and gives us power to make a new start.

When we’ve messed up, we’re often very hard on ourselves. We flog ourselves with:

“I did it AGAIN! I’m so stupid. I’m no good. I’m a failure. I’ll never change.” These voices are not from God. Satan makes us feel like a complete failure. Jesus makes us feel like a person who can triumph over failure and learn from it.

Thank you, Father, that you do not condemn me when I have sinned. You forgive me and wash me clean. Help me now to forgive myself and give me the courage to make a new start.

By Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission

To read more of Helen’s writings go to http://www.helenlescheid.com

God is Holy and Merciful

“Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.” Micah 7:18

There’s an innate knowledge within persons of all cultures that a holy God has to be appeased with good works, fasting, praying, doing penance, and religious activities of all kinds. But how much is enough?

During my stay in Senegal, West Africa, my daughter and I visited a dear friend. Fatima had just returned from a holy pilgrimage to Mecca. She could hardly wait to tell us about it. Her eyes glowed as she said, “I was in the procession of millions of believers; I performed all the ceremonies; I circled the Ka’aba (the cube-shaped stone building); I said all the prayers.” Then her eyes clouded as she lowered her voice, “Still, if Allah should call me tonight, I don’t know if he would receive me into his heaven,” she said, “That’s really his choice, isn’t it?” Despite her deep sincerity and all that she had done, her heart questioned, “Have I done enough?”

“Fatima, we can know for sure,” my daughter replied. “Should God call me tonight, I know I will go to heaven, not because of the good things I have done, but because of what Jesus has done for me.” She took Fatima’s hand and said softly, “Jesus died for your sins also.”

There is only one way to be made right with God and that is through Jesus Christ.

“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:21 New Living Translation).

The death of Christ on the cross paid for our sin-debt in full. He satisfied the demands of justice by taking our judgment upon Himself. He is our connection to God. That’s why Jesus said,

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

We cannot earn God’s forgiveness and favor. But there is something we must do before God can help us. We must repent of our stubborn independence and surrender ourselves to Jesus.

“But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God” (John 1:12,13 NLT)

When we invite Jesus Christ to come into our lives, He removes the sin barrier between us and God. The personal relationship with Triune God, which Adam and Eve enjoyed, is restored. A new birth has taken place leading to a new life with a totally different orientation.

Come into my heart, Lord Jesus, and take control of my life.

by Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission

To read more of Helen’s writings go to http://www.helenlescheid.com

I Can Trust Him Always

Is God still good? Is He still in charge? Is He still working out a good plan for me?

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you” Jeremiah, 29:11,12 (NIV).

On this broken planet we all experience unfairness. You don’t get the raise someone else did. You’re fired from your job for no reason. You’ve studied and worked very hard and, in the end, someone less qualified gets the position you want. You think, ‘I thought God was in this. And now? Nothing’s working out like I thought it would’.

Oswald Chambers says, “I don’t ask what is God doing? Rather, I ask “Who is God?” That’s the important issue: Is God still good? Is He still in charge? Is He still working out a good plan for me?

Yes. We must look beyond the human element to the divine. It makes a great difference when we put God in the equation, like Joseph and Paul did when life was turning ugly. Paul, imprisoned by Roman authorities for preaching the gospel, identified himself as a prisoner of the Lord, not a prisoner of Rome (Ephesians 3:1).

Joseph who had been sold into slavery by his brothers, said to them many years later when they came to Egypt to buy grain, “You sold me…but God sent me ahead (Genesis 45:4-8) You intended to harm me but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:19,20).

“I hold onto the promises of God no matter what I see on the outside,” writes Nick Vujicic “I know that God is good. If He allows something bad to happen, I may not understand, but I can hold on to His goodness.”

Don’t miss out on a blessing because it isn’t packaged the way you want.

Father, I thank you that you are working all things together for good in my life.

By Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission

An Angel at Christmas

Whose Christmas angel can you be?

“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.“ (Matthew 5:16).

“While Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem (far from home) the time came for the baby Jesus to be born, and Mary gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” Luke 2: 6, 7

Have you ever been far from home at Christmas?

Our third child was born in Nairobi, Kenya, on December 14. We named her Elizabeth Anne. I liked the name Elizabeth meaning consecrated to God. My husband added Anne saying, “Her initials will stand for East Africa.”

Nairobi hospital was a very modern hospital and we received excellent care. A week later, my husband picked me up and took me to our home on the mountains. It was strangely quiet. All the missionaries had gone away to celebrate Christmas with their friends. We were on our own.

Christmas day arrived and our little family gathered in the living room. While our two small children played with their new toys, I was nursing my baby. I glanced at the sparsely decorated tree. Because we had no electricity, there were no glowing lights. No Christmas carols on the radio. No Christmas program to attend. No noisy turkey dinner with family gathered around a festive table. Suddenly loneliness overwhelmed me. How I missed my family in Canada!

Then I thought of Mary. How must she have felt so far from home with a brand new baby? But then, Mary had angels and shepherds to make Christmas special, I thought. We have nobody.

I think God has a sense of humour, don’t you? For at that very moment there was a sharp knock on the door. There stood Pastor Benson from a near-by church. He must have sensed that we were lonely for he stayed a long time.

I’ve often thought about that Christmas in Kenya. It didn’t have any of the trimmings that we think belong to a perfect Christmas. Yet, it was the most authentic Christmas I’ve ever had. It taught me that God is present wherever we are and he meets our needs in very practical ways.

Maybe your Christmas will be full of loneliness instead of family gatherings. Perhaps some of you will be celebrating Christmas for the first time without a loved one. Maybe your children are far away and cannot come home for Christmas.

Whose Christmas angel can you be?

“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16).

by Helen Lescheid
used by Permission

What’s in a Name?

Are you experiencing God’s presence? Are you aware that God is with you? That God is in your corner?

“A virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel—which means “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14) Later an angel reaffirmed the message to Joseph. (Matthew 1:20-23)

A little boy’s father had gone on a long business trip. He missed his father terribly, especially at bedtime when his daddy always read him a bedtime story. His mother, wanting to comfort him, gave him a photo of his dad to take to bed with him. The boy would clutch it under the blanket and fall asleep with it. One evening as he studied the photo he said, “I wish daddy would just step out of the picture and be here with me now.”

That’s what God did one Christmas. He stepped out of his heavenly frame and came down to earth in the person of Jesus Christ so he could be near us. He came into the world in bodily form. He is with us now, not just in name or in thought, but in reality. He is with us in person. He is a God who gets involved in our lives. He is a God who lives among us, Isaiah tells us: “for great is the Holy One among you” (Isaiah 12:6).

Are you experiencing His presence? Are you aware that God is with you? That God is in your corner? We don’t always feel his presence, but then, feelings are not reliable. They change with the weather or a night’s sleep.

God says he is present. “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

Speak the words out loud, “Thank you God that you are with me right now. You are walking with me and holding my hand. You know the way and will lead me to a good end. Therefore, I have nothing to be afraid of.”

By Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission

The Message of Christmas is “Fear Not”

“The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear: The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid… In the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling.” Psalm 27:1,2,5

In the Christmas story, again and again, we hear the phrase, “Fear not!”

“Fear not Mary” (Luke 1:30); “Fear not, Joseph” (Matthew 1:20-23); “fear not shepherds” (Luke 2:9-12).

Like Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds, we are so prone to fear. We’re afraid because we feel alone and forsaken, when we encounter the unknown, and when we face something bigger than us.

Why we do not need to be afraid?

When we feel alone and forsaken we need to remember the message of Christmas: a Savior has been born to us…and they will call him, Immanuel which means God with us.

Because of Jesus God is approachable and very near—even holding our hands.

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”(Isaiah 41:10).

When we encounter the unknown let’s remember it’s not unknown to God.

The future has its uncertainties, but we enter it every day, confident in the sovereignty and sufficiency of God. Our security is not in knowing where we are, but Who we are with! We are with God Who loves us and always wants the best for us.

“God is faithful, reliable, trustworthy and therefore ever true to His promise and He can be depended on”
(1 Corinthians 1:9 Amplified)

When we face something bigger than us, let’s remember that God is bigger than the thing that threatens us. He will do the impossible through us. In all these things (whatever we’re facing)we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come…. nothing in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37,38 ESV)

For every day of the year, there is a “fear not” in the Bible. Do you have one for today? Write it out on a card and say it often. It will bring you comfort and peace.

Thank you, Father, that because You are with us and Jesus lives within us, we have nothing to fear.

By Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission

To read more of Helen’s writings go to http://www.helenlescheid.com

Category: <span>thoughts by Helen Grace Lescheid</span>

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (relief) Matthew 11:28

The Father is waiting for you to come back.

Further Reading

Further Reading

Forgiveness does not mean we excuse the wrong doing by saying “it’s no big deal. He/she couldn’t help it.”

Forgiveness does not mean we excuse the wrong doing by saying “it’s no big deal. He/she couldn’t help it.” Forgiveness means acknowledging the wrong done (yes, it was mean) and then deciding to let go of anger and bitterness and the need to get even.

Further Reading

Further Reading

“The LORD himself watches over you! The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade. The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.” Psalm 121: 5, 8 (NLT).

Further Reading

Forgiveness is a decision we make not based on feeling.

FURTHER READING

Further Reading

You are not meant to be tumbling in the undertow; you are meant to soar.

Further Reading

God is not oblivious to the evil that has entered our world and sometimes our lives.

Further Reading

“Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest,” Jesus said Matthew 11:28 (Application Study Bible).

Further Reading

“Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.” Micah 7:18

Further Reading

Is God still good? Is He still in charge? Is He still working out a good plan for me?

Further Reading

Whose Christmas angel can you be?

“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.“ (Matthew 5:16).

Have you ever been far from home at Christmas?

Further Reading

Are you experiencing God’s presence? Are you aware that God is with you? That God is in your corner?

Further Reading

“The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear: The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid… In the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling.” Psalm 27:1,2,5

Further Reading