Thunder, me and my dog

When I am afraid I will trust in you.
Psalms 56:3

She tries to squeeze under me rather than sit beside me. She shivers with fear after only one rumble of thunder. I wonder what her little-dog-mind is imagining will happen. As much as I pet her and try to calmly assure her with my sweetest of voices that she is okay …her shivering always continues until the storm passes by. No matter how hard I try to convince her that she is indeed “just fine”, my little Maltese clings to her fear in the midst of the storm. I have often wondered why she doesn’t relax by my side and trust she is safe in our warm home. Then, the thought hit me … I am so much like my little, chicken-of-a-dog when life gets scary. So many times, I only see the storm. I worry about the “what-ifs” and I forget to cling to my Father and relax in His promises. Why can’t my first instinct be to rest in Him rather than give in to fear and worry? God tells me He will never leave me nor forsake me (Deut 31:6) and He cannot lie (Num 23:19). He tells me He is my strong tower (Ps 61:3) and a very present help in times of trouble (Ps 46:1). He tells me His plans for me are exceedingly, abundantly good (Eph 3:20). He tells me He can use even the hard things for my good if I will just stick close and obey Him (Rom 8:28). God tells me He is my strength and power to do what He has called me to do and to handle what comes into my life (2 Tim 3:17). He tells me I can even ask Him to help me believe Him when I am struggling to do so (Mark 9:24). Oh, what courage there is for my trembling soul in the promises of God!

Are you shaking in your boots? Do you hear only the thunder of trouble around you or do you hear that still, quiet, reassuring, Holy Spirit voice whispering courage-giving promises of God to you? Have you hidden His Word in your heart so you can refute the lies of the enemy that make you want to shiver in fear? God is with His children. He cannot disown you or forget about you (2 Tim 2:13). He is the perfect Father and He owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Ps 50:10). His power has overcome the grave (Heb 2:14) and He is so concerned with you that He has numbered every hair on your head (Matt 10:30) and holds every tear you have ever cried in a bottle (Ps 56:8). He is the Ancient of Days (Dan 7:22) who will right the wrongs and bring beauty from ashes (Isa 61:3). He has prepared a place for His children and His Name is Faithful and True (Rev 19:11). May we hear His voice and remember His promises over the thunder. May we rest in His peace, and when life gets hard, may we simply see it as an opportunity to draw closer to our Redeemer.

Lord, you know my worries. You know my fears. Please help me to hear your promises over the thunder. Help me to see trials as an opportunity to draw closer to You. Teach me to more quickly rest in your truth and walk forward in courage and strength that comes from You. I love you Lord. When I am afraid I will trust in you. You are bigger than anything coming my way. Amen.

Desperate

Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.
Luke 8:48

He arrived in town with rock star status. Famous. The crowds pushed in and hundreds of hands reached out to touch him. Yet, her hand was different. Her need to draw close, to touch him was not born of curiosity. She wasn’t caught up in the emotion of the crowd. She desperately needed to touch him. For years she had struggled with the same devastating problem. She couldn’t fix it herself; she had sought answers from others and exhausted all her resources. She was at the end of her rope and the end of herself. Unlike the multitude of others who wanted to touch Him, she reached out believing with all her heart-- He was the only answer. Many hands reached for Him that day; but only one caused Him to pause as He felt His mighty, healing power being poured out to her. She drew close to Him with a desperate, end-of-herself, believing faith and she was forever healed. This magnificent, more-than-head knowledge, more than follow-the-crowd, more than give-it-a-try until something better comes along… this draw-close-to Jesus, believing faith is the kind of belief that leads to healing and salvation (Luke 8:42-48). This kind of belief is what Jesus means when He says “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. (John 6:35-36).” Could it be that you have you seen Him and still don’t believe Him?

Have you heard about Him all of your life but have you every really believed Him? I’m not asking if you believe in His existence or even believe Jesus is the Son of God (the demons even believe that- see Mark 5:6). I am asking do you really believe in Him? Do you desperately draw close to Him because He is the only answer, the only Savior; or is He just an empty religion, Sunday thing? Do you have a believing faith that leads to salvation and real, lasting peace… no matter what life may bring?

Do you think these stories of faith only exist in the Bible? Do you find this kind of belief in someone you cannot see unfathomable? Will you consider that though you cannot see Jesus, like the crowd did that day; that He is reaching out to you? Perhaps in the words you are reading now. Perhaps you have gone to church all your life but you have never really believed in Him. Are you at the end of yourself … at the end of your rope? Are you done trying all the other things that cannot heal, cannot satisfy and cannot save? Have you strayed away? Do you need to run back to Him and reach out to Him? The living Savior, Jesus Christ is the only way. He is real and He is peace.

I am including a letter my dear friend and mentor, Karen Alexander Doyel’s son, Stephen wrote this just a few days ago. Karen is a women’s ministry teacher for Lifeway and loves the Lord like few I have ever known. Years ago, her preacher husband tragically fell from a cliff to his death while his boys desperately tried to save him. In the years that followed, her son Stephen has battled cancer and has been told if it comes back it will spread aggressively. Karen herself now has stage 4 Leukemia and stage 4 Lymphoma. This family is desperate; but not in the way you might think… they are desperate to draw close to Jesus and for others to do the same. Will you read this letter from Stephen? He is a young husband and father to a toddler named Luke (funny, that is where our passage comes from today). Will you ask yourself - do you believe this Jesus? Are you desperate to draw close to Him like this?

Hey Family,
I’m calling on you once again for prayer. Yesterday Carrie & I went to my cancer doctor for my regular check up and to see if a hearing aid would be an option to help the hearing in my left ear. The day didn’t go as we had planned. After testing my hearing, the doctor told us that the type of hearing loss that I have is “very atypical” and he does not believe that the radiation caused the damage. He told us that he thought an auditory tumor(s) could be causing it. He has scheduled me for an MRI in one week (as soon as they could get me in) and the results of that test won’t be until the 20th.
Now God is calling us again to wait and trust in Him for our peace and joy. We have been in this place before and we know without a doubt that God is in control and His will is best. As Easter is approaching I am excited that He is calling Carrie and I to draw so close to Him – even if it’s out of our desperation. Please pray that God will ignite a fire in my heart to use this opportunity for His glory and to show all who will listen that Jesus is my strength and He is all we need. I know that I am weak and that I cannot handle these things , if it take my eyes off of Jesus then the waves of fear, doubt, anxiety & sadness quickly begin to crash all around me – but I am calling out to Jesus and He is STRONG.
You all know my history, but much more importantly – you know my heart. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again:
- After my dad fell off of Bluff Point and I found myself hanging on the side of that cliff for my life in the pitch black darkness – I cried out to Jesus and He heard my cry and He came to my rescue! I could have never made it thru the loss of my dad and best friend without Jesus.
- When I got the phone call from my doctor (who had previously told me that there was only a 10% chance that the tumor they found would be malignant) and all he said was, “It’s cancer – you will begin the radiation treatments as soon as possible” – and he hung up the phone. My knees buckled and lost all strength, the tears and snot began to flow and I cried out to Jesus for help and He heard my cry and He came to my rescue!
- When the mask was put over my face and bolted to the radiation table, everyone had to leave the room and the lights went out and the lasers began moving all around, I simply said: “My Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name” and day after day in that place where no one could be with me - Jesus fellowshipped with me and He taught me a new way to pray. And even though I’d get home and look in the mirror and see my gums separating from my teeth, burns all thru my mouth and my throat - literally my body wasting away right in front of my eyes – I began to look forward too and cherish the time I had with my Lord in that special place – because He heard my cries and He came to my rescue!
- When I found my cancer ridden mother in her bed with a 105 fever, shaking uncontrollably and not even able to speak, and I carried her in my arms out to my car and drove 100+mph all the way to the ER – not knowing if she would even make it there alive, I cried out to Jesus for my mother and He heard my cry and He came to her rescue! She doesn’t even remember any of that day – but I will never forget. Even though she has stage 4 leukemia and stage 4 lymphoma and the doctors said she should have been dead 2 years ago – she’s sharing her testimony at a church right now as I’m writing this letter.
- Now in this very moment – once again we call out to Jesus, dive into His Word, and rest in Him and Him alone.
I know that this is intense - but my passion is Jesus and in times of trouble He never shies away from the drama in our lives. I love to share about what He means to me and what He has done for me. Please pray that He will continue to give me opportunities to share about and to sing about His amazing salvation He has freely given to all who will come to Him. There is nothing in this world I love to do more! I am so thankful for all of you and for your prayers. Sometimes it takes a wake-up call like this to help me realize how much my church family means to me. You can’t put a price on it! Please don't hesitate to use this in any way the Lord lays on your heart to encourage others to draw near to Jesus - that is my prayer and the desire of my heart.
Let’s all sing to Jesus tomorrow with a true heart of thankfulness – He gave His life so that we can live.
I love you guys and I can’t wait to share the results of the MRI with you on the 20th as we thank God for His amazing love.
Your Brother,
Stephen Alexander


Prayer - Father God, Healer, Holy One… I come before you only because of the blood of your Son. Oh Lord, I ask that you would help me to believe in Jesus like the woman in Luke, like Stephen. I am desperate for Your touch. I ask that You would help me to draw close to You and help me to see You like this. I need You for eternity- for salvation but I am also desperate for You every day. Oh Lord thank you that you tell me I can even ask you to help my unbelief (Mark 9:24). With all that I am I am asking for more of You. And Father, I also ask for Stephen… if it be your will, I ask for healing and I thank you for his heart to proclaim your name so others might see and know you. I love you Lord. Amen.

To learn more about Karen’s ministry and see pictures of her godly family visit www.karenalexanderdoyel.com