Gaining Courage, Conquering Fear

Have you ever been so hopelessly lost you thought you’d never find your way back? Most of us have had that experience on a physical, emotional, or spiritual level. Today, my sister Teresa shares her experience of getting lost while hiking at a state park with her late husband Sal. Stick around to the end, where I’ll share the spiritual application. J

About 18 years ago, Sal and I spent many weekends hiking the trails at O'Leno State Park in Florida. On one occasion, we planned to do a long hike that would take 4-5 hours to complete. We brought food and water, planning to have a picnic out in the woods. Unfortunately, we stepped off the trail and onto a deer path and were miserably lost for hours. This was prior to cell phones and, with our unfamiliarity of this area in the deep woods, we could do nothing but say a prayer and keep walking. 

We ended up behind Camp Kulaqua. We had to climb the fence, walk through the camp, a mile out to the main road, and back to O'Leno. We estimated we had walked at least 24 miles that day. It was a day we never forgot!

After Sal was diagnosed with cancer, O'Leno was our refuge. We sometimes just drove out, sat near the bridge, and enjoyed the peace it brought to us.

For years, I’ve wanted to conquer that trail but have been too "a-feared" to try it. Well, today, with food, water, and a cell phone, I did just that! I set out with much more knowledge of trail markings. I checked in with the park rangers, so they knew where I was heading. I kept my eyes alert and proceeded cautiously, carefully staying on the right path. It took 3 hours to get to my destination of River Rise and 2 1/2 hours to get back.

I was out in God's glorious country, with deer prints on the path and some areas completely grown over. I was alone...what an awesome feeling to experience God's presence in everything around me. And, the moment I realized I was walking past a 4-foot rattlesnake on the trail, I maintained that peaceful feeling. Alright, yes, I did levitate and say, "holy cannoli." J But, it did not lessen my feeling of closeness with my Lord. I must say, I am proud of myself for stepping out there and not only conquering that trail, but conquering my fear, as well. And, I think Sal would be pretty proud of me, too!

~Teresa Lynn

****

Knowing Sal, I’m sure he would’ve been proud of Teresa. I certainly am. She’s been a great spiritual inspiration to me and all who know her.

Many times in life we encounter paths that appear to lead in the right direction. Then they turn into scary, meandering unknown trails that we’re desperate to escape.  

Sometimes the enemy entices us onto the wrong path.

And sometimes, we choose the wrong path because we don’t interpret the warning signs to stay away.

But consider this: Sometimes we know the path is right, and we’re simply too afraid to step onto it. Like Teresa, we’ve had previous bad experiences or we fear the unknown. We’ve been burned one too many times. We’re scared we’ll get hopelessly lost.  

Our faith walk emulates this at times. God leads us on a spiritual journey, but he doesn’t promise it will be a path of roses minus the thorns. But he does promise to walk with us. We simply have to obey. Doesn’t seem so simple, though, does it? Yet when we step out on faith and trust God to lead us, he won’t disappoint. His promises enable us to be courageous.

It was by faith Abraham obeyed God’s call to go to another place God promised to give him. He left his own country, not knowing where he was to go. Hebrews 11:8

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Has God called you to walk a path that seems scary and full of unknowns? Or maybe it’s filled with known threats? Share a scripture that has given you courage to follow His call.

Would you take a moment to pray for those on the list at the top of the blog and for the requests below?

My 7-year-old great-nephew Jack is undergoing surgery on his hip next Tuesday, July 23, due to Perthes disease. Please pray for his surgeons and hospital staff, as well as for the best possible outcome for him. Prayers for peace for his parents during this stressful time would also be appreciated.

Tony has started having frequent migraine headaches. Please pray for him to figure out what is triggering the migraines and for pain relief.

If you have a prayer need, please leave a comment or e-mail me confidential requests. I’d love to pray for you.

God bless,

Laura ✞

©Laura Hodges Poole

Blind-Sided by Trials

Why?

Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other…So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing—and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it. Genesis 37:17b-19, 23-24

I got blind-sided this week. Not like Joseph. No cisterns or evil brothers. Instead, it involved a nice duck pond and a rather aggressive goose.

My children, Lindsay and Josh, and I stopped at the duck pond one day while she was here visiting. Ever since Lindsay was a little girl, it’s been one of her favorite things to do. So, with bread and crackers in hand, we strolled through the group of ducks and geese. Believe me, no one went hungry. When I suggested we mosey on down the path to feed the turtles, a goose charged and latched onto my leg above my knee. I’m not suggesting he understood English and knew his food source was leaving, but whatever his reason for aggression, neither I, nor my leg, cared. I just wanted the fool thing to turn loose, which he eventually did. A pit bull wouldn’t have anything on a goose’s beak. In hindsight, I should’ve grabbed him around the neck and his mouth probably would’ve popped open. A tidbit of info to store away, if it happens again. J

 

We’ve all been blindsided in life by an unwanted attack. Most aren’t as silly as my illustration. Sometimes it’s an accident or illness or death of a loved one. The victims of the 9/11 terror attacks were blindsided. People receiving cancer diagnoses are blindsided.

I talked to a friend today who suffered through a life-changing trial a few years ago. Of course, as we all do, she asked the why question.

Why did you allow this, God?

The fallout and suffering hardly seemed worth any good that could come from it. Recently, God has begun to provide opportunities for her to minister to others going through similar life-altering situations.

As Christians, our response during trials will include the why question. There’s nothing wrong with that. But getting stuck there can pose serious spiritual problems. In time, God often shows us the “why” of a situation through what we choose to do with the lesson of the trial.

Do we simply rail against pain and suffering? Or do we become more mature Christians by choosing to walk through the trial with Him?

The Apostle Paul spoke of such trials throughout his many letters.

We sent Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. For you know quite well that we are destined for them. 1 Thessalonians 3:2-3

We can expect to be blind-sided in this fallen world. But we can also cling to the promise from James, the half-brother of Jesus:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4

And again from the Apostle Paul:

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:3-5

God doesn’t just leave us in the trial to suffer. He brings us through stronger, as more mature Christians, abiding in his hope and sharing it with those we encounter.

My prayer for each of us today is we’ll accept God’s grace and mercy to comfort and strengthen us as we persevere through our trials. May we experience the joy that only He can provide through the Holy Spirit.

I don't know, I don't know

What tomorrow may hold

But I know, but I know

That You're holding it all

So no matter what may come

I'm gonna fix my eyes on all that You are

'Til every doubt I feel

Deep in my heart

Grows strangely dim

(Francesca Battistelli)

Please pray for comfort, strength, healing, and wisdom for those listed on the prayer list above, as well as for those on the mission page and Sgt. Jesse McCart.

New prayer requests this week:

·       Children seriously injured (blunt trauma and burns) during a fireworks show. Please pray for their physical and emotional recovery, as well as comfort during their healing.

·        Laura Hilton’s oldest son, unnamed request. “God knows.”

·        Christian McNeal recently gave birth and is undergoing surgery for a condition that developed after delivery.

·        Pregnant young lady hospitalized for possible preeclampsia

If you have a prayer need, please leave a comment or e-mail me confidential requests. I’d love to pray for you.

Shalom,

Laura ✞

©Laura Hodges Poole

When Fires Rage

Yea, 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. Psalm 23:4

It seems we just finished celebrating my son Josh’s high school graduation, and we’re already well underway with college enrollment. Last week, we met the Fire Science department head and toured one of the fire houses the college uses for hands-on training. Josh is a little ahead of the game since he’s taken several fire courses in our county and has been a volunteer firefighter for almost three years.

 

During Josh’s high school years, he wasn’t the only teen on our volunteer force, but some who wanted to join couldn’t. I watched with a little amusement and a whole lot of sympathy as a few teen boys were hampered by well-meaning parents. Of course, I know the feeling of not wanting my son to see mangled bodies in traffic fatalities or other home accidents, nor do I necessarily love the idea of him charging into burning buildings or working in the midst of an out-of-control brush fire. He's experienced all these things, and at some point in his career, he may face the shadow of death himself or with his fellow firefighters or citizens he’s trying to protect. But it’s a reality I dealt with early on, and I cover him with prayer when he races out the door to a call.

 

Regardless of the fear, so many things can destroy our youth, and I’m sure firefighting is at the bottom of the list.

 

Josh is so excited to be on a path to becoming a career firefighter. I’m excited for him. J I can’t let myself worry about the what ifs. Firefighting is more than a career. It’s a calling. All you have to do is hang out at a fire house or watch firefighters in action, and you’ll see this is so.

 

This week brought to the forefront the dangers firefighters face every day in this nation. Nineteen firefighters of the Granite Mountain Hot Shots, an elite firefighting crew, perished in Arizona’s massive wildfire on Sunday. Sixty-two firefighters have lost their lives in the line of duty in 2013. This is the third deadliest wildfire in U.S. history for firefighters and the most lost in a single incident since the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001.

 

According to the U.S. Fire Service:

 

Fire statistics: (2011)

·         1,100,450 firefighters protected the United States in 2011.

• 344,050 (31%) were career firefighters and
• 756,040 (69%) were volunteer firefighters.

·         Two-thirds (66%) of fire department responses were medical calls in 2011.

·         A fire department responds to a fire every 23 seconds.

Firefighter injuries (2011)

·         There were 70,090 firefighter injuries in 2011.

·         30,505 of all firefighter injuries in 2011 occurred during fireground operations. Other firefighter injuries by type of duty include: responding to, or returning from an incident (3,870); training (7,515); non-fire emergency (14,905); and other on-duty activities (13,295).

·         There were 64 firefighter deaths in 2012.

 

A Fireman's Life

A fireman's life is one big surprise,

Usually he laughs, sometimes he cries.

There's always stress, toil and strife,

Hoping he's good enough to save just one life.

His wife [or mom] understands when he misses dinner,

If he runs out of church, don't think he's a sinner.

Answering a call is tops on his list,

Regretting each one he's ever missed.

He tries and tries, but can't make us see,

The happiest men still work for free.

Jumping from bed, fighting the cold,

Knowing what to do, without being told.

He rushes to the station, jumps on a truck.

Depending on skill, never on luck.

Putting his life on the line, for an unknown friend,

Hoping and praying, it won't be the end.

"The Bravest Men in the World," the title is fitting,

They all do their best, never come close to quitting.

Next time you see them, all their lights blinking,

Take just a minute, to think what they're thinking.

It's a hard job, so show them you care,

And help them out, with a little prayer.

-- by Daniel S. Driscoll –

 

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

 

 

Even though I walk through the valley

Of the shadow of death

Your perfect love is casting out fear

And even when I'm caught in the middle

Of the storms of this life

I won't turn back, I know You are near

 

Please take a few moments to lift up in prayer the families of the fallen firefighters, as well as the public servants, firefighters, and police officers who put their life on the line every day for us. In addition to the permanent prayer list at the top of the blog:

 

Prayer requests this week:

·       A gentleman asks for God to provide a way for him to see and talk to his kids.

·       After undergoing months of grueling chemotherapy for stage 3 breast cancer, Beth is undergoing a mastectomy Wednesday morning. Please pray for her surgeons, the hospital staff, and Beth for a successful surgery.

·       From Betty: Please pray for my nephew, Johnray, and his wife, Christian. They just had their first baby (my great niece – beautiful Mia) and thank the Lord the baby is doing great but Mommy is not. She started having a ton of pain within hours of delivery and they thought she had gallstones yet when the doctor finally came to see her tonight he now says he is not sure and ordered a MRI. She is in so much pain she can’t even nurse Mia. Also my nephew is having problems at work and is worried about his job if he has to take off again on Monday. Please pray for this young family!

·       A Christian mom has a very young daughter with cancer. Please lift this family up in prayer, that God may provide comfort, strength, wisdom, and healing as they go through this trial. (I hope to be able to share more details on this family next week, but for now God knows who this is.)

 

If you have a prayer need, please leave a comment or e-mail me confidential requests. I’d love to pray for you.

 

Shalom,

Laura ✞

 

©Laura Hodges Poole

Life On A High Wire

He did it! Daredevil Nik Wallenda wire walks across the Grand Canyon

That was the headline on Today News online shortly after Nik Wallenda of the famed Wallenda family high-wire and circus performers achieved a feat no one else had ever accomplished. To my knowledge, no one else has ever tried to walk across the Grand Canyon. I couldn’t decide whether his attempt without safety equipment on Sunday evening was just incredibly stupid, selfish (because of his children), or, as he portrayed it, an act of faith.

All I know is I couldn’t watch it. From the moment he stepped out and began praying, my feelings about the walk became more ambiguous. He obviously needed his faith to center him on his task, but would the world consider God just as great as Wallenda proclaimed if he’d fallen to his death? That’s the danger of challenging the laws of physics and gravity God put around us and then expecting Him to intercede when we do. Human error can, and often does, get folks killed.

Yet, who am I to judge Wallenda on his earthly feats? After all, many folks walk a spiritual high wire daily with no thought of tomorrow or their eternity. They’re willing to gamble that when they face physical death, there is no afterlife, or their good deeds will be sufficient to get into heaven, if it exists. Self worship is one way to term that belief system.

Good deeds should naturally flow from a Christian’s life. But good deeds in and of themselves will not buy entrance into heaven’s gates. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6.

Wallenda had one chance to get his walk right. If he’d slipped and fallen, his life would’ve been over. He risked everything. Without the tether Jesus provides through salvation, when physical death comes, there will be no more chances for the unsaved to get eternity right.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8

Jesus loved us so much, he willingly sacrificed his life for us. We have all the chances in the world while we’re still alive. Once we are standing at heaven’s gates, our decisions are irrevocable.

Are you walking a high wire, balancing your earthly life against your spiritual life and hoping it’ll all work out in the end? My prayer for you today is that you’ll reach out and take God’s hand before it’s too late.

If you have a prayer need, I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment or e-mail me confidential requests.

Update on Emily, a middle-school girl battling osteosarcoma: Due to pain in Emily’s leg, surgeons successfully removed a plate screw yesterday morning that was snaring muscle tissue when she moved. They will continue to monitor her growth and decide later whether to address the minor discrepancy in her leg length.

Latest photo from Sgt. Jesse McCart's family:

Jesse sustained injuries in Afghanistan 

last summer and has been rehabbing since. 

Please continue to pray for him and his family.

Thanks for the continued prayer support for those who have requested it since I started posting a weekly prayer blog last year. I appreciate it, and I know they do. J

Would you take a moment to click on the Missions page to learn more about how you can support Pastor Mike and Adrian Gonzalez on their mission trip to South Sudan and Kenya in August? Yesterday’s blog post, Passport Through Darkness, sheds more light on the conditions in South Sudan as they struggle to build their new nation. Click here to read.

God bless,

Laura ✞

©Laura Hodges Poole

Passport Through Darkness - A Book Review

Passport Through Darkness, by Kimberly L. Smith, available on Amazon.com.

Kimberly L. Smith captured my heart from the moment she stepped foot in South Sudan for the first time. I could well imagine the horror she felt on her first mission trip into the war-torn country and the subsequent journeys that led to more heartbreak and challenges to her mind, body, and soul. I never felt her soul was truly in danger, though the enemy tried his best to convince her otherwise. She shows through perseverance and obedience to God that His grace is sufficient even in the most hellish places. He works through broken vessels regardless of mistakes and self-doubts. Kimberly is painfully honest about her mistakes, yet her heart for women and orphans she ministers to comes through loud and clear.

There are humorous moments, especially with Kimberly’s South Sudan orphanage leader James Lual Atak. My favorite is when she “test drives” a donkey. The reader journeys with Kimberly and James on dirtbikes, through the thorny bush, battling wild animals, across rivers, and in the back of makeshift ambulances. In a country that lacks the most basic infrastructure or even availability of clean water, the challenges of building orphanages seemed insurmountable. Yet they never lost sight of the goal of providing for the “least of these” living in the bush where evil and nature claimed lives daily. Through James and Kimberly’s faithfulness, God helped them over each hurdle encountered.  

Based on previous reviews, I initially feared this book would be too dark for me. I wondered if I could handle what I would read. After praying, I purchased it then prayed again before reading. A book’s ability to totally enthrall and inspire its reader legitimizes its existence. Passport Through Darkness has done this and more. 

While death, disease, despair, and man-made cruelty riddle the pages, a fundamental tenet of Christianity is dying to self. This means willingness to give up everything for the cause of Christ, including fears and doubts that you’ll be equal to the task. Sometimes it means going alone into enemy territory when your sick spouse can’t accompany you. It made the author’s journey more tedious, but residing inside the will of God means trusting His hand to guide you, despite earthly troubles.

It could be said that if hell on earth exists, surely it’s in South Sudan. Yet Christ admonished Peter that the gates of hell wouldn’t prevail against his church. It’s incumbent upon Christians to bring that light to humanity’s darkest places. Kimberly L. Smith has shown us through her work in South Sudan that the hope and love of Christ can penetrate evil’s deepest pits.

It’s often asked, “What can one person accomplish?” when the question ought to be, “What can one person obedient to God’s will accomplish?” The author answers this resoundingly in Passport Through Darkness.

©Laura Hodges Poole

Visit Make Way Partners for more information on Kimberly's work. 

Diverging Paths

I shall be telling this with a sigh, somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. ~Robert Frost

Have you ever encountered diverging roads and honestly couldn’t decide which path to take? In hindsight, you might feel you made the right choice but sometimes regret not taking the other path.

More often than not, the path chosen appears to hold more promise, security, adventure, intrigue, or perhaps even danger. Remember the old classics Alice in Wonderland and Huckleberry Finn? These were the first two classics I ever read and did so as an 8-year-old third grader. Though my third grade reading book contained interesting stories, I needed more of a challenge. Once I discovered more intricate stories waiting to be devoured, I visited the library as often as I could. I read Alice in Wonderland in two days, and it didn’t take much longer to read Huck Finn. Now, did I understand everything I read? Certainly not. The plots in both books contained adult themes and undertones an 8-year-old child growing up in the 1970s wouldn’t understand.

In both books, Alice and Huck were faced with “diverging roads” and chose the path of intrigue, adventure, and danger. I think it’s safe to say many folks wouldn’t be content with a wandering path that few travel.

Yet, in some ways, the path leading to danger or putting your life on the line for your fellow man might be less traveled. Certainly choosing a path that’s unpopular or goes against societal ills can be a difficult one to travel.

I’ve encountered many crossroads and paths in my life. I’ve spent the last thirty years raising children, and now my nest is almost empty. Almost, because Josh will live at home while attending college. At least, that’s the plan for now. As I look back thirty years and then to the future, I find myself assessing my life.

What will the next thirty years look like?

My career in medical transcription has evolved into a nightmare of healthcare administration changes, which will only get more cumbersome in the coming years. Through my efforts to continue my education in healthcare, it’s becoming more apparent that the satisfaction I used to feel in this area no longer exists. The chokehold of regulations and metered-out care will soon not resemble true healthcare.

My writing career continues to grow with opportunities, so I have a vision of what the future might hold career-wise.

But more importantly, I strongly believe and live by the admonition given in the Scriptures (Galatians 2:20 and Matthew 16:24-25) and reinforced through books like Amy Carmichael’s biography, A Chance to Die. Dying to self is a must for spiritual growth to produce Kingdom fruit in our lives to impact those around us.

My most important burden has to be the unsaved, the folks living in places deemed too dangerous to reach, widows, orphans, the untouchables, and the people society has deemed throwaways. These exist in every country in the world. I’m prayerfully hopeful that my future includes broadening my work in this mission field.

And then there is the ultimate path. The one that leads to salvation in Christ and our eternal life. If this is a decision you’re struggling with, I’d love to pray for you. Leave a comment or e-mail me.

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7:13-14

No matter what path or decisions you’re facing today, remember God is right there with you.

Would you consider taking a moment to click on the prayer list above and pray for those listed? If you have a prayer request, please leave a comment or e-mail me confidential requests.

Do you have a “diverging path” story you’d like to share? I’d love to hear that, as well. J

Shalom,

Laura ✞

©Laura Hodges Poole

God's Amazing Grace

Yesterday, I shared about my son Josh's ordeal with a severe hand infection. Click here to read. God was so faithful in seeing us through this trial. He promises to never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), but I was also reminded of the reasons we endure trials and why our struggle to get through them is normal.

We cannot grow spiritually if our faith is not exercised. Spiritual growth doesn’t occur through mountaintop experiences. Furthermore, we’re impotent to feel empathy for others’ suffering if our life grazes along in the peaceful pastures while they pick their way up rocky cliffs.

It’s a fallacy to believe Christians are entitled to reside on the mountaintop more so than non-believers. God often blesses us with such moments, but the lack or presence of these experiences shouldn’t cause us or others to assign a faith quotient to our lives. Some of the most faithful people I know have suffered mightily. Hmmm. Maybe there’s a correlation between the two. J

No matter the size of the problem, our despair, or our faith—God works! His faithfulness is not dependent on some formula we try to barter with based on our perceived greatness or failure. God is God. Jesus said if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains. He didn’t say we need a mountain of faith for him to answer prayer. He can work with the tiniest faith we possess. As shown in the Gospels, Jesus always came through for those who gave what faith they had to him.

[The boy’s father said], “But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:22b-24

Jesus healed the man’s son. And this brings me to my next observation.

God can handle our despair. He knows our human frailties. Even Jesus experienced despair in his prayers before crucifixion and while hanging on the cross.

Going a little farther, he [Jesus] fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39

About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,[a] lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). Matthew 27:46

The key is to stay focused on God’s sovereignty and not the despair. We do this by remembering God’s grace.

God’s grace is sufficient. This is the toughest one for us to rely on totally. Yet it’s integral to growing our faith. We want the problem fixed. Now. Sometimes we succumb to bartering. Especially in fear. God has proven time and again to me that His grace is all I need during a trial.

Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:7b-9

Everything else God chooses to do is further blessing. My job is to hang onto that grace life raft while being tossed in the rapids and know it’s sufficient. Sure, I might be disheveled when I get back to dry, stable land, but I’ve survived. His grace not only sees me through the trial, but in his faithfulness, He restores me and makes my faith stronger than before.

The keys to staying the course in a trial are prayer and being grounded in God’s word. Satan’s attacks will come—spiritually, emotionally, and physically. We live in a fallen world—full of germs, disease, accidents, wars, famines, and so on. The only way we will survive spiritually during periods of suffering is to put on His armor.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:10-12

Josh is better. I’m grateful his trial is over. But even when I felt despair during it, God was there. I sensed his presence. I felt his touch. He bound up my heart and protected my son. I’m thankful for the outcome and never doubted God’s faithfulness.

Isn’t this the bottom line in all we do as Christians? When we can’t see the outcome, we can trust Him to get it right. It’s God’s amazing grace that sees us through.

He will never leave or forsake us. Praise God!

  

How many times have you heard me cry out

"God please take this"?

How many times have you given me strength to

Just keep breathing?

Oh I need you

God, I need you now.

(Plumb)

If you have a prayer need, I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment or e-mail me confidential requests. The prayer list and updates for Sgt. Jesse McCart are at the top of the blog. Please remember to lift these folks up in prayer. 

Prayer Request: Betty asks for prayer for her Uncle Wayne who recently had a stroke. He is undergoing open heart surgery today.

Also, check out the Missions page at the top, as well, for an opportunity to lend support for a Sudan mission trip. Thanks! J

Shalom,

Laura ✞

©Laura Hodges Poole