Month: July 2018

TeacherStudent

Walking on Water, our hand in His Hand

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowd. 23 After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray. Later that night, He was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a  considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the lake, they were  terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

28 “Lord, if it’s You,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to You on the   water.”

29 “Come,” He said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came   toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

31 Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?”

32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”               (Matthew 14:22-33)

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Walking on water. Have we tried it?

“I can do this alone!” boasts self,

Boldly venturing out in defiance

Against depression, loneliness, fear.

 

Seeing only the murky depth below,

Our belief in self reveals false hope;

Sinking into the sea of doubt, failing

To look up at His outreached Hand.

 

“Lord, save me!” is the utterance

We should speak first in humility,

Acknowledging Jesus gives courage,

Offering His firm Hand, a sure hope.

 

“Come,” He speaks with gentle voice,

Leading us through our fear and doubt;

We hold onto His Hand without release,

Walking on water, our hand in His Hand.

 

Thank You, Lord, for waiting with outstretched Hand.

We need You to hold our hand through troubled waters.

“Truly You are the Son of God.”

 

(Sharon G. Tate blog 07/29/18) teacherforjesus.com  Meditations on God’s Word

TeacherStudent

God is Always Near

 

I call on you, my God, for You will answer me;
    turn Your ear to me and hear my prayer. (Psalm 17:6)

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Surgery

Finances

Jobs

Young children

Older children

Elderly parents

Disease

Diagnosis

Trauma

Depression

Treatment

Abuse

Losses

Marriage

Loneliness

Addiction

Chronic pain

More . . .

More . . .

More . . .

PRAYERS!

–I have a prayer ministry. Receiving prayer requests can be an emotional experience.

–Emails, texts, messages, voicemails, calls, encounters: PLEASE PRAY!

–I read. I listen. I hear. I cry. I pray.

–I send out the prayer request if it is meant to be public. The message may be sent as written.

–I am, at times, asked to phrase the request better or not include all the information just shared. I must decide how to do that with discretion, empathy, kindness,  urgency, importance.

— I am there in heart with those involved when prayer requests come one after another after another with updates for the outcome of a surgery, major health  concern, or trauma.

—I must walk away and break temporarily from the situation at times when the    emotional level is too high.

At those times, especially, I think of our Father. He never walks away. How many prayers go up to Him in a second of our time here? How does He bear the load we send to Him moment by moment across the globe?

The Lord is near to all who call on Him,
to all who call on Him in truth. (Psalm 145:18)

He never walks away. He is God.

So, we pray to Him in this manner:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)

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PLEASE PRAY!

I read. I listen. I hear. I cry. I pray. I send.

The prayers go by email, in the bulletin to the church.

The requests are heard by God, always near.

 

(Sharon G. Tate blog 07/22/18) teacherforjesus.com  Meditations on God’s Word

 

TeacherStudent

The Light that Beckons

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (James 1:17)

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Eyes fixated, focused above;

Necks straining, heavenward,

Waiting for bursts of light

To break through darkness;

The spectacle of fireworks

On a humid summer night

The Fourth of July, a time when many gather together at dusk to meet the darkness and enjoy the array of lights, from wide-eyed children in their parents’ arms to elderly grandparents sitting in lawn chairs, each looking up at the sky with oohs and aahs, laughter, and smiles to watch the colors splash against the night.

A night to remember and talk about the next day. Yet, these lights, in all their man-made ingenuity, are but a dim, dull attempt at creating light.

Light beckons and leads. We are drawn to it, the escape from darkness. One day soon, the eyes of all humankind will be fixated and focused above, not on fireworks, a mere pinpoint when considering the Father of heavenly lights, but on the Son, who is Light. We will all, one day, see the Lord in His glory, a brightness we cannot imagine, breaking through the darkness of this world.

Many are waiting and watching in eager anticipation for this day, while others are looking down in fear.

That day may be on a humid summer night, a frigid wintry day, a stormy summer afternoon, or a calm sunny morning.  But we will all see Him coming:

26 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And He will send His angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens. (Mark 13:26-27)

Are we the ones watching with eager eyes for the Lord?

OR

Are we the others trying to avoid the sight of Light?

When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

Heavenly lights sparkling in the night,

Glimpses of promise from the Father.

How often do we gaze above in awe,

Longing to touch the Light beyond?

Are we watching intent with eager eyes,

Waiting with faith through the darkness?

(Sharon  G. Tate blog 07/15/18) teacherforjesus.com  Meditations on God’s Word

TeacherStudent

 

The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the Word of our God endures forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)

Time passages . . .

Our parents age and pass to another life.

We mature and watch gray hairs multiply.

Children are middle-aged in shortened years.

Friends become distant with life changes.

Once familiar voices are muted in lost tones.

Memories fade with diminished retrospect.

Time unmeasured. . .

God’s unchanging hand to hold onto. . .

The eternal constancy of God’s love. . .

His ever-present Presence with us. . .

The enduring, living Word of God. . .

Our Father’s voice echoing through ages. . .

Life forever alive with the Father and Son. . .

 

Time passages to time unmeasured.

Do we not long for this forever with God.

Amen and Amen.

 

(Sharon .G. Tate blog 07/01/18) teacherforjesus.com  Meditations on God’s Word