Rayni Risher

God is a Refuge

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Reading through Psalm 9 recently, these verses stood out to me:

“God’s a safe-house for the battered, a sanctuary during bad times. The moment you arrive, you relax; you’re never sorry you knocked.” (Psalm 9: 9-12, The Message)

You’re never sorry you knocked.

Isn’t that beautiful?

I can imagine walking up to God’s door, like walking up to the home of a best friend where you’re fully accepted and always welcome just as you are. Weighed down with problems, the moment you enter His presence you feel utter relief.

Have you ever felt utter relief? I have.

The world can be exhausting, can’t it? Health problems, relationship drama, political divisiveness, disappointment.

What is the mountain you’re facing?

What is the disappointment weighing on you?

What is the grief that’s spilling out of you?

You know, God is always with us. His presence is already here, with you in your day-to-day moments.

Take a moment right now to rest and relax with Him; to leave what is burdening you at His feet.

“You’re never sorry you knocked.”

 

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God Gave Me Joy!

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For many weeks I hadn’t been feeling well as I continued to navigate through what doctors have diagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. I had gone through a cycle of severe fatigue and was slowly recovering energy.

A friend had asked if I could join her and some others for a time of worshiping God and praying over a friend with cancer. I wanted to be able to go but in the hours before it I was feeling so tired and downcast. I texted my friend saying I didn’t want to come to the prayer time, but I also felt like it was important to go to, so I changed my mind. Honestly, I was thinking that maybe *I* could be encouraged. I sure didn’t feel like I had anything to give that morning.

So, before I left my house I spent some time reading Isaiah 40 & 41. And God strengthened me through His words. And then I spent time praying and worshiping God on my own.

And do you know what happened? God gave me JOY! Not just a drop of joy, I mean He gave me JOY.

As a result I was able to go to the prayer time for my friend and minister to her. I actually went there filled up with something to give to someone else who was hurting, rather than canceling or going there and feeling empty and discouraged.

No matter what you are experiencing today, God is here to set you free. Take Him up on the offer! Maybe that means that your negative circumstances change immediately or maybe it means that God changes your attitude in the midst of the circumstances. But either way He can give you joy and peace that passes all rational understanding no matter what you are experiencing.

God is here to meet you too, in every need, great or small. Run to Him!

*Artwork by Donna Downey

 

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Christmas is Over, Now What?

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Have you ever planned a huge event that you were so excited about and wanted to get just right? Like a birthday or anniversary party? Or a wedding? As the big day approaches you are full of joyful anticipation and even though you’re busy with all the details you try to enjoy as much of it as you can, relishing the moments, taking it all in. Then the wonderful event takes place and you rejoice in the euphoria of it. But the days after can feel like a bit of a let down.

I mean, you planned, prepped, worked toward, looked forward to it for so long that now life feels a little bit emptier when all the fun and busyness is over. So you slowly make your way back into the daily grind and give yourself over to the mundane duties of the day.

The Christmas season can feel that way…can’t it?

Perhaps to a lesser extent than say, your wedding, but nonetheless there can often be the let down after all the joy, shopping and parties. Vacation ends. Work and school start back. You try to follow through on those new resolutions.

But here’s the thing…

The hope, love, joy and peace that were a part of the the Advent season, the lead-up to Christmas day, can be with us all year when Jesus is our focus. And really, these four traits are all related to each other as we remain in Jesus.

So, take heart in these reminders.

Hope
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Romans 15:3, ESV)

+Without hope our heart can feel dead. Connecting with the God of Hope fills us with hope when we are depleted.

Joy
“You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.” (Psalm 4:7, ESV)

+God brings a greater abundance of true joy than any amount of material wealth.

Peace
Jesus says, “I am leaving you with a gift–peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27, NLT)

+I have learned that peace truly is a choice. No matter what happens in our day, we can choose to hold onto the peace God offers.

But Most of All…

Love
“May you experience the love of Christ…Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” (Ephesians 3:19, NLT)

+When we experience the God of Love, we are transformed. Made new. And then we are able to extend that love to others.

As the new year approaches and the holiday season winds down remember that you can experience hope, joy, peace and love daily as you remain in Jesus.

Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit…” (John 15:5, NIV) 

 

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How Does Your Heart React to Jesus?

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Everyone has a very definite heart reaction to Jesus. You see this all through the Bible and all around us today. Some hearts rejoice at the sound of His name…others despise Him or don’t believe He even exists. As I was reading the Bible last week I came across two distinct accounts of people’s heart reactions to Jesus. In each account we see that there is a cost to following Jesus. But the people in question had two very different responses. First let’s take a quick read through Mark 5: 1-20. This is one of my very favorite accounts in the Bible because we see Jesus set a man free from torment!

Story One: The People and Their Pigs

You can read the entire story here, but to paraphrase the first part…Jesus and His disciples come upon a man who is possessed by many demons. For a long time the man has been living in a cemetery naked. He regularly screams, wails, and cuts himself with stones. He is not physically or mentally well, to say the least. The local people have tried to restrain him but he overpowers them. He is a lost cause….until Jesus comes along. Before He casts them out of the man, the demons ask Jesus to send them into the herd of pigs nearby. Jesus agrees and as the demons invade the pigs, they become crazed and run over a hill and die in the sea.

Picking up the story in Mark 5:14-17:

“Those tending the pigs, scared to death, bolted and told their story in town and country. Everyone wanted to see what had happened. They came up to Jesus and saw the madman sitting there wearing decent clothes and making sense, no longer a walking madhouse of a man. Those who had seen it told the others what had happened to the demon-possessed man and the pigs. At first they were in awe—and then they were upset, upset over the drowned pigs. They demanded that Jesus leave and not come back.” (The Message)

The Heart Reaction

-The people were in awe at how Jesus completely healed the demon-possessed man and at the authority He demonstrated over the demons….until they realized that their income was affected because of the drowned pigs….and then their heart response was to get mad at Jesus. Never mind that a man was now sane, healthy and set free form years of torment! The fact that this man’s healing COST THEM SOMETHING made them angry enough to tell Jesus to get lost.

-What if someone’s else’s healing, salvation, freedom in Christ costs you something? Is it worth the cost to you?

Story Two: True Repentance & God’s Power

Look at the different response of the people in Acts 19. An event had just happened that left no doubt in the minds of the people of the power and authority of Jesus.

“When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to 50,000 drachmas In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.” (Acts 19:17-19)

The Heart Reaction

-50,000 drachmas was a considerable amount of money. Once source says that 1 drachma = a day’s wages….these people burned possessions that cost them a lot. But they didn’t care. They merely heard about the power that is in the Name and person of Jesus, and in their hearts they revered Him, respected Him, stood in awe and believed; so much so that many of them began renouncing the activities they were involved in that didn’t bring glory and honor to God. Their heart response was, “I want to be close to You, Jesus, and I am willing to get rid of these unhealthy practices in my life that would keep me from You in any way.” Vastly different than the earlier story about the pigs.

So…
+What has Jesus’ presence in your life cost you? Your job? Relationships? Following your own will in every situation? Your reputation? Giving up a sinful “pleasure” that you enjoyed?

+Now, what have you gained from following Jesus that is more important than what you lost? A few things I would list are salvation, freedom from habitual sin patterns, always-present peace, true joy even in difficult circumstances, knowing that God is for me; that He is working for my good; that I will never be alone. Those are just some of the ‘benefits’ I have found following Jesus. What about you?

+Is the cost worth the benefit?

Prayer
God, You are worth more than anything I could ever give up to follow You. And even as I do surrender my whole heart and life to You, You give me more good things than I could ever dream of. Thank You for filling my heart with joy, peace, love and grace as I seek You. I pray that my heart reaction to You is always one of love and surrender as I trust You, the only One with perfect wisdom, with my life. Amen.



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