Tag: God’s Goodness

The LORD Will Provide

On By Carmen1 Comment

I feel compelled to write about how faithful our Heavenly Father is when we are affected by devastating news.

It could be any measure of disconcerting events that happen to us that leave us bewildered, angry, but most of all anxious about our future.

Lately, I have prayed for several people who have lost their jobs due to downsizing, poor economic conditions, or changes in company vision.

So, for this post, I’ll write about my similar experience of being laid off years ago along with where God has brought me to today.

I also want to share an inspiring story in the Bible of one of the most beloved kings chosen by God.

My Loss Led to Greater Faith in God

I want to share my experience of a layoff several years ago as a single woman, understanding what it is to overcome the fear of losing a consistent paycheck after many years of hard work, diligence, and settling into a certain lifestyle.

My first reaction apart from fear was “how unfair” and then “how will I make it?” Even with some savings and a severance package, I knew that I had to find another job that could pay the bills.

My second reaction was, “God, please help me!”

That should have been my first reaction.

God already knew what I would be facing at that moment in time, and He was working behind the scenes. I could not see it at the time, but I learned through this scary experience that He alone would help me.

My Jehovah Jireh. My Provider.

“So 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

As time passed, I saw God work to provide everything I needed.

I did not miss a meal and I was able to keep my apartment and pay all my bills on time. I am grateful that I had some savings and I adjusted my spending.

I took odd jobs while networking and sending out resumes, until a better opportunity opened up with better pay.

I do remember along the way that I promised God that I would do whatever work He provided for me—and I did.

I was already a Christian seeking after God and reading His word daily. I attended church and volunteered in different capacities that He led me to.

I was His child and I understood that He would provide. I just needed to learn it from experience!

It was the only way that I could know for sure that He is who He says He is, and that He will do what He says He will do in His word.

This opportunity opened my eyes and helped my faith grow exponentially. It simply drew me nearer to God and prepared me for the next opportunity to grow in faith.

King David’s Experience of Faith in God

“I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will consider all your works
    and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”

Psalm 77:11-12

This Psalm was written by Asaph, King David’s music director. I encourage you to read the Psalm in its entirety.

It encourages us to remember the good God has already done to and for us—to remember how we struggled before and God saw us through it.

If nothing else, we should realize that as we were each once a newborn baby, God has brought us this far and we’re still breathing, even if we’ve had to face difficulties.

In my studies of the Bible, I love the story of how David rose to King as a shepherd boy.

This is not just a story—it is historical fact about the life of King David whom God said was a man after His own heart.

Although David was anointed king as a teenager, he had to wait several years until he was crowned king.

He faced many hardships and had to flee for his life from King Saul. He became a great warrior and although he had the opportunity, he never wronged or attacked King Saul.

David’s rise to kingship was not just happenstance. Nor was it due to David’s human ability, but to God’s divine providence.

It was God who destined David to be king.

It was God who showed Himself mightily to David by giving him the ability to kill a lion and a bear as a shepherd boy.

It was God who made David a great warrior.

It was God who supported David and defeated his enemies before him.

It was God who caused the Israelites to love David and accept him as King.

It was all God!

David just had to believe in God and believe that He was for him.

David had to want God in his life, seek after Him, and follow His ways.  

If you’ve read about King David, you know that he was not a perfect man, but he loved God and relied upon Him for his very existence.

When he was brought to reckon with his sin, he repented before God and was willing to accept God’s consequences for his sin. He acknowledged his sin and sought God for forgiveness.

The Bible tells us that in the future King David will rule with his descendant, our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ, during the Millennial Kingdom and throughout eternity.

My Life of Faith in God Today

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
    I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and rejoice in you;
    I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

Psalm 9:1-2

This psalm was written by King David and I have adopted it as my motto in life.

I will praise God continually for His goodness in my life. He has brought me from a struggling, seeking young woman of God to a seasoned, thankful servant of God.  

It’s been a few years since that layoff left me scared and falling on my knees before God, but I have chosen to continually walk in faith with Him.

There have been many blessings and lifestyle changes that give credence to God’s goodness in my life.  

One is the freedom to write this blog to tell of God’s goodness to any who is interested in reading it.

By freedom, I mean that this is my “job” now (I prefer to call it my service to the LORD Jesus), which was made possible by God’s blessing in my husband’s ability and work that provide an income that surpasses what he and I used to make together.

I remind myself and my husband daily that all our blessings come from God and that our security is in Him only.

We still have challenges along with goals that we’d like to achieve, but we keep our eyes on Jesus.

As my husband is now in sales, there is always the possibility of losing a customer that could upend our current living situation; so, the threat of a financial setback is consistent. But…  

We trust in God who has done great things for us.

We trust in His word and that He’ll do what He says He’ll do.

We trust that He is for us and not against us.

We trust that if He gave up His most prized possession, His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us that there is no good thing that He will withhold from us.

We trust that we will be with Him in eternity because of the atoning work of Jesus on the cross.

We trust Him and submit to Him as our Savior.

He loves us and He loves you too!

I hope that this blog has and will continue to bless you as you seek after God and purpose to walk in His ways.

Enjoy this song below as you contemplate God’s goodness, power, and love for you.

It’s one of my favorites and has blessed me when walking through uncertain times.

If you want to have a relationship with God and are not sure how or where to start, see my previous posts Relationship with God and Relationship with God – Part 2.

Our Refuge is God Alone

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If you are feeling overwhelmed by your current circumstances or even afraid of what may lie ahead, take solace that God is in control.

He is on top of what seems out of control in your life or around you.

Whether it’s finances, family issues, loss of a job, health concerns, addictions, or any other adversity—you can count on God to help you and bring you out of the hardship for the better.

The Bible tells us that God is with us and guiding us through each difficult situation we encounter.

“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8  

One of the many blessings I have received from reading God’s word is that I have learned about many keepers of the faith who were able to overcome dire circumstances because God loved them and provided the answer, the way out, and the peace to keep moving along with Him.  

When I walked through difficult situations in the past, my mind would immediately go to heroes such as Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Esther, David, and Daniel, just to name a few. I recalled how faithful God was to them, and I believed that He would do the same for me.

Why did I believe this? Because His word tells us that He does not show favoritism, but rewards those who follow Him and gives them peace (Romans 2:9-11).

It is our faith in God that allows us to see His supernatural power at work.

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He proves to be One who rewards those who seek Him. Hebrews 11:6

He majestically guides, protects, and transforms us while changing our situations. He helps us overcome our adversary because He loves us and created us for His purposes.

God called Abraham to leave his home and follow Him to a better place to live that he knew nothing about nor how to get there. As God instructed him every step of the way, He encouraged him with promises for a good future for him and his descendants. Abraham, although not perfect, believed God even when he could not see how He would work it all out. God was pleased with Abraham’s faith and considered him righteous and called him a friend (James 2:23). Abraham lived many years and received all the promises God made to him in his lifetime and beyond—and it is because of Abraham’s faith that we are blessed today (Genesis 11–25).

Joseph was hated by his older siblings who sold him into slavery and was taken to a foreign land where while continuing to be obedient to God through difficult circumstances, he was thrown in prison. But God was with him even in prison and orchestrated his release and swift promotion to governor of Egypt, second in power only to Pharoah. Even though Joseph suffered greatly from his own family and fellow Egyptian citizens, God had a divine purpose for him—to save his family and the future nation of Israel (Genesis 37–50).

Moses was transformed from a shepherd in the desert to a great leader who led Israel out of slavery in Egypt, through the wilderness, and up to the Promised Land. He led hundreds of thousands for approximately 40 years, many of whom complained, rebelled, and threatened to kill him. Moses had the responsibility to protect, feed, find water, teach, judge, build a mobile sanctuary, discipline, train for war, intercede for, and forgive the entire way. For a mortal man this would be impossible, but God was there with Moses, guiding him and performing miracles for and through him (Exodus–Deuteronomy).

Joshua took over when Moses died and was responsible for leading Israel, numbered in the millions, across the Jordan River into the Promised Land inhabited by Canaanites. Joshua had to trust God that he could not only lead this great nation, but that he could also defeat the Canaanites as instructed by God to gain possession of the land. He had to trust God for his very life and for the livelihood of his people (Joshua 1-24).

Esther was a young Jewish woman taken from her home to compete against many other beautiful women for wife of King Ahasuerus in Persia. Her beauty and intelligence won the favor of the king, and she became Queen of Persia. She had to learn a new language and culture, and with this new role, she had to learn and execute the court life of royalty. When the Jews were threatened to be killed by an evil senior nobleman of the court, Esther had to lay her life on the line by going into the king unannounced. She called for a fast and prayer within her Jewish family and community to win the favor of the king as she went in for a special request. She could have been killed if the king wished by her unannounced appearance. The king granted her entry and request for a special dinner where she planned to expose the evil nobleman intent on annihilating her and her fellow Israelites. God was with her in this all the way and gave her the wisdom and favor she needed to succeed in order to save the Jewish nation (Esther 1-10).

The God of yesterday is the same God as today and tomorrow. (Hebrews 13:8)

I can also attest to God’s goodness and faithfulness.

Because I trusted in Him, he took me from uncertain days and nights wondering whether I would be able to overcome trials to leaving all my concerns to Him in prayer.

Also, I realized that I had to be content with having JUST my Savior Jesus by my side. I had to place Him first in my life.

And how could I not? He loved me so much that He gave His life as a ransom for me.

I was not perfect along the way, but I trusted God and I set my life goal to seek after Him. I no longer put my faith in people or circumstances. I dove into His word and believed Him for a victorious life.

I made myself available to serve Him in the doors of ministry that He opened for me, and I found purpose in helping others instead of being focused on myself and my troubles.

God in His faithfulness heard my prayers and brought me gradually to a life filled with many blessings—some I asked for over the years, and others I never even dreamed of.

God is faithful!

I would like to share another Scripture verse I learned that helped transform me from being unsure about my future to knowing that God was with me, helping me every step of the way despite difficult circumstances.

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
    From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;
    he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
    the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;
    he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
    your going out and your coming in
    from this time forth and forevermore.  Psalm 121

There is nothing our heavenly Father would not do to help His children overcome adverse situations and reach His purpose for their lives.

Following the ways of this world will not bring peace, joy, and fulfillment. Only God can.

If you are experiencing difficulties and don’t know what to do or can’t see your way through, I urge you to trust in God, surrender your life to Him (if you haven’t already), and seek after Him. You will be astounded by His perfect love, and you will find His will for your life.

May you be blessed as you listen to this song about how great and powerful God is.

If you want to have a relationship with God and are not sure how or where to start, see my previous posts Relationship with God and Relationship with God – Part 2.

Prayer That’s Powerful

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I have been wanting to write about prayer for some time, because I have personally seen God work miracles in my life and the life of others when we pray to Him and trust Him with the answer He gives us.

It’s important to know that God hears the prayers of His children.

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 1 John 5:14

Prayer is a direct line to God and is welcomed by God. He wants you to communicate with Him and go to Him for your needs.

Prayer is a way for us to spend precious time with God and to draw near to Him. It is during times of quiet prayer that we often hear from God through the Holy Spirit what we should do when we are searching for answers.

And God is perfectly fine with you just spending time with Him in thankfulness and adoration.

Jesus tells us we must put God first in our lives.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you. Matthew 6:33

All these things refer to our basic needs—food, shelter, clothing, etc. In the sixth chapter of Matthew, Jesus tells his followers to not worry about their needs in life, that God will provide because He already knows what they need.

Of course, we should not be lazy and wait for God to place our basic needs neatly in our laps. We should always work to achieve what we can and leave the rest to God. He knows our hearts and intentions and enables us to provide for ourselves. It is when we are not able that He intervenes by answering prayer in His loving, powerful way.

We should indeed ask God for what we need—according to His will.

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8

God is a good Father and He enjoys blessing His children just as you enjoy blessing yours.

This does not mean that if we pray for whatever we desire, God will give it to us. We must ask according to His will something that will be good for us now and in the future.

I’ve learned in seeking God that sometimes He says yes to my prayers, sometimes He says no, and sometimes His answer is delayed for the proper time to receive it.

For example, years ago when I was single, I was praying to God for a husband.

After some time seeking and asking God, I finally understood that He had to prepare me to be a good wife to the husband He would give me. He was not yet done molding me to be the wife I needed to be for the husband He was going to give me.

When I decided I would surrender it to Him—no matter how long it took—and wait for His best for me, God answered my prayer. He gave me a better husband than I asked for.  

Looking back, I am so happy that God did not give me who I wanted to be my husband at that time. Instead, He had someone in mind for me who would come along side me to be a loving husband and a great partner to achieve dreams that He has given me.

I believe that when we give our concerns to God and trust Him with His choices for our lives, we are blessed beyond what we could imagine.

God will give only His best to His children, not what will harm or destroy us.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. James 1:17-18

Firstfruits means the first and best of God’s creation. He placed man above all His creation on earth to be good stewards. He even made us in His image and gave us intelligence and abilities far above the rest of His creation.

God is good to us.  

He will not answer a prayer that will lead you into you sin or keep you in sin.

He will not answer a prayer that will do you harm.

He may choose to have you wait so that you can grow in your faith toward Him if you will seek Him and abide in Him. This is a good way to know God and to understand Him.

When we look back and understand that God did us a favor in saying no or making us wait for the right time, we appreciate His goodness toward us, and we trust Him even more.

I have come to realize that I am walking with God today because my dear grandmother prayed for me. She was the best grandmother anyone could have, and the greatest gift she gave me was her prayer over my life.

When we pray to God for something that we are concerned about and He says yes, we become captivated by His love for us.

In my first post, God Still Performs Miracles, I shared how my oldest brother was brain dead and I traveled home to say goodbye and to help my parents with the burial process. When I visited him in the ICU, all I could do was beg God for his salvation primarily and then for him to be given another chance to live. My family gathered around him and prayed that God would heal him completely.

AND HE DID!

I will never forget God’s goodness to my brother and my family during that week that I witnessed this miracle happen! It seemed impossible from our perspective, but NOT FOR GOD!

Jesus tells us when we pray together in His name, we are heard by our Father in heaven.

“Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” Matthew 18:19-20

Will you pray along with me?

A few of my current prayers are for a friend who was just diagnosed with brain cancer, a baby girl and a church member’s husband who both need heart transplants urgently, freedom from addiction for certain family members, Israel and Ukraine to overcome their enemies, and salvation for those who have not yet surrendered to our LORD Jesus Christ.

If you have any prayer requests that you would like to share, I’ll be happy to pray along with you.

I would like to close with a beautiful song by one of my favorite Christian artists.

If you want to have a relationship with God and are not sure how or where to start, see my previous posts Relationship with God and Relationship with God – Part 2.

Spending Time with God

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If you joined me last week for Starting the New Year with Promise, you read how important it is to study God’s word (the Holy Bible) daily.

We learned that we should meditate on His word, that is, to think upon what we read and strive to commit it to memory and apply it to our lives.

It can be done. It just takes carving out a set time in your schedule and perseverance.

It takes time to form a habit, so don’t beat yourself up if you miss a day or so while trying to set up your schedule. Just start again the next day where you left off.

Most importantly, ask God to help you. He delights in helping someone who is trying to follow Him.

This week we are going to go further in seeking after God by forming another new habit (if you haven’t already), which is to spend time with God.

That is, to schedule time with God where only you and He are together to commune with each other.

Let’s look at a scripture verse that suggests we should seek after God.

But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. (Deuteronomy 4:29)

God makes it clear in His word that any who diligently seek Him will find Him.

I want to confess something—only because it will help you know that it can be done, not to offer any excuses.

It took me some time to get this special time with God placed solidly on my calendar. I had to want to do it and stick with it in order for it to become a habit in my life.

When I first heard how to do this from Dr. Charles Stanley, founder of InTouch Ministries, I wanted to do it, but made excuses that I didn’t have time or didn’t have the space to do so.

I believe that God pursued me about this because I heard Dr. Stanley’s sermon about this topic again and again. Dr. Stanley gave all kinds of reasons why and ideas of how to get alone with God—he even spoke about just going into a closet and turning off the lights to avoid distractions.

He said that it was during these times that he spent alone with God that he had been the most reassured of God’s love and given the most insight in how to handle any situation that he was involved in—good or bad. Dr. Stanley insisted that this was a practice that would bring great reward to the seeker.  

So, I started my time alone with God in a closet (with the lights turned off) in an apartment many years ago. Today, I have a special room in my home where I go to spend time with God, seeking His face, praying, and talking to Him. I also set aside time to be quiet and just listen to God speak to me.

This act of seeking God and spending alone time with Him has been such a blessing in my life.

A couple of years ago, I was asking God what He would have me do with my life after moving to South Carolina. It was during Covid and I no longer wanted to work outside my home.

I believe through prayer and time spent alone with God that He showed me the next career for me—blogging about His goodness in order for others to know Him and walk with Him. If anyone would have told me prior to Covid that I would be blogging, I would have laughed and said, “No way, not my thing!”  

If you’re questioning whether or not God speaks to His children, the answer is YES, He most certainly does!

In the parable of the Good Shepherd, Jesus says,

“My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;” (John 10:27)

Jesus said it, so I believe it!

After some time, listening to God and following Him was something that I desired and needed. I once told a group of friends that I would never want to be so happy with my life that I would forget God. I still feel this way today.

By the way, I am very happy with my life, and I know it’s because of God.

He must be first in my life—first before my family, my work, my pleasures.

It is when I put God first that I can be and do what I should for my family, my work, and have a healthy balance in my leisure time.  

Before I close, I want to share with you one more promise I have always treasured and held on to. It is our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ reassuring His followers.

 “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they?  And which of you by worrying can add a single day to his life’s span? And why are you worried about clothing? Notice how the lilies of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin thread for cloth, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:25-34)

You don’t have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. God is more than willing to help you!

This is good news from God that He is for you and He will provide for you no matter how bleak your situation looks. He loves you because He created you and He has a purpose for you.

Seek His kingdom and His righteousness and let Him show you how much He loves you.

He is my Creator, my best friend, and my priority. Without Him, I would not exist; I cannot breathe; and I cannot discern what is best for my life.

I hold my relationship to Him as dear and privileged.

I hope this is or will be the same for you.

May God grant you His peace, His wisdom, and may His face shine upon you as you draw near to Him.

I love to end my messages with an inspirational song for your listening pleasure. The one below is perfect for today’s message.

“First Things First” – Consumed by Fire