CHAPLAIN'S CORNER
Mandy’s Song Track 1
We’ve all probably heard Psalm 23 at one time or another: the old, familiar, and often overly-used verses that go something along the lines of, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want…” (I’ll refrain from quoting the entire chapter, since in all likelihood most everyone has either read it or are at least somewhat familiar with it.)
Uncertain of what else could possibly be said about a chapter that is so very popular in religious circles, I read on and the Lord stopped me at verse 3, which says, “He restores my soul.”
God has seen how tired our souls are; tired of struggling to get by, tired of trying to live up to unwieldy expectations, tired of the day-to-day drudgery, tired of living with ourselves. Our souls are broken, weary, and wounded. We need more than a strong drink, more than another fling, but we definitely don’t need another sermon. We need what only God can give: a new love for life.
Psalms 21, verses 2-4 say, “You [God] have given him [us] his hearts desire, and You have not withheld the requests of his lips. For You meet him with blessings of goodness; You have put a crown of pure gold upon his head. He asked life from You, and You gave it to him…”
God longs to give us the desires of our hearts and the requests of our lips; those deep unsatisfied needs and the day-to-day wants. He wants to bless us, to spoil us, to see us smile and fill our hearts with joy, but we have become numb. Our hearts are so used to disappointment that we no longer expect such gifts. We’ve stopped expecting, We’ve stopped asking for His love.
“He asked life from You, and You gave it to him.”
So ask. Ask the Lord to give you a new love for life. Ask Him to lift all the extra baggage, to heal the wounds, and to revive those parts of your heart that have become numb. God’s doesn’t want to just help you get by, He wants you to love your life. He wants you to have a joy you’ve never known before. He loves you with a love you cannot possibly fathom and all He wants is to show you that love. To show you the life He wanted for you all along.
“‘For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
It is hard to trust, and hard to hope, but I promise you God will not disappoint.
“You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.”
Jeremiah 29:13
From Pastor Robert:
...”The things which are impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:27). Spoken by a person who proved that all things are possible with God. This man walked in so much power that he defied natural laws, social laws, and religious laws. He was not lawless, but rather he fulfilled the greatest of all laws.
What is the greatest of all laws?
If you haven’t guessed it by now the answer is the Law of Perfect Love. What is perfect love and how powerful is it? It is written that, ”There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18).
With all of life’s twists and turns, and its many ups and downs, torment and fear seem to be a common denominator within many lives. We all face impossibilities and as a result, fear and torment always rise to paralyze and overcome us. The Man who overcame fear and torment is also known as the Prince of Peace, and He is well able to fill you with the power of His peace as you choose to be with God: “for with God all things are possible” (Mark 10:27).
Choose to follow the one who overcame all things and you too will be able to overcome all things. Let the perfect law of love cast out fear which has torment. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever and he will help all who call upon him. His Love will never fail, and if we have it we will never fail!