Tag: comfort

66 in 52 Challenge

Reflections on Psalms (Part 2)

Rebekah Freed

“Praise the Lord; praise God our savior!
For each day He carries us in His arms.” (Psalm 68:19)

As we go through life each day there are plenty of things that I don’t understand, don’t like, am confused by or wish are different. Each day I hear of, and at times am unfortunately a part of, injustices, inequity, and marginalizing “outsiders”. Each day I hear of the pain and hurt my students and their families are facing and if I’m not intentional, each day can just be too much.

But this is also true:  Each day, we are not alone.

Each day, He helps us see our faults and choose a new way.

Each day, He guides and protects, leads and loves.

Each day, we have reason to praise, no matter what is going on around and in us.

Each day, He is Lord.

Each day, He is Savior.

Each day, His on His throne and nothing can change that.

Each day He carries us in His arms.Thanks be to God!

Lent

Giving Up Comfort

Rebekah Freed

Last week, I mentioned a book I was reading called Killing Christians by Tom Doyle.  I cannot even begin to describe some of the painful, UNcomforable things the believers shared about their lives.  I have been challenged to pray for these brothers and sisters who have no option but sacrifice when they decide to follow Jesus.  I think what astounded me most was that in literally every single story anyone who was still alive at the time of the publication of the book said something to the effect of: “I’m still alive, but I know that my death will come soon.”  Even more incredible is that every sentence like that is almost inevitably followed up with, “But don’t worry about me.”

Being a Christian isn’t just a label for these people.  It’s not one of many options of how they might spend their time on a Sunday morning.  It’s literally life and death, every single day.  It’s fathers and uncles hunting them down to kill them for “dishonoring their family” by following Jesus.  It’s hiding in coffins to smuggle Bibles into their country.  It’s anything but a comfortable life.

When I say that I’m giving up comfort today, let me be clear, I am not asking to have to experience the things these people went through.  I actually pray I never experience them as I pray that the suffering would be ended for them and those around them.  However, I’ve realized that I can’t just keep turning my eye to the reality of things like this.  To be honest, it would have been much easier to never pick up this book, or to put it back down a few pages in.  Ignorance is bliss, right?

God may someday call me to make some life or death decisions in regards to following Him or to suffer because I bear His name. If that day comes, I pray for strength and courage to point boldly to Him.  Like Paul wrote:

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. (Philippians 12-14)

But whether or not a day like that ever comes, today, I can give up the comfort of ignorance and avoidance.  I can stop being an apathetic Christian. I can “sacrifice” time to pray for my brothers and sisters who are suffering things greater than I can imagine.  I can “sacrifice” some of the things that bring me comfort in this life and invest that money or other resources into things that last eternally.  It’s a scary, scary, prayer to pray, but today I ask that God would help me give up comfort that I may live passionately for Him.

img_1559-2

 

Bekah's Heart, Devotional, Prayer Runs, Running

On Hand-Holding…

Rebekah Freed

I see it as the preschool students walk through the halls of church, delighting in the fact that it’s their turn to slip their tiny fingers into the slightly larger ones of the teacher.  Or as my “Little Sister” (through Big Brothers Big Sisters) finds a way to juggle the stuff she’s carrying just so she can have an open hand to reach over and grab mine.

There’s just something comforting about hand-holding.  It’s such a simple touch, yet powerful.  As I headed out to run and pray for Sam this morning, I had some Scripture playing through my headphones.  I realized Saturday that 4-miles is along time to stay focused on praying and thought maybe some music or Scripture would help me focus my prayers for beautiful Samantha Love.  Just steps into my run, God started blowing me away with His Word and even now, and hour after returning, His Words are still echoing, bouncing off the walls of my  heart.

Isaiah 43 has especially been on my heart a lot lately, but as I ran this morning, praying for Sam, the words of verse 13 sunk even deeper into my soul:

For I, the Lord your God,
hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, “Fear not,
I am the one who helps you.”

As those words played through my headphones, I could just picture God, the One whose hand only verses before was describe as being able to mark off the heavens with its span and hold all the water of the world in the hallow of it (Isaiah 40:12), that same hand was, in that moment reaching down and taking hold of Sam’s hand, of Grace’s hand, reminding them: I’m right here.  I can only imagine the heartache Grace must have felt days ago as she had to let go of that little girl’s hands and fly 5,577 miles away. So as I ran, I prayed for Grace’s heart to be comforted knowing that God is holding her little girl’s hand and will never let her go.

As my feet ran the distance, God’s truth ran deeper in my heart: He holds MY hand, too. 

Right now, in moments when a little comfort would be nice, He’s there saying “Don’t fear, my child, I’m walking with you.”  He’s holding the hand of my brother-in-law who will soon leave the comfort of his home and the joy of holding his daughter and wife’s hands to go to fight for our freedom in this country.  He’s with Elizabeth and Karlie, holding their hands as Kevin is away.  He’s holding the hand of a beautiful friend of mine facing a series of struggles that just don’t ever seem to end.  His fingers interlock with my teammates and the volunteers at church constantly guiding and directing us into His vision and plan.  He holds the hands of the high school students and young adults I interact with each week in these moments of transition and decision in their lives.  He holds the family and friends far away from me whose hands I wish I could hold right now as they walk through trials and joyful celebration and everything in between.

He hold’s our hands.

And there is comfort in His grasp despite anything going on around us.