Tag: God loves you

God, Trials

Remember What God Has Done

meghanewhite

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March 9th, 2021 was a day that started out quite normal. Tom was getting some lab work done to prepare for hernia surgery. We had no worries about his tests. I went about my day, and had just finished my grocery shopping. I was waiting at the red light across from our neighborhood. Very ordinary, regular stuff.

My light turned green, and I drove across the intersection. Immediately, my peripheral vision noticed something moving at me fast, very fast. It was a car. I knew I would be hit because there was no escape. Wham!!! I was struck on the front driver’s side so hard that my head slammed into the window. It was like slow motion. I thought to myself, “I’m going to be injured. This is bad.”

I waited for it all to stop, and somehow my vehicle made it to the side of the road. I called 911 and it was like a circus with police, and tow truck drivers. As I was standing there in complete shock of what just happened, Tom texted me that he was being sent to the hospital for blood transfusions. I quickly sent him a text back letting him know about the accident. We were both at the mercy of God, and other people, to take care of us.

Looking back at a very difficult time in our lives I see God’s hands. He protected me in the car accident. I walked away, and so did the other driver. We both could have been killed. I sustained very minor injuries and my brain seems to still work properly. Praise God!

Tom’s journey to recovery was a long one involving blood transfusions, hospitalization, surgeries, never ending lab work, lots of bad news from specialists, and many unanswered questions. He was in tremendous pain for months because of a catheter. The list for my husband’s suffering is a long one, but he never complained. I see God’s hand over Tom, and his health.

This week I can’t help but look back and remember God’s faithfulness to us during a very dark time. He was there the whole time. God never left us, and He never will.

When going through a difficult time it can be easy to focus all our energy on the problem, and then worry and fear creeps in. The difficulty can be so overwhelming that we can’t see beyond it, and we forget entirely, that God is on our side.

A quick fix to this feeling of fear and dread is to remember what God has done for us in the past when we thought for sure there was no way we were going to make it. But we did make it, because God took care of us. He did it before, and He will do it again.

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” Exodus 20:2, NASB

The children of Israel had short term memory loss while they were in the desert. The Israelites were miraculously set free from the Egyptians by the Lord. Yet, they forgot what God did for them time, and time again. A problem would come up and they would complain and do something foolish, like make a golden calf and worship it.

Over and over again, God says to the Israelites “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt.” He was constantly reminding them what He had done for them because He knew what they were capable of by forgetting Him. Idol worship, breaking the commandments, forgetting who God was, and ultimately hurting themselves, were just some of the bad consequences of their selfish choices.

God will never break a promise. He made a covenant with the children of Israel. So when they cried out to Him, He answered.

So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them. Exodus 2:24-25, NASB

God was for the Israelites, and God is for you.

Are we any different than the Israelites? I have panicked when God doesn’t do what I want, when I want it. Then I try to fix things my way and it’s a mess. God graciously picks me up and helps me out because of Jesus, and His mercy and forgiveness.

Remember what God has done in your life. The times He showed up when the situation looked impossible. He provided, protected, and healed. He held you, comforted you, and spoke right to your heart. Write them down. Look back on them regularly. Thank God for His faithfulness. He’s not going to leave you.

For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

Hebrews 13: 5b-6, NKJV

Love you all,

Meghan

God

Sometimes We Just Need Held

meghanewhite

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The other day I was deep in thought at the grocery store. I was looking at the fresh herbs deciding exactly how much basil to get. This is important stuff. Fresh basil is a big deal. As I was considering recipes and portions, a baby’s cry interrupted me. To my left a young mom was attempting to console her little baby boy. He was having none of that. His cries continued until she picked him up.

Suddenly the sweet little angel was calm because he was in his mama’s arms. Without even thinking about it I said, “Sometimes we just need to be held.” The little guy smiled at me. Memories of my own little babies when they were fussy flooded my mind. The precious young mom and sweet baby went about their shopping. We passed each other a few more times. The baby boy started fussing again when he was placed back in the shopping cart. He needed to be held.

Sometimes we need to be held. It does not matter how old we are, or how mature we are, or how long we have been a Christian. We need to be held in the arms of God. We need to be comforted, and nothing else will do to calm us down. We will never outgrow our need for comfort from our Heavenly Father.

It’s humbling to be in that much distress that we need comforted. We can’t rely on ourselves, we must rely on God. The deep pain and heartache are reminders of our need for God. We cannot live this life effectively on our own. We were never meant to.

What great encouragement to know that our God will comfort us, hold us, and carry us just like a little baby in need. It is a reminder of our human frailty. His love for us is beyond measure. God will not let go.

When we are comforted we then get to pass this on to others. It doesn’t end with our needs. God wants to use us as vessels of His love. We can hold that person who is in trouble. Maybe they need picked up, dusted off, and held. We all do at some point.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NKJV 

Love you all,

Meghan

 

 

Father God,

Thank you for your compassion and mercy. For those who need comforted right now, draw them to you. Comfort them with Your peace and love. May they experience Your supernatural presence. Hold them, and encourage them. Restore their hope. Heal their hearts. We praise You and thank You.

In Jesus name,

Amen 

 

 

 

 

Love

A Love Filled Prayer for You

meghanewhite

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Have you ever received a love letter? It’s the most amazing feeling, especially if the letter was written by someone you really cared for deeply. It brings all those happy, happy feelings. You sigh. Your heart goes pitter patter, and you can’t believe that another human loves you that much. Romantic love is a wonderful experience. But those feelings don’t last. Those type of feelings will come and go. It’s just our humanity. 

Human love has limits. God’s love has no limits.

There is no love like the love of Christ. It cannot be measured. The love of Christ goes beyond our human understanding. It is deeper, wider, and greater than any human love we will ever experience. 

My pastor would hold up the Bible and tell us, “This is God’s love letter to you”. When we read our Bibles God is speaking to us. The Bible is the greatest book ever written, telling the greatest love story in all of history, God’s love for us. 

This beautiful prayer from Paul is filled with love. I love it! He penned these words to mostly Gentile Christians. 

A Prayer for the Ephesians

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family  in heaven and on earth derives its name.  I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,  and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 3:14-21, NIV

This entire prayer is powerful. There are a few parts that really speak to me.

For this reason I kneel before the Father. Paul starts with kneeling before the Father. This shows humility and reverence.

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being. Jesus strengthens us with power through His Spirit. Wow! He equips us with supernatural power to accomplish good things.

So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Jesus wants to take up residence in our hearts but it takes faith. We have to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to receive Him.

To grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. We cannot measure the love of Christ. It’s width, length, height, and depth has no bounds. That’s how much Jesus love us.

That you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. We need to be filled up with God, not ourselves. We must make Jesus Lord in our lives. We receive God’s love to then show that love to others. 

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. God’s abilities are unlimited. We are finite in our thinking, He is infinite. He is able to accomplish anything we ask of Him, and then some. And always according to His perfect will. 

Pray this awesome prayer for your loved ones. Pray this for yourself. Pray this for the body of Christ. May these powerful words go right to your heart.

Love you all,

Meghan 

 

Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels 

God

Known by God

meghanewhite

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There are 17,000 Union soldiers buried in Vicksburg National Cemetery. The vast majority of tombstones say “Unknown”. Thousands of grave markers with no name. Were these men really unknown? Of course not. They had mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, wives and children who knew them. Unfortunately the makeshift grave sites during the Civil War identifying these soldiers were gone by the time a national cemetery was created.

I looked at row after row of these unknown soldiers thinking of their families who knew them well. The generals and high ranking officials have grand memorials with statues of bronze, yet the enlisted guys have simple markers with a number. God knew each and every one of them. They were known by a loving God.

Who knows you? Does your husband or wife know you? Maybe your friends know you. Your siblings might know you or your parents. Sure we all have people in our lives who know us better than anyone else, but who knows you the best? God knows us better than anyone, even better than we know ourselves.

You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.

Psalm 139:1-4, NIV

Our creator, God, knows every single thing about us. He knows when we sit, and when we rise. He is familiar with all our ways. Before we say a word, He knows it completely.

God knows our struggles, our heartache, our deep pain. God knows our sins, and bad choices. God knows our ugly thoughts and our deepest needs. God knows every single thing about us, and still loves us like no one else can. God’s love for us is perfect.

Every person has the desire to be known. There is only one who knows us deeply, perfectly, lovingly. God knows you and He knows me. Do you know God?

There is only one way to the Father, that’s Jesus.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6, NIV

The God of the universe knows you. He made you, and loves you so very much. No one knows you like God. If you are feeling invisible or unknown, please be assured that you are known and you are loved by God.

God is always there, watching over you. Even when you think no one sees or cares, God does. He loves you passionately and will pursue you all the days of your life. God knows you, really knows you, like no other. You can trust Him fully. Do you know Him?

May you feel the deep abiding love of God, who made you and knows you. You are known.

Love you all,

Meghan

God, Trials

The Waves Cannot Prevail

meghanewhite

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The gentle waves roll up on the beach and then gently roll right back. Over and over again the ocean repeats this beautiful rhythm. I have been watching this incredible show from our hotel room window this morning. My husband and I are finally celebrating our 25th anniversary (4 months late) with a stay at a gorgeous beachside hotel. Back and forth, back and forth the waves crash. How do those waves know where to stop?

God tells the ocean how far to go.

Do you not fear Me?’ declares the Lord.

‘Do you not tremble in My presence?

For I have placed the sand as a boundary for the sea,

An eternal limit, and it will not cross over it.

Though the waves toss, they cannot prevail;

Though they roar, they will not cross over it.

Jeremiah 5:22 NASB 

I have always loved the beach. The ocean brings me an immediate sense of calm. When I look out at what appears to be an unending sea, I can breathe a little easier. My soul feels relaxed. I am reminded just how small I am in this massive world that God created. My problems begin to shrink, and God becomes even larger to me. 

The storms will come. The waves will get big at times. Everything may look as though it’s over. Those big waves come and crash, bigger and stronger each time. Yet those waves will not prevail. Sure a sneaker wave can knock you out, but you can and will get back up. Eventually the ocean will calm down once again. 

The God who made oceans also made you. He cares about every single thing you are facing. He knows exactly what you need to learn from those big waves, or even those small ones. God is in every tiny detail of our lives. Awesome Holy God loves us so very much. 

God will not let the waves prevail over you.

Did the waves knock you down? If you look up there is a hand reaching out waiting to help you. It’s Jesus’ hand. Our perfect Savior loves to save us in our troubles. So take His hand. He will help you, comfort you, provide for you, and heal you. Jesus is the all sufficient Savior.

I am going to take a bike ride along that beautiful ocean as those waves come just far enough and then roll right back. I see Jesus in those waters, and God’s mighty hand holding back the waves. And I know I’m going to be all right, and you are too.

Love you all,

Meghan 

If you need prayer please send me your requests meghanewhiteauthor@gmail.com

It’s a privilege to pray for you.