Healing Rays of Righteousness

All The Way My Savior Leads Me

There are days when I am physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted, crushed, and devastated. The present situation or circumstance is just too much to navigate, and I want to give up. Most likely you also have felt this kind of weariness and oppression during difficult times in your life.

Whenever we experience such difficult opposition or disappointment from others or are suffering prolonged injury or illness, our usual defenses slowly erode until there is little strength left to face another day. And at such times, it is difficult to see or imagine God’s presence and his guidance for our life. So, what do we need to do, where do we turn for help in such times as this?

Of most importance, we need to remember that we are not alone. God is with us as says the psalmist, “The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” (Ps. 37:23-24).And, being present with us, God has promised to guide our steps, one at a time. “The Lord says, ‘I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” (Ps. 32:8).

My experiences have taught me that journeying through difficult life experiences is much like driving my car through the darkness of night. I can see only as far as my headlights pierce the darkness, but I keep driving forward and the headlights keep piercing the darkness with a pathway of light. And I complete the whole trip through the darkness, trusting my headlights to keep showing me the way forward.

My forward progress may be slowed down when my headlights make visible an accident or road construction and detours. Also, a dangerous storm of wind, rain, or snow may slow or delay my travel. And yes, these unexpected delays can cause me frustration and possibly elevate my fear and stress, but my headlights (faith and trust) will continue to show me a pathway of light, leading to my destination.

Yes, many times I wish I could see further ahead into the next week, month, or year, but that is not how God promises to guide us. His promise is to guide us one day, one step, one headlight beam at a time; and we journey forward by faith, believing that God’s indwelling presence and directive light will continue to show us the way through the darkness that surrounds us.

Being physically blind, Fanny J. Crosby knew the importance of needing to be guided by another. She wrote the words to the hymn, “All the Way My Savior Leads Me,” as her song of praise to God for his faithful leading in her life. The hymn was first published in 1875. May it be our song of praise every day.

“All the way my Savior leads me; what have I to ask beside? Can I doubt His tender mercy, who through life has been my Guide? Heavenly peace, divinest comfort, here by faith in him to dwell! For I know whate’er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well.”

<><><><><> 

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – February 28, 2024 – www.geigler13.wordpress.com – Ray M. Geigley

God Is In The Wilderness

No one chooses to journey into difficult and troubling wilderness experiences. Not even Jesus. Wilderness experiences are a part of being human in a world of evil. Many are the unfortunate events that cause us much pain and suffering.  During these difficult wilderness times of anxious uncertainty, we struggle with inner feelings of being forsaken and unloved.

These times can be very desolate, lonely, agonizing, and scary. The wild beasts of anxieties and fear crouch in the brush nearby, ready to pounce and strangle us emotionally and physically. The slimy creatures of various temptations slither around waiting for the opportunity to strike with their deadly poisons. And the ugly vultures of doubt and despair circle overhead, waiting to devour whatever hope we are still clinging to.

I can say with certainty that every difficult wilderness experience has its wild animals that threaten us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Challenging our Christian faith, these demonic creatures intend to diminish our moral and spiritual values and destroy our belief and trust in a loving, caring Father God.

For that reason, I need to remind myself and you that throughout the biblical story, God repeatedly proclaims his unlimited love for us. We are told that God sees, God hears, and God acts by moving close to be present with us and strengthen us in confronting the threats these wild animals of the wilderness throw at us.

Mark says, “He (Jesus) was with the wild animals.”  And then he says, “and angels attended him.”  Both the Hebrew and Greek words translated as “angel” mean “messenger.” The angels are God’s messengers of hope, providing encouragement and strength when Jesus most needed it. And we can be assured that God’s angels do the same for us children of God.

Believing God’s promise, we can be assured that we are not alone in the wilderness. And we can feel God’s presence as His angels provide the strength and the reassurance we need to remain confident of God’s ever-loving care and provision for us.

Jesus understands the wilderness and its wild beasts. Jesus understands our loneliness and despair, because Jesus has already been there and in every way tested and stressed even as we are.  And he is with us, promising never to leave us nor forsake us.

With increasing faith and trust we can journey through the wilderness experience, and say with the psalmist, David, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4). Thanks be to God!

<><><><> 

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” –www.geigler13.wordpress.com – Ray M. Geigley

Choosing to Trust God’s Promises

In response to last week’s blog, “My God, Why …?” a reader questioned; “there has to be something other than God’s promises. In those dark moments, promises appear to be empty and mocking. Do you have anything else to offer?” The following is my answer.

*******

Yes, God’s promises are empty and useless until we choose to “trust” the promises as our only lifeline and draw hope and life from them.

My dark times of feeling forsaken, led me to the importance of two 3-letter words “but” and “yet.” These two small words turn the tables on every situation, and when read in the Scriptures regarding God, they make an immensely significant impact on our relationship with Him.

In Psalm 22, I noted the word “yet” in verse three and the words “trust” and “trusted” in verse four. In my contemplation, I remembered the promise to Joshua, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5).

Then I remembered how this promise guided and encouraged God’s people throughout their history. And I also remembered that this promise is affirmed to God’s people in the New Testament. (Hebrews 13:5-7). To this promise of God’s faithful love I cling, even when I cry “My God, Why.”

In Isaiah 64, the prophet Isaiah speaks of agony and hopelessness until we come to verse eight. And again, the first word, “Yet,” is the most important word in the entire text. “Yet you, Lord, are our Father.”

This declaration of faith is made in spite of the fact that there is no external evidence to support it. There is nothing left in the life of this captive people to suggest to them that they were still being cared for by a loving God, who loved them like a Father.

Being exiled from their homeland, they had nothing. Everything was gone, including their hopes and dreams for family and a future. There is nothing left! Nothing but that one little word “yet.” 

And that “Yet you, Lord, are our Father,” brings us full circle back to our own faith. “We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” The glorious truth is that in God’s hands we are never without hope. It is the skill of the potter to see in a glob of mud the lovely creation which will emerge when that mud is worked upon the wheel.

It is only the love of God that can take the deepest darkness and despair that life can throw at us and use it to remold and shape our lives into new creations, with new life and new possibilities.

But for this to happen, God’s promise and our trust must be married in a mutual covenant of LOVE that assures us the needed physical, emotional, and spiritual resources for nurture, recovery, and healing through every frightening, distressing, chaotic darkness of “My God, Why?”

To illustrate; If I wanted to fly to the west coast and I knew the promise of the airline company that they would fly me there safely. That promise is empty and worthless until I trust the promise enough to purchase a ticket and check-in at the airport? But even that is not enough action to make the promise effective. I must board the plane and take a seat, fully trusting that the plane is mechanically capable, and the crew properly trained to fly me to the west coast. So, it is with God’s promises. Trust required!

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4) 

Thanks for making me think deeper. – Ray G

<><><><><> 

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – February 14, 2024 – www.geigler13.wordpress.com – Ray M. Geigley

“My God, Why …?

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by day, but I find no rest.” (Psalm 22:1-2).

There are many psalms that ask this same question: “Why, Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”  (Psalm 10:1). “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? (Psalm 13:1-2).

Stories of answered prayers, of successful surgery, of cancer cured, of health restored, of protection and safety in storm or threatening violence, are wonderful stories to read and hear. We rejoice with the recipients of answered prayer and praise God for His intervention and help.

However, there are times when sincere and fervent prayers are not answered, as we would desire, and we are left feeling alone and unloved – forsaken – and we ask God, “why”?

We humans often ask this unanswerable question following a tragedy in our life or community. But at no time do we ask the question with more intensity and emotion than when a young, gifted adult is taken from us by death. And that question rises to its highest intensity of pain when that person happens to be our own child. Not only is the present relationship taken from us, but also the future is emptied of dreams and expectations.

Warren Wiersbe once said, “Nothing is harder to heal than a broken heart shattered by experiences that seem so meaningless. But God’s people don’t live on explanations; God’s people live on His promises.”  I have found this to be so true.

Biblical reasons that attempt to explain the “whys”behind grief’s suffering usually do not ease the pain when you are hurting. In fact, such attempts may actually add to the pain.

It is the promises of God that encourage and reassure those who feel alone and forsaken. For the promises of God point to the loving, compassionate, “present with us” character of God and the One who sits with us in our pain.

The story is told of a little girl who got home unusually late from school one evening, only to find a daddy who was very unhappy about her lateness. He asked his little girl why she was late. She said, “Because my friend broke her dolly.”               

Her daddy then said, “Oh, okay, so you stayed with her to fix it?”  He did not expect her gentle reply, “No, Daddy, I stayed with her to help her cry.”

Can we imagine Jesus sitting with us in our anguished crying? I hope so.

<><><><><> 

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – February 6, 2024 – www.geigler13.wordpress.com – Ray M. Geigley