HIS GUIDING HAND

As I enter this new decade of my life, I can look back and see how His unseen hand has led me all the way, even though the way was difficult at times for me, especially as a child.  But even then, I knew that His precious hand was there guiding me, protecting me, giving me strength for the journey, as I am now on the path towards my heavenly home.

How about you, my friend?  Can you look back over your life and see the path that He has led you, and feel you have truly been led by the Unseen Hand.

 THE UNSEEN HAND

Written by A.J. Simms

 There’s an unseen hand to me

That leads through ways I cannot see.

While going through this world of woe,

This hand still leads me as I go.

 I’m trusting to the unseen hand

That guides me through this weary land.

And some sweet day I’ll reach that strand

Still guided by the unseen hand.

 I long to see my Savior’s face

And sing the story of His grace.

And there upon that golden strand

I’ll praise Him for His guiding hand.

 I’m trusting to the unseen hand

That guides me through this weary land.

And some sweet day I’ll reach that strand

Still guided by the unseen hand,

Still guided by the unseen hand.

This song reminds me of the times in my life, especially as a child, times were hard in our home.  There were three of us little girls and a very sick father, and I remember my mother working long hours to supply our needs and put food on the table.  I was raised in church and Sunday school from birth, and at this time, when I was 10 years of age, a revival came to our church. 

The evangelist was preaching on God opening the books and looking for names in the Book of Life.  I then realized that I was not saved, being in a Christian home could not save me, being in church and Sunday School could not save me.

So on that night, I left my seat and went forward and gave my heart to Jesus and that is when I realized that He alone would guide my life no matter how difficult the journey of life would be.  He would always be there for me, in every situation.

“The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail” Isaiah 58:11

He truly has led me in many different ways through the years and there were times I didn’t understand the way He was leading me, but His unseen hand was still there leading me on.  He has led me on though many trials and difficult places.  He has led me through cancer and all its fears.  And I know that there are many of you out there reading this who may be going through great physical struggles and sorrows.  And this world is indeed a “world of woe.” 

I am reminded again that in this verse God promises to satisfy us in those dry times of our lives, and gives us “health to our bones” or strength in times of pain and sickness, and our God still is a healing God, and He indeed does work miracles in our hearts and lives, Praise the Lord!

On that last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” John 7:37-38.  If you are thirsty and dry today, He promises to guide you and satisfy your soul with springs of living water, the water of the Holy Spirit, to flow out of you to those around you, who also are thirsty in their souls, and need to be led and guided by the unseen hand of the Lord Jesus.

And as we travel through this weary world, on our journey home, He will continue to guide us through the rough places along the road, right up to the gates of our eternal home.  And there we will be in continual praise for how His guiding hand has led us all the way home.

 Oh, don’t you long to see your Savior’s face?  And we will sing around the throne of His saving grace and mercy. “Beloved, now we are the children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” I John 3:2.

Yes, my friend, we have no idea what it will be like, but we know that we are going to be just like Him in our new resurrected bodies and we will see Him face to face at last!  Oh, praise the Lord!

if you have drifted away from the unseen hand, or have never asked Him into your heart, please ask Him now.  We live in precarious times, and we know not the hour or the time when He will come back to gather His church to Himself.  So please, ask Jesus to come into your heart and life, and let Him change your heart to a new heart and a new life with Christ Jesus leading and guiding you with His unseen hand.

In Jesus’ Name,

Pastor Sharon



A MILESTONE ON MY

JOURNEY HOME

This month of March I will pass a major milestone in my life.  Usually birthdays have come and gone, but this one seems a little different, as if I have passed a mile marker in my life.  As I turn seventy years old, I wonder where the years have gone.

And I look back down the path and see His footprints leading me all through the years.  And the older I become, I realize that each year brings me closer to my heavenly home, and I think more and desire heaven more these days.  And as I minister to many senior citizens, some much, much older than I, I feel heaven is not far away.  And for some in my little “flock” it is right at the doors. 

So in this blog I will share some of God’s Word regarding the elderly saints and how our Lord looks down upon them.  If you are there already, or will be soon, these scriptures are for your encouragement, as you head up the winding path towards your heavenly home.

“Even to your old age I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you!  I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you” Isaiah 46:4.

The Lord reminds us not to forget Him, even when our hair turns gray, or starts to turn gray.  When our strength begins to fail, he reminds us that He made us, and like the Shepherd that He is, He will carry you in His arms, and walk with you through all your struggles.  Oh, how He loves His elderly ones!

“Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life” Proverbs 16:31.  (NIV)

I particularly love this promise.  Imagine that your lovely gray or white hair is like a crown of splendor when He looks upon you.  He literally crowns the elderly one with splendor and majesty because you have walked with Him in righteousness.  I use this one as an encouraging word when ministering to many in this work, and share with them how blessed by the Lord they are and how much He loves them.

Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth” Psalm 71:9.

Sometimes as we enter the winter of our lives, we can begin to feel like we are forsaken by Him and those around us.  Many I have dealt with are indeed forsaken by family, left forgotten in a nursing home or they are the only survivor of their family, and they feel so alone.  So we cry not to be forsaken by Him when our strength is failing, or our eyes are dim, hearing gone.  But He promises in Hebrews 13:5 that He will never forsake you.

“O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared Thy wondrous works.  Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not until I have showed Thy strength unto this generation, and Thy power to everyone who is to come”  Psalm 71:17-18.

Many of us have been serving Jesus since we were children and were taught about Him in Sunday School, and most of our lives have shared the Gospel with others.  And now we have entered our Senior years, and we ask the Lord to sustain us so we can pray and witness to the next generation, our grandchildren, great grandchildren and family members,  so that when we are gone, the generations that follow will know of your mighty power and love because of our witness for Christ.  Such a promise!

“Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand.  You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.  Whom have I in heaven but You?  And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.  My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  Psalms 73:23-26.

All of our lives, as His children, He has guided us, us on our journey home, given us counsel, and then, Praise God, He will receive us into our heavenly home.  Our flesh and our hearts may fail, but our God is our strength forever.

 SAVED BY GRACE

Someday the silver cord will break, and I no more as now shall sing; but oh, the joy when I shall wake within the palace of the King!

Someday my earthly house will fall.  I cannot tell how soon ‘twill be; but this I know my All in All has now a place in Heav’n for me.

Someday, when fades the golden sun beneath the rosy tinted west, my blessed Lord will say, “Well done!” and I shall enter into rest.

Someday: till then I’ll watch and wait, my lamp all trimmed and burning bright, that when my Savior opens the gate, my soul to Him may take its flight.

CHORUS:  And I shall see Him face to face, and tell the story Saved by grace; and I shall see Him face to face, and tell the story Saved by grace.  (Fanny Crosby)

When we gave finished this journey, and walked the final milestone of our life here on earth, we will wake in the “Palace of the King.”  These old bodies will indeed fail someday, unless Jesus comes and catches us away.  But we know He has prepared each of us a mansion and has promised to come back and receive us to Himself.  Oh, what a precious promise, and I can hardly wait, how about you? 

Keep your eyes on Jesus, and someday, then face to face!

In Jesus’ Name,

Pastor Sharon

OH LORD, USE ME!

As I again sit here at my computer looking out the window at the dark clouds and see the cold wind blowing through the trees, I think of friends and loved ones who are going through deep valleys right now with seemingly no answer in sight.  And some of you might feel useless in God’s kingdom because of your situation in life.  You may be suffering in your body and feel useless and discouraged.  Well, God always has an answer in His Word, and encourages us there.  Oh, what a blessing to open God’s Word and feel Him speaking to my heart!

“I will go in the strength of the LORD God: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only.  O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared they wondrous works.

Now also when I am old and grey headed, O God, forsake me not, until I have shown thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come. Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things:  O God, who is like unto thee!   Thou hast shown me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side” (Psalm 71:16-21.

 My Bible says that this Psalm is the prayer of an aged man.  He asked in verse 9 that God would not cast him off in the time of old age, and not to forsake him when his strength is failing.  But he says in verse 16 that he can go on in the strength of the Lord, and that he will make mention of your righteousness, and that to me, is the desire to continue to be a soul winner, to being souls into God’s kingdom.

Now let me tell you about a dear friend in the nursing home.  This precious godly woman is totally bedbound now, but she has led countless men and women to the Lord Jesus from her bed, and has prayed for caregivers who needed a touch in their bodies, and God healed them.

I don’t often have the opportunity to visit with her as she is often under sedation because of her pain, as she has many afflictions in her body.  But she told me this week an amazing experience that she had regarding the lady in the first bed in their room.  There is also a curtain separating the beds.

Her roommate was suffering in her body and near death, and my friend heard this lady swearing in her pain, taking the Name of Jesus, and God in vain, and she was deeply disturbed, knowing that this lady did not know Jesus Christ as her personal Savior and was in danger of entering eternity without Him.

So she called the lady by name, and the lady listened closely, as she gave her the plan of Salvation, and told her how much Jesus loved her and that He died on the cross for her and wanted to forgive all her sins and make her ready for heaven and eternity with Him.  And she told her how to ask Jesus into her heart.

Later, my friend was having a very bad night and couldn’t get to sleep, and listened for the other lady if she should need to talk but it was quiet.  Then, suddenly, she heard her speaking.  And she was praying, saying: “Oh, Sweet Jesus, O Sweet Jesus,” and my friend was so blessed at those words.  Then it was very quiet and she was able to get some sleep.

In the morning when the Caregiver came into the room, she asked her about her roommate, and how she was.  And the Caregiver informed her that she had passed away at 5:30 am.  My friend heard that lady asking Jesus into her heart before she died! Isn’t our God Wonderful?  I was in tears as she shared this story with me.  Here she is, in pain and distress herself, but leading others to Jesus Christ.

The Psalmist asked that when he was old and his hair was grey, that he be able to witness God’s mighty power to those around him, his generation, and also to his grandchildren or great grandchildren.  We are never too old to tell others about Jesus.  God will give us the strength we need and the Power of the Holy Spirit to lead us into situations to minister, bring comfort, or win someone to Jesus.  And if we cannot do anything else, we can also pray and intercede for those around us.

And in these situations, we praise our God!  Who is like Thee?  You, Oh God, who, even at death, your mighty power is at work bringing men and women to salvation.  And like my friend, there in the nursing home, you may have much affliction and pain.  But look at that last promise from this Psalm.  Someday, when this life is over, and our bodies have gone back to the dust, we will be resurrected from our graves, when Jesus comes!  Oh, Praise the Lord!

Jesus said unto her, “I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.”  Believest thou this?  John 11:25-26.

Yes, your redeemer lives! He is the resurrection and the life!  And someday when this life is over, we shall see Him face to face, at last!  And you will be comforted after all life’s trials.  And you who are afflicted, and still working for Jesus, even from beds of affliction you will be at peace forever.  So keep on working for Jesus, even when in the midst of great trials, in the midst of days when you feel your strength is gone.  You will be strengthened to go on one more step on the journey home!

Blessings in His Name,

Pastor Sharon

HE ROLLS THE CLOUDS AWAY 

As I was looking out my window this day, I saw dark clouds and stormy skies.  We had had several days of snow, rain, wind, and the day was so dark.  Even as I entered my office this morning, the skies were dark with snow and rain showers.

Then as I looked at those clouds, they seemed to roll away before my eyes, and there was blue sky!  I thought of our Lord and how He sends the showers and the rain to water the earth, and then He sends the sunshine to warm our hearts.  Oh, what a Wonderful Lord we serve!

 And our walk with the Lord and our journey with Him is a walk of cloudy days, rainy days, dark days.  Sometimes, because of our tears, we don’t see Him as He is walking ahead of us.  But then He turns and smiles upon us, and brings the ”Sonshine” back into our lives.

I love the old, old hymns, and am sorry that we don’t sing them anymore.  Some are not even in our hymnals.  But the Lord brings them back into our hearts with a song.  Here is one some of you might remember from your childhood.

 IT’S JUST LIKE HIS GREAT LOVE

“A Friend I have, called Jesus, whose love is strong and true, and never fails, howe’er ‘tis tried, no matter what I do; I’ve sinned against this love of His, but when I knelt to pray, confessing all my guilt to Him, the sin-clouds rolled away.

CHORUS:  It’s just like Jesus to roll the clouds away, it’s just like Jesus to keep me day by day, it’s just like Jesus all along the way, it’s just like His great love.

Sometimes the clouds of trouble dim the sky above, I cannot see my Saviour’s face, I doubt His wondrous love; but He, from Heaven’s mercy seat, beholding my despair, in pity bursts the clouds between, and shows me He is there.

When sorrow’s clouds o’er take me, and break upon my head, when life seems worse than useless, and earthly hopes are dead, I take my grief to Jesus, then, nor do I go in vain, for heav’nly hope He gives that cheers like sunshine after rain.

Oh! I could sing forever of Jesus’ love divine, of all His care and tenderness, for this poor life of mine; His love is in and over all, and wind and waves obey when Jesus whispers “Peace, be still!” and rolls the clouds away. (Edna R. Worrell)

Yes, we have many “clouds” in our lives as we walk this journey in our lives.  The first “cloud” we face is our cloud of sin.  And we must come to the cross, meet Jesus there, for cleansing.  For there at the cross He took all our sins and sorrows on Himself, so that He could bring us redemption and wholeness, so serve Him here and be safe with Him for all eternity.  It’s just like His great love………….

“You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away.  Then God made you alive with Christ.  He forgave all our sins.  He canceled the record that contained charges against us.  He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ’s cross” Colossians 2:13-14.

And sometimes those clouds are “clouds of sorrow.”  Sometimes they are clouds of great troubles that come into our lives.  And sometimes those clouds dim the sky above, and are days become filled with darkness.  And many times we feel like He has forsaken us and we can’t seem to find our way out of our trials.  But He is there, and He will never forsake you.  You are very precious to Him, and it is because of His great love!

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb?  Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you.  See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before Me” Isaiah 49:15-16.

Yes, He loves you so much that He has engraved you on the palms of His nail pierced hands.  That is so precious!  It is so wonderful to know that He loves us so much that He would engrave each of us on the palms of His hands.  He sees you there, my friend.  And when those clouds darken your sky, and the wind blows your ship.  He comes and speaks “Peace, be still!” and those clouds roll away.  That is just like His great love!

And if you are going through troubles and you have not accepted this Wonderful Savior into your life, He is waiting for you with arms outstretched, calling your name.  As we begin this season leading up to Easter Sunday, wouldn’t this be a wonderful time to make that decision for Christ?  As we remember His sacrifice and resurrection, we also remember this is the season for new life, and especially new life in Jesus Christ.  And then the clouds of sin and despair will roll away, and the Son will shine in your life for now and for all eternity.

In Jesus’ Name,

Pastor Sharon