1 Kings 17:8-17 – “Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there; behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks; and he called to her and said, “Please get me a little water in a jar, that I may drink.” 11 As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.” 12 But she said, ” As the LORD your God lives, I have no bread, only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I am gathering a few sticks that I may go in and prepare for me and my son, that we may eat it and die.” 13 Then Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go, do as you have said, but make me a little bread cake from it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son. 14 “For thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain on the face of the earth.'” 15 So she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke through Elijah.” NASB

I love the accounts of the Prophet Elijah, and although some today tell me that we no longer need miracles because we have science, medicine, and the New Testament, I disagree.  When did God change?  When did God stop being God?  When did the compassionate heart of God to do good things for His people end?  I believe that you will agree that GOD HAS NOT CHANGED!

In this account, there are several things that we need to quickly look at to get the heart of the message that I am trying to convey:

• There was the Obedience of Elijah.

God told him where and when to go and told him what he would find when he arrived.  However, as we see in the following verses, it did not turn out quite like Elijah might have thought.  The widow fulfilled his request for a drink, but when he asked for food, she explained her situation and justification for not doing what he requested.

• There were the Divine Instructions from Elijah.

“Do not fear…”  I love the preface to his instructions with a word of assurance.  Then he does something that many liberal theologians consider selfish, but it was a test of her obedience and faith.  He said, “… make me a little bread cake from it first, bring it to me, and then you and your son can eat.”  On the surface, this seems very selfish and completely out of character for a man of God and the heart of God.

• The Groundwork for the Miracle was Laid.

After Elijah informed her to prepare something from him “first’ out of her meager supply, he told her prophetically, “For thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain on the face of the earth.”   That is a specific word for a specific situation with a specific timeframe.  It is going to be easy to verify if this prophetic word is accurate or not.  From the widow’s perspective, she had two options:

1. She could trust the Word of God from the man of God and place her confidence in God’s faithfulness or
2. She could look at her situation and say, ‘Why not? I do not have much anyway,” or “I do not have enough and will ensure that my child gets at least one last meal.  That would have spelled disaster in either case.

I passionately believe that the word she heard from the prophet took root in her heart. A seed was planted. Her obedience to God’s directive provided a platform for God to produce an Endless Supply for her and her son during the famine.

Verse 16 reveals that that is precisely what occurred – God ensured she never lacked.  She gave out of her poverty, and God gave out of His abundance.  This is evidence that it is impossible to “outgive” God and that obedience coupled with any required sacrifice will result in an “open door” into the supply room of the Father.

I do not know what you might be facing today, but know this: if God directs your heart based on His Word to do something, do it with complete confidence that He will Never Fail! 

  May the Lord bless you as you go through your day in Him!

John 11:38-44 – “So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”  41 So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, ” Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  42 “I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.”  43 When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.”  44 The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”  NASB

There is so much that could be said and so little space to say it regarding the passage.  Let us focus on one particular point, verse 44.  The disciples missed the messages when Jesus told them Lazarus was sick and sleeping.  Martha missed the point when Jesus told them to roll away the stone.  Those in the crowd missed the message as it all transpired, and it brought fear to the hearts of the Pharisees, and they targeted both Jesus and Lazarus as a result.

Some have argued that Lazarus is a type of the Church, and maybe so.  Others have contended he is a type of the last-day Christian, and maybe so.  Regardless of your typology or interpretation, take verse 44 at face value for a moment:

“The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, “UNBIND HIM, AND LET HIM GO.”  (Emphasis mine).

Several things are pertinent to our conversation at this point:

• Lazarus was dead and had been in the grave for four days. 

There is no question about this.  It was not some anomaly or aberration of the human body’s natural state – He Was Dead!

• Jesus ordered them to “roll away” the obstruction, in this case, the stone in front of the tomb.  

In our case, you fill in the blank as to what is causing spiritual death in your life and obstructing you from receiving the power, person, provision, protection, and potential that God has for you.

• Jesus commanded Lazarus to come forth from the clutches of death. 

He calls us out of death unto life and out of darkness into the light.

• Lazarus came forth but was still “bound.”  

Sadly, sometimes, when Jesus sets us free from the clutches of sin’s hold, we still carry the baggage with us and are not truly free and need the help of those who are “living” or “spiritual” to help bring us to total freedom.

• Jesus’ command was simple, straightforward, and powerful: UNBIND HIM, AND LET HIM GO.’  

I do not care if it is tradition that has you bound.  It might be your mindset.  It might be your dogma.  It might be ten thousand things, but whatever it is, Jesus wants you to be “set free” from it and allowed to walk into the fullness of His light and love.

What is it that has you bound?  What is hindering you?  What is holding you back?  No matter what that is, Jesus wants you free and has come to “set you free.” 

May you be blessed and walk free of the baggage you have been carrying with you.  Blessings!

Psalms 139:13-16 – “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; 16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.” NASB

Let us get to the remedy for Inferiority Complexes, at least for believers.  Please note the following, if you will.

• You must realize that you were prescribed before birth. – – [Psalm 139:13-16] God made us exactly as we should be according to his plan, be that 4’2” or 7’2”.
• Remember that the process is still going on.  He is not finished yet.  Work hard to always remember this point.
• Refuse to compare yourself with anyone else.
• Respond correctly to your weak points.

I heard a preacher tell the story of his birthmark, which appeared to be a bright red scar across the side of his face.  It was like a burn scar.  It stretched in an unattractive, obvious fashion down his forehead, across his nose, and across a large section of his mouth and neck.  He demonstrated absolutely no problem with inferiority because of it.  He said he was asked how he could be unaffected by it. 

He said, “It is all because of my dad.  From the time I remember, my dad taught me that this part of my face was where an angel must have kissed me before I was born.  He said, ‘Son, this marking was for Dad so that I might know you are mine.’ God has marked you just to remind me that you are my son.’  All through my younger days, I was reminded by my dad, ‘You are the most important, special fellow on earth.’  To tell the truth,” He said, “I got to where I felt sorry for people who didn’t have birthmarks across the sides of their faces.”

You see, until we can thank God for our shortcomings or seeming imperfections, the scars in our lives, we will NEVER conquer the problem of inferiority.  Therefore, we need to consistently and constantly ask God to help us trust Him and deliver us from our preoccupation with self.

Remember:

                  He has called and commissioned you for a particular function.

                  He is working on you on a continual basis.

                  He is working through you every day and in ways you do not now realize.

Always remember there is Nothing impossible to the Family of God, and you are part of that family!  You and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.  We are more than conquerors through Him and will fulfill the purposes of God in our generations if we do not faint, focus on the wrong things, or allow ourselves to become side-tracked by the devil.

So, as you go through the day, know that you are unique in God and that what you are now is not what you will be.  You have a special and unique purpose that God has designed you for, and rejoice in that blessing while trusting God to provide everything you need to accomplish His purposes in your life.

May the rich and special blessings of the Lord be yours today and every day!

Psalms 139:13-16 – “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You,

When I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; 16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.” NASB

Truly, if we are to become what God wants us to be and overcome all the feelings of inferiority that shipwreck our faith, we must come to a clear understanding of God’s estimate of us.

Matthew 6:26 –“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” NKJV

• You Are Worth Much to God.

Matthew 6:27-30 – “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” NKJV

You are worth more than the grass of the field, the lilies that grow by the way, or the sparrows that fly through the air.  You are of “infinite worth” to God.  You are worth so much that He allowed His Only Begotten Son to come and die for you and me.  Therefore, the next time you feel inferior or unworthy, remember that to God, you are the object of His attention and affection.  You are the apple of His eye!

• We Are His Workmanship – – [Ephesians 2:10]

No two of us are exactly alike!  He knows you personally and is working on each of us individually.  Philippians 1:6 tells us that He is not through working on us!  Do you remember the PBPGINFWMY buttons?  [Please be patient… God is not finished with me yet.]  You can be sure He will complete the work, but He is not finished.

A person who is absorbed with their own feelings of inferiority thinks he is not as good as _______________ (fill in the blank).  Remember, God is working on your personally and individually, and He is not finished. You are not yet the finished product!

Philippians 2:3-4 – “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests but also for the interests of others.” NKJV

We are truly diamonds in the rough.  God has not yet cut and polished us to perfection, but we are still diamonds!  The person who feels inferior focuses on the part that is not finished rather than on the part that is being completed or has already been shaped and molded.

The Body of Christ is beautiful!  I challenge you to read 1 Corinthians 12:14-17 and maintain a feeling of inferiority!  Can you imagine being one big 6’2” ear? Gross, isn’t it?  Or maybe just one big eye!  What a beauty!  NO!  It takes all the parts together to make the whole and give it function and beauty.

1 Corinthians 12:18 – “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.” NKJV

That is incredibly important! God made you a finger because He wants you to be a finger.  He made you an arm because He wants you to be an arm.  He made you a toe tucked in a shoe, never seen, because He wants you to be a toe, a foot, or some part never seen.  It Pleases Him, and He Has a Purpose!

The person who suffers from “Inferiority” suffers because he is a toe, not an eye, or because he is a foot, not a pretty face or a mouth.  It conveys the idea: “Oh, because I’m not this, I am not useful.”  To the body, every part is useful and valuable, and necessary!

Next time, I want to give you a remedy that will cure this kind of thinking.  Until we meet again, may God grant you smooth sailing on the pathway of life.  Blessings!

Psalms 139:13-16 – “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; 16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.” NASB

Let us pick up where we left off and look at the person I mentioned in our last session – Moses!  Consider this young sprout of “80”.  If we did not know the entire story, none of us would even guess that Moses suffered from feelings of Inferiority, But He Did!  It may have been because he had a history of failure. 

In Exodus 3, Moses murdered an Egyptian, had to flee Egypt, and found himself in the Midian Desert. This was not a place of “high visibility.”  He is in a place of low visibility with his in-laws, his wife, and raising his children.  He has been forgotten, at least in his mind.  For 40 years, he has not seen nor heard from Egypt.  It is almost as if he does not exist any longer.  Then, in the middle of this, God shows us as a “Burning Bush.”  God had a great deal to say about what He wanted and what He would do, but I can almost guarantee you that all Moses heard was “I Send You.”

I say that because of his reaction.  It appears that immediately, he thought of his failures and how unworthy, incapable, ill-equipped, and unstable he had been.  For 40 years, he has nursed the image of himself as a “failure.”  He did not feel capable.

I urge you to pause for a minute and realize that we are not talking about “Humility” but about “Inferiority.”  Feeling inferior is not being humble.  Humble people have the absolute highest degree of confidence in God.  They trust God to do whatever He says He will do.  Humility and faith go hand in hand.  They are inseparable.  So does Humility and servanthood. Moses became humble, but at that moment, he felt inferior.

In the context of the importance of humility, Paul told the Corinthians, “For I consider myself not in the least inferior to the most eminent apostles.”  [2 Corinthians 11:5].  Then he repeats that statement in [2 Corinthians 12:11].

In Exodus 3:1, Moses asks, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of the land?”  Moses questioned God.  He was saying, “I can’t go.  I am not qualified.”  The truth is this called both the power and wisdom of God into question.  It also questioned the faithfulness of God and His character.  In Exodus 3:2, God has promised to go with him!

Oh well, you say; in that case, I am sure Moses packed his bags and headed for Egypt to do what God instructed.  Not on Your Life!  In Exodus 4:1, Moses asked: “…. What if they do not believe me or listen to what I say?”  Now, hold on, Moses.  Who are you focusing on now?  It is most assuredly not God because God has promised to go with you.  No, you are focusing entirely on yourself!

Consider how God responded to this:  Exodus 4:2-3 – “What is in your hand? And he said, ‘a staff.’  Then He (God) said, ‘Throw it on the ground, and it became a serpent.’”  Wow!  What a demonstration of supernatural power.  God is saying: “Moses, Moses, get your eyes off yourself and onto Me.  If I can do this, I certainly can handle Pharaoh and the people of Israel.”  You see, God was convinced that Moses was the man, but Moses was not convinced.  So, in Exodus 4:4-5 – God reversed the process, but Moses still held out.

Exodus 4:10 – “Then Moses said to the LORD, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and tongue.”  NASB

That is so common!  Moses is playing the “I’m just a simple man game.”  God’s directives and promises are being ignored and even rejected.  The entire focus of Moses’ heart is on himself, not God, not God’s promises, power, and provisions, but on Moses the man!

I want to boldly declare: “An inferiority complex is a satanic deception that keeps scores of people from even considering Christian service.”  Many are convinced they must be eloquent to preach or do a work for God.  They think they have to be worthy, quick-witted, and glib-tongued.  But, if you will notice, God told Moses in no uncertain terms that he did not have to be “eloquent” or “available.”

Exodus 4:11 – “The LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?

We must never forget that God will take our inabilities and transform them.  He will give us the words to say.  Disabilities do not disqualify.  No matter what the task – YOU CAN DO IT in God!  If we are ever to become what God wants us to be, we must come to a clear understanding of God’s estimate of us!

We will get to that next time, but for the time being, consider Moses’ objections and those you have used from time to time and see if there is any correlation.  I believe that you will be amazed to find how much our lives run the same path as Moses in many ways. 

Until we meet again, may God grant you the wisdom and knowledge to know what to do and when to do it.  Blessings!

Psalms 139:13-16 – “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.  15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; 16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.” NASB

I encourage you to read another scripture in conjunction with this passage; it is 1 Corinthians 12:13-31. It will help to shed light on this subject. Each of us, at one time or another, has been gripped with the feeling that we are totally or at least partially inadequate for the situation that we are in.  We have, no doubt, feared that everyone involved is highly capable and qualified except us.  As a result, we acted or reacted in ways that alienated us from those around us.

Let me tell you a story that helps to illustrate my point: 

It is like the man who went to his psychiatrist, and when the doctor asked him what had prompted his visit, the man said, “I am suffering from an inferiority complex.”  During the subsequent few visits, the psychiatrist put his new patient through a battery of tests, and finally came the long-awaited diagnosis. 

The doctor called the man and asked him to return to the clinic for a consultation.  Upon arrival at the clinic, the doctor seated the patient before him and said, “I have some interesting news for you.”  The patient eagerly waited and asked, “What is it?”  The doctor said, “It is not complex.  You are inferior.”

Some of us indeed have more to feel inferior about than others.  Mr. Lincoln was partly wrong saying all men are created equal because all men “are not” created equal regarding various mental and physical capabilities.  But we have far more natural endowments than most will ever realize or use.

There have been scientific reports that there is enough “Atomic Power” in one human body to destroy the entire city of New York.  We are also told that the human mind is so amazingly powerful that, as one scientist said:   “It is almost impossible to calculate this phenomenon, but as best as I can determine if we could build an electronic computer that could do all the human mind could do, it would have to be housed in a building about a city block wide and deep and be at least twenty-two stories in height.”   That is incredible!  Yet, despite all this, human beings cower in timidity and feelings of inferiority, and I find that amazing!

Although it is true that each of us faces this problem of feeling inferior, we do not have to cultivate it.  We can defeat it and walk in wholesome victory in Jesus.  We can live knowing to whom we belong and the authority and power we have as heirs of the Most High God!

Let me give you some interesting facts about this:

• Feelings of Inferiority are not necessarily related to intelligence. 

Those with IQs 130 or higher often suffer more than those with lesser IQs.  People with relatively low IQs often suffer little from feelings of inferiority.

• An Inferiority Complex is not always noticed on the surface.

People usually mask it.  Some of the ways are incredibly interesting and would be humorous if they were not so serious and even deadly.  One way is by adopting what we commonly identify as a “Superiority Complex.”  Another is “Sarcasm.”

• These feelings of Inferiority are not limited to the non-Christian world.

While we cannot always see the problem on the surface, it is there.  Many people are comfortable, capable, efficient, and at ease behind the scenes but cannot handle face-to-face contact with others or public scrutiny.

It is a profoundly serious problem, in my view!  It is not God-caused, nor God-directed.  God made us to succeed at whatever He has called and commissioned us to do.  He designed us to be Overcomers AND More!  We are Conquerors through Him!

I hope I have whetted your appetite a little because next time, we will look at one of the most prolific characters in the Bible who illustrates what I am trying to communicate – Moses.  I believe some things will help us rise above the diabolical deception of the devil and enable us to rise to our full potential in God. 

Until next time, may the God of Peace guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus and enable you to walk in His Peace!

Matthew 17:20-21 – “And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.  21 [” But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”]  NASB

I am sure they did not have the saying “When pigs fly” in Jesus’ day, but I am sure they had something that would be akin to it.  The phrase is an adynaton – a figure of speech so hyperbolic that it describes impossibility!   I wonder if that is what the disciples thought when Jesus spoke to them about moving the mountain.  I know that I have said things to people both from the pulpit and in one-on-one situations where the look on their faces said, “Yeah, when pigs fly.” 

I am sure that when Gideon’s band heard his plan, somebody in the crowd thought, “Yeah, when pigs fly.”  What about the onlookers when David went to face Goliath?  Do you suppose that there were any skeptics in that crowd?  I have seen miracles and fully believe in God’s ability and willingness to do them in our day.  I can testify to that in my own life.  Let me give you a testimony of His miraculous healing personally and in my family.

When I was in Bible College, my mother had an accident through which she was paralyzed from the waist down, and the X-rays revealed a broken back.  I was in Palestine, Texas, with a group from school when a lady from my home church tapped me on the shoulder and asked, “How’s your mother?”  I know the look on my face was so puzzled that she asked, “Don’t you know?”  

I did not know anything, and when she informed me that Mother was in the hospital in Crockett, I immediately told some in our group that I was heading to the hospital immediately and asked them to pray.  Upon arrival at the hospital, she was in a terrible condition, and the look in her eyes offered no hope.  The weight of the world was resting on my shoulders as I went to the lobby and called a friend at school and asked that they have prayer for her in our school revival. 

I returned to school on Tuesday and went to bed with a high fever.  On Wednesday evening in the service, the Holy Spirit used a testimony of the evangelist, and I knew in my heart that Mother was healed.  Ten people came to me after the service and said the same thing about the testimony. 

I went to see her that weekend, and there was no change on Saturday.  I told her what I felt in the service and assured her that she would be okay.  The next day after church, I went back to the hospital, and I could see a change.  She looked at me and said, “Last night, the Lord spoke to my heart and said, ‘Get up.” At that moment, she sat up in the bed, swung her feet to the side, and stood up.  She said, “He told me I was well but to stay in bed until the doctor took another X-ray as a witness to everyone what He had done.”  

My dad called me at school the next day and said, “The doctor is amazed because your mother can walk, and the 2^nd X-ray shows no broken bones whatsoever.”  I was jubilant.  He then said, “The doctor has decided that the first X-rays were flawed.”  I asked to see a copy of both sets of X-rays because my mother and I knew what had happened, even if others were willing to accept an explanation that did not require God’s miraculous work.

When I told her what I expected before God finished the work, some in the room looked at me with the expression that said, “When pigs fly.”  Well, PIGS FLEW!  I have had broken bones healed, miraculous provision of finances, cancer healed, and entertained angels unaware until after the encounter and, from confirmed information, found that their presence in several instances was God’s divine protection sparing my life.  So, when it comes to God, I believe that the proverbial PIG CAN FLY! 

None of that was about me.  I relate that account not to call attention to me but to the incredibleness of God and His awesome power and love!  God did not heal my mother because I was some great man of mega-faith, but because we asked and He loved her, as He does everyone!   He said, “Call, and I will Answer.”  We called, and He answered!

I do not know what your particular need is right now, but I know that no matter the problem, we serve a God big enough to solve them, and through it all, He will never leave you nor forsake you!  I cannot explain God, nor do I try to explain why one time there is a miracle and another there is not. 

As I have said to families in times of loss and suffering, the question is not “Why?” but “Where to from here?”  During a crisis is not the time to question God’s character (no time is), but it is a time to ask for His guidance.  The Cross should be evidence of His undying love for us; the crisis is not a sign of his casting us aside. Instead, it is an opportunity for us to lean more heavily upon Him and depend more completely upon His love and care.  Do not go through life looking at things and saying, “When Pigs Fly.”  Go through life and say, “With God, the pigs will fly.”

May God be with you on this day and guide you through whatever you face with His love, mercy, power, and grace.  Blessings abundantly!

Proverbs 18:24 – “There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.” NLT

I like this particular rendering of this passage because of the simplicity of how it phrases the statement.  Truly, we have all had “friends’ that turned out not to be true friends and did more detriment in our lives, and we were in theirs, than good.  We also have known those individuals who proved to be closer than “blood kin.”  They are true treasures. One has few of them in a lifetime and should treasure them and treat them as treasures.  Yet, we have in Jesus a friend that, although He is a brother, stands closer than any “blood kin” could or would ever stand.  He will Never Leave us nor forsake us.  His Love is Unconditional and Inseparable. 

I am reminded of the old hymn – “What A Friend We Have in Jesus,” written by Joseph M. Scriven as a poem in 1855 to comfort his mother, who was living in Ireland while he was living in Canada.  The tune to the hymn was composed by Charles Crozat Converse in 1868, and William Bolcom composed a setting of the melody.  It has had many modifications and transitions through the years, but the baseline theme has remained the same – – The unequaled friendship of Jesus in all life’s trials is the bedrock of the song.

Consider the words:

What A Friend We Have in Jesus Hymn

What a friend we have in Jesus, 
All our sins and griefs to bear! 
What a privilege to carry 
Everything to God in prayer! 
O what peace we often forfeit,
O, what needless pain we bear, 
All because we do not carry 
Everything to God in prayer. 

Have we trials and temptations? 
Is there trouble anywhere? 
We should never be discouraged; 
Take it to the Lord in prayer. 
Can we find a friend so faithful 
Who will all our sorrows share? 
Jesus knows our every weakness; 
Take it to the Lord in prayer. 

Are we weak and heavy-laden, 
Cumbered with a load of care? 
Precious Savior, still our refuge; 
Take it to the Lord in prayer. 
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? 
Take it to the Lord in prayer! 
In his arms, he’ll take and shield thee; 
Thou wilt find a solace there.

As you read and probably sang those verses, at least in your hearts, you immediately had a sense of His presence, promise, provision, and power.  How true we forfeit peace by failing to come to the Cross with those things that trouble our souls.  We bear needless spiritual pain that He would gladly lift if we would learn to roll it onto Him, accepting His sacrificial offer as seen at the Cross. 

We all face discouragement, despondency, and even bouts of depression from time to time.  However, if we turn to the Lord, our true friend, we rise out of the ashes of hopelessness into the bliss of optimism in His Promises.  As we find that we can hardly go on another mile, He lightens our load, allows us to be carried in His arms over the rocky part of the pathway, and renews our strength so that we can walk, run, and soar with and in Him once again.  It is all because of His commitment to Covenant Friendship that we are afforded this bountiful place.

As you begin this day, consider who it is that you call a friend.  After you have enumerated the many names you will call, ask yourself who is the one friend who not only would die for you but has died for you and has also risen for you and made full atonement for you before the Throne of Heaven giving you access to the very presence of the Father at all times!  JESUS is His name! 

Let this song travel through the corridors of your mind and heart as you go through your business today, and I believe that you will find the difficulties easier to handle, the joys even more blessed, and the beauty of life even more beautiful.  

God bless you richly as you enjoy living your life in Him today!