But, God!

Psalm 124

Over the last several months, I’ve been in a “BUT GOD” season and I could hear King David screaming from the great cloud of witnesses, “If it had not been for the Lord who was on our side” and I instinctively went to the 124th Psalm.

This Psalm is a song in celebration of a national deliverance for the people of Israel. The Lord had brought the children of Israel through dangers seen and unseen and all David could do was declare, “If it had not been for the Lord who was on our side”. In essence, David was declaring, “but God”. Psalm 124 is comprised of eight verses with four key words and four phrases connected to them which make up the theme of the Psalm. The four words are: “If, Then, But, Therefore” and the four phrases are: “IF the Lord had not been on our side, THEN we would have perished; BUT the Lord has been on our side, THEREFORE we will trust and praise Him.” That’s Psalm 124 in summary.

In this strange and unfamiliar season, God has ushered His children into a for real, sho nuff, “but God” season.” When we recognize it, we may not understand it, we may not be able to explain it, but rest assured…we will celebrate it and proclaim like David and the Israelites, “If the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us, they would have swallowed us alive when their anger flared against us; the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us, the raging waters would have swept us away. Praise be to the Lord, who has not let us be torn by their teeth. We have escaped like a bird from the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

BUT GOD!!!

No Words

There are times in our lives when we have no words to say. No words to ease the pain. No words to soothe the soul. No words to make it better. No words to help understand. No words to silence the shouts in our heads. No words to stop the tears from falling. No words to fix the situation. No words to make us smile. No words to comfort. No words to calm the savage beast. No words to lift our spirits. No words to help direct. No words to address the fear. No words to bring us life. No words to speak to troubled minds. No words to think of…..

In those moments, I’m reminded of a statement I heard on Good Friday by Sis. Michelle Waters Matthews, “Don’t let what you see make you forget what He said”. I know what you’re thinking. Those are two different things. Nope. Not at all and I’ll tell you why.

Sometimes what we see affects what we say and if that’s the case, if we can’t see “other side”, it’s difficult to speak “other side”. If we can’t see “breakthrough”, sometimes, it’s difficult to speak “breakthrough”. If we can’t see “better days ahead”, for real, it’s sometimes difficult to speak “better days ahead”.

But I’ll tell you the WORD we can trust. I’ll let you in on the WORD we can speak. I’ll tell you the WORD we can share…..

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1).

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God (Revelation 19:13).

So when you have no words…speak THE WORD

Why Fear? By Encourager Rev. Dawn M. Wayman

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27.

Not too long ago, I was sitting in my writing group listening to prayers being lifted by my peers. Somewhere along the way, my mind drifted a bit and an interesting thought entered my mind. I started thinking about the incredibly detailed and intricate plan God followed when I was being created. God created me as Black and female with all of my fingers, toes, and organs in place. God created me wonderfully. But in that moment, I was most amazed by God’s careful craftmanship that gave me the ability to hear. As I listened to others pray, I became reflective and thankful for the sense of hearing that we often take for granted.

When one considers all that goes into hearing . . . the ear canal, the eardrum, the cochlea, the auditory nerve, and perhaps the earwax too . . . the ability to hear is simply amazing and mind-blowing! In thinking of how particular God was in creating this one element of the human body, I began to question why humanity experiences fear and trepidation about every day, ordinary things. If God could piece together the cells to give me an ear that hears, doesn’t God have the ability to handle my daily challenges?

Think about it . . . how can we see, hear, touch, talk, taste, and think all at the same time? God! Our Creator allows us to do all of those things simultaneously without requiring us to think about what we’re doing. Yet, we worry about God’s ability to handle the simple and mundane in our lives! Surely our lives aren’t too complicated for God to handle. Next to God’s magnificence, every challenge, every struggle, every worry, every concern and every fear we face is minor. It’s absolute nothingness when we consider God’s ability to create us in His image.

If we fast forward to today’s COVID-19 crisis, there is an abundance of fear and anxiety among all people, both believers and non-believers alike. I understand the concerns of the people, but I also know God has proven His ability to handle the most complicated things in a manner that allows life to flow smoothly. Sunday services may be cancelled, annual conferences may be postponed, and worry about how the church will move forward through this crisis may be real. Nevertheless, the One who created us will still be by our side. The words of hymn are still true, God promises never to leave us alone in this. Because of this truth we have no reason to fear. Our God who created and formed us is walking with us, shaping us, and leading us as we navigate through our current season.

So, this month, as you navigate life’s waters, when fearful thoughts creep into your mind, consider asking yourself the question “Why fear?”. Because we were made in God’s image, no matter what we may face, we will be alright!

Lord, there are moments when we get so fixated on the challenges of our day that we forget the magnificence of Your love and power. Remind us this month that You have taken care of every detail of our lives. We have no reason to fear for You are leading the way. Amen.

©2020 Dawn M. Wayman