Grand Sweep Daily
Psalm 124:8 (NIV)
8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Matthew
Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to
Good morning!
I take great comfort in knowing that God has a master plan in place, especially on days like today, when I seem to have many more questions than answers. Do you ever wake up with a laundry list a mile long and wonder how His peace can possibly bring comfort to a questioning heart? The Scripture says that “God’s peace passes all human understanding,” and I am holding on to this Word today.
Our children used to ask a million and one questions when we would travel. “Are we there yet?” was, by far, the most asked question on our road trips. Do you ever ask God “if you are there yet?” I wonder if He feels some of the same frustration I felt when my children continually asked me the same questions over and over again. Another question that seemed to pop up regularly was the one word wonder, “Why?” Do you ever ask God why? I know I do. In fact, I found myself asking Him that very question about an hour ago in prayer. How He longs for me to trust Him all the more, especially when I cannot seem to see the bigger picture.
My heart is drawn today to three precious people. All three have suffered with illness for almost all of their lives. A precious woman, blessed with a sharp and brilliant mind, but whose physical body has failed her through the years, lies in a semi-conscious state, lingering between this life and the life to come. Another woman fights to live as she remains at the top of a multiple transplant list. And a sweet little angel baby, born with a brain tumor, is preparing for yet another major surgery today. I cannot help but ask God, Why aren’t we there yet? With the medical advances and technology at our fingertips today, why can’t we eliminate the pain and suffering these illnesses and injuries bring into our daily lives? Why do little babies have to suffer so? Why do our bodies fail us when we have so much living left to do? What is your purpose and plan in the midst of grief and despair?
While traveling down life’s highway, after the questions have been asked over and over again, a miraculous thing occurs. His perfect peace falls over every road-weary traveler, who counts the mile markers and wonders when they will reach their destination. I wish I had all the answers to the why questions in life. I am grateful to know the only answer I will ever need to know. His name is Jesus. And when there are no words, there is His name. When I call upon the name of Jesus, all of the questions in my mind seem to slip into the comfort of His precious peace that passes all understanding.
If you are struggling today with a “why” question, or “are we there yet,” I would encourage you to cry out the name of Jesus, and allow His perfect peace to take hold of your wondering heart. It is good to know that He has a master plan and He hears our prayers and calms our questioning hearts. His peace is more than enough, even when we do not understand why, when, or how.
Grace and peace,
Deb Spaulding
Faith UMC -
Pray for: His peace. When I cannot see the hand in front of my face, I’m grateful my God has a master plan in place. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).
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© Copyright 2007, Deb Spaulding
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