Posts Tagged ‘Oswald Chambers’

The Cure for Anxiety

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011

I’ve got a ton of stuff on my mind today. I’m thinking about my visit next week with a childhood friend who’s now in hospice, preparing PowerPoint presentations for seven speaking sessions, planning for an upcoming 5-week missions trip to Poland and Romania, spreading word about my new Bible study, and writing a couple of book proposals.

Quite honestly, it’s easy to feel anxious. But in the midst of it all, God plops a few Scriptures into my path and reminds me that I’m not dealing with this alone. I love it when He does that. Here’s what He said this time:

“I look up to the mountains—does my help come from there? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth! He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. The LORD himself watches over you! The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever” (Psalm 121:1-8).

The God who spoke these mountains into existence is the One who watches over my life!

Good stuff, eh? You know what really blesses me? The frequent reminder of God’s presence and power in my life today and always. I know He’s beside me and will be my source of strength. The same is true for you. No matter what you face today, know that God watches over your life and will be your help if you’re in right relationship with Him.

Oswald Chambers encourages us to be obsessed by God—to be always mindful that He is with us and around us and living in us at all times if we’ve placed our saving faith in Jesus Christ. He says this knowledge ought to make a difference in our outlook when we feel stressed. He writes,

“If we are obsessed by God, nothing else can get into our lives—not concerns, not tribulations, not worries. And now we understand why our Lord so emphasized the sin of worrying. How dare we be so unbelieving when God totally surrounds us? To be obsessed by God is to have an effective barricade against all the assaults of the enemy.”

He’s right! And so, I choose to believe that God knows my concerns and will be my help today. And tomorrow. And the next day, and the next. Every time I feel anxious, I’ll thank Him that He watches over my life and promises to be my help.

What do these verses mean to you today?

Photo courtesy: www.christianphotos.net

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Gracious Uncertainty

Thursday, April 28th, 2011

Gideon must have thought God had lost all grip on reality.  Imagine going to war with 300 soldiers and expecting to win. Ludicrous. But that’s exactly what God had told him to do—whittle down his army until only 300 men remained. And so he obeyed. (Judges 7)

Call it ludricous, or call it gracious uncertainty. Going to battle with so few warriors may have seemed like certain suicide to the human strategist, but not to God. His ways surpass all understanding sometimes.

“We are uncertain of the next step, but we are certain of God,” writes Oswald Chambers. “”As soon as we abandon ourselves to God and the task He has placed closest to us, He begins to fill our lives with surprises…Leave everything to Him and it will be gloriously and graciously uncertain how He will come in—but you can be certain that He will come. Remain faithful to Him.”

Gideon remained faithful to God even though he had no clue how the details would come together. How do you and I fare next to Gideon when God gives us tasks that seem impossible or senseless?

What surprises has God given you when you’ve been faithful to His call?

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Leave Room for God

Monday, June 29th, 2009

 The credit for this post goes to My Utmost for His Highest. It fits the theme of being tuned in to God. Enjoy! (And whisper a prayer for me today – I’m enroute to Romania).

As servants of God, we must learn to make room for Him – to give God “elbow room.” We plan and figure and predict that this or that will happen, but we forget to make room for God to come in as He chooses. Would we be surprised if God came into our meeting or into our preaching in a way we had never expected Him to come? Do not look for god to come in a particular way, but do look for Him. The way to make room for Him is to expect Him to come, but not in a certain way. No matter how well we may know God, the great lesson to learn is that He may break in at any minute. We tend to overlook this element of surprise, yet God never works in any other way. Suddenly – God meets our life – “…when it pleased God….” (Galatians1:15)

Keep your life so constantly in touch with God that His surprising power can break through at any point. Live in a constant state of expectancy, and leave room for God to come in as He decides.

-        Oswald Chambers

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