Deep Calls to Deep

Deep Calls to Deep                                    

Deep Calls to Deep

Wave after wave I am knocked to the ground.

The waterfall pours and flips me around.

No answers in sight, not a one can be found.

On God! Oh, my soul, I fear I may drown!

From out of the depths, Your sweet voice comes to me.

Deep calls to deep—I reach out to be free.

Then I know in my soul You’ve not forgotten me.

And to safety I’m lifted and Your light I now see.

by Connie Wohlford

In the Forty Second Psalm the writer yearns for the presence of God as intensely as a thirsty dear pants for the refreshing water brook. He is experiencing hardship and turmoil. 

He is shedding tears and questioning God’s involvement in his life while experiencing oppression and threats from enemies. He comes to a point of remembering better days. 

“When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast” (Psalm 42:4).

Along with the psalmist, we may feel oppressed by enemies on many fronts. Vicious tentacles threaten us with disease, financial ruin, separation from loved ones, robbing our freedoms, stealing our joy, our peace, and even our very lives. They challenge our hope and our faith. 

From Unsplash, by Tim Marshall

But the psalmist reaches out to God on a different level. From the depths of his being he cries out, “Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; all Your waves and billows have gone over me” (Psalm 42:7). 

His heart’s desire is that the deep things of God reach in and restore the deep things in him. He yearns for the Spirit of God to minister renewed hope, strength, and joy to his own spirit. 

He recognizes that only God can do this work in the innermost part of a man or woman, even in the midst of being twisted and tossed by waterfall and wave. 

A period of isolation is the perfect time for us to experience deep calling to deep. God wants to speak to His people. And for those who are not His people, He wants them to become His own through believing and receiving His Son, Jesus.

God wants to speak to all people. Then like the psalmist, we can receive the ministry of God’s Spirit to our own spirit and say, “Why are you cast down O my soul? Why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God” (Psalm 42:11).

“Oh, send out your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your tabernacle. Then I will go to the alter of God, to God my exceeding joy; and on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God. Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God” (Psalm 43:3-5).

Look at that. In his stress, the psalmist is asking God to send His light and His truth. It’s hard to know what truth these days is and there sure is a lot of darkness around us. But we can count on God’s Word and His Spirit to give us truth—truth that we can depend on for eternity. Let’s embrace the leading of God’s light and truth which will lead us to His holy hill—His holy place where we can encounter His glory.

by Toby Mac

The best thing that can happen to us during isolation and oppression of soul—the best gift we can receive during this time—is wrapped up in God’s Word and His presence. Let us quiet and darken our screens and listen to our Creator when He calls. 
Let’s not suppress the deep yearning in our souls but be like the thirsty deer and go after the refreshing water in the deep pools of God’s Word.

Let’s quiet ourselves and allow the deep things of God to teach and refresh the deep parts of our innermost spirits.

Deep calls unto deep. Let’s listen and receive. 

Please pray with me: Father God, You created me for a deep relationship with You. Show me, teach me, help me to receive the mysteries, the joys, the hope and peace, and the love that reaches into the depth of who You created me to be. Thank You, Mighty God, that Your deep relentlessly calls to my deep and I welcome You. In Jesus name—Amen.  

All Bible quotes are taken from the New King James Version.

©Copyright 2020 Connie Wohlford

Times

Times                                                            


Often, when I am troubled or afraid, I have said to myself, “My times are in God’s hands.” Being reminded of that truth has brought peace to my spirit more times than I can count. 


Here’s why: 


David experienced many trials. As a man after God’s own heart, he often wrote psalms expressing his heart and his trust in God. A passage especially meaningful to me is Psalm 31. 


Let’s look at a few verses from the middle of that chapter. 


“But as for me, I trust You O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in Your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me. Make Your face shine upon Your servant. Save me for your mercies’ sake” (Psalm 31:14-16).


“Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men!


“You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues” (Psalm 31:19-20). 


David is speaking of himself as well as others—others like me—those of us who trust the Lord and fear God. 


The word times describes “some period of time … a small space of time,” * or a season of life.  


As a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, I can be confident that my times are in God’s hands. The various times of my life—my childhood, my childrearing years, my years of teaching school, and now my years of grandparenting and, oh dear—aging—have been, are, and will be in God’s hands. 


Through past seasons of my life I have built a history with God. I’ve learned that He is trustworthy. When a moment or an event of fear or uncertainty tries to smack me down, I can look up and say with confidence, “Lord, my times are in Your hands.”  

Photo by Connie Wohlford

The times we currently live in are a bit surreal. As we deal with the Coronavirus Pandemic, we can wisely go about our days with care and we can raise our shield of faith and declare that our times are God’s hands.


Whether facing a virus pandemic or some other life malady lets proclaim it with confidence, “My times are in God’s hand.”


Let’s pray: Father God, thank You that we can stand firm on Your Word and Your promises. You know our going out and our coming in. You number every hair on each of our heads. You see each of us and know our names. You see our thoughts and know all that is in our hearts and You care about every little thing that concerns us. Thank You, God, that indeed our times are in Your hand. In Jesus name we pray, amen. 



©Copyright 2020 Connie Wohlford

All Bible quotes are taken from the New King James Version.

*Word Wealth, in Spirit Filled Life Bible, NKJV, Thomas Nelson Publishers, page 1003.

What’s on Your Mind?

What’s on Your Mind?

Today, I’m re-posting a writing I did a while back. The premise of this piece is just as true today as it was then and for many people I know it’s more meaningful today than it was one or two or three years ago. Please be encouraged. 

I don’t know about you, but I certainly have a lot on my mind these days. We all have personal and family matters to think about. Many of us also make room in our minds for multiple connections with church, friends, jobs, and community. Besides all that, our minds are bombarded with news (good and bad) and events, both local and global.

This very day I concern myself with meeting with friends for Bible study, transporting a grandchild to swim practice, household and business responsibilities, writing responsibilities, and praying that my grandson, who broke his finger, will NOT need surgery. That lists just a few things on my mind today. Most of these things are positive and pleasurable aspects of my life.

Unless we never listen to the news, you and I are blasted with information that can overwhelm our minds, emotions, and spirits if we’re not careful. We truly must take every thought captive—on purpose! (1 Corinthians 10:5)

This very day I was also confronted with much tragic news--- local, national, and global. I’ll mention a few. 

In my community, a five-year-old boy who had been missing for four days was found dead in an old septic system near his home. Last night tornadoes ripped through areas of our nation, destroying property and taking the lives of fellow Americans. It’s been decided that the aircraft, which crashed in the French Alps three days ago, appears to have been deliberately downed by the plane’s co-pilot. And of course, we can’t omit the constant threat of terrorists who seek to kill peace loving, innocent folks all over the world these days. This does not complete the list of negatives that forced their way into my mind today. These kinds of dreadful happenings are powerful forces that can easily dishearten any of us.

SO--What's on your mind today? You may be so consumed with personal misfortune that the calamities beyond your own world have no room at all in your thoughts. Your personal disaster might be related to health, loved ones, financial matters, heavy responsibilities, and on & on & on. Our lists can be endless. It might be so bad that you want to crawl into a protective shell and simply take a fetal position.

But, I’m here to declare today that God’s Word gives good instruction on dealing with a full and troubled mind. One of my favorite methods for coping is to follow the Apostle Paul instructs in Colossians 3:2, where he said, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” 

How are we to accomplish that? It’s not necessarily easy but it is necessarily deliberate. I find that one of the best ways to set one’s mind on things above is to read the Bible. I know that sounds like a simple pat answer but think about it for a moment. Let me give you a personal example.

A few years ago, I was going through several very negative experiences. It seemed that bad things just kept piling on me from many different directions. The helplessness of having no control in trying to alleviate the emotional pain made me wonder just how long I could continue to function. 

I was praying and in the Word consistently, as was my routine. I was even leading a Bible study at the time. But I still found myself dwelling on the negative things that were weighing me down. As I sought God I decided to go to the basics about Jesus, Himself.

I began to read through the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. When I got through that, I read through the book of Acts. No, I didn’t read it all in one day or week or month.

I was doing exactly what Paul had instructed the Colossian believers. I was setting my mind on things above, not on things on the earth. In doing this, God’s Word---studying Jesus—lifted me up to a higher level. 

Those negative situations that kept piling on me did not just evaporate. Some improved, some eventually took care of themselves, some remained pretty much the same, and some got worse. I’ve looked back on that season in my life, a period of about eight months, and see how God used His Word as a tool to help me set my mind on things that are eternal, things that are true, things that are above the earth. During that particular time, I set my mind on Jesus, Himself, as I read through the Gospels. I believe I was led by the Holy Spirit to do exactly that and I’m so glad I followed His leading. 

Let’s look at Paul’s instructions, in its context: “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, the you also will appear with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:1-4).  

Notice that the above passage contains abundant meaty encouragement that can set our minds on things above. It instructs, explains how and why, and then points to our eternal hope—all built on Jesus. 

Here we see a good example of the Word’s immense value in helping us set our mind on things above instead of things on the earth. So, be encouraged as you do just that.

 If you’d like, please leave a comment telling of a time when you set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth, and were thus encouraged and lifted out of sadness, or discouragement, or troubles of some kind. We can all be encouraged by one another’s testimonies. Thanks, and God bless you abundantly today! 

 

 ©Connie Wohlford 2018

Fill Your New Year With Optimism - Seven Strategies to Attain Optimism—Part 1

Fill Your New Year With Optimism 

Seven Strategies to Attain Optimism—Part 1

Are you ready for positive news? Do you yearn for relief from negativity?

Let’s begin this new year beaming with optimism. I’m not just thinking about feel-good ideals and clichés—but holding on to truth-filled hope and an outlook ordained by God. 

Consider the source of genuine optimism and strategies for taking hold of it.

God desires for each of us to have a good life experience, both now and into eternity. Jesus came for that purpose. He said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10 NKJV).

Peter affirmed this when he wrote, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:2-4 NKJV).

As followers of Jesus, we have every reason to be optimistic and He has given us the means by which to be so. 

With our sights on abundant life and with Peter’s encouragement in mind, consider these Seven Strategies to Attain Optimism:

1- Get over the past.

 

Don’t take negative aspects of your past into your future. What would be the benefit of dragging it along? Nothing! What would be the benefit of getting over those things? Everything!

Paul nailed it when he said: “But one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14 NKJV).

Besides putting past negatives behind us we also need to press on. We must avoid resting on past glories and we can learn from and build on former successes. We who are in Christ have His Spirit living in us and are to reflect His image. “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” 2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV).

From one level of glory to another we shall travel through life, serving our Lord, each doing our part in the building of His Kingdom. Let’s build on past victories as we move forward to greater accomplishments in Jesus name. And let’s not allow shadows and skeletons from the past diminish the optimistic outlook of God’s plan for each of us.

2- Avoid getting hung up on a negative thing.

 

Is there something you or I perceive as a negative personal trait or characteristic? It might be in regard to appearance or personality. Perhaps it’s our age or family background. Do we think God is not aware of these matters? 

He knew well before you and I that this would be a part of our lives at this moment in time. Is this something we could and should change? If so, we can ask God to help and show us the way to overcome.

If it’s something we cannot change we can ask Him to take it and use it for His glory. Our Creator is an expert at bringing good from things we perceive as bad.

We must remember “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose … What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:28, 31).

Any personal flaw is not too much for our Creator to deal with. Let’s let God have His way and get ready to be amazed, in no way allowing such a thing to impede our optimism. 

3- Remember that, for everyone, life has ups and downs.  

The exciting adventures and lovely photos we see on Facebook and Instagram do not tell a person’s whole story.

We didn’t witness the bitter argument the dreamy couple had just before stepping barefoot onto the sandy beach for their photo-shoot. Nor did we see their children arguing and pulling hair on the way to that serine tropical setting.

Be assured that God knows all, sees all, and cares about all things that concern us. Our trials do not escape His watchful eye. Very often our greatest setbacks take place right before our greatest victories.

Let’s be encouraged by Jesus’ words: “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NKJV).

His words should give lift us into the realm of optimism because our overcoming Lord gives us the power to overcome as well.

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So, let’s take heart as we meditate on the above Scripture Passages and the first three of the Seven Strategies to Attain Optimism. Be assured that God wants us to live joy-filled lives, unhindered by pessimistic thoughts and anxieties.

Please check back in a few days to learn more of the strategies. May God richly bless you in your own pathway to attaining Christ-ordained optimism.

Your comments are welcome.

©Copyright 2018 Connie Wohlford