Tag: hope

Where is Truth and Hope Found in this World?

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down. Daniel 4:37 (NKJV)

Watching the news, flipping from channel to channel; I find myself wishing to know truth. The truth hidden behind all the rhetoric, the bias, and the bend for sensationalism. With a heavy heart, praying that God would guide my thoughts and that God would heal the divide within the nation. How can I help? What can I do to spread the gospel? How can I shine light into the darkness? Yet, it begins with holding fast to the truth that God IS. Faith begins there. God is truth! God is justice! God is in Control! God is the Great I AM!

When the nation of Judah was taken captive into Babylon, it was exactly what God had warned them would happen. They failed to listen or heed warning. They failed to seek God or honor Him. They had continued on in their rebellion against God and worshipping other gods of their own making. Yet, look what God did as a result of that captivity!! What an amazing God of Grace, Love, and Hope He is! Out of those captives, through the fervent prayer and faithfulness of 4 men; God lead King Nebuchadnezzar (King of the Babylonian Empire) to a saving knowledge of God. What an amazing and wondrous thing that was! Continue reading “Where is Truth and Hope Found in this World?”

How to Really Know Faith when Facing Fiery Trials

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Daniel 3;17-18

When fiery trials of life come into our lives, all too often we despair or become angry. We may cry out to God with that piercing question, “Why?” We pray for a miracle when a loved one is ill and then wonder what happened when our loved one dies anyway. Couldn’t God have saved them? Couldn’t God have prevented the storm from ripping away all that I clung to on this earth? Couldn’t God have prevented the Cancer or the years of illness that followed? Of course, He could have!! But He didn’t in my case and often He doesn’t; yet, what He does is more miraculous than the miracle we are asking for.

Nebuchadnezzar had quickly forgotten his own words concerning God spoken to Daniel: “Of a truth it is that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings” (Daniel 2:47). Most certainly, he had either forgotten or misunderstood Daniels proclamation, “Thou, O King, art a king of kings, for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory” (Daniel 2:37). Much like a lot of people we meet. Perhaps they have come to the awareness of God; but, quickly become more occupied in their own self exaltation. Never falling to the ground in praise or awe of God’s Grace and Glory toward them. So it was,

Continue reading “How to Really Know Faith when Facing Fiery Trials”

Arise, My Heart to Sing—Poetry Sunday

Arise, my people! Let your light shine for all the nations to see! For the glory of the Lord is streaming from you.2 Darkness as black as night shall cover all the peoples of the earth, but the glory of the Lord will shine from you. 3 All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see the glory of the Lord upon you. Isaiah 60:1-3 (TLB)

We, the people of God need to let our hearts be comforted in God’s promises and His Everlasting love for us.  It is so easy to feel our hearts break for all the sadness that surrounds us in this world.  Yet, God has called us to be the light of truth shining forth into a darkened world!!  The only truth that we can be assured of is found in God’s Words as He alone can fully reveal to our hearts during our time alone with Him.  Only there can we find solace, strength, and joy; so that we might arise with Hearts of Joy and Praise!!  It is there that we can find a Joy that sustains us even when we are surrounded by Hurricane Force Winds of despair trying to uproot our life.  Alone with God we are reminded that we are His Beloved, Blessed, Redeemed, Chosen, Sanctified Children.  So, let us each and everyone arise early to be alone with God; before, we too become swallowed up in this world’s grief, sorrow, and anger!  Let us arise and let our lights shine for all the nations to see God’s Glory streaming through us!!

Arise, My Heart to Sing

By Effie Darlene Barba

 

In the hustle and bustle of this life

The blasting sounds filled with such rage

Parched from a world of pain and endless strife

I cried to God,” Come now! My thirst assuage!”

 

Then with gentle voice, He called out my name

“My child, dear one. I’ve longed to hear your voice.

To talk awhile, my love for you proclaim

So that your heart could then with me rejoice!”

 

“Oh, Father forgive me,

Began my feeble plea

 

I’ve taken for granted

You are always there

I’ve taken for granted

Your love and your care

 

My Precious Dear Father, how could it be?

Busy with things, my heart had grown quite cold

While you waited ever so patiently

With arms open wide, my life to enfold”

 

Let me never forget

My life’s in Your hand

Let me never forget

In Your strength I stand

 

Let me rise up each morning before the dawn

To lift up my voice in prayer and in song

Let me sing Your praises so loud and clear

That the world might know; both those far and near

You are my God, My Lord, My Precious King

My greatest love, the hope to which I cling

Arise, my heart! Arise and sing!

A Joy filled song to God, My King

[bctt tweet=”Let me sing Your praises so loud and clear That the world might know; both those far and near” username=”effiedarlene”]

[bctt tweet=”You are my God, My Lord, My Precious King My greatest love, the hope to which I cling” username=”effiedarlene”]

[bctt tweet=”Arise, my heart! Arise and sing! A Joy filled song to God, My King” username=”effiedarlene”]

[tweetthis]Let us be diligent in prayer that we may become the light to this world[/tweetthis]

Living Bible (TLB) The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

©Effie Darlene Barba, 2016

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post.  I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

MY LOVE IS ENOUGH-Poetry Sunday

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound Isaiah 61:1 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Psalm 34:18

What an amazing week this has been!  I have had the wonderful blessed opportunity to spend this week with thousands of Christian women in the Proverbs 31 She Speaks 2016 conference.  So many amazing women deeply in love with Jesus and on fire to spread the word.  I could go on and on naming the speakers who so touched my heart and life.  The amazing attendees each with a passion and a story.  We all have stories.  Sometimes those stories are filled with sorrow, pain, and grief; yet, ringing through it all is one thing—God loves me, God never gives up on me, and God’s love is enough to overcome every sorrow.  Friday night as Lysa Terkeurst took the stage, I anticipated a great message.  A woman so anointed as a writer and speaker; yet, I did not expect the raw vulnerability that drew me in. Somehow, we think that those who are so well known in the ministry don’t still have storms; but, they do.  Lysa had recently finished a book called “Uninvited” which is a book dealing with the rejections we face.  Believing all had already been said about the subject, then an uninvited storm came into her life and sent her running in retreat of her own book for comfort.  Sometimes, we feel uninvited and sometimes uninvited storms come in and we feel abandoned, rejected by God.  Ah, but God is right there.  Her talk was raw with emotion, filled with inspiration, and that beautiful grace of God’s sustaining joy in the midst of the storm. That talk inspired me to write this poem.  So if you are hurting, know this God is enough to fill your heart with glee.  Just wait a moment, you will see.

broken

My Love is Enough

by Effie Darlene Barba

 

Trials arise and storms of the heart

Come raging into our life

Uninvited, unwanted they scream

Words of bitterness and strife

 

Into the depth of our heart and our soul

Driving their pain with sharpest of knife

Cutting, bleeding taking their toll

Stripping away any signs of our life

 

Crying to God, I scream for a why?

Didn’t I love enough? Sing your praise?

Wounded, battered I really did try!

All of my life! All of my days!

 

Then I did feel His warmth, His embrace

Oh, my dear child, don’t you now see

Everything, spiraling toward you with grace

Only reveals the truth that is me

 

I had to remove the scars of this world

The dark hidden spots you never reveal

Twisted, resisted so tightly furled

Had come in the night your joy to steal

 

Come deep in my arms, rest for a while

To heal all those scars you carried so long

The Broken Unspoken pain doth beguile

Drawing you far from where you belong

 

I see your heart wounded deep inside

Come my dear Child, Safe you will be

Wrapped in my love, here to abide

Wait for a moment and then you will see

My love is enough to fill you with glee

[bctt tweet=”Wait for a moment and then you will see My love is enough to fill you with glee” username=”effiedarlene”]

I also urge you to order your copy of Uninvited as well at: http://www.p31bookstore.com/

Picture used by written permission of the artist, Ronald Barba.  You may obtain copies at http://fineartamerica.com/artists/ronald+barba  where you may also view other masterpieces of his work.  You may contact me if you are interested in his doing any commissioned artwork for you.

©Effie Darlene Barba, 2016

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post.  I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

What Happens When a Nation Turns Their Back On God?

but he (Zedekiah) stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the Lord God of Israel. Moreover, all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy. 2 Chronicles 36: 13-16

What depth of sadness those words, “until there was no remedy!” There are moments as we listen to the news and our hearts are torn into shreds, that we might wonder if we too have reached that sad time in which there is no remedy. But, I do say that as long as there is at least one man, woman or even child that is willing to stand firm for God; then, there is hope. For though there was a time that the Jews were held captives of Babylon; they did later return to their land. The book of Daniel tells of a man who stood firm in his faith, though he was taken into service of the King. Ultimately he led a pagan king to worship God; because, Daniel lived out his faith boldly. He foretold of the future, some of which was fulfilled even in his lifetime. Some is yet to come. That is why we must learn of this man; so that, we too can dare to be a Daniel in our own time.

until there was no remedy

But before we jump ahead into that story, we might want to understand how it was that God’s people were taken captive.  We saw Josiah was a mighty leader that lead the nation back to God.  So, with such a great revival, what happened? Very quickly after Josiah’s death the people returned to doing evil and worshiping man-made idols rather than Worshiping God. It was during the reign of Jehoiakim (barely 4 years after the death of Josiah) that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon captured the King and took him to Babylon in chains. Nebuchadnezzar also took some of the riches from the temple and placed them in his pagan temples. Then Nebuchadnezzar placed Zedekiah (Jehoiakim’s brother) to rule over Jerusalem. Yet, Zedekiah did not heed the warnings of God and rather continued in turning his back to God and polluting the house of the Lord. So, next Nebuchadnezzar sent

Continue reading “What Happens When a Nation Turns Their Back On God?”