"Be not afraid, only believe."

Hello friends!  I want to encourage you with something today.  I want to encourage you to not buckle when given a hard thing to do.  God promises we will not be alone, and in fact gives us comfort because He is the God of all comfort.  Take time to meet with Him daily...consistently.  In her Book, Kohila: The Shaping of an Indian Nurse, Amy Carmichael says it this way, “The word comfort is from two Latin words meaning 'with' and 'strong' – He is with us to make us strong. Comfort is not soft, weakening commiseration; it is true, strengthening love.” Friends, I know what it is like to need to be courageous...even when I don't feel like I am.  I am learning that strength doesn't lie in what I can do because many times there has been nothing I could do...but pray.  and wait.  and lean into the One who gives comfort, even though the heartache was sometimes hard to bear.  Remember you are not alone in this journey of life.  If you believe that Christ has saved you, you have all the comfort you need...and not only that, if you have a circle of like-minded friends, you have a strength there as well.  God has blessed me with a pastor and wife who are continually approachable and will feed me with God's comfort.  He has not only done that, but he has blessed me with a friend locally who is my courage when mine has failed to rest in the Comforter.  He didn't stop there, though.  He has also given me a far-away friend who sings the song in my heart when I have lost my voice.  As I was having my devotions and praying this morning, I couldn't help but think on these things and my heart was overwhelmed with the presence of the Source of Comfort.  The funny thing is, last night I told my husband I could sleep in a little today but even without an alarm, my body was wide awake, longing to have that 5:00 in the morning meeting with my God.  I smiled through tears as I pondered how much God must love me to wake we up, even when I didn't need to be up early, to meet with me. 

I want to leave you with the 3rd verse of a hymn, Meet Me There, by Fanny Crosby:

Where the harps of angels ring,
And the blest forever sing,
In the palace of the King,
Meet me there;
Where in sweet communion blend
Heart with heart and friend with friend,
In a world that ne’er shall end,
Meet me there.