Peace and Comfort

I made it a goal this year to share a Bible verse a day on my facebook status. However, today I felt a great need to share more than that. I was lying in bed this morning, not sleeping. I felt a heavy burden on my heart for two specific people. I had a bunch of verses running through my head. I have no idea whether those two will read this or not, but I do know that God can use this to inspire who needs it.

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8

Wherever you are. Whatever you are going through. God loves you. You see, I know how much I love you and care about you. I love you so much that I was awake at 5am praying for you. God loves you so much more than that. He was willing to die for you. Think about the person/people you love most in this world. If you have children, think about them. Think about how much you love them. Now, multiply that love by the biggest number you can think of. God loves you more than that. Unconditionally.

"The LORD looks down from heaven
on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,
any who seek God.
All have turned away, all have become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one." Psalms 14:2-3

Look at that word ALL. That means me. That means you. That means your neighbor. That means the nicest person you know. That means the murderer on death row. That means the most innocent little child. ALL means everyone.

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Romans 3:23-24

There it is again, the word ALL. This time it goes a little further. Yes, it says we ALL messed up. But now, it says we ALL have grace. We ALL have redemption. How do we find this grace and redemption? We ask. Yes, it really is that simple.

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." Luke 11:9-10

“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:11-13

What does grace and redemption really mean right now? How does it apply to our daily life?

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4-6

Let me break that down into a practical, real life example. My 8yo son recently took a fall right on his front teeth. We went through three weeks of a dental roller coaster ride. The results were that one of his front teeth needed to be pulled. The other one needed a root canal. Yes, they are the permanent teeth. This is a serious injury that will affect him the rest of his life. If you are a mom, you know that the worst kind of injury you can have is an injury to your child. Ten years ago, I passed out and basically broke my whole jaw and a few teeth. That was much easier to deal with than this situation with my son. Through it all, I felt nothing but peace. God gave me the strength every day to keep going. Yes, it was frustrating being passed around from one dental professional to another. However, because I had the peace and comfort of Jesus with me, I could make it through. We can "woulda, shoulda, coulda" all day long, but no matter what we think or try to do we can't change the past. We can only receive forgiveness and forgive. Then, we must move forward.