Friday Foto Friends-Only Believe

 I've got more things to share with you from the past few days.  I thought I'd opened all my special gifts from our ladies' Christmas party the other day, but then I remembered that I'd forgotten to open one special little package.

It came in this little 2" x 3" plastic package that was kind of hard to open, so I had put it aside and planned to open it when I got home. I had no clue what was inside, and it was a gift that each lady received by reaching into a bag and pulling out one of these little packages at random.  More about this in a few minutes...

Well, yesterday, as many of you knew and were praying for me, thank you very much indeed, I had my six week post-op check up with the neurosurgeon who did my cervical spinal fusion. My biggest concern has been that my right arm continues to hurt and has not gotten any better since the surgery. It had been diagnosed with "cervical radiculopathy", which was caused by nerve impingement due to the ruptured disc in my neck, which was surgically repaired and should have released any impinged nerves.

So, upon examination yesterday, the two neurosurgeons who had done my surgery carefully examined my arm and x-rays, and said that they did not feel that this continued pain was due to any further nerve impingement, but that I most likely have a frozen shoulder, and they are referring me to an Orthopedic Surgeon and also to Physical Therapy.

That is not the news I was hoping to hear. I was hoping they'd say that my arm was still just healing and that it would be better in time with some therapy and not to worry, etc., etc., etc.  The possibility that it might require further surgery was not an option that I was willing to consider.

To say that I was disappointed would be a great understatement.

I left there feeling a bit overwhelmed and somewhat depressed, which for me is an unusual state. But this pain has been wearing me down for quite a while, since way before the surgery, and I certainly thought that by now it would be so much better. It is something that affects my every day life in one way or another, but then again, it is not totally debilitating, just aggravating and frustrating and painful. I do count my blessings and am so very thankful that it is just my arm and not my whole body. God has been very merciful and kind to me, and I am very very cognizant of that fact and give Him praise.

That being said, still, I am human, and I was not happy.

However, also being human, and the fact that it was almost lunch time and we were hungry, we stopped at a new to us BBQ restaurant on the way home for lunch. Some BBQ pork, sweet potato fries, coleslaw and a cup of hot tea because I was chilled and needed something to warm my innards seemed like a good way to brighten my mood.

And then we got home and I took a nice long nap.

Now, you are still wondering about that little package that I had not opened, aren't you? Okay...let's move on:

I opened it up and this is what I found inside:

What?  My "One Word" for 2021, "Believe" was staring at me from this tiny little package that I'd forgotten to open until right that very moment when I needed it most.

Coincidence? No...with God there is no such thing as "coincidence".  There are special God appointments, timely messages, words of hope and encouragement at just the right time...but never just a coincidence. God knows what we need, when we need it, and how to provide exactly the right thing right on time.  This was certainly one of those moments.

Then I called the friend who had provided that bag full of these little packages for everyone to choose at random and asked her if everyone got the same thing. She said, "No, each one was different, and these were left over from last year and I didn't know what to do with them so I thought this would be a good way to share them with others."  So I told her my little story about my "One Word" for 2021 being "Believe", and that right then at that very moment I needed to be reminded to believe that God was in control, and that He had me covered, and that "With God all things are possible"...

We both praised God together that He had provided this little bit of encouragement at just the right moment. Wow!  What a joy and blessing!

Oh, there's one more thing. Another dear friend had given me this journal in a package at the party...another one of those God gifts I would say, wouldn't you?

When I showed my hubby the wristband and told him about how it all came together right at that moment, he started singing this old hymn that we both know and love:

Refrain:

Only believe, only believe;

All things are possible, only believe;

Only believe, only believe;

All things are possible, only believe.

Fear not, little flock, from the cross to the throne,

From death into life He went for His own;

All power in earth, all power above,

Is given to Him for the flock of His love.

Refrain:

Only believe, only believe;

All things are possible, only believe;

Only believe, only believe;

All things are possible, only believe.

Fear not, little flock, He goeth ahead,

Your Shepherd selecteth the path you must tread;

The waters of Marah He’ll sweeten for thee,

He drank all the bitter in Gethsemane.

Refrain:

Only believe, only believe;

All things are possible, only believe;

Only believe, only believe;

All things are possible, only believe.

Fear not, little flock, whatever your lot,

He enters all rooms, “the doors being shut,”

He never forsakes; He never is gone,

So count on His presence in darkness and dawn.

Refrain:

Only believe, only believe;

All things are possible, only believe;

Only believe, only believe;

All things are possible, only believe.

Okay, friends, that's for today's blessings and Friday fotos!  Thank you again for your prayers. I will be contacting the physical therapists today to set up my appointments for therapy, and I will wait to hear from the Orthopedic Surgeon to hear what he recommends, and I will keep believing that God has this under control, no matter what.  God is good, all the time, God is good.

Have a blessed and beautiful day and weekend.

Only Believe

Have you ever sung the song, "Only Believe"? 

The chorus is probably most familiar...it goes like this:

"Only believe, only believe;

All things are possible, only believe;

Only believe, only believe;

All things are possible, only believe."

This morning in the Bible Fellowship that meets in our home each Sunday we sang this little song; in particular the first and last verses:

"Fear not, little flock,
from the cross to the throne,

From death into life He went for His own;

All power in earth, all power above, 

Is given to Him for the flock of His love.

(chorus)

Fear not, little flock, whatever your lot;

He enters all rooms, 'the doors being shut'.

He never forsakes, He never is gone-

So count on His presence in darkness and dawn.

(Composer: Paul Rader, 1921)

Then we read the following passage from the Bible:

"And after eight days His (Jesus') disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them.  

Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, 

'Peace to you!'

Then He said to Thomas, 

'Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; 

and reach your hand here, and put it into My side.  

Do not be unbelieving, but believing.

And Thomas answered and said to Him, 

'My Lord and my God!'

Jesus said to him, 

'Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed.  

Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'"

John 20:26-29 NKJV

Perhaps you've had a week where you found it difficult to believe that anything good could happen for you.  Possibly you've had some setbacks in life, either in health, employment, financial, or other personal issues. I can relate to this. Even in our "little flock" of people who meet with us each week for worship and Bible Study, we've had many serious trials and struggles.  Recently we had to say goodbye to one of our members, who passed away after a prolonged illness. Another has had serious family issues for many months, and today we joyfully learned that God had answered our prayers on her behalf. Still another is having major health concerns and needs a healing touch from God. 

As we read Jesus' encounter with Thomas, a.k.a. "Doubting Thomas", we saw how Jesus was already well aware of Thomas' doubts even without having been present when Thomas expressed his thoughts to the other disciples.  Jesus suddenly appeared to Thomas and the others in a room where they were gathered with the doors already being shut. Jesus appeared...and encouraged Thomas to believe in Him. Thomas fell at His feet and declared Jesus as "My Lord and my God!"

This little episode gave our little flock much hope...hope that Jesus is already aware of our hurts and heartaches and concerns. And peace in knowing that He is already there...ready to show us His nail-scarred hands and the wound in His side that was suffered for us...because He loves us so much He was willing to die for us.  If He was willing to die for us, then how much more is He willing to take care of all our needs...if we will "only believe"?

Sing along with me...

 "Only believe, only believe;

All things are possible, only believe;

Only believe, only believe;

All things are possible, only believe."


Do YOU believe?

Postscript...I kept putting off finishing this post tonight. But God kept pushing me back to the computer and wouldn't let me rest until it was done. Someone needs these words of encouragement to believe tonight. Perhaps it is you? Whoever you are, Jesus is already there...He already knows...and He's standing there in the room with you, asking you to believe.  Just go ahead and let Christ show you His nail scarred hands. He's waiting for you.  Be blessed my friend.  Only Believe...All things ARE possible!

P.S.S.; For previous thoughts on this same topic, click HERE!

Only Believe...

Yesterday was a full day.  Started out by attending a simulcast at our church with Priscilla Shirer as the speaker...Wow! That's what I say!  The topic was a study of Gideon, from the book of Judges chapter 7.  Read this chapter, and think about what God did that day in the life of Gideon and his 300 warriors...pay attention to the details, and you will see why I say, "Wow!"...Of course, Priscilla Shirer delivered this message with such power and anointing from God, I came away from there with a new sense of purpose and enthusiasm for what God can do and wants to do in my life...I'm still trying to digest it all.This is a link to more information about this dynamic Bible Study., "Gideon: Your Weakness, God's Strength".

From there I went to a concert at the church where I work, which was put on by the Director of Music, David Levi Bedenbaugh, who was introducing his new CD, "Winter Is When Things Grow".*(see below for more info)  Just the title makes you think, doesn't it?  Think about the times of your life that would appear to be "winter"...you know, times of being set aside for awhile due to unemployment, illness, family stresses, moving away from home, loss of loved one or friend, divorce, depression, feeling trapped at home or in a bad situation...anytime that you have felt alone or afraid in life.  Winter, often seen as the time when things die, go dormant, hibernate.  The time in our lives when we feel unproductive, lacking purpose, confused, frustrated, lost.  And yet, my friend chose this title for his new album because he discovered that the "winter" of life is oftentimes the very time that God chooses to begin a new life within us...to plant His seeds of growth and purpose in our hearts as we strive to seek His face in our times of sorrow, darkness, and uncertainty.  

The underlying themes of both ministries yesterday was to believe...believe God when He tells you, like Gideon, to just take 300 warriors against the 100,000 plus Midianites,

"Then the Lord said to Gideon, 'By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place.'" Judges 7:7

(Read the whole chapter to get the whole story...it is marvelous)...

And like Jesus said to the man who was possessed by a demon in Mark 9:23:

"If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes..." 

And also like Jesus said to Thomas, known to us as "doubting Thomas", in John 20:26-29...

"And after eight days (after Christ's resurrection) His disciples were again inside, and Thomas was with them.  Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, 'Peace to you.'   Then He said to Thomas, 'Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side.  Do not be unbelieving, but believing.'

"And Thomas answered and said to Him, 'My Lord and my God!'  Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed.  Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'" 

I think of the old hymn, "Only Believe", written by Paul Rader in 1921: (verse three in particular:) (and also quoted in one of David Levi's songs, "Only Believe"....)

"Fear not, little flock,

whatever your lot;

He enters all rooms,

the doors being shut.  

He never forsakes,

He never is gone-

So count on His presence in darkness and dawn.

Only believe, Only believe;

All things are possible,

Only believe.

Only believe, only believe;

All things are possible, only believe."

"Whatever your lot...count on His presence in darkness and dawn..."  (Where have I seen that word, "presence" before?...hmmm....my theme word for 2013....)

If you are currently in a "winter" season of life...up against huge odds....(100,000+ Midianites against 300 unarmed soldiers)...feeling lost and alone, fearful, doubting like Thomas of old...perhaps this message is for you today.  Oftentimes it's not even the BIG things that throw us, but perhaps it's the smaller things that trip us up...disappointments, a feeling of unworthiness, lack of self-esteem and confidence...the feeling of "Why would God choose to use me for anything special?" "Who am I?"  We need to look at Gideon, the demon possessed man, and "Doubting Thomas", to see that God works in mysterious ways even during our time of feeling like we are set aside...the winter of our lives...to start a seed growing beneath the surface.  And then when the sunlight of His love shines upon us, when He sends His rain of hope and encouragement through other servants of God...whether it be through music, simulcast Bible Studies, God's Word the Bible, a devotional reading on a blog or a book...whatever it takes...in His time, He causes the seed to push through the frozen ground and blossom into something lovely for His glory.  Are YOU ready to rise and shine?

"Only believe...only believe...All things are possible, only believe..."

*If you are interested in obtaining David Levi's CD, "Winter is When Things Grow", please let me know. It is not available on the open market just yet, but if you are interested, copies are available for sale.This is a fun and informative link about his concert, which tells more about his music.