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He's still good

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Why do we pray? Maybe it’s a circumstance we want changed or a blessing over someone. Maybe it’s just to talk to God and thank Him for all He has done. One of the biggest things I’ve realized this year is how powerful and mighty our God is and how He is always there listening to our prayers. So what happens when we pray for someone to get healed, or a situation to change, and nothing happens? Where is our faith then? Is it thrown away or is it still steadfast in the Lord? 
 
I wanted to share something so close to my heart that I have learned. Even if that breakup happens or that close family member passes away or those bills become too high to pay, He’s still good. Even when the world seems to crumble around us and we don’t know which way to go, He’s still good. Often we thank God when circumstances go our way and we get what we pray for--what we ask for. Let us remember to also praise Him when things don’t go our way and when we don’t receive what we prayed for. It’s hard, I know. I am still working out the kinks and am in no way a pro. 
 
Our God is so amazing and His plan is not always equivalent to ours. He always sees the bigger picture, whereas we just see what’s in front of us. I moved a lot as a child and in my teens. I’ve lived in a few different states and each time we moved, I was sad. I didn’t understand that God knew what He was doing because all I felt was pain from leaving the past place behind. Looking back, I am able to see some of the purpose that I was never able to identify before. One of the places I left behind provided lots of temptation to participate in activities against my morals. Although I never did participate in those activities, I know for a fact that if I would have stayed any longer, I would have fallen into those temptations. I now see that God carried me away from that before any damage was done.
 
There may be times when we never see why God did what He did or why He allowed certain things to happen. We may struggle in life and lose heart. I just want to encourage and remind all of us that God is good in every circumstance. Even when we struggle, He is there standing with us, encouraging us, and carrying us. 
 
Nahum 1:7 says, “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him.”
Although our circumstances may not be good, He still is. “Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting,” Psalm 100: 4-5
Posted by Anna Reagan with
in Encouragement

Where are your hands?

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Where are your hands?
 
For as long as I can remember, music has been a big part of my life. The Lord works in mysterious ways and He has spoken to me through music a handful of times and invoked some spiritually stretching thoughts. I was listening to the radio the other day with my sister when the Alanis Morissette song “Hand in My Pocket” came on. If you don’t know who I’m talking about you should definitely go look her up, she is a legend from before our time. For those of you who aren’t familiar, I will give you a little run down about the song. Throughout the song she’s telling a story that can be interpreted as a young person dealing with life and reeling from emotions. She ends the verses with the line, “I’ve got one hand in my pocket and the other is..'' fill in the blank. 
 
A few months ago, after a call from the Lord, I started volunteering at Rushton’s Hope Ministry every other Friday. It’s a wonderful organization located in Griffin, Georgia. Their mission is “Meeting physical and spiritual needs wherever the Lord leads.” But I’ve come to the realization that even though what I’m doing is a good thing, it’s only a small portion of my life spent volunteering whereas being the hands and feet of Jesus is a 24 hour gig and I should be spending every day looking for ways to do just that. 
 
So as I was listening to this song I was playing the question over in my head, “Where are your hands?” We know that we are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus but what does it really mean? We know that Jesus spent every second of His time on earth serving those around Him, so I think it is really quite simple. Jesus no longer walks with us but His love is forever alive in our hearts. 
 
Listening to that song was a big realization for me that I am never “off.” As long as my hands are busy, they need to be reaching others with the love of Jesus and for the Kingdom of God. I think it can be easy for us to get used to the mundane and we all need a fresh reminder sometimes. The day I heard that song was a good one for me. The Holy Spirit is going to meet you where you’re at and use you as long as your heart is prepared and your hands are ready to be used. 
 
Where are your hands?
Have you made yourself available to be the hands and feet of Jesus?
What can you do to better serve those around you? 
 
As I was doing some research for this blog, I found this quote. I really loved it and wanted to share it:
“Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which He looks compassion on this world.
Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good.
Yours are the hands through which He blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are His body.
Christ has no body now but yours.”
-Teresa of Ávila
Posted by Emma Gossett with

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