God Touches Us when we are needy in many ways
How does God touch us when we are needy?" I Kings 19:4-8;Ps 34; Eph 4:25-5:2; Jn 6:35,41-51
I saw a picture the other day of two young birds who were being fed by their mother and I marveled. The mother fed the two young birds. Kittens also need some nursing before they eat regular cat food. That is also a picture of need. Of course all animals are unable to feed themselves without some assistance and I personally enjoy feeding dogs and the like. Watch your hand though! They are needy creatures.
We too are needy creatures. I imagine we can recollect times in our lives when we were extremely needy. It may be more than just the need for a job. A job can provide our financial needs but does not always meet our emotional, spiritual or mental needs. All of us have thru times in our lives when we needed someone to tell us that we mattered and that our lives were important to others. If we were honest we could also say that we have gone thru times of sadness, extreme tiredness and even hopelessness when we felt very alone.
The kind word or the understanding soul that sits with us is a gift beyond our need. I hope you have experienced that . When someone shares their concern in a comforting way, we find solace that is usually God-inspired. It can be a time we never forget because we did not see any hope at least from our view.
Are there such people in our lives? Does God provide a word of cheer when all seems lost? Does God provide people in our lives who fill a gap when are feeling despair and cannot get over loss? Perhaps God shuts a door but He opens a window says the expression.
We read a minute ago from I Kings 19. Jezebel the evil queen threatens Elijah. This was after the overthrow of the prophets of Baal. They were killed by the sword and it looks like Elijah was involved. “ Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.” 18:40
But we read this am that Elijah goes to the wilderness and sat down under a juniper tree apparently quite distraught. “ O LORD, take away my life” 19:7 In other words even those people of faith including ourselves can feel this way . Elijah had a feeling of hopelessness and fear. He was afraid of the queen and her strong words of ill will. Hiding in the wilderness, a day’s journey did not seem enough to comfort him either.
God does not leave him without help. That is our experience as well . When are also feeling that all is lost we may see a rainbow. When we are lost, God provides direction in so many different ways that I cannot list them all:
Encouragers, Healthy meals by caring people, Visible signs in our lives of God’s presence- His creation , the thunder, the lightning, the smile of a new baby, a sense of humor in others to make us laugh, great music to soothe our distress , the Sacraments of baptism and holy communion to give us visible signs of the Lord’s presence in our midst, the end of battle and war, hope even in death in the way God shows us that death is not the end of life in the Scriptures, in His Son, and in His loving hints of the beauty in creation……Can you list more???
As Elijah lay and slept under a tree, “ behold then an angel touched him, and said, ‘ Arise and eat. And behold he looked there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head.” 19:6 In the strength of this food he is able to go 40 days and 40 nights unto Horeb the mount of God.
In our daily spiritual food we find strength for the journey of life. In our church worship on the Lord’s Day we find strength for the week. God’s gifts to us are beyond our measure, are they not?
For Quiet Confidence
O God of peace, who has taught us that in returning and rest we will be saved, in quietness and confidence will be our strength: By the might of your Spirit lift us, we pray, to your presence, where we may be still and know that you are God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
I saw a picture the other day of two young birds who were being fed by their mother and I marveled. The mother fed the two young birds. Kittens also need some nursing before they eat regular cat food. That is also a picture of need. Of course all animals are unable to feed themselves without some assistance and I personally enjoy feeding dogs and the like. Watch your hand though! They are needy creatures.
We too are needy creatures. I imagine we can recollect times in our lives when we were extremely needy. It may be more than just the need for a job. A job can provide our financial needs but does not always meet our emotional, spiritual or mental needs. All of us have thru times in our lives when we needed someone to tell us that we mattered and that our lives were important to others. If we were honest we could also say that we have gone thru times of sadness, extreme tiredness and even hopelessness when we felt very alone.
The kind word or the understanding soul that sits with us is a gift beyond our need. I hope you have experienced that . When someone shares their concern in a comforting way, we find solace that is usually God-inspired. It can be a time we never forget because we did not see any hope at least from our view.
Are there such people in our lives? Does God provide a word of cheer when all seems lost? Does God provide people in our lives who fill a gap when are feeling despair and cannot get over loss? Perhaps God shuts a door but He opens a window says the expression.
We read a minute ago from I Kings 19. Jezebel the evil queen threatens Elijah. This was after the overthrow of the prophets of Baal. They were killed by the sword and it looks like Elijah was involved. “ Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.” 18:40
But we read this am that Elijah goes to the wilderness and sat down under a juniper tree apparently quite distraught. “ O LORD, take away my life” 19:7 In other words even those people of faith including ourselves can feel this way . Elijah had a feeling of hopelessness and fear. He was afraid of the queen and her strong words of ill will. Hiding in the wilderness, a day’s journey did not seem enough to comfort him either.
God does not leave him without help. That is our experience as well . When are also feeling that all is lost we may see a rainbow. When we are lost, God provides direction in so many different ways that I cannot list them all:
Encouragers, Healthy meals by caring people, Visible signs in our lives of God’s presence- His creation , the thunder, the lightning, the smile of a new baby, a sense of humor in others to make us laugh, great music to soothe our distress , the Sacraments of baptism and holy communion to give us visible signs of the Lord’s presence in our midst, the end of battle and war, hope even in death in the way God shows us that death is not the end of life in the Scriptures, in His Son, and in His loving hints of the beauty in creation……Can you list more???
As Elijah lay and slept under a tree, “ behold then an angel touched him, and said, ‘ Arise and eat. And behold he looked there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head.” 19:6 In the strength of this food he is able to go 40 days and 40 nights unto Horeb the mount of God.
In our daily spiritual food we find strength for the journey of life. In our church worship on the Lord’s Day we find strength for the week. God’s gifts to us are beyond our measure, are they not?
For Quiet Confidence
O God of peace, who has taught us that in returning and rest we will be saved, in quietness and confidence will be our strength: By the might of your Spirit lift us, we pray, to your presence, where we may be still and know that you are God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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