If you are feeling like God has forsaken you or given up on you, then read these words from Psalm 139. Let them sink deep into your heart. God cares for you more than you can fathom. His love for you reaches through the Cross and embraces you.

“O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my every thought when far away. You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD. You both precede and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life” (Psalm 139:1-18, 23, 24).

As a father, I love hugging my little boy. Even more, I love it when he hugs me, or as he calls it, “big squeezers.” Just typing those words brings tears to my eyes. How much more does God enjoy it when we embrace him?

I don’t think anyone can truly understand how much God thinks about one of his children. His thoughts outnumber the very grains of sand throughout the earth. That’s a lot!

Today, spend some time and soak in the sweetness of his love.

Prayer: Father, you have made me perfectly according to your plan, and you love me despite my weaknesses. Forgive me for being dissatisfied with the way you have created me; and thank you that you will always be with me, thinking of me, loving me.

In January of 1992, I met a young lady named Angela at church. Over the next few months, our friendship grew. In fact, my feelings for her grew beyond friendship, and I began to desire a closer relationship. However, she didn’t share those same feelings. It was as if she had recited those painful, grade-school words, “But, Russell, I just like you as a friend.” Ahhhhh!

Finally, on the Fourth of July weekend, my emotions seemed to be caught up in a whirlwind–a tornado, to be exact–a jumble of love and rejection. That Sunday, I wrote her a letter explaining my feelings for her and her lack of feelings for me. I understood her situation, but I told her that I had to let this relationship die–friendship and all. If I couldn’t have a close relationship, then I couldn’t have a relationship at all. It was just too painful.

She read the letter and agreed. I remember driving home that night thinking, “Well, I did it. I wrote the letter. She knows it’s over. It’s done. It’s over.” But in my heart, I still had not let her go. I remember hearing that still, small voice say, “Now Russ, is it really over in your heart? Have you accepted that it is over?” At that point, I began to weep, grieving the loss of my friend.

Three days later, Angela called me. She had talked with her dad. She had talked with some friends. She realized that she did have feelings for me. (I knew it all along!) We married six months later.

Why this personal story about me and my wife? There is a principal here about God and how he works. At first, I poured so much into the relationship, yet it came up fruitless. I came to a place where I had to give the relationship to God–I had to let it die. I even grieved in my heart that it was over, as far as I was concerned. But on the third day, the relationship rose again. This time, with new life. This time, with new meaning.

“How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies” (1 Corinthians 15:36).

You can hold a seed carefully in your hand forever, but it will never come to life. You must bury the seed and let it die before it will bear fruit. This is a natural and spiritual principle.

Prayer: Father, at the Cross of your Son, you ultimately revealed the principal of sowing and reaping, the principal of dying in order to live. I choose to let this aspect of my life die, believing that you will resurrect it with new life, new meaning and new direction.

P.S. On January 23rd, my wife and I will celebrate 14 wonderful years of marriage! I constantly give thanks to God for my wife, for she is truly “a woman who fears the Lord” (Proverbs 31:30).

My shirt was drenched with sweat. It was supposed to be a friendly, Saturday morning get-together with some people from church, but this three-on-three basketball game was rough. I didn’t know all of the best players would show up.

We only played about an hour and a half, but it was still an hour and a half too long for my weary body. The bumps, jolts, slaps and body slams took their toll on me physically. I needed rest.

When we finished playing, I glanced around quickly for a place to sit. The bench looked so inviting. As I sat down, my legs quivering, I sighed deeply. Ahh!

Rest is such a wonderful thing. Rest from a rugged game of basketball. Rest from a long day at work. Rest from a hectic schedule of activities and commitments.

What about rest for your soul? Rest from the intrusive thoughts and fiery darts of the enemy? Rest from the tug of war between fear and faith?

When you wrestle with fearful thoughts, your mind grows weary. Your emotions are tossed about like a rowboat in a raging storm. Is there rest? Is there peace?

“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.” (Psalms 62:1)

There is a secret place where your soul can find rest. It’s not a physical place–it’s a place where your Father waits for you. A place where God will wrap his arms around you and hold you close. It’s a supernatural place.

In this place, there is an indescribable peace. A peace that no matter what happens, God is there with you with his arms embraced tightly around you.

Trust is the key that opens the door to the secret place–to the quiet place where your soul can find rest. Open up your heart for God’s loving embrace. He will keep you from harm, as long as you trust him.

Prayer: Father, my body, mind and soul are exhausted from daily battles. I have tried to find rest on my own, and yet I still feel drained. Help me to trust you more, unlocking the door to my heart, so that you can take me to that secret place of rest.

Moses and the children of Israel had wandered around in the wilderness and camped out in the desert long enough. The time had come for them to cross over into the Promised Land.

For 40 years, they had been fed heavenly bread called manna every morning. They didn’t plant. They didn’t harvest. God sent them nourishment supernaturally. Each day, they followed a cloud of glory by day and the fire of God by night. Each day, Moses would speak to God for the people, and God would speak to the people through Moses.

His provision . . .
His protection . . .
His presence . . .
. . . were obvious every day.

However, once this new generation of people crossed over the Jordan, there would be no more manna, no more fire by night or cloud by day. Moses would no longer speak to God for them. It represented a new era of his provision, protection and presence. The Israelites had to simply trust God in this new land of Promise.

Moses instructed the people, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6).

These words ring true for everyone battling fear and panic. Our land of promise, our land of peace, lies before us. As we step across the river, there will be giants; there will be battles; there will even be set backs. We must be strong and of good courage. Why? Because God goes with us. He will not leave us nor forsake us.

Be of good courage for your Father goes with you.

Prayer: Father, I believe that you have prepared a place of peace for me. Help me to be strong and courageous, trusting that you will journey with me and fight the fear for me. Lead me to the Promised Land as you led the children of Israel.

“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17).

The first part of this scripture is very encouraging: “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save.” No matter where you are or how bad things look, God is with you. Not only is he with you, he is ready to save you when you call out to him.

However, it’s the second part of the scripture that touches me most: “He will take great delight in you.”

“What? The Maker of the Universe delights in me? Oh, but I have done so much to cause him pain or grief. Surely, he can’t delight in me. If only he knew my thoughts and the things I have done.”

He does know. He has seen it all. Yet, if you have truly accepted Jesus Christ into your heart by faith, he still delights in you. The key is his Son Jesus. Because Jesus died as punishment for our sins, God does not see sinners when he looks at believers . . . he sees his children as saints.

Not only that, “He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Can you imagine God–Almighty God–in heaven right now singing over you? Can you imagine him rejoicing over you with songs and dancing? God is rejoicing in heaven this very moment over you. It’s not one big celebration for everyone. It’s a single celebration just for you.

“Why me? Why does he celebrate over me? I can’t even get along with the neighbors, and God is rejoicing in heaven for me? Why me?”

God rejoices because of his great love for you. He loves you more than you could ever imagine. When things look fearful and frightening, let his love quiet you. Let his love still your heart. If he is in heaven rejoicing over you, then surely he cares about how things are going for you down here.

Today, spend some time rejoicing with God. I am sure you can’t out-dance or out-sing the Lord. But, wouldn’t it be fun to try?

Prayer: Father, I may not fully understand how and why you rejoice over me, but I ask that you would help me to rejoice with you. I want to receive your love and your joy that you want to pour over me.

God came to Abraham in a vision and told him, “Look toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them. So shall your descendants be” (Genesis 15:5).

Years passed, and still there were no children. Abraham was 99 years old. Sarah was 90. Could they still have a child at this age? Sarah laughed at the prospect. The odds were certainly against them.

“What if I don’t have this child God promised? What if I fail God? What if I die and there is no heir? What if . . . ? What if . . . ?” Abraham could have listened to all those doubts and become downcast and distressed.

“Yet [Abraham] did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised” (Romans 4:20-21).

I want to persuade you that God has the power to do what he has promised you. He may not come to you in a vision or a dream. He may not speak to you in a thundering voice. But, we do have promises through Jesus Christ. Here are some of those promises that you can stand on:

• “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
• Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28).
• Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2).
• Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you” (John 14:27a).

You can stand on these promises. God is more than able to do what he has promised you through Jesus. I encourage you to rest in these truths.

Prayer: Father, Abraham did not waver through unbelief because of your promises for him. Fear and panic come as a result of wavering in the storms of doubt. Help me to realize and see the promises you have for me. Then, give me the courage and strength to stand on those promises.

“A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save” (Proverbs 33:17).

Years ago, when I first began my quest for freedom, I was seeing a counselor about this panic disorder. We went through the typical barrage of questions and answers for a few weeks. During one of our sessions, I explained to her how important it was for me to travel with my cell phone. When she asked why, I explained how I could immediately call someone “just in case.”

She called that a “safety valve”–the mechanism, habit or routine that each sufferer uses to help deal with a panic situation. For me, all I had to do was call someone when those terrifying thoughts would strike. By calling a friend or relative, I was forced to get the situation under control.

That was my safety valve, my pressure valve I could turn when the tension got to be too much, or the situation seemed to spiral out of control. As my heart raced wildly with anxious thoughts, I would reach for my valve of deliverance.

However, God warns us that our earthly safety valves are a “vain hope for deliverance.”

Can horses really save? Can cellular phones really bring peace? Horses stumble. Phone batteries run down. It does not matter how strong, how reliable, how trustworthy we think our safety valve is, only God can truly deliver us. He wants us to call on him as our first response, not our last resort.

Prayer: Father, I know that nothing in this world can save me. Yet, I realize that many times I have placed my trust in a safety valve. Please forgive me for not trusting you, and give me the strength to trust you more.

I remember going to doctors as a child crippled by episodes of fear. “So tell me what you are experiencing,” they would urge. I wouldn’t know where to begin. How can you explain the unexplainable? How can you dig up those memories you’ve spent so much time and energy trying to bury?

After I was married, the attacks were still as intense. My wife would try to console me by saying, “It’s okay, honey, I understand.”

Talk about the wrong thing to say! I would get so mad: “You do not understand! You do not know what this is like!”  How could she? She had never experienced a panic attack, and God forbid she ever would.

Anyone who has experienced the terror of anxiety and panic attacks knows the pain and discouragement that accompanies this paralyzing disorder. Yet, if you try to explain it to someone who has never experienced this type of fear, it is impossible for that person to understand.

“Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy” (Proverbs 14:10).

Although no one on earth can share our individual pain, God offers us hope that we will experience a joy that is so special, so unique, so indescribable that no one else can ever understand it. What a wonderful promise!

Your joy may come through driving alone for the first time in years. Maybe it’s flying on an airplane or going outside of your home. Maybe it’s going to the grocery store. Maybe, it’s just waking up in the morning excited about what the day has to offer.

When you talk with people who have made it through this “valley of darkness,” they will tell you that the sunrise on the other side is more beautiful than they could have ever imagined.

Prayer: Father, I know the bitterness of fear–a pain that only you and I know. Your Word says that a special joy awaits me. Help me to see beyond the discouragement and fear–to the supernatural joy that comes from knowing you.

I listen carefully to what God the LORD is saying, for he speaks peace to his people, his faithful ones. But let them not return to their foolish ways.

If you listen carefully, you can hear God’s words of peace over your life. Tune your spiritual ear to his voice, and you will hear wonderful words of peace!

Living in Lasting Peace from InTouch Ministires

“His name shall be called . . . The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

The original Greek word for peace means “to bind together,” offering us a fascinating insight into the only sure source of peace.

Romans 5:1 states that when we are justified by faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, we have peace with God. This means we have been bound together with a totally holy God after having been separated from Him because of sin.

Therefore, the key element in true, lasting peace is the presence of God in our lives. Paul states in Ephesians 2:14 that Christ is our peace, which means that His presence is the presence of peace within us. Jesus says in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace.”

What is this peace? It is an inner sense of contentment and quietness regardless of life’s circumstances. It is steadfast confidence in our ever-faithful, immutable heavenly Father. It is the presence of joy in the midst of unhappiness.

True peace is not merely painting our pain with a pretty color. A person who has genuine godly peace will endure an avalanche of hardship and difficulty and still abide within a peace that surpasses all human understanding. Why? Because it is not based on our circumstances, events, or what others may do to us. It is based simply on the fact that the Spirit of a holy and omnipotent God lives within us, and there is absolutely no shadow of turning in Him.