Have you ever felt trapped with no way out? Your finances are a disaster, bankruptcy seems right around the corner. You have an addiction and life just keeps spiraling deeper and deeper into a dark hole. Or it could be your marriage, an out of control teenager, a serious maybe even life threatening illness, a dead end job, or any number of things that make you feel like there is no way out.  

It is as if you are walking through the woods on the well-defined path when all of a sudden you find yourself lost and wondering how you will make it out alive. One minute you are enjoying the beautiful trees and foliage, the next moment you find yourself off the path, completely lost, staring into darkness. You try to retrace your steps, but soon convince yourself that you’ve passed the same rock twice. You seem to be getting nowhere fast and there seems to be no way out.

In the Bible, in Exodus 14, there is a story about one of those moments. The Israelites were set free after 400 years in slavery. As they marched to their freedom, beginning to no longer feel trapped, suddenly that path to freedom seemed to disappear. On both sides were tall mountains, in front of them was a body of water, and behind them was an angry army in pursuit of them (because Pharaoh had changed his mind about their freedom.) This was certainly one of those moments when it would have been easy to try and take matters into their own hands, but the Israelites chose to trust God, even when they saw no path ahead of them.

The story goes on to tell us that God parted the Red Sea and the people walked across dry ground, safely reaching the other shore before the sea engulfed the army and killed them. Years later, the Israelites looked back upon that event and sang the words found in Psalm 77:19, “Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters – a pathway no one knew was there” (NLT).

[If you know the story of the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 13:17-14:31), then you know that God initially led the Israelites away from trouble. Then to a roadblock. After that, God led them on a path that nobody knew was there. “’I am the LORD, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.’ Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, who brings forth chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick” (Isaiah 43:15-17).]

So, even when you see no way out, and all you see are trees and overgrown brush in every direction, trust God and have faith that He will make a pathway, maybe even one you don’t know is there. I will end with this – “For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you” (Isaiah 41:13).

Word of caution: when we have unconfessed sin, it creates a broken fellowship with God, thus sometimes He remains silent (Psalm 66:18-20) and we walk unguided.     

One of the things I really enjoy is spending time at the beach. When my wife and I lived in North Carolina, we went to the beach at least once a week. In addition to just sitting under an umbrella and reading, we enjoyed taking long walks, splashing our feet in the water as we walked.

On those walks we would take our trusty little blue bucket to hold the shells we would collect. There was no set criteria for the shells we collected; we just knew we “liked” a particular shell when we saw it.  We filled our bucket with shells that were pleasing to us, while leaving the broken and shattered pieces lying on the sand.

There is much similarity between those broken shells and how the world views each of us. We all have defects and imperfections, and while the world often picks us up, looks us over, then throws us back on the pile due to our defects and imperfections, God does not “select” us based upon our outward appearance. Unlike the broken shells that we left behind, God picks us up from the pile of broken shells. While sometimes He glues our broken pieces back together, other times He uses us with our broken pieces. His plan in both cases is to reach the world with His message of redemption and restoration. God sees more than just our broken pieces, more than our flaws, He sees us as He made us – He sees us in His image (Genesis 1:27).

If you know the story of David in the Old Testament you know that he was not a likely candidate to be anointed the next king after Saul. David was the youngest of Jesse’s eight sons and just a scrawny little kid. God chose Samuel to pick the next king so as Samuel looked over Jesse’s sons, he saw Eliab who was the biggest and strongest, and based upon Eliab’s physical appearance, Samuel figured Eliab was next to be king. But God spoke to Samuel and gave him a new standard by which to pick the next king. In 1 Samuel 16:7 we read these words – “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’”

What is today’s message? Maybe you feel ignored or overlooked, just like those broken shells that we left lying on the beach. You feel like the kid who never gets picked to be on the kickball team. Or maybe you look back at your life and say to yourself – I have really blown it, I have too many broken pieces and I am beyond repair. The good news is that God sees perfection in all of us and he does not just collect the unblemished shells, he also collects the ones that others have left lying on the sand. He works in our lives to redeem and restore all that is broken. God picks you up and puts you in His bucket as He walks the beach. He sees past the blemishes, the broken pieces, and the cracks. He sees what could be, not what is!

Right now do you find your mind going to the worst possible outcome in something you are facing? You know that outcome is very unlikely, but your wearied mind keeps going there. Instead of focusing on the good that can come from the situation, you cannot help but think of all the dark what-ifs. Does it feel as if you cannot shut off your mind as it bounces from one thing to another? Let me be honest. I had one of those moments last night. Instead of getting restful sleep, my mind wandered through all the things going on in our lives, and no matter how hard I tried, I just could not shut it off. Have you been there? Are you there today?

Not only do we have a God who can do miracles in our lives, that same God can calm and re-direct our hearts and minds in the midst of those not so positive thoughts.

Let me offer you three verses that no matter how hard it might be to allow them to soak into the deepest places of your heart and mind, if you do so, God promises to meet you right where you are.

First, in Deuteronomy 31:4, when Joshua was about to replace Moses, he feared adversaries who wanted nothing more than to destroy the Israelites. The “them” in this verse refers to enemy armies, but “them” can be the dark thoughts that overwhelm you. Here is what we read – “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them. For the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you or forsake you.”

Secondly, God’s Son, Jesus, your Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), offers these words to you right now – “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

[In our sinful nature, we have become enemies with God. However, Jesus, as the Prince of Peace, restores an abiding peace between us and God; a peace that cannot be taken away. (Romans 5:1-10; John 10:27-28)]  

And finally, we are promised that if we take our burdens, our dark thoughts, to Jesus that He will exchange those thoughts for a peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7). And why does this exchange happen? The answer is simple – “Cast your cares upon him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

So, today, cast your net into the water, and instead of letting it fill up with worry, allow it to be filled with Jesus!

We live in a world of broken promises. So often people, corporations, and government tell us one thing, then either do something else or nothing at all. When someone says to you, “I will come to your picnic” it often really means “I will come to your picnic if nothing better comes up.” Marriages break up because “as long as we both shall live” means nothing more than “as long as it is convenient.” And unfortunately, in the broken world in which we live, the conditional statement of “if X, then Y” is not always true.

Presidential candidates have also been known to make campaign promises only to break them. In 1964, Lyndon Johnson, in a speech just two weeks before the presidential election, said, “We are not about to send American boys nine or ten thousand miles away from home to do what Asian boys ought to be doing for themselves.” Then, six months later, during his presidency, he sent U.S. combat troops to Vietnam. In 1988, George H. W. Bush promised, “Read my lips: No new taxes,” only to sign a bill raising taxes during his first and only term.

Because of so many broken promises we live in a “seeing is believing” world. You’ve probably said it yourself, “I will believe it when I see it!” Sadly, from experience, many of us have become skeptical of much of what we hear or read. If we cannot see it, hear it, touch it, taste it, or smell it, then we often have real doubts. Have you ever heard of Thomas, one of the twelve apostles, who is commonly referred to as Doubting Thomas? Thomas was not willing to believe that Jesus had been raised from the dead until he could see the nail marks and put his fingers into Jesus’ side (John 20:20-28).

We have become a society of Doubting Thomases. However, God tells us something totally different than seeing is believing. He calls us to a place of faith; a faith not dependent upon our circumstances (what we currently see). 2 Corinthians 5:7 says this – “We live by faith, not by sight.” Faith is about being confident in what we cannot currently see. In Hebrews 11:1 we read – “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

What God really is saying is that He wants us to believe in order to see. For most of us that really goes against our natural inclination of “I will believe it when I see it.” We cannot see God with our physical eyes (Colossians 1:15), but faith gives us assurance to believe that He exists (Romans 1:19-20), that He is a good (Psalm 107:1), and that He is faithful (Lamentations 3:22-23).

So, the takeaway for you (and for me) is that without faith that believes before it sees, when life gets rough, despair sets in if we only believe once we can see the outcome. Psalm 27:13 tells us – “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” And then verse 14 gives us this challenge – “Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.”

I will end with what Jesus told Doubting Thomas after he (Thomas) touched Jesus and finally believed that Jesus was raised from the dead. In John 20:29 we read this – “Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet still have believed.’”

God please grant us all a faith that believes before it sees! Amen

When my wife and I lived in North Carolina, we experienced firsthand the effects of hurricanes. The winds, the rain, the flooding, all of those caused us great distress, wondering when the roof would blow off or when a flying object would come through our window or when one of our many trees would come crashing down.

During one storm we did have the top half of a 120-foot tall tree snap off in the wind, and thankfully our house was spared much damage, but can I just say, gas grills and wooden decks don’t do so well against winds gusts and falling trees. Our temporary safe place that day – sitting in our living room arm in arm, heart rates racing, hoping and praying. In advance of another hurricane we evacuated and our safe place during that devastating storm was in a hotel 140 miles away. We could only watch on television as our city was the lead story for days; seeing the effects of 120 mile per hour winds and 13-feet of water was heartbreaking, knowing our beautiful little city was in great distress, and not knowing what we would find once we could return.

Where is your safe place? Where do you run to when you feel threatened or in need of rest? We all like those places of safety. As a child, the first place you probably wanted to run to when you were afraid was into your mother or father’s arms. Those comforting arms wrapped around you, holding you tight, offered a safe haven in the face of danger and fear. As a young boy living in Columbus, Ohio, I loved to build hideouts out of plywood, dirt and tree branches with my friends, and without the secret password nobody could enter our fort. We were safe from grownups and girls. Maybe you ran and hit under your bed when your abusive father came home from a night of excessive drinking. As adults, we sometimes “run” to alcohol or medication to “hide” from the pain of life.  

Every one of us has a place we go, or an activity we engage in, when the storms of life begin to toss us to and fro. We all desire an anchor to hold us fast when the waves grow dangerous.

The truth is, no matter how secure we think that safe place is, it is not permanent; it can only bring temporary, not lasting, safety and security. The living room we sat in was only “safe” because the tree didn’t come crashing through the roof, potentially injuring or even killing us. The hotel room we sat in, it only provided us a few days of “stressful” safety. Those comforting arms, they only hugged you for so long. That fort we built as kids, it usually collapsed within days, despite our architectural expertise. Your abusive dad found you hiding under the bed and you were safe no more. That bottle of wine you drank to soothe your pain, all it did was leave you with a nasty headache in the morning.

There are many names for God in the Bible. Just a few are: Elohim, which means the Creator God; El Shaddai, the Almighty God; Jehovah Jireh, the Lord Will Provide; Jehovah Rohi, the Lord My Shepherd; Jehovah El Elyon, the Lord God Most High; or how about, Emmanu-el, which is God With Us. Today I want to look at another name, one found in Psalm 62:8; God Our Refuge – “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God (Elohim) is a refuge (Machase Lanu) for us.”

Psalm 62 is filled with phrases such as: God alone is my rock, my salvation, my fortress, my hope is from Him, and, in Him I will not be shaken. Do you believe that today?

So, today, will you run to Elohim Machase Lanu, God Your Refuge? And will you thank Him for providing you shelter both in the storm and from the storm? God is your refuge, your protection, your unfailing and trustworthy strong tower.

For me, there is never a bad time to be thinking about football. Most colleges have just wrapped up their spring practices. Spring ball focuses primarily on player development whereas fall camp is primarily for putting together depth charts in preparation for the upcoming season. Thinking back to my football days, the beginning of preseason camp was something I looked forward to. But then 5 a.m. wakeups, three-a-days and sore muscles set in. At Millersville, after having the team run what seemed like way too many gassers at the end of practice, usually in full pads, it was not uncommon to hear Coach Carpenter yelling, “Don’t worry about the pain men, you always faint before you die.” The beginning of a new season is also fresh start, last season’s successes or disappointments meant nothing.  

Each week during the season we would watch the game film of the game we just played, looking for what worked and what didn’t work, often with the coaching staff rewinding back to a particular play repeatedly. We would then watch game film of our upcoming opponent and begin preparing for that game. Focusing on the last game would not help us prepare for the next game. Learning from the last game would help us prepare for the next game, but dwelling on that game, whether we won or lost, did nothing to help us prepare. 

The same is true in the game of life and in our walk with Jesus. What we did or said, or what was done or said to us, yesterday, while it might sting for quite some time, cannot be changed. The game film can be replayed and watched over and over, but the outcome of a particular play, or the final score of the game, does not change simply because we replay the game film over and over. We can learn from it, but what happened in the past is unchangeable.

The apostle Paul gives us a good model to follow. In Philippians 3:12-14 we read these words – “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

In this passage Paul is saying that he forgets his past and presses ahead. Forgetting does not mean wiping his past from his memory but instead he makes a conscious decision to not allow it to absorb his attention and slow his progress. And Paul had a checkered past, one that would have been easy to let burden him. Before his conversion on the road to Damascus he did everything in his power to persecute Christians. After his conversion he was persecuted, falsely imprisoned, and beaten, as he proclaimed Christ to the world around him. 

What happened, or didn’t happen, yesterday is in the past. While yesterday might help to set your course for today and tomorrow, it should never hold you back. Yesterday is done and gone.

So, I ask you today, are you allowing your last game, or maybe even an entire season, to hold you back or are you using it to prepare you for next week’s game? Are you holding onto regrets, hurts, grudges, or feelings that need let go of? Today is a new day, a fresh start, a new season, so press on, both in life and in your relationship with Jesus!