Blog

Help when we need Him

curlysue028

‘Is anyone crying for help? 

God is listening, ready to rescue you.’

(Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭17‬ MSG‬‬)

God, the Maker of all, hears our cries.

He holds the universe in place, yet He listens to our prayers, & is ready & willing to help.

God helps us:

As the Bread of Life, He supplies our daily need.

As the Light of the World, He dispels darkness in our lives.

As the Water of Life, He quenches our longing.

As the Good Shepherd, He seeks us as we wander & leads by lush pasture & still waters.

As the Way, He gently leads us through this journey we call life.

As the Truth to depend on in our shifting modern world.

As Life itself, He gives us abundant,eternal life- resurrecting when all is dead.

And as the Lamb of God, He bears the sin of the whole world {including ours}

He rescues us from the guilt of our sin.

He rescues us from ourselves 

When we are hurt, heart-broken & despairing, He is with us:

‘If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there’

‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭18‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

We can come into God’s holy presence when we need Him most. There, we will find grace,mercy, love {in abundance} We will find help when we need it each day of our lives.

Blessings,

Ruth x

Thank God!

curlysue028

‘Praise the Lord, for he has shown me the wonders of his unfailing love.’

‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭31‬:‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

We have so much to praise God for! He has lavished on us so many wonders of His amazing love! His tender mercies are new every morning.

Thank God that:

He lovingly hand-made us in His image.

He shone His dazzling light into our darkness 

He sent His One & Only Son Jesus to die in our place.

He forgives our darkest sins.

He grants freedom from death & fear.

He pours out extravagant grace into our hearts.

He guides us along His paths of peace.

His Spirit is with us step by step.

We have direct access into His presence.

In light of this {and so many more blessings} :

‘So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord!’

‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭31‬:‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

Blessings,

Ruth x

Strength & peace

curlysue028

‘The Lord gives strength to his people; 

the Lord blesses his people with peace.’

‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭29‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

In the previous verse of Psalm 29, David writes:

‘The Lord reigns as king forever.’

‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭29‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

Our Lord is enthroned, reigning over all leaders & nations.

Our powerful, majestic Lord blesses His children with peace. The voice that calmed the storms on the Sea of Galilee, over two thousand years ago, speaks calmness into our worried hearts in this broken world today.

God ushers in deep peace when we’re surrounded by chaos, when tempestuous political situations are broadcast 24-7. 

He creates inner calm when anxieties & unease prey on our minds, when mental struggles resurface.

There’s shalom that comes from God alone when we face foreboding illness & family stresses.

God gives us strength to face each day, one step at a time. His divine power is made available to us. His incredible greatness is at work in our world today- that same power that raised Jesus from the dead.(Eph 1:19)

May we know the gracious blessing of God’s strength & peace {today & always}

Blessings,

Ruth x

Live in the day

curlysue028

My husband bought me the book ‘How to stop worrying & start living’ by Dale Carnegie. Although it was first published in 1953, it’s still relevant today. The first chapter is entitled Live in ‘day-tight compartments’

The concept comes from Jesus’ words:

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

‭‭(Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭34‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

So many of our worries spring from anxieties about the future. Our thoughts spiral from today into tomorrow & beyond, gathering momentum into next week, next month or even next year. Our mind leaps forward, projecting what we think will happen, jumping to worst-case scenarios & terrible outcomes. 

But we have no control over the future. However, we can look to the One who holds the future. And He wants us to live one day at a time- in twenty-four hour chunks! It’s how we were designed.

We can book-end our days with prayer- committing our time to God each morning & thanking Him for His faithfulness each night. 

When we live each day with the God of peace, His deep peace will pour into our minds & hearts, displacing worry.

Blessings,

Ruth x

Don’t worry…

curlysue028

‘Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.’

‭‭(Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

These words are easy to read but harder to put into practice!

Last year, I became more anxious than ever before. Sleep was interrupted & catastrophizing thoughts overwhelmed me day & night.

This verse helped me to settle- I repeated the words often. Don’t worry- I told myself-pray instead. 

Thank God for what He has already done in your life in answer to prayer. For gratitude shifts our focus from anxious thoughts.

If we do this,instead of tossing & turning, there will be calm. Instead of stress there will be reassurance.

God’s amazing peace will overflow into our heart & minds (Phillipians 4:7)His love overcomes fear. And faith in God will get us through!

Of course, we may also need medication & counselling (I did) 

But the God of peace will be with us day by day & we can keep on casting our worries onto Him (1Pet 4:7)

Blessings,

Ruth x

A Hint of Spring

curlysue028

I love to see the emergence of spring flowers at this time of year-a glimpse of the changing seasons.

This week I dandered past scattered clumps of snowdrops. And wondered how these delicate yet tenacious flowers had pushed through the frosty soil.

They’re a sign that spring is on the way.

No matter how dreary we feel, winter is not forever. No matter how dark the night feels, the sun will appear at daybreak.

Our winters of the soul may happen due to discouragement & disappointment. They may be brought about by physical sickness or mental anguish. Bereavement & unexpected loss bring long dark winters in life.

Yet, with God, we can trust that the freshness & new life of springtime will arrive.

Our God will usher in new things- hope & loving-kindness. Grace & goodness. Encouragement & second chances.

‘For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness.’

‭‭(Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

Blessings,

Ruth x

Come & rest

curlysue028

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

‭‭(Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭28‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

On this first day of rest in 2025, Jesus invites us to come to Him.

We might feel worn out & weary already- carrying the same troubles as we did in 2024. Our struggles continue with us. The New Year didn’t erase them, or bring a lightness to our days. Everything didn’t change on New Year’s Day! We couldn’t instantly turn into a better version of ourselves.

Yet,if we come to Jesus, just as we are,He will grant rest. He will give peace of mind & heart. He will be with us through the year- in our tomorrows just as he has been in our yesterdays, now past.

Paul concludes his second letter to the church at Thessalonica with these words:

‘May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.’

‭‭(2 Thessalonians‬ ‭2‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

We can face this year with God’s eternal encouragement & good hope. He will bless our words & deeds, our plans & actions. He will continue to guide our paths with loving-care. His Father-heart will tend our souls.

May we know ‘strength for today & bright hope for tomorrow!’ (Thomas O Chisholm)

May He strengthen everything we say & do. May He surprise us with His endless grace & tender mercies.

Blessings,

Ruth x

Tender mercies

curlysue028

 The start of Luke’s Gospel records songs uttered in response to God’s redeeming grace announced in our fallen world.

These are Zechariah’s words of exuberant praise after months of silence following an angelic announcement:

“because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

‭‭(Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭78‬-‭79‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

The tender mercy of God our Father ushered in light & peace

Like the sunrise shining light in the darkness so the Light of the World was sent to earth as a tiny baby. He who created light at the beginning of time, stooped into the shadows of this sin-drenched world.

His light shines in our lives- bringing hope & joy.

God guides our footsteps along the path of peace:

Peace the world can’t deliver.

Shalom only the Prince of Peace can bring.

Peace of mind & heart.

God’s unmerited mercy, radiant light & deep peace are at the heart of the Christmas story-at the centre of the narrative of mankind.

We can experience the tender mercies of our Father God in our day to day life, step by step on our path with Him.

We can believe in Him this Christmastime. We can trust Him this New Year {& always} 

Blessings,

Ruth x

Real & eternal

curlysue028

Jesus said:

“I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.”

‭‭(John‬ ‭10‬:‭6‬-‭10‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

Jesus came as light in our darkness to shine His hope onto our weary souls. He was sent by God from resplendent glory to give eternal life:

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

‭‭(John‬ ‭17‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

Jesus came as the Way to navigate life to God Himself. He came as the Ultimate Truth & God-breathed Word. He came to bring true & better life- the best life that we were created for!

Jesus, who entered our time as a tiny baby, fulfilled God the Father’s perfect plan through the ages.

Jesus, Son of the Most High God brought:

Hope in our world

Love in our hearts

Joy in our lives

Peace in our souls

May we know all that Jesus means this Christmastime {& always}

Blessings,

Ruth x

Consider the flowers

curlysue028

One sunny afternoon I visited my local garden centre. The flowers there were brightly blooming in an array of colour.

I especially liked the red dahlias! And the growing sunflowers too.

As I wandered around, the words of Jesus, the Master Gardner came to mind:

“And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?”

(Matthew 6:30 NLT)

God cares for the flowers & cares infinitely more for us.

“Oh you of little faith,” He whispered gently to my heart.

So often we have little faith.

We have little faith when we get tangled up in our worries.

We have little faith when we focus on our problems rather than God.

We have little faith when we try to sort out tomorrow’s issues today!

We have little faith when our mind is filled with fear.

Our faith needs to be bigger than our anxieties.

We often have little faith as we go through life- particularly when things go differently to how we planned or expected. Especially when things aren’t going our way.

Yet God can grow our faith- turning little faith into a lot. We can trust Him with the garden of our souls- tending to our issues there.

Later in Matthew chapter 6, Jesus says this:

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

(Matthew 6:34 NIV)

We humans live in 24 hour chunks. We live day by day with our Father & there’s no need to worry about tomorrow!

Just trust!

Blessings,

Ruth x