Saturday, September 7, 2013

Helping Hands



“My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever. (Psalm 73:26)
Do you ever find yourself with too much to do and not enough time and energy to do it? You’ve stared at your “to-do” list for days, but the list just keeps getting longer. It seems like these days there is so much to do, so many priorities, that we don’t even know where to start. There are just times when we feel so tired, worn out and stressed, that we think we are done and cannot take even one more step. And the funny thing is … when we feel overwhelmed we are usually busier than ever! I think we all know the feeling, and maybe we are even feeling it now.

But we are not alone, nor left to fend for ourselves …

 
God is our refuge and strength, and ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the sea.” (Psalm 46:1-2)



Who do we look to to supply our wants and needs? Do we reach out to others or even ourselves to meet our physical and emotional needs? Having family, friends, or others to lean on and give us support is comforting and uplifting, and even though God places these relationships in our lives to bless us, there will be times where they will lack the capacity to support us. Likewise, our independence and desire to meet our own needs can often fail because of our own human weakness. Sometimes we forget to let God be the source of strength in our lives, and we think we must do it all for ourselves. But it was never the Lord’s intention to for us to have our needs met by others or ourselves all the time!

 
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

Even the strongest people get tired and fragile at times, but God’s power and strength never weaken. God is our source of strength; nothing or no one else can give us that…only Him! The comfort of God’s helping hands is our ultimate source when we are overburdened and weak. The process of God’s amazing ability to strengthen us will only be effective when we slow down and listen for His voice. When we slow down, we are reminded of our complete dependence on His strength. And when we communicate to Him in prayer, we should be able to cast away fear and anxiety, and focus on what is important. With God’s help we will find alternative ways to deal with our challenges and have enough energy to cope with them.

 
“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

 
Whatever challenges we may find ourselves in, we must remember that God is a God of strength and power, and He wants to reach out with helping hands and lead us out of any burdens or struggles we may be in. He is our refuge even in the midst of our busiest and most chaotic days; He is not just a temporary retreat, He is our eternal shelter and can provide strength in any circumstance.







Linking up with these wonderful blogs this week:
 
USE this for BLOG

36 comments:

  1. I'm loving that simple yet powerful image of His open hands, reaching out to us. Therein we are safe! Thank you for this inspiration today!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Safe in His embrace~Amen! Thanks for visiting Linda! :)

      Delete
  2. Thanks for the encouraging words and beautiful images.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you for your encouragement...I do feel like I'm always behind. Or--keeping up in one area makes me behind in others. More time doesn't solve it...there would just be more expectations and burdens. We need to move to a humble dependent relationship with Him---I believe that is what He longs for with us. Thanks for reminding me of this...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So true Amy; we want more time, but we would just have more commitments; love what you said~thanks!

      Delete
  4. Beautiful encouragement to my heart. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dank je Denise. I am so thankful I read this on Sunday morning. God bless you this week.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love your new blog design - just beautiful. Your art in your post was so delightful - and yes - your message. This week found me fragile - and it was His strength that surrounded me, protected me - and lead me through it with His grace. Your words were an affirmation to what was in my heart. I needed your sweet message today. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My loving thoughts and prayers are with you this brand new week; hope you are feeling stronger and have a week of His amazing grace! :)

      Delete
  7. Could you see me raising my hands in affirmation to the questions you posed in your opening. There is much to do but lately I have had little energy to do the ever growing lists.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was typing with one hand as I wrote Wanda...haha! Hopefully I heed my own words of advice....blessings friend!

      Delete
  8. A few of the Scripture verses you shared are favorites of mine - such sweet promises from our Lord :) Thank you for this uplifting post, friend! Hugs to you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hugs and sweet blessings to you too Stephanie! Have a wonderful week. :)

      Delete
  9. Hi Denise! Then the Lord is going to be very perfect in me, because I am so weak! No wonder Paul boasted about his weakness.

    But my hope is in the Lord, and he will answer me at the right time. I am waiting for answers from him, and remembering that he is my strength really helps. Thank you, Denise.

    And thank you for your always encouraging comments!
    Ceil

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh that waiting part is a true test of faith Ceil~ha! Thankfully we know that He is lovingly considering His plans for us, and will respond in His perfect timing! :) Blessings!

      Delete
  10. Great post and awesome verses to back it up. It's usually when we believe we have everything under control that the world crumbles beneath us. We all rest in the palm of the hand of our Father and every breath is designed and given by Him. He is the Alpha and Omega, everything we do should begin and end with Him. Thanks for the solid reminder.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Love what you said here Floyd; Amen!Thanks for visiting!

      Delete
  11. Every morning I surrender everything to God and then picture my open hand grabbing hold of God's hand and ask Him to walk with me every second and every step of the day. And He does.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Such a comfort; knowing we can open our arms wide to Him when surrounded by everyday challenges Peggy! Blessings!

      Delete
  12. Denise....this was so right one for me. I'm speaking tonight at a mental health symposium and I've been really nervous about it and feel incompetent to speak. Reading your post helped me soo much. Thanks for this encouragement Hope the day is awesome for you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope your evening went well Nikki; I am sure you were a gift of inspiration to all!! Blessings sweet sister!

      Delete
  13. I love that you wrote that God is not just a temporary retreat...He is our eternal shelter! That is such an encouragement as we go through times in our lives when we feel weak and over burdened. We can always count on God to be there to walk beside us, lifting us up, offering encouragement, and strengthening us. "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 nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

    Blessings to you, Denise!

    Relying on Him, Joan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love this verse Joan; such sweet encouragement! Thanks for sharing! Have a blessed day my friend... :)

      Delete
  14. Hi Denise, such a great post. I needed to read it today. Feeling a little overwhelmed and really, all I need to do is place it all in God's hands.
    God bless my friend
    Tracy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Love you girl; I hope all is well! Give it all to God and embrace the day! :)

      Delete
  15. Denise - Just pure. Simple. Refreshing. Inspiration today! THANK YOU! Oh how His Word fills us afresh and new! Many blessings to you, Jen

    ReplyDelete
  16. A beautiful and inspiring post. I've been feeling very overwhelmed so your words were a blessing. I love how God knew I needed to come by here. Blessings to you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by Beth; praying He brought you peace and comfort. Blessings to you too!

      Delete
  17. WOW you have a lot of beautiful encouragement and wisdom in this post!! Thank you for blessing me as I read them! Visiting from DYW!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for visiting and your sweet comment! Blessings! :)

      Delete
  18. Such a timely word my friend!! Holding on to Galatians 6:9..."And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in DUE SEASON we shall REAP, IF we do not lose heart". Praise God the victory is already ours! Thank you Denise and thanks for linking this up!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thanks Denise. Soo good with all my favorite Bible verses.

    ReplyDelete