Everlasting Arms

Holding Little Debbie

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments 
The eternal God is your refuge and His everlasting arms are under you... Deuteronomy 27:33a NLT

On Friday nights, when our children were small and we wanted to go out, we used to trade baby-sitting duties with another couple. Sometimes they would take our two rambunctious boys, and on others we would watch their three active girls. Kathy and Susie, the two older girls, were easy to watch and when their bedtime came, they generally lay down and slept after a good-night prayer and kiss. But little Debbie, wanted nothing to do with going to sleep that way. For some reason she would only be quiet if I picked her up and gently rocked her as I walked back and forth in our apartment. Then slowly she would doze off, and I could sit down in my easy chair. But anytime I tried to quietly lay her down on the bed, to sleep, the very second her tiny body touched the comforter, she would wake up and begin fussing. Then with a sigh, I would pick her back up again and hold her close until she went back to sleep. Now, God may have everlasting arms, but I do not! Let me tell you, that as much as I loved little Debbie, I was never so glad to see Ken and Linda when they came to pick up their kids!

Those long-ago memories still give me a chuckle and remind me of my own relationship with God. He prepares me for many things, but often, just like my little friend I am fearful and feel unready for them. I want to feel those everlasting arms holding and rocking me all the time. God has promised to never leave us, and yet there are times He would like us to trust Him enough to just lie down and rest a while. But He is also a patient Father, knowing our weaknesses and fears, and when we cry out, He comes and again with those everlasting arms, picks us up and holds us. What a comfort to know that whatever we are going through, we can always count on His everlasting arms and know that one day in His perfect time they will carry us all the way home!

I do hope you enjoy hearing again this simple rendering of the old hymn which we sang at Life Care this week. Have a blessed weekend everybody!

God’s Everlasting Arms

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments

The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you. He drives out the enemy before you; He cries out, ‘Destroy them!’ Deuteronomy 33:23 NLT

In his last speech before he died, Moses began giving both words of warning and blessing to the people. He wanted them to remember after forty long years of living in tents in the desert, that God had been their refuge all along. From their escape through the Red Sea, along the journey to Mount Sinai, where Moses went up to receive the Ten Commandments, God had not abandoned them. Every morning, He had fed them with manna that miraculously appeared and every day He had made fresh delicious water to flow out of a rock. Though they had fallen into sin time after time, God wanted them to realize that at their lowest point, His arms were still underneath them. Yes, there were sometimes severe consequences, yes, they had to repent and pray, but through it all, they remained His people. In so many ways, we are just like them. We who call ourselves Christians have all passed through a Red Sea of the blood of Jesus. And every morning we have access to the manna His words, when we take the time to read them. And every time we go through deserts in our lives, God’s Holy Spirit stays right by our side. In the midst of the hardest and most difficult circumstances, we can be refreshed in His presence that freely flows, as we bow in prayer. Last of all, He assures us, that when we face enemies, whether they be death, doubt, or despair, that He will drive them out, keep us safe and destroy them. Then, because He loves us, we can always count on the fact that everywhere we go that underneath are His everlasting arms!

My New Year’s Message

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you and said, ‘Destroy.’ Deuteronomy 33:27 ESV

17 years ago we used to bring two of our grandsons to church. At three and one years old this was a challenge during the song service, while I was alone with them and Nancy sang with the worship team. Nathan, who was the older, was generally happy to sit and clap his hands – but not AJ. Oh no, he wanted in on the action and decided that I had to hold him so he could see what was going on! Now, I loved holding him in my arms for the first song, but by the chorus of the second, he started getting heavy and by the third I was desperate for some help. Today’s verse talks about God’s everlasting arms and I discovered that mine most definitely were not!

As we enter this new year, with all of its challenges, opportunities and scary unknowns, we need the One whose arms alone can carry us through. If we will trust Christ as Savior, then whatever we face we can know that God’s got us in His arms. They are underneath us even when we are at our lowest and He will never let us go!