[Faith-talk] Good Night Message for Friday, October 12 2012

[Paul]

Well, the Lord has deigned to let us live another day for you all to receive a further good night message, and for me to post it.  How was your day today? Mine was good, by God's matchless grace and His providential care.

Betty Jane Stepherson comes forward once again with a short sermonette article entitled "He Is Always Near," rendered as follows:

Can our Lord help us through any crisis? If He can do it for me, He can do it for anyone.  He has certainly helped me through many over the years.  I have faith that as long as I live, He will continue to do so.

Stan Toler's book "God has Never Failed Me, But He's Sure Scared Me to Death a Few times" (Honor Books) is dedicated to his mother, who taught him the importance of Deuteronomy 31:6: "Be strong and of a good courage, fear, not nor be afraid of them: for the Lord Thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."

Mr. Toler wrote the book to inspire people to believe in God's ability to do the impossible.  Sometimes we do wonder whether He has forgotten us, but He never does.

Each time He has helped me through difficult times, my faith has continued to grow.  I know that as long as I need Him, He will be near me to help me.

Barbara Fowler Gaultney was a person who experienced poor health and lived less than thirty-nine years.  Still, she wrote "My Lord Is Near Me All the time." That beautiful hymn includes these meaningful words: "In the lightning flash across the sky His Mighty power I see
And I know if He can reign on high
His light can shine on me."

How often through the years have God's people felt His light shining on them? How blessed we are to be the recipients of so much love!

In times of grief, there have been moments when I felt His presence so near that I knew He had to be a living, breathing Lord.  It was as if I only had to look over my shoulder to see Him in all His glory.

I never did look.  The feeling itself was enough.  He was near enough to cover me in the shadow of His wings, and that was all I asked.  "Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in Thee: yea, in the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast" (Ps. 57:1).

Can our Lord help us through any crisis? With His light shining on us and the shadow of His wings covering us from all trials, He is near us all the time.

May Betty's words in this article be a source of comfort and solace for us all.  And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, throughout this night or day and especially in these last days in which we live.  Your friend and brother in Christ, Paul