GOD IS

Before I could accept God’s complete control, I had to decide what he was to me.  Without knowing who he was how could I honestly and faithfully give over control?  I had to know beyond knowing that he was who he said he was and believe without regret or compromise that he was my Everything. 

God is my Healer. Only God can heal completely.  I’ve yet to run into a single doctor who could guarantee me, in writing, complete healing from cancer.  But God can and did.  Healing comes in many forms: miraculous and instantaneous, slowly over time, one day at a time, and in his time.  Sometimes healing comes when you pass from this life and into his presence.  God never promised to give me everything I wanted but he did promise to give me everything I needed.  The everything I needed was him. Death is nothing.  God is everything.

God is my Fountain.  Every thought, every prayer, every task flows from him.  Without him in the middle of my daily routine, I will fall down.  Yes, he will pick me back up, dust me off, and set me back on the right path.  But if I listen to him before I venture off to wander through my day, maybe I wouldn’t have to fall down, get broken, and be put back together.

God is my Anchor.  Whenever I think I’ve strayed away from where I need to be, there he is, right beside me, holding me up and keeping me steady.  The anchor of his love holds me fast and binds me to him.  He will never let me go.

God is my Shelter.  When things go wrong, as they often do when human beings are involved, God is right there to comfort me and help me figure out what to do.  He keeps me from reacting in anger over something that is small and meaningless.  He gives me a place to go to when I’m hurting and feeling small.  He gives me a place to be safe during any kind of storm the enemy can throw at me.  He makes me feel warm and wanted and worth the price he paid.

God is my Rock.  He keeps me standing when I should have been beaten, never to rise again.  He causes me to get up and try again when I’ve failed miserably.  He gives me his Word to fight with and his helmet of salvation to protect me.  God is the same today, yesterday, and tomorrow.  He never changes.  His love for me remains.

God is my Warrior.  When I no longer have the strength to fight, which is often, God fights for me.  He holds the enemy at bay, not allowing him to harm me.  He intercedes for me daily in one way or another.  He goes into battle for my soul and comes out the victor; he even gave me victory over death.  The threat of death has no sting because I know that at the end of my life is life with him – forever.

God is my Friend.  He’s like my own personal shadow, following me wherever I go.  He talks to me through his Word and speaks to me in prayer.  He whispers in my ear through music and shouts at me in joy with sermons and teachings.  He listens to me without judging, then tenderly tells me where I’ve erred.  He shares in my joys and my sorrows.  He’s the friend who never leaves, no matter how many times I’ve hurt him.

God is my Father.  How wonderful to be able to run to my Father when I’m hurting and sad.  He comforts me, shares in my pain, and sets me back up on my feet.  He shares my triumphs and accomplishments.  He blesses me with gifts of joy, not to mention the things I need to live this life.  He heals me and soothes my fears.  It is safe in his arms.  Always.

God is my Counselor.  I need a lot of advice.  I need the right kind of advice.  God’s counsel is always on target, always fresh, and always loving.  He tells me when to stand up and fight, when to surrender, and when to compromise.  He helps me understand when I’ve been wronged, teaching me to forgive anyway.  He lovingly tells me when I need to beg forgiveness for words spoken or actions taken in haste.

God is my Redeemer.  He didn’t have to send his beloved Son to die on the cross for me.  But he did.  Because he loved me that much.  By his blood and his stripes I am healed.  There are not enough words to thank him for taking my sins and my punishment.  I cannot do enough or pay enough to earn my salvation through Christ.  I will spend the rest of my life and an eternity with him being thankful for the greatest gift ever given.

God is my Stronghold.  I admit it, I’m weak.  It takes strength and courage to face cancer, and I don’t have any without him.  When I feel as if I can’t go on, when my courage flags and my strength fails, I go to the Lord.  No one can assuage the pain you feel like Abba Father.  No one.

God is my Lover. There is none better at loving me than my God.  His love is sweet and enduring.  He loves me beyond himself, so much so that he sent his Son to die for my sins.  When I feel the breath of God on my life, I know I am loved.  Being a single woman is easy because I’m in love with God.  His ring of betrothal is the only one I’ll ever need. 

God is my Rescuer.  I have to admit, without God in my life I wouldn’t get very far.  I can’t count how many times he’s had to rescue me from the wiles of the enemy.  Assessing the need I have for him is akin to counting the grains of sand on any beach.  I would never finish. 

God is my Conqueror.  Let’s face it, the Big C is a killer, in more ways than one.  Without God on the forefront of that battle, I would never win.  The truth is, whether I live or die, God is in control.  The times of my life are in his hands; no one, absolutely no one, can tear me from his almighty, loving arms.

God is my Comforter.  Whenever I’m lonely or feeling kind of blue, there he is.  He never leaves me or forsakes me.  He’s always there at the whisper of a prayer.  He gives me a song in my heart and joy like a river, overflowing and never-ending.  His love and peace cover me like one of my granny’s soft, hand-made afghans.

God is my Song.  God speaks to me through music, bringing peace to my soul and joy to my heart.  He’s better than the Eveready bunny ever thought to be.  The bunny’s battery runs down at some time or another but God’s mercy, love, and grace is super-charged.  He is always charged and ready.  When I need a touch of grace, God never fails to send me some song, or chorus, or poem to soothe me.

God is my Shield.  There are days when I need a shield to keep the enemy at bay.  He absolutely hates the idea that anyone would allow God complete control, so he’s become very adept at taking pot-shots at those who do.  He will try every trick in the book to get you to fall off God’s path for your life.  He’s very good at it, and he never, ever stops.  He comes at you again and again and again. It takes God being my Shield to brush the enemy off and go forward with God.  

God is my Refuge.  Every one of us needs to hide once in a while, if only to sit back and relinquish ourselves to his care.  I admit that sometimes I just need to get away and get before God, to thank him and praise him, to worship and adore him.  Without that connection I feel bereft and forlorn.  I can’t go for long without hiding in my closet and entering into his presence through prayer and contemplation.  Inside the glory of his presence I can refuel and rethink.  I can be at peace and enjoy the simple pleasure of resting at the feet of my Father.  Like the song says, the more I seek him, the more I find him; the more I find him, the more I love him.

God is my Helper.  Truth be told I have no idea where God is taking me.  I have to have his help to get there.  God is the one who holds the key to my destination.  Sometimes I try to hurry him along, only to be reminded that God does things in his own time.  In this world of hurry-up and get-it-done, God’s timing seems to be antiquated.  But the times of my life are in his hands, so I’m going to have to be patient and wait for his timing, which is always just right.  He always sends his help to me on time and in season.

God is my Protector.  I used to complain about having to live by myself, about having to always go out the door alone.  Then I was reminded that wherever I go, God goes with me.  If he is with me, of whom should I be afraid?  He’s given me his armor to face the world.  His protection affords me the ability to stand firm.

God is my Deliverer.  Being human I often need deliverance.  I get myself into some pretty tight messes, especially when I neglect to bring God into the picture.  Usually God has to deliver me when I’ve run off into battle without seeking his guidance.  My shame is great when he delivers me from things that could have been avoided had I gone to him in the first place.  God delivers me often in spite of myself.

God is my Fortress.  In any battle you need a fortress, a place where no one can touch you.  God is that fortress for his children.  He cannot be broken.  He cannot be ravaged.  He cannot be defeated.  God requires nothing to be complete.  God is the Great I Am. He is the Alpha, the Omega, the Beginning, and the End.  In life or in death, in his arms I will always be safe.

God is my Savior.  When I think about the way God loves me, I am undone.  The God who needs nothing from man gave everything to get man to come to him.  Yet we often hang him on a hook and leave him in a dark basement – until we need him. How many times has he had to watch his children put him aside to do as they wished, then cry out to him when things go wrong.  God is not an only-when-you-need him God; he is an all-the-time God.

God is my Master.  Yes, I said master.  I am willingly his slave.  There is no condemnation in being a servant of or a slave to the King of Kings.  In him I have an inheritance richer than anything earth has to offer.  All the gold in the world can’t buy what God has to offer.  What George Beverly Shea sang was right:  I’d rather have Jesus than anything this old world can give to me. And as Joshua said, I’d rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my Lord than the ruler of any kingdom.

When I look back at my life, I marvel that God took the time to work with me.  Oh, I was often kind, and I did things to help others, but only because they made me look good or because I felt obligated.  I seemed to forget that God gave everything he had for me, without reserve, without regret, without rancor.  He didn’t have to but he did.  Because he loved me that much.  I can’t say that enough.  He loved me that much.

Make no mistake, I still do things wrong.  I still forget to consult God before plunging ahead in my humanness.  I still get angry for all the wrong reasons.  I still hurt people without intending to.  I still spout off and say mean things.  I still try to give God excuses for what I should have done but didn’t, for the time I should have taken but didn’t, for the words I should have said but didn’t. God is always there to bring me up short, explain what I’ve done, and lead me to forgiveness.

I’ve come to know that it is absolutely essential to begin every morning thanking God for another day of life.  If my times are in his hands, then I must commit each day to his care.  I’ve learned that it is right to be thankful for small things, like being able to get up and go to work each morning when others have been jobless for months, sometimes years.  I’ve come to the knowledge that I am greatly blessed.  I have a home that is paid for, a ten-year-old vehicle that still runs, a church family that loves and supports me, and a God who will never leave me.