Not sure how to title this blog. :)

Have you ever needed comforting but just didn't feel it near you? Just had some trouble that seemed so hard to bear? I have. I love what Paul writes in 2 Corinthians. "...the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." I have noticed how often the words "so that" are mentioned in the bible. Stuff in life happens "so that".... Situations in life always have a result.

Paul contines to say: "We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we desparied even of life...But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who rasies the dead." When we are in circumstances that look bleak it can be easy for us to try to work things all out on our own - coming up with our own plan to make it work. God wants us to come to him. We must have hope. "On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us." Note here the key word to me - continue - meaning he has been delivering us and will not stop now. There are times when we feel hopeless, but our God is the God of life and the God of hope. When you feel like you have nowhere else to turn - TURN TO HIM!

There are a lot of adjustments to a move, and I think even more the older you get. There are days when I feel lonely. I have not found a job yet and I miss friends from our old home. I am so thankful that Jesus is my friend. That he is always there with me even in those lonely times. I know that God has a plan for me here and he will bring that about and has already begun to do so. I believe that he is already in the process of working it all out right now, I just do not know it yet. So I will trust in him, and when I stumble I will draw back to him again. I love that this is my God.

I also love that my daughter is excited for me to meet her new friends at school. Today I meet her after school for a meeting about our mission trip to Costa Rica. She informed me not to embrass her - kinda joking. :) I am so blessed!

May the Lord shower you with his comfort this day. Rely on God, not yourself! Our God want to give us life abundantly - to the full. Hear what teacher Priscilla Shirer has to say about experiencing God. In those times of trouble and those times of joy - yes, all the time - press deeply into God and you will experience this God who wants to give you an abundant life.