Faith Hope and Prayer

The following is the talk I wrote to read at a weekend a group I belong to put on once or twice a year.  I have been in this group for 9 years. Recent events and phone call comments made by the woman who runs the group make it impossible for me to participate this time around. She claimed many woman made complaints to her about me and felt I had disturbed others in the last meeting. I had left the meeting early because I was crying as not to disturb the meeting.  I had uplifted some woman in the group and what I said came from my heart. I have decided to share my talk with you so that someone will hear/read it. I always write from the bottom of my heart:

Faith Hope and Prayer

By Heather L Campbell

We all face loss and tragedies in our lives. We go through the process of grieving and most of us find it hard to go on. Thirty two years ago, my 3 and 4 year old children were kidnapped by my ex and brought to his and his partner's home over 1,000 miles away. Although I had custody, the officer I dealt with said it was a civil matter. I fell apart and signed myself into the hospital the next day. I wound up losing my job as a secretary. I lost my home. And I lost all hope I grieved over the loss of my children and the reality that they were now gone from my life with the possibility of never seeing them again. I did not understand that God is not just watching us. I had no understanding of the power of prayer or the need to have faith during times like these. Our relationship with God, our standing on our faith and believing that God will bring good out of the bad and having hope for tomorrow is a life line during tragedy.

Romans 8:28 “And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose .”

We don't realize that we make a choice when we give up on ourselves and think life has nothing better for us. So many young people, like I was miss the point that things change. As long as we view our lives as one big slide downhill we are making a choice and not a good one. We lose all hope and if we had faith it goes out the window.

Matthew 14:31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and took hold of him, and saith unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

As long as I was focusing on the tragedy, and struggling with fears and totally blaming myself, I wasn't allowing God or anyone to help me. I blamed myself for my parents alcoholism. I blamed myself for my ex husband sexual orientation and the misery he gave me and I blamed myself for not seeing the danger of meeting him and his boyfriend at an ice cream parlor, where they had a plan in place to grab my children and ran. I had to go through a lot of therapy to realize that most of all that was not my fault. My failure was not seeking out God.

Matthew 11:25 At that season Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes: 26 yea, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in thy sight. 27 All things have been delivered unto me of my Father: and no one knoweth the Son, save the Father; neither doth any know the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal him. 28 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

We can just give it all to God. Our anger our hurts, our grief our troubles...

Psalm 55:22 “Cast thy burden upon Jehovah, and he will sustain thee: He will never suffer the righteous to be moved.”

Song 1:My Savior My God by Arron Shust

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt0WluTpFTg

I Gave It All To God

July 19, 2009

I gave my heart, I gave my love

To our dear Lord, High Up above

I gave my life, I gave my soul

I live for eternity, I'll not grow old

My joys complete, I gave God too

All my heartache, The things I rued

I give it all, I give it up

Peace overflows, My earthly cup

No need for anger, No need for fear

For I know, My Lord draws near

In times of trouble, In times of good

My Lord protects me, As no one could

In him I dwell, His blood shed o'er me

He love's was enough, To set me free

I gave it all, The burdens gone

I soar with joy, That Jesus won

Psalm 68:19 “Blessed be the Lord, who daily beareth our burden, Even the God who is our salvation. Selah”

As long as we hang on to these emotions, we are trapped in them. We only need to release our problems to the Lord and walk on in faith. When we trust in God we can believe in the hope and we live in the peace we get when we give our problems to him. We often hold ourselves back from a joy filled life when we allow ourselves to be consumed by our grief and anger. We can't change what has happened, we can't go back in time and there is just so long we can spend wondering what was God thinking and why he allowed it. We can free ourselves only when we trust in God's wisdom and go on.

Song 2 – “Give it All Away” by Aaron Shust

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sy1QxvKZjbY&feature=related

Paul makes a great point in the following scripture where he points out we need to cast out these thoughts, emotions and fears that keep us from the peace and joy of the lord, using spiritual warfare for it is in the mind where the battle lies. What a great reward we get from Jesus for being obedient.

2 Corinthians 10: 1 Now I Paul myself entreat you by the meekness and gentleness ofChrist, I who in your presence am lowly among you, but being absent am of good courage toward you: 2 yea, I beseech you, that I may not when present show courage with the confidence wherewith I count to be bold against some, who count of us as if we walked according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh 4 (for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds), 5 casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ; 6 and being in readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience shall be made full. 7 Ye look at the things that are before your face. If any man trusteth in himself that he is Christ's, let him consider this again with himself, that, even as he is Christ's, so also are we.

God answers prayers and has since the days of Abraham and Sarah:
Genesis 20:17 And Abraham prayed unto God. And God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maid-servants. And they bare children.

Sarah was well beyond child bearing years when she gave birth to Issac but it was the prayer of Abraham that God granted that healed her to be able to do so.Prayer is something many people don't make time for. God is our father and he wants to hear from us. He wants to be part of our lives. In prayer we can untie God's hands to help us and guide us. When we prayer we need to know that God will answer our prayers in his time, on his terms and he won't give us things that may bring us harm. Sometimes his answers to prayer can be no. We have to have the trust and faith that he knows best. He wants to give us the desires of our heart, but he will not grant them if we are not right with him and they are not right for us.

Psalm 37:4 Delight thyself also in Jehovah; And he will give thee the desires of thy heart.

If we believe and have hope miracles happen. I won't go in to the details of the miracles of getting my children back, there were many and in 1980 my children were back with me. If I hadn't decided to go on with my life and have hope it probably wouldn't have happen. I had to believe that my life would get better and it did. God put my focus on those around me and God helped pull me out of my pit of hopelessness by helping others. Somehow I was no longer hopeless and made a decision to not focus on my heartache. Like the woman who touched Jesus's garment to be healed, and her belief brought her healing about according to Jesus, so did my belief that I would have them back in my life again bring it about. Without belief, without hope I would be still crying in that rented room I had, certain that it was an impossible quest.
2Corinthians 5:7“..for we walk by faith, not by sight.”

Prayer like intercessory prayer is so important. We need to stand in the gap for others and say prayers for them when they themselves can't pray or won't pray. God hears our prayers.

In the Book “Tramp For the Lord”, Corrie Ten boom relates a story about a missionary and how it is important to pray for these people. This missionary one night was home alone but was in grave danger. One of the men who was part of a group that wanted to kill him approached him the next day and told him that he was there the night before to partake in the murder. He asked the man why they didn't go through with it. The man said, There was four of us and all around your house we saw seventeen men. The missionary wrote about it to his friends. One let him know that the same night seventeen men had gathered for prayer time in his native country the same night. God sent seventeen angels to stand guard around the mans home. What an amazing miracle and a great example of the power of prayer.

As Jesus Set Us All Free

by Heather L Campbell

Stress and worries, Make life a living hell

Finding no answers, Thinking it's just as well.

My life rained on me, So many tears I cried

I gave up long ago, Spending time writing "WHY?"

Happiness eluded me, Everything went wrong

For years it seemed, Like a worn out old song

Then I realized, Life wasn't meant to be

A "perfect" people filled place, With "perfect" you and me.

I focused on the happy, That life has to give

Not on the challenges, With which I do live

I focused on God's love,For the whole human race

As his son dear Jesus, Who out of love  took our place

We can look at the past, At all that's gone wrong

Or we can praise the Lord,Loving all and getting along

We can endure and go on, Giving up our cares to God

Or go on beating our, Own backs with a rod

I focus now on Heaven, When I suffer in great pain

I cherish the moments, That in my memory remain

I give of my heart, To all I hold dear

I cherish my Lord, Who made the truth clear

Happy the servant, Who serves with a smile

Working in Earths fields, Will only last awhile

Jesus will come for us, We'll all be heaven bound

Then joy and happiness, Will spread all around

In the greatest of places, That could ever be

We'll live on forever, As Jesus set us all free.

Song 3: “One day” by Arron Shust

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dG3hWgsEjI&feature=related