He was There!

He was There!
By Shirley Mitchell

“Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish.”
Psalm 25:16-17

“The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”
Psalm 145:18


I have one more story to share with you about Lifeway’s National Women’s Leadership Forum in Ridgecrest. It was the 15th anniversary of the forum. The key note speaker Beth Moore was reminiscing about 15 years ago. She reminded us of the potluck dinner on Wednesday nights. She told us about how her honorarium used to be a corsage, a flower that she would wear when she taught.

As she was talking a walk down her memory lane, I asked the Lord where was I 15 years ago? Now this was the third day of the conference that was celebrating 15 years of women’s ministry. The 15 year theme was prevalent. It was not until I had the fullness of the picture of what those precious women’s ministry leaders were doing 15 years ago, that God reminded me where I was 15 years ago.

It should have been fresh on my mind because the Sunday before I left for the trip, I was at my mother’s house. We too were taking a walk down memory lane. It was the 15 anniversary of my father’s unexpected death.

Exactly 15 years ago, I was living in Guam. While my father died early in the morning U.S. time, it was my nighttime in Guam. So my family waited until I came to work the next day so I wouldn’t be alone. My commander led my best friend Jean and me to his office. In that office, a family member told me my father was dead. For the next 24 hours I cried continuously. Someone took care of my flight arrangements. They took me to the airport. All I had to do was get on a plane. Even when I checked in at the airport, I didn’t stop crying. As tears streamed down my face, I communicated with the Continental Airline agent. When I arrived to Kentucky, I was still crying.

During all those tears that day and the days that followed I wondered, “God, where are You? Do You care about me? Are You involved in my life? Are you going to do anything to help me here? I can’t deal with this and I need You to do something.” I was not walking with God so I didn't have a daily relationship with Him. God was only useful for me for 911 calls.

Now fast forward to 15 years later , the last day of the forum. God opened my eyes to see what He had done. At the exact time that I was grieving, He was working with a small group of women’s ministry leaders to give them a vision to reach women like me. In-depth Bible study and discussing the Bible in small groups with our women who are in pursuit of God has radically changed my life and my family lineage. Through this, I know God! I gained Him, my very great reward and Jesus, very best friend. God didn’t just comfort me for the moment and hold me while I cried and grieved heavily for months and months. He mended my broken heart and led me down a path so that I could know the one true living God. The path I couldn’t see back then is so evident to me now. I had never been the way before so I would not have known it. But He didn’t leave me alone in my tears. He was with me, and He was making a way to heal me!

So I’m hear to tell you my dear friend, does it ever seem to you that God is not coming through for you in your time of deepest need? Know that He will never leave you nor forsake you. He is constantly working things out for your good. He is doing something behind the action shots of your life and those hard times that is beyond what your sweet limited eyes can see. Trust Him with the troubles of your heart that He will free you from anguish. He won’t leave you in loneliness and affliction. He is near to the broken-hearted.ay of the forum, He opened my eyes to see that at that exact time I was grieving, He was working with a small group of women's ministry leaders to give them a vision for women's ministry that radically changed my life - and has impacted my family lineage like nothing else on earth!

He opened my eyes to see that at that exact time I was grieving, He was working with a small group of women's ministry leaders to give them a vision for women's ministry that radically changed my life - and has impacted my family lineage like nothing else on earth!

Pray with me: Praise You, Father! You are near to all that call on You. You are close by! You are involved. You are our ever-present help in time of need. We may not see You. We may not know what You are up to. But You never leave us alone to handle things on our own. You are constantly working things together for our good. You mend the broken hearted in far deeper and more thorough ways than we can imagine! We praise You for Your tender mercies to us. All of this we pray in the Name above all names and the Name that someday every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

You are Mine!

You Are Mine!

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ ”

Psalm 91:1-2

I told you previously my story about God speaking to me and rejuvenating me at a Christian event by telling me that I had an “is-to-come.” God has more that He wants to do to glorify His name in my life. I have more works than just writing and videotaping Jesus Lives.

So of course, I started looking for another word regarding my is-to-come at this same event. As we closed the event, we sang Chris Tomlin’s new version of Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone). I knew when I saw the words, “God who has called me safe thus far” that the next line was the key to my calling. I thought, “Yes, Lord, You have called me.” I couldn’t remember the next line so I waited in anxious expectation to remember what it was. The next line was this: “Will be forever mine.” You see, I don’t know the details of my is-to-come. God has only told me that He has poured the Word into me and that I am to pour it out. He has not revealed anything else. He reaffirmed for me that I just need to know one thing. I just need to know Jesus and that He is forever mine. Jesus is mine forevermore!!!!!

This powerful word embossed on my heart was enough for me. It is all that I need to know to press through the days to come. He is mine. He is my refuge and my fortress. He is my God in whom I trust. I have a personal relationship with Him. He is actively working in my life. He will never leave me, forsake me, or fail me. He is willing to walk every day and every moment of this life with me forevermore!

In my Bible, I have a list of all of the characteristics or names of God that I could jot down in just a couple of minutes. Each of these characteristics or names reminds me of a time when He has taught His true identity through a life experience: Bestower of beauty, Releaser of captives, Restorer of dignity, Giver of significance, Victor over darkness, Mender of broken hearts, Defender, Giver of good gifts, Defender of the weak, Counselor, and Healer! He is holy, glorious, righteous, sovereign, good, loving, involved, supreme, orderly, perfect, faithful, caring, just, accessible, redeeming, cleansing, all-knowing, invincible, majestic, joyful, creative, foreseeing, kind, patient, approachable, perfect, worthy, wonderful, uncommon, triumphant, and mighty! He is a Gentleman, Abba (Daddy), Strong Tower, Warrior, Rock, Comforter, Alpha and Omega, and Lord of everything. Elohim – Creator God, El Roi – the God who sees, El Shaddai – God Almighty, and Adonai – Master. He is my very best friend!! This is my God! I love praying in this list and declaring the truth aloud about God. What a glorious God you and I have! When you and I decree the truth about who He is, we will respond in complete praise and adoration.

Since I know who my God is, I know His character and His ways so I can trust the Holder of the future. God is trustworthy for my personal calling and for your personal calling. God is also trustworthy for what is going to happen to His believers in the days to come. As crises continue to happen and as we head into perilous times, all we really need to know about tomorrow is the Holder of tomorrow. God will let us know directly or through His prophets of our generation when the time comes to reveal His plan. If God is not telling me details about my future, then He is letting me ponder more, trust more, and revel in the glory that time is in His hands. He can never be forced to unveil faster than He is ready to unveil.

Do you trust Him with your tomorrow, beloved? Are you trusting Him today? Are you letting Him use you this day to further His kingdom? Are you taking one step closer to Him each day? Is it embedded in you that all you need is Him in this life, or are you pursuing other things? What are you spending most of your time doing when you could be spending it with God? Is He personal to you? Do you have the closeness in relationship with Him that is unlike any other? Oh, precious one, how I pray that you realize that God forever being yours is the biggest thrill of all of life. He is the only friend who withstands the test of time. Praise You, Lord!

Pray with me: Oh, God, You are my God! Our close relationship is unlike any other. You are willing to walk every day and every moment with me. There is no crisis where You will leave me. There is no situation where Your love will fail me. You and I were glued together when my sin was nailed to the cross by Your Son’s precious blood. I will dwell daily under Your shelter, O Most High, and rest in Your shadow, God Almighty. I will gladly tell all that You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust (Psalm 91:1-2). My life is entwined with You. Our paths will not depart again. You are mine, and I am Yours! It’s in the Name above all names, in Jesus’ Name, Yeshua’s Name, we pray. Amen.

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