Doom and Gloom

My favourite time of year is spring, when the countryside begins to sparkle with new life. It give me a real lift, so perhaps that’s why my favourite colours are blue and green.

Seems far away at the moment, with the shortest days and the coldest weather for a decade. On top of that, the media is full of reports from war zones, warnings of environmental disasters, global warming, fuel shortages and of course the dire worldwide financial situation. Almost daily we’re bombarded with accounts of major bank collapses, the housing market slump, house repossessions and famous companies going into liquidation. All this can fuel anxieties of losing our jobs, pensions and even housing. Add to this a bout of influenza and you have a recipe for doom and gloom.

If you have a leaning towards Seasonal Affective Disorder (the winter blues) or if like me, your personality type includes more than a touch of the melancholic, it is easy to drop into heaviness at this time.

What can we do about this? Be kind to ourselves, don’t watch TV or read the papers, go for a brisk walk, buy a light therapy lamp, visit friends or family, eat chocolate, read a good book, go and see the latest movie, see your doctor or counsellor, take a trip to a warmer country - ?

Maybe, some of this could be good advice? But before we begin a downward spiral, we could first of all take responsibility for any anxious thoughts, own up to any feelings and talk it through with Jesus. Remind ourselves Who is in charge of our lives, Who is our security, Who is our Provider, Who has our future in His hands, Who will never ever leave us, Who is totally faithful etc. And even, if again like me, you have a voice like a foghorn and are tone deaf, just praise God and make a joyful noise unto the Lord.

I realise there may be other issues involved - or you may really have lost your job - but I suggest you start here because it really works.

“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God.” Psalm 42:11 New International Version

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Doctor I'm in Trouble!

"Oh doctor, I'm in trouble - Goodness gracious me,' is a catchy song from an old movie, starring Peter Sellers & Sophia Loren.

Thankfully I've not seen very much of our doctor over the years. When I'm 'in trouble' I usually pray first and give God a chance to work. But when I do go, we are blessed with a good doctor. He listens and tunes in, treating me as a 'person' and not just an 'eye' or a 'lung' or whatever. Not all doctors have such a good patient manner and forget that we may apprehensive to start with.

Either way, we may possibly leave the consulting room with the doctor's words ringing in our ears, thinking, 'goodness gracious me! Could that really happen?' Some words may even sound like some sort of prison sentence, such as, "could be malignant' or 'there maybe serious side effects.' Maybe? Serious? And anxiety and fear start to come scratching at the door of our heart.

If taken in, these words can have a power and may even affect us physically. I find that it's at times like this when I need to listen to Someone who really knows all about me. God the Healer's Word is true and powerful. For example:

"Be still, and know that I am God;" Psalm 46:10

"We are healed by the punishment he suffered, made whole by the blows he received." Isaiah 53:5

"The LORD your God is with you; his power gives you victory -" Zephaniah 3:17

"Don't worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart." Philippians 4:6

"Be patient and wait for the LORD to act; don't be worried -" Psalm 37:7

"- I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him," Isaiah 57:18

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters ... they shall not overwhelm you; - -" Isaiah 43:1-3

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When You Just Don't Know

Have you ever been in a challenging situation where you just do not know which way to turn and wonder how you will cope? When there does not seem a way forward and it feels like everything could go pear-shaped and out of control?

If you are anything like me you may find it more than a bit scary and feelings of helplessness and fear come knocking at your door. Fear can cripple and paralyse us and stop us hearing from God. That's when all the 'what if's' can come to mind and the worst-case scenarios flash before us. For a moment, we may even forget that God is so close.

I then remind myself of similar occasions in the past and remember how, step by step, God brought us through. This one of course will be quite different, even bigger and scarier and more impossible, but then that's just to stretch our faith. This is no time to copy what went before but to give over everything to God.

This is the time to reach out to Jesus from the heart. It doesn't take much, hardly a word. He gently but firmly takes our hand - note it's the right hand, our action hand, our sword hand - and as He does this the fear begins to fade. We become aware of the resources within us and slowly peace begins to descend.

When we come to the end of our own human resources is the time when God is free to move in with His might. It's the moment He's waiting for and He has out attention as never before. He takes our hand and leads us in ways that previously we thought not possible. As we continue to llok to Him and abide in Him, He will even break down seemingly impossible barriers to enable His will for us. He will never ever let us down.

"For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." Isaiah 41:13 New International Version

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Strike While the Iron's Hot!

I find that God's opportunities for blessings and spiritual growth rarely come according to my planning. They are usually least expected and at times even inconvenient.

Have you ever been woken in the night with feelings of anxiety or worry and had difficulty getting off to sleep again? I went through a period like that. At first I would switch the light on and read for a while or just bury my head in the bedclothes to blot out the feelings. My reasoning was, that I would deal with the matter in the morning. Come the morning and it was never quite the same of course. The moment had gone and the energy dissipated. I would still pray, but often the full potential for blessing had been missed.

I learned the hard way - is there another way? - to seize the moment. If anxiety began to surface, I dealt with it there and then. I would invite Jesus into the situation and feel the feelings with Him. Amazing to see how the fear melts away and no longer has a hold. If I felt I was being oppressed, I'd get out of bed and deal with it in prayer. The enemy doesn't go to bed, but neither does God and His power is awesome. I can't say it always works, but more often than not I sleep better afterwards. More importantly, there's another victory realised.

The other evening, when I was really tired after a hard day, my wife started to share a matter that had come to her. It was really important, God had revealed something to her and I listened the best I could and we talked about it. She asked if we should pray there and then, but I was so tired. I thought we would be more effective in the morning, after a night's sleep. Morning came and the energy was gone, we had missed the moment until next time.

Seize the moment of opportunity, flow with the move of the Holy Spirit and know God's blessing.

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:" Ecclesiastes 3:1 New International Version

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