Immeasurably More

“God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.” C.S. Lewis

We all have them. Days when we feel far from God, or He feels far from us. Days when we worry and angst over what tomorrow will bring, especially when we can barely get through the day we are in. Even with grown children, and our special needs son is 27, there are just some fears and concerns that continue to arise, some are new, while other fears have always been there. I think for special needs parents, the uncertainty of the future, our child’s future, is a fear that continues to rise to the surface in us. It certainly does in me.

So what’s a parent to do? I think the answer is in the C.S. Lewis quote – remain near to God. For me, taking time to praise God for who He is has been vital, because when I focus on who He is, I am reminded of how great, awesome and trustworthy He is.  I am reminded of the character traits He exemplifies, and He always has been and always will be firmly in control and aware of my situation. He is the same – yesterday, today and forever.

So here are a few ideas to get your praises going.  I use these to refocus my thoughts and fix my eyes on Jesus:

• A list of “go to” Psalms for praising God: Psalms 8, 34, 92, 95, 96, 100. Just pick one today.

• Pick one attribute or character quality of God to focus on: God is faithful, friend, provider, helper, protector, worthy, etc. I use Biblegateway.com and find it helpful for doing a search on an attribute of God. There is also a great list on the Moms In Prayer International website. http://tinyurl.com/ofyby2e

• Choose a good worship CD and push “repeat.” Let the words soak into your heart and mind. And turn up the volume!  Currently, my favorite CD is Chris Tomlin’s Burning Lights. The whole CD is amazing worship, but if you have time for only one song, listen to the song “Sovereign.” Oh, my! I love this! Click here to watch and listen: http://tinyurl.com/k5rep9w 

• As much as I may try to find peace and happiness on my own, it cannot be done apart from Jesus. Take 5 minutes today and focus on the One who holds us and our precious children in His everlasting arms.

“You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.” Psalm 59:17