In His Arms

Deuteronomy 33:27 - The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms...

I saw a cute and curious thing as I drove up the road to our house in our subdivision Sunday morning! There was this very tall man walking alongside the road. As I passed I turned to look to see who it was and wave. What I saw sparked something in my spirit ever so sweetly and powerfully. I had to look in the rearview mirror to catch another glimpse.

This man was walking his dog; however, the little canine was securely nestled in this man's arm and was being carried home. A whole new take on walking your dog. But what struck me was I immediately sensed the Lord saying, "This is how I carry you in your difficult moments. I have held you tightly in my arms. I will carry you." 

Whether we are going through difficult times in our personal lives or we just see the world's unrest and wonder where we are headed, we can have the peace that passes all understanding when we have Christ to carry us through these things. Do you rely on your own strength or do you look up to where your help can come from? When we receive Christ we then may rest in His arm and trust Him for all things. It takes some faith to do this, but the sooner you know Christ not, the faster that faith will come.

I'm certain we are seeing things happening in this world that will bring us to a place we've not experienced. How are we going to handle it? It's wise to be prepared physically; but it's even wiser to have a deep seated, spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ. If He is a very real part of your life, you will never be alone in this world. When all else fails or falls around you, He will be there to carry you in His arms.

There's a prerequisite to having this assurance, however. That is knowing Jesus personally, receiving Him into your life and into your heart...going beyond just knowing who He is. That's a difficult concept to explain...the difference between knowing who He is and knowing Him intimately. It's a heart issue rather than a head issue. You can know Him in your head, but have you allowed that knowledge to settle in your heart? 

Some of us have received Christ by saying a prayer. It's called a sinner's prayer. But it goes much deeper than the words of a prayer. Anyone can say they've said this prayer and then go about their lives without any sort of change. It's those who have said this prayer and taken it to heart and gone about searching deeper for the true meaning of who Christ is who have learned the difference between knowing who He is and knowing Him intimately. A change takes place that is recognizable.

You've seen the Footprints poem that describes the two sets of footprints in the sand that eventually turn into one. When we know Jesus deep within our spirits, He is there for us. He carries us through the difficult times in our lives. You can even look back sometime, like in the poem, and see where you were carried by Him...if you have received Him. 

Oh, I don't doubt for a minute He's walking beside those who don't know Him...yet...waiting for a time when they will give all their troubles to Him. I am able to see that in my own life. I see the people that were brought into my life who caused me to wonder...that wonder was God's nudging. And then one day He became so real to me that I had no choice but to ask Him into my life. 

Jesus is very real. He exists for those who acknowledge Him as an important part of their life. He's got His eyes on everyone, but we all need to make the decision, as Billy Graham would say, for Christ. In other words, we need to make peace with God. 

We are seeing things taking place in this world that are confusing and maybe even causing concern. Where are we headed? How will all this turn out? Jesus Himself talks about these days. He talks about the birth pangs:

Matthew 24:6-8 - And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. 

These things are happening. Just look at the news. A friend and I were talking before church Sunday morning about how when we first received Christ we heard that Jesus was coming soon. For her it was 25 years ago; for me only 12. Neither of us have seen His return; neither have you! In the New Testament we have been warned He is the "soon coming King." There will always be the scoffers who say, "Well, if He hasn't come yet, whose to say He ever will?" Oh, and there are those who state specifically the day Jesus will return. Don't listen to them! No one knows the day or the hour He will return except God. Matthew 24:36 - "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only." 

I wish I could go into detail about how over the past years more of biblical prophecy has taken place. The more things that can be checked off the list, the nearer is His return. 

For those who have a relationship with Jesus, we are not as anxious about what we see happening in the world. Yes, it's troubling, and yes, we will have to go through some difficult times, but, as another sweet, older friend said after I asked what she thought about what's going on in the Middle East, "That means Jesus is returning soon." The gleam in her eye and the smile on her face were precious. There's the difference between those who share in the blessings of Christ through a relationship with Him and those who do not. Why would anyone not want to have this assurance and this sense of peace?

We must be ready today, not tomorrow for His return. Any one of us could die in an instant. If you don't know for sure where you will go when you die, call on the Lord. Ask Him to speak to you. Ask Him to show you how real He is. If you receive Christ, you can rely on Him for all things, He will be all you ever need, you will be secure in His arms and He will carry you home. You will be safe in His arms.

Psalm 71:3 - Be my strong refuge, to which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress.