Everything’s Gonna Be Alright!

"Sing to the LORD a new song,

for he has done marvelous things [for us]..."

- The Psalmist, Psalm 98:1

"In Christ… Everything will be okay in the end. So… if it's not okay… it isn't the end."

- Anonymous

Why do I sometimes keep God at arm's length?

You ever do that? I mean, at my age, I should know better. That in any and every situation… no matter what I'm doing… no matter what I'm up against… being with God is always better than being without God! You believe that, right? So, why then, do we sometimes keep Him at arm's length?

    … Maybe I don't feel deserving of His Help...

    … Or maybe I'm just angry at Him because He didn't stop some bad thing from slamming into my life...

    … Or maybe I feel like He oughta know what I'm going through and shouldn't need an invitation...

    … Or maybe I'm just exhausted from it all and really don't care...

    … But sometimes… I know this is true… I'm just not looking for Him… because I think "I've got this!"

The other day, Fisher, my 3 year old grandson, was out in his back orchard, walking around… kicking rocks… exploring. The problem was… he didn't let anyone know he was back there. So… when we realized he was missing, Candace and I start running around everywhere trying to find him. Finally, looking over the fence, Candace sees him, runs up to him and says, "Fisher! Pawpaw's been looking for you!" And in the sweetest voice, he says, "But I wasn't looking for him." (Smile).

Friends, when I talk about the God of Heaven and Earth who is with us and for us and ahead of us, I'm talking about the God who left Heaven in the person of Jesus Christ to find us… to help us… and to heal us… even when we are not looking for Him! I don't know about you, but that is so, so comforting to me… because most of the time I'm trying to solve problems my own way… to handle deadlines in my own time… to fight battles in my own strength… to figure out solutions in my own mind. In other words… I'm not always looking for God.

But wow! The fact that He is looking for me gives me peace and whispers to my soul that everything's gonna be alright!

Psalm 98 is one of five Psalms called “The Enthronement Psalms”, because they lift up God as the Sovereign King over all Creation. And because He will deliver His people from all suffering and oppression, the psalmist invites us to…

… sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things [for us]..."

- Psalm 98:1

So… what song will I sing to Him? I will sing Ryan Ellis' new song, "Gonna Be Alright"....

                You hear my cry

                My deepest pain

                You listen patiently as long as it takes

                And You whisper truth over lies

                The words that bring me back to life

                Everything's gonna be alright

                Everything's gonna be alright

                You hold me in Your arms

                Until my storm is gone

                Everything's gonna be alright, hmmm

                Everything's gonna be alright!

Why? Because you and I have a Great God in Heaven who is looking for us right now… even if we're not looking for Him… to find us...to help us...to heal us…

Because He loves us!

AMEN.

Pastor Harry