Isaiah 33:2 says “O LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.” This is a good verse to meditate on. It fits well into so many times of our lives. We desperately need the grace of God. We long for Him…even if our longing fools us into thinking we are longing for something else. You know…looking for love in all the wrong places; thinking someone or something will actually fill what my heart craves. I need His strength…not just my own. If my own strength could keep me out of trouble and avoid being entangled in all my hurts, habits and hang-ups…then I would not need Him. But I do, I so desperately do.
I think many of us…really all of us…share this kind of need. For the next eight weeks I will be teaching a series on “BREAKING THE CHAINS OF HURTS, HABITS AND HANG-UPS”. This is a Celebrate Recovery series that applies to so many of us in so many situations. Do not be too quick to think you do not need recovery. The old saying is true…you are either in recovery or in denial. Most people in Celebrate Recovery are not there for alcohol and drugs. They are struggling with grief, mental health issues, broken relationships, PTSD, drama, sexual addictions, pornography, food issues, etc. Don’t get me wrong, we also have many who attend because of addictions and struggles with alcohol and drugs. I have no doubt that all of us have someone in our family struggling with one or more of these issues. Most of us have friends whose lives are in “times of distress” as Isaiah said.
Here is what I am praying for. I am asking the Lord to make us advocates/ ambassadors of Celebrate Recovery. First, we have given out invite cards the past two weeks. We prayed that our Father would direct us to the very persons who need to receive the information on the CR Invite card. Second, I am encouraging all JIBC members to make a commitment to attend Celebrate Recovery one or two times. This is not my sneaky way of getting you to attend CR. It is my direct way of saying you can be a better advocate/ambassador for Celebrate Recovery if you have been and actually seen how it works. Join us at 5:30 for the Fellowship Meal; then stay for the Celebration service from 6:30-7:10. After that, you would be welcomed to visit one of the support groups. Third, pray for Celebrate Recovery. It truly is one of the JIBC missions that takes the light of Christ to the dark places of the world.
Good Lord willing, see you Sunday when we talk about “Where to get help when you are hurt.”
Pastor Tom
