Open Arms

Our God is truly an Awesome God. I can probably add a video or an audio to this story and start singing to you, Rich Mullins 1988 Contemporary Worship Song, “Our God is an Awesome God, he reigns from Heaven above,” but that is not what I am going to do. I would not put you through the torture of hearing me sing. Instead, what I want to do and focus on, is to help you understand, and leave you believing, what an Awesome God we can serve if we truly have faith in Him.

It is easy for me to say that God is good, that God is great, and have you say Amen afterwards; but do you, deep down in your heart believe it?

How many of us have gone through trials?

Our trials and struggles with bills, jobs, sickness, illness, death, pain, sufferings, separations, divorce, and so on. We can not help but wonder why me or when will it end?

There is no doubt that many of us have gone through trials and struggles, and some today are facing those trials as we speak.

You may be saying, “No one knows what I have gone through or the trials I am facing. No one has endured my pain.” The truth is, you are right, we do not know, but I can assure you, that you are not alone; we all go through trials.

I can not even begin to tell you about the trials I have faced and those that I still continue to endure.

Loved ones, know this; nowhere in the Bible does it say that you will never face trials, as a matter of fact….

James 1:2-4 — English Standard Version
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

This pandemic we have been going through the past two years does not even begin to help us release stress, find peace, or ease our hearts and minds in any way. All we can do is wonder, “Where is God?”
Well, I am going to try my best to answer that question.

God is with you. He is weeping with you. God is in front of you with His Open Arms and His hands held out, waiting for you to reach out.

It is easy to put blame on everyone and everything that has caused us pain and sorrow; we even put blame on God.

“If God is a loving God, if He does care, then why will He let me go through these trials?”
Truth is, the question we should be asking is why haven’t I given these trials over to the Lord? Why haven’t I run to His Open Arms?

For those of you who are married or even divorced. Think back to when you first fell in love with your spouse. Do you remember how it felt when you would hold each other? I am not talking about when you were married, I am talking about the very first time you were dating, as a boyfriend and girlfriend. How you would get the childish smiles and the giggles every time you hugged each other, and let us not forget the sweaty palms every time you held hands. How you would look into each others eyes and smile in shyness and embarrassment.

When you embraced one another and each of you felt that this is what you want for the rest of your life. That the embrace you are receiving is giving you comfort and makes you feel loved and adored. You Hope and Pray that this moment never ends. Unfortunately, it does not always last forever and sometimes it does come to an end.

For you parents, think back to when your kids were young and would come running up to you first thing in the morning and jump on you while you were still laying in bed. They would hug you and sometimes even kiss you. How happy they were to see you and how happy you were seeing their smiling faces. You could not help but hug them back and not want to ever let go.

Of course, when they grow older, you barely get a hello from them and if you try to hug them, they push you away and say, “Dad, I am not a baby anymore!”

I am not saying everyone has dealt with this, but I am sure we have all faced very similar situations to these. We need that embrace, that show of affection, that comfort, and to feel real love. As the years go by, sometimes we do not get it as often, or for some, never again.

The thing about God is that He is the one with His arms open and His hands held out, wanting that embrace. He is waiting for us to go running to Him, to jump on His lap, so that we can feel his hugs and His love. But be forewarned, once God gives you that hug, that embrace, that show of His Love, his affection; unlike our spouse and our children, God never grows tired. He promises to never let go.

Romans 8:38 – New Life Version
For I know that nothing can keep us from the love of God. Death cannot! Life cannot! Angels cannot! Leaders cannot! Any other power cannot! Hard things now or in the future cannot!

When we get an embrace from our children, from our spouse, we are assuring them that they are safe in our arms. Often times a simple kiss will take away any pain a child endures.

When our child gets hurt, and comes running to us crying because they need us to make it feel better. They are coming to us because they need that sign of relief, of comfort, of security, that everything is going to be OK; that things will get better. My dear loved ones, that is what God does.

Why do you think we call Him Father? He is our parent, our comforter, our assurance that everything is going to be OK, but, we need to go running into His Open Arms.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 – English Standard Version
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Cast all your anxieties on God. We need to stop blaming God when things do not go our way, when the weight seems to be too much, because if you are stubborn like me, you will carry those burdens with you and lose complete control of yourself, and when you lose control of yourself you drift away from God. You drift away from everything He has planned for you and has done for you, because you are now blaming Him for your struggles, instead of asking Him, “Daddy, can you kiss them and make them all better?”

Psalm 23:4 – English Standard Version 
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

God will not give up on you, but you may find yourself giving up on Him. The sad thing is, that He will still be standing there with Open Arms, and His hands held out the entire time. Not really a sad thing, but I am sure you know what I mean. For unlike our marriage, and unlike our children, who are now too old for hugs and kisses, God never gets tired of waiting for us and never gets tired of hugging us and holding us, remember, “He will never let go.”

Psalm 55:22 – New International Version 
Cast your cares on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never let
the righteous be shaken.

The Lord wants all of you, not later, not tomorrow, not when things get better, but right now. Your brokenness, your pain, your hurt, your sadness, your anger, your sorrows.

Are you scared, worried, overwhelmed? He is there with you. He has a box of tissues ready to wipe your tears, wanting to embrace you, to assure you that He knows what you are going through and will never let you be shaken.

Matthew 11:28-30 — English Standard Version
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

I still repel with giving God my anxieties, my worries, my struggles. I have a terrible prayer life and don’t pray as much as I want to, as much as I should. The problem with my prayer time is that quite often, I want to ask God why. Why am I struggling, why the quarreling in my marriage, why the anger at work, why the envy, the jealousy, the resentment, why can I not have what I want?

Many times I want to surrender my burdens over to Him but then I hold myself back because of my foolish pride and that evil devil, keeps telling me, “God does not have time for your problems. You should be ashamed of yourself, How can you face God now, You really did not think you were good enough did you?”

But when I do pray and when I do give God my cares, my worries, my fears, when I cry out and tell Him, “Lord, Father, I need you, I cannot do this on my own anymore,” man he comes through in a way that leaves me in awe. For not only does He take care of my problems, but he gives me even more than what I asked for or expected.

Early this week, I shared with some Brothers in Christ, how I needed prayer. (Just for prayers) because some appliances in my home have gone bad. Since I am the sow provider at my home and literally live pay check to paycheck, I did not know how I was going to be able to afford to fix or buy new appliances. Of course, not one appliance went bad but both, the stove, and the refrigerator at the same time. (Isn’t that the way things always happen?) I could not figure out how to give my struggle over to God, because, again, I have a hard time praying and because I am a Man and I will figure it out! (Pride)

What I did do was, I shared it with my Brothers, which was way out of my comfort zone. I believe they prayed for me, and I am sure God heard their prayers because right away, God was at work. Brothers were calling and texting me, asking what was wrong to try to help me fix the problem. Some offering advice, another offered help through his job with special discounts; and by what can only be described as Gods Grace and Glory, I received a financial blessing from a Brother whom I have spoken to but never met in person.

Brothers and Sisters, if that is not God at work, I do not know what it is..

So, we reflect on James 1: 2, where it says, “to Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,” then the end of verse 4, “lacking in nothing.”

That is the God that we serve. That is God, that wants to be a part of your life. The God that is standing in from of you.

Can you picture Him, standing there with Open Arms and His hands held out, waiting for you and telling you, “I know, and I am here.”

Romans 5:3-5 – English Standard Version
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces’ endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

With that being said, rejoice in your suffering, rejoice in the good that is happening; rejoice in knowing that just like when you said, I do when you got married, God did and God does. His vow to you was Love, Joy, Peace, long-suffering, Kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. His vow to you is that He will never leave you nor forsake you. That He knows what you are going through, and He is the way out. He knows what you need and He is your provider. It’s not about what you want, but it is about what He can give you that will also lead you to glorify Him more and more. He may not do it right away. He may not answer right away, but as a witness to many of Gods gifts, and Blessings, I can assure you that when He comes through for you, He will give you more than what you asked for. But remember to always give Him the thanks and Praise that He deserves, because He was there with His Open Arms and hands held out the entire time, and He still is.

God will never let go. The question is, will you receive His embrace, and will you hold on to Him until your dying days and continue through Eternal Life?

The Apostle Paul tells us our weapons are not carnal but mighty through God!

2 Corinthians 10:4 – English Standard Version 
For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.

In every battle, we must learn to stand in Faith believing God’s promise, praise Him, and He will show up and fight for you.

Jesus said, “I know, and I am here.” Give it all to Him, what you cannot handle, He can. What is too much for you to carry, he will carry. What is tearing you apart, He will mend and put back together, what was lost will be found, and what was broken, He will mend, and what was once your old ways, He has cleaned out, forgiven and created new.

Will you embrace Him? Will you run to His Open Arms? Will you say, Daddy, can you make it all Better?

Never-ending Agape Love.
Willie Torres Jr.