Psalm 57 “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by. I will cry out to God Most High, To God who performs all things for me. He shall send from heaven and save me; He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth His mercy and His truth. My soul is among lions; I lie among the sons of men Who are set on fire, Whose teeth are spears and arrows, And their tongue a sharp sword. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; Let Your glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps; My soul is bowed down; They have dug a pit before me; Into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. Selah. My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise. Awake, my glory! Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing to You among the nations. For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens, And Your truth unto the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; Let Your glory be above all the earth.”
Dear Readers:
We all face hurdles. We all have mountains to climb. We all fear the unknown from time to time. Sometimes our burdens are too much to bear alone. I myself am facing one of those times. I have a court date, finally. On April 2nd, I will argue my first motion for a new trial. If the judge has decency in him and respects the Constitution of the United States, then I should receive a new trial. All I want is a fair trial – one where I am judged not by the color of my skin, but by the facts of the case. It is not just for myself that I would like a new trial, but for all Americans. For what they do to one of us, they do to all of us. In times like these, we must not have faith in man, but in Almighty God. All of this is too much for me to bear alone. Only the Lord can help me carry this load. Only God can help me fight this great injustice – not just for me, but for all of my fellow Americans. What happened in my case must be erased from our justice system. We cannot let fear-mongers turn us into bigots. We must not stereotype one another. Our system must be fair and balanced. It’s 2015. We know better by now. These are the thoughts which swirl through my mind daily. I tell you honestly, without my faith I would be crushed under such weight. Thankfully, my Lord has taught me to put it all in His hands. Every time I am on the verge of collapse, I pray to Him and He keeps me upright and moving forward. When I cannot walk, my Lord carries me.
Thankfully, my Lord has taught me to put it all in His hands. Every time I am on the verge of collapse, I pray to Him and He keeps me upright and moving forward. When I cannot walk, my Lord carries me. When I doubt, He encourages me. He is my protector, my motivator and my shield. He is the One who catches my tears and dries my eyes when I cry myself to sleep in my cell at night.
No man can stand on his own in this world without Jesus. For even the strongest among us will eventually fall without faith. We do not have to carry these burdens. We can let go and let God. We have to lift them up to Him. We must pray earnestly. James 5:13-18 says, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.” We must pray, not just for ourselves, but for each other. United we stand and divided we fall. I am not alone in this battle. The Lord is with me and He has blessed me with brothers and sisters in Christ whom are by my side. They offer constant prayer on my behalf and I for them. Whatever you are facing, you don’t have to face it alone. God is listening. Pray and put it in His mighty hands. Ask other Christians to pray for you and with you. I know I will pray for anyone who asks me to pray for them. It is my duty as a Christian.
God loves you. He wants you to ask Him for help. All you have to do is have faith and trust Him. He won’t always give you what you want, but He will give you what you need. His word is bond. He keeps His promises. Let the Lord be your fortress, your rock. Let Him shield you and strengthen you with His love. He is impenetrable and invincible. Praise God for He is good; For His mercy endures forever! Amen! Trust Him. You know, it may very well be that I will spend the rest of my life physically incarcerated. Though it is unjust, I am prepared for that. I shall not curse my Lord for it. For I know He has a plan and what must be, will be. I am but a man, thus I cannot pretend to understand the Creator’s omnipotent mind. Therefore, when I pray, I pray that His will be done… as we all should. My Lord has given me a steel reserve. Praise God! He wants to do the same for all of you.
One of the reasons I share this experience with you all is to let you know that God is real. He is working in my life and He wants to work in yours. It is my duty as a Christian to share the encouragement and strength that the Lord has given me with the world. I am a living testament to the Lord’s power and glory. You can be too. I am not special. Let God use you to spread His light and love. Be an example. Be His messenger. The world is not perfect. We all must face struggles and perils. Such is life. The only thing perfect in this world is Love – My brothers and sisters, I promise you that God is Love. To know Him is to know peace and joy. His love is eternal. We must not let the sorrows of this world swallow us up. We must not let our burdens weigh us down and crush us. There is NO defeat in Christ Jesus. Hallelujah! Praise God! Amen! Put it all in His mighty hands. Let go and let God. Worry will profit you nothing.
May God bless and keep you! May you allow Him to strengthen you! May you put it all in His mighty hands.
Love in Christ,
Randall
[“He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” is a traditional American spiritual.
It was first published in the paper-bound hymnal Spirituals Triumphant, Old and New in 1927.]
Lyrics:
| : He’s got the whole world in His hands : | 3x
He’s got the whole world in His hands
| : He’s got the itty bitty baby in His hands : | 3x
He’s got the whole world in His hands
| : He’s got a-you and me brother in His hands : | 3x
He’s got the whole world in His hands
| : He’s got a-you and me sister in His hands : | 3x
He’s got the whole world in His hands
| : He’s got the whole world in His hands : | 3x
He’s got the whole world in His hands