Greetings brothers and sisters in Christ and children of God,

I trust you had a good New Year. If your new year did not start out as planned then have faith and trust in the Lord, for He has plans for you (Jerimiah 29:11).

Have you ever misplaced your keys? What about your glasses, or the remote for the TV? Such things we set down and we forget where we set them down. We search and search, but cannot find them. Perhaps we blame someone else for moving them, or we get frustrated or angry that we cannot find them. Then after searching everywhere we find them in the most simple places. The keys in a coat pocket or on a table. The remote in the chair next to us or between cushions. Your glasses on your head. 

It is easy for us to misplace things and forget where we put them. For some of us we can blame it on our age if we choose too, but the reality is that we all do it from time to time and it can be frustrating. Perhaps there are some who have misplaced God and forgotten where He is.

We recently finished the Christmas season and heard the name Emmanuel in many Christmas songs. It is the name given to Jesus, and it means “God with us.”  God has not gone anywhere, but is with us always. When our circumstances become great and we begin to focus on them we have this bad habit of forgetting about God and we unintentionally misplace Him. Once we realize it we begin to search for Him and sometimes we get angry or frustrated that we cannot find Him, yet He is where He always is, with us.

I believe that since we cannot see God, or touch or hear God, we misplace Him. We do not necessarily forget Him but we forget where He is and we begin to put our focus on our circumstances as if we need to fix them. We begin to search for the answers to our problems and perhaps we begin to search for God. Searching for God is not just finding your bible and searching the Word. Searching for God is as simple as being still and praying with a soft voice and a true heart. He hears the cries because He is right there with you. He is next to you. He is in the cushion, in the coat pocket, on your head. When you have a relationship with God, He is in your heart. You need not go far to find HIm, but you may need to trust Him to answer your prayer in His time. And sometimes His not answering is because He has a better plan for you.

As you enter this new year with a new journey of your life, remember that God is only one spoken word away. Whatever word that maybe, if it comes from your heart, He will hear you.

Last week, the little lambs learned about how Christmas did not just end with the birth of Christ but that the story continued with the confirmation that he was the Son of God by two devout worshippers in the temple who recognized him as the Messiah. We also read the encounter of the wise men who came to bring gifts to the newborn King and how Mary and Joseph were sent to Egypt and their return to Nazarath which fulfilled the prophecy that God’s son would come out of Egypt (Hosea 11:1). This week, we will return to our Old Testament roots and learn about the story of Moses becoming angry with people and disobeying God, and what it cost him.

I look forward to worshiping our Lord and Savior with you tomorrow with songs of praise and dancing before the One through all blessings flow. If for whatever reason I do not see you, may the Lord bless you with joy, peace, and an ever flowing happiness, and may He comfort you, heal you, and guide you when you are in need.

God bless you,

Your brother in Christ,

Michael (aka Mr. Michael)