By Bill Gaultiere © 2009, 2010
What do you do when you’ve been mistreated and God doesn’t seem to answer your prayers? How do you pray when God seems distant and unconcerned about your pain? We all go through these trials. They don’t mean that God is angry with us or that we’re not good Christians. It may be a dark night of the soul.
In dark night trials we tend to feel alone, but we’re not! The Psalmist understands and in Psalm 44 he shows us how to pray in the dark. Many of our Bible heroes went through these times, most notably Jesus in the [...]
Continue reading The Other Side of Deep Darkness
By Bill Gaultiere © 1992
I spent seven years in my own psychotherapy, getting help with anxiety and depression, learning how to express my feelings better and receive the soul care that I needed. I needed help to get free of my false self and come alive as my true self.
My therapist was “Christ’s Ambassador” to me (2 Corinthians 5:20) and God found me at the bottom of the old well and set me free to be me!
In 1992 I wrote about my personal struggle of going through therapy in my prayer poem: “Becoming ‘I’.” My experience was very much like David’s in Psalm 40:1-5:
“I [...]
Continue reading Becoming “I”
I was driving on a long and lonely road to go backpacking with my son David in Mammoth two years ago. He was sleeping. It was quiet. And before me was a vast stretch of highway winding through the desert and heading into the sky.
I was alone with my Creator in the quiet…
Looking in my rear view mirror I saw that days have turned into weeks and months and years and decades. Time keeps slipping away. Opportunities and people come and go. Sometimes I succeed and other times I don’t. Sometimes people appreciate me and other times they don’t. One day I feel good [...]
Continue reading I Am Because You Are the I AM
You long to be pursued in love. So do I.
“How are you… really? What do you need? What are you hoping for? How can I pray for you?” When someone expresses genuine personal interest in you it is healing. When you open up to grace it is life-giving.
But somewhere along the line we all have felt rejected… devalued… unknown… lost…
And we have learned to deny our hurts… not have emotional needs… distract ourselves from our inner pain… isolate…
We must come to the point where we cry out to God with the Psalmist: “May my cry come before you, O Lord… May [...]
Continue reading Good Shepherd is Looking for You!
Usually its better to slow down!
I was talking with a friend who likes to drive in the fast lane. He thrives on trying to get more done in less time in order to be successful. He’s very productive… and stressed.
He doesn’t realize that he’s continually recruiting adrenaline to give him the boost of energy and confidence that he feels he needs to handle all of his responsibilities. His body’s production of adrenaline is like his own drug manufacturing plant! He has adrenaline dependence.
Other people get their adrenaline hits through extreme sports, risky behavior, or loud music.
Adrenaline is God’s gift to us. [...]
Continue reading Trying to Get More Done in Less Time?
Jesus may have helped build this stone theater
Much of our lives includes ordinary work and chores. We all have to do things that don’t excite us at work or around the house or in running errands. It’s easy to lapse into feeling bored, empty, or like we are trivial. Or to complain (in our thoughts if not out loud) about what we have to do.
This was my temptation beginning my Monday.
To keep from grumping along today I picked up a special prayer rock. It’s piece of the outdoor stone theater in Sephorris, Israel. Jesus may have helped to build this [...]
Continue reading Rejoicing on a Mundane Monday!
When the shepherds in our churches and Christian organizations are depressed, overstressed, or struggling with compulsive behavior then the sheep they care for suffer.
If pastors are not growing in their own intimacy with Jesus then their ministry to others is diminished. If Christian leaders are distracted from setting aside ministry demands to be still with God and open up their hearts to him then they probably are having trouble hearing his voice and relying on his Spirit in their ministry.
Recent statistics…
By Bill Gaultiere © 2009, 2010
