Psalm 37:23-24, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with his hand.” (Psalm 17:5)

Not only does God lift us up out of our trough of misery, but He holds us up. And He keeps holding us up as we rest in Him. It is so much better to be up than down, and this is where God wants us to be.

I am sure you have noticed that when your baby is very upset that he will not be pacified when you sit and hold him. No. He wants to be lifted up and held. He wants you to hold him while you walk around. Sit down. Oh no! He  cries again.  He wants to be up where you are! He wants to see the world from your point of view. He must feel really out-of-it looking up at us giants. No wonder babies love to be carried in our arms and carried around in baby carriers.

I think it is the same with us. It is easy to grovel when we look at circumstances from our puny point of view. We see the worst. The problems loom large and insurmountable. We can’t see our way out. But God comes. He lifts us up and holds us up. When He holds us, we start to see things from His point of view. We see from an eternal perspective. We receive His wisdom to know what to do. We look down upon our problems instead of being submerged by them.

How does God hold us? He carries us in His strong arms. He holds us with His mighty right arm. When David was being pursued by enemies he confessed to the Lord, “Your right hand has held me up.” (Psalm 18:35) When he was in the wilderness, he cried, “Your right hand upholds me.” (Psalm 63:8)

Now read this wonderful promise in Isaiah 41:10 and 13, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand… For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’”

The word “uphold” in the Hebrew means “to sustain, to maintain, to stay up.” God doesn’t lift us up to drop us. He holds us up to sustain us. He wants to keep us “stayed up.” He does this with His mighty right hand. God’s right hand speaks of His power and His action and His hand doesn’t get tired.  He carries us and holds us up from the womb to the grave. I love the words of Isaiah 46:3-4, “Listen to me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been upheld by me from birth, who have been carried from the womb: even to your old age, I am he, and even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.” (Isaiah 63:9) The Psalmist affirms this too, “By you I have been upheld from my birth.” (Psalm 71:6)

Not only does God uphold us with His right hand, but His eternal Word upholds us. The Psalmist confesses in Psalm 119:116, “Uphold me according to your word, that I may live.” Do you want to be held up daily? Trust in the Lord and read His Word daily. His life-giving words will sustain you. They will hold you up when everything and everyone is trying to pull you down.

The enemy of your soul, the devil, wants you down. He wants to keep you in the pits. Don’t fall for his subtle tactics. Put your hand in the mighty hand of the Lord. Let Him carry you. Feed on His Word and it will hold you up.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Oh God, I confess that I cannot hold myself up. But I thank you that you have promised to hold me up. I cling to you and to your life-giving words. Thank you, Lord.”

AFFIRMATION:

“A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,

He taketh my burden away;

He holdeth me up, and I shall not be moved,

He giveth me strength for each day.”

Job 22:29, “When men are cast down then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble.”

Are you feeling on top or down in the pits? Perhaps I can hear you answer,  “Sometimes I’m up and sometimes I’m down! Sometimes I feel great and other times I feel lousy.” 

I have wonderful news for you. When you are cast down, you don’t have to stay down. Even when you are down in the dungeon of despair, you don’t have to stay there! There is lifting up. Did you receive those wonderful words? Embrace them into your mind and your heart. There is lifting up! If you stay in the pit of self-pity or the depths of despair, it is your own choice, for God is waiting to lift you up! This is His name. He is The Lifter Up. Oh what a wonderful and faithful God.

David confesses in Psalm 40:2, “He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out from the bog and the mire, and set my feet on a hard, firm path and steadied me as I walked along.” (TLB) Another time when David was in one of the most terrible times of his whole life -- fleeing for safety from his own son, Absalom, he still confessed, “But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.” (Psalm 3:3) Commenting on this Scripture, Charles Spurgeon writes, “There is a lifting up in honour after shame, in health after sickness, in gladness after sorrow, in restoration after a fall, in victory after a temporary defeat; in all these respects the Lord is the lifter up of our head.”

You may stumble and fall. This is part of life because not one of us is perfect! But the truth that we must live by is that no matter how many times we fall down, God will lift us up again. Not only will he pull you up out of your slimy pit, but also He will lift up your head. He lifts up your head so you can see clearly again. He lifts up your head to focus on Him instead of on your difficulties. He lifts up your head to behold Him so you will not be ashamed. Psalm 34:4 remind us that “They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.”

Can you make the words, “There is lifting up” part of your vocabulary? Say them continually. When you feel you are sliding into gloom or negativity, confess them out loud! When you feel wounded from hurtful words, confess them out loud! When you think there is no hope, confess them out loud. You’ll stay up before you can go down!

One reminder -- this promise is only for the humble. We can’t pull ourselves up. When we think we can do it in our own strength, we’ll fail, but when we cry out to God in humility, He’ll be waiting. The Amplified Version of Job 22:29 says, “When they make you low, you will say, There is lifting up; and the humble person He lifts up and saves.” The Living Bible says, “If you are attacked and knocked down, you will know that there is someone who will lift you up again. Yes, He will save the humble.”

When we get into a habit of continually speaking these words to ourselves, we’ll then be able to say to them to others too. We’ll say them to our husband. We’ll say them to our children. These are the words of encouragement that should roll off our lips to those who are down. I like the translation of this Scripture by Rev. Thomas Robinson, D.D. “When men are cast down (or, ‘when they shall cast thee down,’ or, ‘when thou art depressed’) then thou shalt say (to thyself, or to others), there is (or, ‘shall be’) lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.”

God wants you to be on the up instead of on the down.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Oh God, I thank you that you are the Lifter up of my head. I can’t pull myself up. Others can’t lift me out of my dregs. You alone can and I trust you to help me. I will not stay down. I embrace you as my Lifter Up. Thank you, Lord. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

“I want to live above the world,

Though Satan’s darts at me are hurled;

For faith has caught the joyful sound,

The song of saints on higher ground.”

Titus 3:3-5 NAS, “Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips, nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be dishonored.”

I believe in working women. God is into working women. But God has ordained the place where they are to work. It is in the home. Before God created the woman He prepared a garden home ready for her. He designed this place for you to work. It is perfect for creativity. It is most suited for optimum results. It is the most protected environment. It is where God intended children to be raised. It is where you will accomplish the most for God. In the heart of your home you are in the perfect will of God.

When you are asked, “Do you go to work?” your immediate reply should be, “Yes, of course!”

“Where do you go to work?” the question continues.

“In the best place, my home,” you reply.

Accept your home as the place where God has chosen for you to work. And remember it is a place to work! When your husband gets up in the morning, does he go off to work in his pajamas? No, he gets dressed in his suit if he works in the business world, or into his working clothes if he works with his hands! Dear mother, when you get up, get dressed and ready to tackle the day’s work. Don’t loaf around in your dressing gown drinking cups of coffee when an important work awaits you.

You have no insignificant task. You have the most important and influential work in the nation as you build a strong stable home and raise children who will determine the future of the nation and even the world! This work is taxing. This work takes all your physical and emotional strength. This work takes prayer. It takes brain power! Oh yes, contrary to humanistic propaganda, building a home and raising a powerful family for God takes brain power. To do this great assignment well you have to use all your creativity and all your brain power! You can’t do it effectively part time. You can’t do it lolling around. You have to go to work!

There are two early manuscripts from which the Bible is translated. Regarding today’s Scripture, some translate the phrase “keepers at home” as ‘oikouros’. This is a combination of two words:

‘oikos’ – home, and ‘ouros’ – guard = guardian of the home

Other translations use the word, ‘oikourogo’ which is also a combination of two words:

‘oikos’– home, and ‘ergon’ – work = worker at home

Dear lovely mother, don’t complain about all you have to do. Complaining drains your energy. Realize it is all part of your great job assignment. Roll up your sleeves, go to work and do it. God is your employer and He has given you your home in which to accomplish this great work.  Make your home a lovely environment in which to work. Make it a safe, secure, stable, sound, serene and sanctified place in which to raise your children.

Don’t approach your work with resignation and negativity. Do it with joy. Confess, “I love to work.” God designed for us to work. He introduced it before the fall of man. It is for our blessing. And hard work won’t kill you. You’ll feel tired, but you’ll sleep well! In fact you’ll sleep better the harder you work. Work with a good attitude – willingly, joyfully, fervently, faithfully, without grumbling and do everything as unto the Lord. Do it diligently and properly.

Are you ready for work today?

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Oh God, I thank you for giving me my home in which to work and serve you. Thank you that this is the place you have chosen for me to raise our children. Help me to work diligently as I train them for you and make my home a clean, wholesome environment to fulfill my great commission. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

1 Timothy 5:14, “I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.”
 

The New Testament also gives us the same understanding that we are to be the rulers of our homes. The phrase, ‘guide the house’ is the Greek word ‘oikodespoteo’. It is a combination of two words –

‘oikos’ – home, household, family

‘despotes’ – master, ruler
 

Here we have the same meaning again, that God has given to women the charge, not to manage their husband’s lives but to manage their own households. We have the responsibility from God to keep our homes running smoothly.

We have the testimony of the woman in Proverbs 31:27, “She looks well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.” The Hebrew word for “looks well” is ‘tsaphah’ and it has two meanings.

1) To observe, to keep watch.

Dear mother, don’t look at all the other things that you could be doing outside your home. Instead look to the things that need to be taken care of in your home today. There’s a lot to do. Is the laundry up-to-date? Are the dishes washed? Is your home running smoothly? Are you watching over what needs to be accomplished in your home? Are you watching over the minds and hearts of your children? Are you watching in prayer?

2) To lean forward, to peer into the distance.

The diligent mother not only watches over the daily affairs of her home but she also looks ahead. She has stores of water and food in case of an emergency.

More than that, she looks into the future and makes decisions, based not only on the present, but how they will affect the future of her children. She also knows that mothering is not just for today but for the years ahead and the generations to follow. This mother knows that she is training children for God’s divine purpose. Because she sees the bigger picture, the constant little things that go wrong from day to day do not frustrate her. She knows that pouring her heart into her home and teaching and training her children will have national and eternal consequences.

I love the words of Rev. T. De  Witt Talmage, “Thank God, O woman, for the quietude of your home, and that you are queen in it. Men come at eventide to the home; but all day long you are there, beautifying it, sanctifying it, adorning it, blessing it. Better be there than wear a queen’s coronet. Better be there than carry the purse of a princess. It may be a very humble home. There may be no carpet on the floor. There may be no pictures on the wall. There may be no silks in the wardrobe; but, by your faith in God, and your cheerful demeanor, you may garniture that place with more splendor than the upholsterer’s hand ever kindled.”

Your home is not a prison to restrict your life. It is a place where God can use you to influence many lives for Him, firstly your children, and multitudes of others who will come into your home over the years. My greatest delight is to bring people into our home, to feed them at our table and by God’s grace, to show them God’s love and lead them closer to God.

I also love the words my daughter, Pearl, wrote about her grandmother, my mother. “It was in her kitchen that she welcomed friends and those who were lonely. An herb tea made in a pottery teapot and ‘something nourishing to eat’ were the items on her menu during visiting hours, though there never seemed to be a closing time. But it wasn’t just for the homemade food they came. It was the listening ear she offered and the well-chosen words of counsel. Her kitchen was not only a place to feed the hungry. It was a psychiatry office with a stool for a couch.”

Begin to dream about the wonderful things that can happen in your home.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Oh Lord, please help me to make my home a beautiful place for you to dwell and a peaceful home for my family to live in. Show me how I can serve you and serve people in my home, rather than rushing out to meetings and leaving my children. Oh God, please use me to love and nurture many people to you in my home . Amen.

AFFIRMATION: