To bless a senior

When I started college, it was with the idea that I would end up being a high school band director. It did not happen. When I flunked my tryout for band, I ended up majoring in math and physics—for the first year. The next year, I switched to theology. By the time I graduated from college and seminary, I had learned the tools pastors need to do ministry. But there was a lot about doing ministry I did not know yet.

For example, at a camp meeting a year or two later, I encountered a lady who had known me since I was a child.

“John,” she said, “you don’t get along with elderly people very well, do you?”

I did not want to acknowledge it, but she was right. As the years passed, I sort of tolerated senior adults,¹ but they were far from being my favorite people.

Basic likeability

Some things take time to develop. How do you care for someone you really do not like very well? For my part, I sort of tossed seniors under the bus and kept on going. Gradually, though, specific individuals began to connect with me. Early on, the patriarch and matriarch of one of my three churches (everyone called them Grandma and Grandpa) made their mark at Friday night’s young people’s meeting. One week, one of their great-granddaughters did something that struck Grandpa funny, and he started laughing.

“You old goat!” she said. “If you could hear, you wouldn’t be laughing.”

“Well,” he replied, laughing on, “if you could see, you would be laughing.”

It brought the house down and began a process that would end with me beginning to like seniors. When the couple died and I conducted their funerals, practically the entire town showed up. Everyone liked them.

As more years passed, I met other seniors who all taught me the basic likability of older individuals. I also learned that although not all seniors may be that likable, every one of them has great value, particularly in the experiences they have had and what they can contribute—if we only give them the opportunity.

Enjoying serving

Just a few years ago, after retiring, I moved back to Berrien Springs. I loved the community, particularly Pioneer Memorial Church (PMC). Sometime later, the PMC pastor for pastoral care had to step away from doing ministry. Lead pastor Dwight Nelson got a hold of me and succeeded in persuading me to take the position. (So much for my retirement.)

I asked Pastor Dwight, “What is my job description?” His response was, “Show up.” This included marriages, deaths, funerals, hospitalizations, anniversaries, or what-have-you. I thought about it and realized that if it was significant to an individual and/or their family, as their pastor, I needed to be with them. At last, all that I had learned about seniors and ministering to them coalesced, and I began to really enjoy serving them.

PMC called it Home Bound Ministry, and the church at large viewed me as the primary visitor. Everyone needed care, and I was being called on to minister to everyone as needed, not just seniors—I could not minister to seniors all by myself. Since we had a group of almost a dozen individuals who had a concern for seniors, I began to rely on them to fill in the gaps. Today, we call it the Home Visitation Ministry, and I appreciate these individuals and their work more than ever.

How to visit seniors

Of all the things I have learned and can think of to minister to seniors, one responsibility stands out way beyond all the others: visiting. Seniors need to be visited. Members need to visit them, but most of all, pastors need to visit. If we want to get acquainted with someone, senior or not, we need to spend time one-on-one with them, and visiting is the best way to do it.

With some people we need to set up a time ahead of time, while with others all we need do is simply show up. Plan to spend at least an hour asking a few questions but mainly listening. The classic acronym for visiting questions is FORT, to which I add an H: Family, Occupation, Religion, Testimony, and History. Plan to spend maybe an hour with them, listening to what they want to share with you. Then, make sure to pray with them.

Shortly after you leave, take the time to make notes on your visit. Date them. The date is important because it will serve as a prompt that it’s time for another visit, and the notes will remind you of what you learned last time and give direction about where you need to go this time.

What are their main concerns?

Now that I am a senior myself, I have learned more firsthand about what seniors think and worry about. One of the concerns visiting pastors need to pursue is the spiritual dimension of the senior you are visiting (the “R” in FORTH). Are they praying? Reading the Word? Viewing or listening to spiritually edifying material? They need encouragement to maintain and strengthen their walk with the Lord so that they know He still loves them very much.

Sometimes seniors can get discouraged or disheartened—maybe even with a sense of hopelessness. Encourage them as needed.

What ministry can they do?

As you get acquainted, do your best to connect them with a ministry they can do for others: prayer, phoning, sending greeting cards (which the church should provide with stamps). If they can walk, challenge them to be a neighborhood prayer walker/warrior.

Ron Halvorsen Sr. challenged a lady, we will call her Ruby, to be a neighborhood prayer walker. Ruby finally agreed after being assured that she did not need to knock on anyone’s door. Then the Holy Spirit began telling her she needed to knock on a specific door. Ruby objected, informing Him that her pastor had told her she did not need to. The Spirit kept pressing her, and Ruby finally knocked on the door. A lady answered the knock. After Ruby explained what she was doing, the neighbor lady tearfully asked Ruby to pray for her hospitalized husband.

Ruby kept walking and praying day after day. Then, one day the neighbor lady called her over.

“I want to introduce you to someone,” she said.

The neighbor opened the door, and there stood her husband, who was home and almost perfectly well!

Ruby was encouraged, so she designed and printed some cards to distribute about her ministry. Now her neighbors no longer contact their pastors; they contact their prayer warrior, Ruby. You could not convince Ruby not to do what she’s doing now!

Memory challenges

What about seniors with dementia or other memory-loss diseases? A member of one of my previous churches had her mother in an adult memory unit. Whenever the mother received a visit, she lit up like the proverbial Christmas tree. During the visit, she just plain came alive. Although she did not know who we were, she would ask. As my wife put her hand on her shoulder or arm, she would tell her the church she was from, and the dear lady would remember with happiness. When the time came to leave, the lady would almost beg: “Oh, do come see me again, won’t you?” We always said we would and gladly drove the 20 miles out of the way because the visit brought this dear woman such joy that someone had come to see her. Although she would not remember the visit, the minutes there brought incredible joy, not only for those being visited but also for the visitors.

Inspirational cards

One of the things I learned from my predecessor was to keep a few inspirational cards in my pocket. Example: “Help and grace sufficient for every circumstance are promised by Him whose word is truth. His everlasting arms encircle the soul that turns to Him for aid. In His care we may rest safely, saying, ‘What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee’ (Ps. 56.3).”² If the person whom you leave a card with is in the hospital, suggest to them that they ask a nurse to read it to them. That way, the nurse gets to see it too.

Love on them

You will meaningfully impact seniors’ lives if you just love on them. Love is such a powerful motivator. If you are loving on the person, they will know it, and your love will make a significant impact on the senior and their family! Most families would be so appreciative, knowing that their senior family member is being visited and cherished by his or her pastor.

These are a few suggestions you can borrow or steal. Ideally, they should help lift your seniors’ spirits. May these words point you and the seniors you minister to in the direction of meaningful living, no matter what the age or circumstance.

WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

1. Wait patiently for the Lord. He will be to you a present help in every time of need. The Lord is good. Praise His Holy name. God loves to have us trust Him, loves to have us have confidence in His promises. Only believe, and we shall see the workings of God. {2SM 247}
2. Be of good courage. Keep looking up. Jesus is the only hope of us all. He will not leave or forsake you. Precious are the promises of God. We will hold them fast. We will not let them go. {2SM 249}
3. Lean on Me, lean hard. I will bear you up. My arm shall never fail you. It shall be strong to support you over all the rough and difficult places. Only make Me your trust and you shall be guided safely and upheld firmly. {2SM 260}
4. Trust yourself in the hands of Jesus. Do not worry. Do not think God has forgotten to be gracious. Jesus lives and will not leave you. May the Lord be your staff, your support, your front guard, your rearward. {2SM 248}
5. Your mind may often be clouded because of pain. Then do not try to think, but just rest ... Let your heart and mind be at rest, like a tired child in the arms of its mother. His everlasting arms are beneath you... "Strong is the strength which God supplies through His eternal Son."... The word of His grace is manna to the believing soul. The precious promises of the Word are life, sweetness, and peace. {9MR 288}
6. Help and grace sufficient for every circumstance are promised by Him whose word is truth. His everlasting arms encircle the soul that turns to Him for aid. In His care we may rest safely, saying, "What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee" (Ps. 56:3). {God's Amazing Grace, 21}
7. Your days may not all be clear and joyful, but let not this afflict you. In meekness, faith, and endurance, wait, hope, and trust. Your life is hidden with Christ in God. Your life, even now, may be a lesson to all, showing that one can be happy in the failing of strength under affliction. \/\/hen the deep waters go over the soul, God's presence makes holy the ct1arnber of His dying saints. {DG 218.2}
8. The Christian is subject to sickness, disappointment, poverty, reproach, and distress. Yet amid all this he loves God, he chooses to do His will, and prizes nothing so highly as His approbation. In the conflicting trials and changing scenes of this life, he knows that there is One who knows it all, One who will bend His ear low to the cry of the sorrowful and distressed, One who can sympathize with every sorrow and soothe the keen anguish of every heart. {OHC 9}
9. Beholding the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world, he finds the peace of Christ; for pardon is written against his name, and he accepts the word of God, "Ye are complete in him." How hard is it for humanity, long accustomed to cherish doubt, to grasp this great truth! But what peace it brings to the soul, what vital life. {RC 76.6}
10. All He requires of you now is to rest in His love. He has you in His keeping. You have fought the battles of the Lord Jesus Christ, you have kept the faith, and henceforth there is laid up for you a crown of life, to be your reward in that day when life and immortality shall be given to all who have kept the faith and have not denied the Saviour's name. {RY 144.2}
11. Like the apostle you may say, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing" (2 Tim. 4:7, 8). {RY 144.3a}
12. If you give yourself to Him, and accept Him as your Saviour, then, sinful as your life may have been, for His sake you are accounted righteous. Christ's character stands in place of your character, and you are accepted before God just as if you had not sinned. {SC 62}
13. All you are expected to do is rest in His love. Do not worry. Jesus loves you, and now when you are weak and suffering, He holds you in His arms, just as a loving Father holds a little child. Trust in Him in whom you have believed. Has He not loved and cared for you all through your lifetime? Just rest in the precious promises given you. {This Day with God, 313}
14. He feels every pang of anguish that His loved ones feel. Just rest in His arms and know that He is your Saviour, and your very best Friend, and that He will never leave nor forsake you. He has been your dependence for many years, and your soul may rest in hope. {2MCP 491.2}
15. Trust yourself in the hands of Jesus. Do not worry. Do not think God has forgotten to be gracious. Jesus lives and will not leave you. May the Lord be your staff, your support, your front guard, your rearward. {2SM 248}
16. Look to Jesus. Trust in Jesus, whether you live or die. He is your Redeemer. He is our Life-giver. If you fall asleep in Jesus He will bring you forth from the grave to a glorious immortality. May He give you peace and comfort and hope and joy from henceforth. {2SM 254}
17. Do not be troubled. Jesus loves you, and will care for and bless you. The active, aggressive battle you can no more fight, but you can let Jesus fight it for you. He says to you, "Give your case entirely into My hands. Be still and know that I am God." {9MR 289}
18. At all times and in all places, in all sorrows and in all afflictions, when the outlook seems dark and the future perplexing, and we feel helpless and alone, the Comforter will be sent in answer to the prayer of faith. Circumstances may separate us from every earthly friend; but no circumstance, no distance, can separate us from the heavenly Comforter. Wherever we are, wherever we may go, He is always at our right hand to support, sustain, uphold, and cheer. {DA 669.4}
19. We may bring Him our little cares and perplexities as well as our greater troubles. Whatever arises to disturb or distress us, we should take it to the Lord in prayer. {FLB 225.5}
20. Our divine Lord is equal to any emergency. With Him nothing is impossible. He has shown His great love for us by living a life of self-denial and sacrifice and by dying a death of agony. Come to Christ just as you are.... Cast yourself wholly on His mercy. There is no difficulty within or without that cannot be surmounted in His strength. {HP 17.3}
21. Through all of our trials we have a never-failing Helper. He does not leave us alone to struggle with temptation, to battle with evil, and be finally crushed with burdens and sorrow. Though now He is hidden from mortal sight, the ear of faith can hear His voice saying, "Fear not; I am with you." {LHU 204}
22. Often your mind may be clouded because of pain. Then do not try to think. You know that Jesus loves you. He understands your weakness. You may do His will by simply resting in His arms. {MH 251}
23. Your mind may often be clouded because of pain. Then do not try to think, but just rest... Let your heart and mind be at rest, like a tired child in the arms of its mother. His everlasting arms are beneath you... Do not be troubled. Jesus loves you, and will care for and bless you. The active, aggressive battle you can no more fight, but you can let Jesus fight it for you. He says.to you, "Give your case entirely into My hands. Be still and know that I am God." {9MR 288-289}
24. Now when you can no longer be active, and infirmities press upon you, all that God requires of you is to trust Him. Commit the keeping of your soul to Him as unto a faithful Creator. His mercies are sure, His covenant is everlasting... Let your mind grasp the promises and hold to them. If you cannot call to mind readily the rich assurance contained in the precious promises, listen to them from the lips of another. {RC 281}
25. That your mind is clouded is no evidence that Christ is not your precious Saviour. Now that the childhood of age has come upon you, He regards you as no less His child. Your religious life bears its testimony now as in the past. You have believed the word of God, and in perplexities and trials have acted according to that word. {RY 144.3}
26. "All things work together for good to them that love God" (Rom. 8:28). Could your eyes be opened, you would see your heavenly Father bending over you in love and could you hear His voice, it would be in tones of compassion to you who are prostrate with suffering and affliction. Stand fast in His strength; there is rest for you, the weary.--{TDG 348}
27. You may believe that Jesus is true to you, even though you feel yourself to be the weakest and most unworthy of His children. And as you believe, all your dark, brooding doubts are thrown back upon the archdeceiver who originated them. You can be a great blessing if you will take God at His word. By living faith you are to trust Him, even though the impulse is strong within you to speak words of distrust. {TM 517.3}
28. The soul that is stayed upon God commits to Christ all that perplexes, all that annoys, all that gives anxiety. The light of Christ shines in the soul in all goodness and peace. {TMK 190.3}
29. The thought that the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us, not because of any merit on our part, but as a free gift from God, is a precious thought. The enemy of God and man is not willing that this truth should be clearly presented; for he knows that if the people receive it fully, his power will be broken. {GW 161.1}
30. We know that in sadness and grief we feel very frail, but we know that Jesus is right by our side to sympathize with us, and He will help us. We can commune with our best Friend; He is right by our side. We need not go into the heavens to bring Him down, for He is right by us to help us. {CTr 42.4}
31. The Lord will be with you. He is your ever-present Helper, and you may know He will never leave nor forsake you... Do not worry about anything. You have kept the faith, and for you is laid up a crown of life, which Christ, the righteous Judge, shall give you at that day, and not to you only, but to all them who love His appearing (see 2 Timothy 4:8). {UL 164.5}
32. Do not worry... The Lord is acquainted with your situation. Nothing escapes His notice. He will hear your prayers; for He is a prayer-hearing and a prayer­ answering God. Put your trust in Him, and He will certainly bring relief, in His own way... Let us trust in God, and let our faith take hold of Him most earnestly. {Ev 392.4}
33. When we trust God fully, when we rely upon the merits of Jesus as a sin­ pardoning Saviour, we shall receive all the help that we can desire. {FLB 80.8}
34. The Lord Jesus is your personal intercessor......... Repeat over and over many times through the day, "Jesus has died for me. He saw me in peril, exposed to destruction, and poured out His life to save me.................................................... He will not fail to raise me up." He has become the advocate for man. He has lifted up those who believe in Him and placed a treasure house of blessing at their demand............................................. We may draw upon God every moment. As we turn to Him, He answers, "Here I am." {HP 79.2}
35. God will do great things for those who trust in Him. The reason why His professed people have no greater strength is that they trust so much to their own wisdom, and do not give the Lord an opportunity to reveal His power in their behalf. He will help His believing children in every emergency if they will place their entire confidence in Him and faithfully obey Him. {PP 493.2}
36. Whatever may be your circumstances, however dark and mysterious may be the ways of Providence, though the path may be through the deep waters, and trials and bereavements may afflict again and again, the assurance still comes, "All things work together for good to them that love God" (Romans 8:28). "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I haye committed unto him against that day" (2 Timothy 1:12). {2SM 261}
37. Power will come from God in answer to the prayer of faith. At all times and in all places, in all sorrows and in all afflictions, when the outlook seems dark and the future perplexing, and we feel helpless and alone, the Comforter will be sent in answer to the prayer of faith. Circumstances may separate us from every earthly friend; but no circumstance, no distance, can separate us from the heavenly Comforter; Wherever we are, wherever we may go, He is always at our right hand to support, sustain, uphold, and cheer. {LHU 179.5}
38. It is when we come into difficult places that He reveals His power and wisdom in answer to humble prayer. Have confidence in Him as a prayer-hearing, prayer­ answering God. He will reveal Himself to you as One who can help in every emergency. {FLB 63.3}
39. "Looking unto Jesus" is ever to be our motto. And the assurance is, "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye." Psalm 32:8. {CH 278.3}
40. Keep your wants, your joys, your sorrows, your cares, and your fears before God. You cannot burden Him; you cannot weary Him. He who numbers the hairs of your head is not indifferent to the wants of His children. "The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy." James 5:11. His heart of love is touched by our sorrows and even by our utterances of them. Take to Him everything that perplexes the mind "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds." Psalm 147:3. {SC 100.1}
41. The omnipotent power of the Holy Spirit is the defense of every contrite soul. Not one that in penitence and faith has claimed His protection will Christ permit to pass under the enemy's power. The Saviour is by the side of His tempted and tried ones. With Him there can be no such thing as failure, loss, impossibility, or defeat; we can do all things through Him who strengthens us. When temptations and trials come, do not wait to adjust all the difficulties, but look to Jesus, your helper. {DA 490.5}
42. Wait patiently for the Lord. He will be to you a present help in every time of need. The Lord is good. Praise His Holy name. God loves to have us trust Him, loves to have us have confidence in His promises. Only believe, and we shall see the workings of God. {2SM 247.1}
43. Just repose in Jesus. Rest in Him as a tired child rests in the arms of its mother. The Lord pities you. He loves you. The Lord's arms a,re beneath you... A compassionate hand is stretched out to bind up your wounds. He will be more precious to your soul than the choicest friend, and all that can be desired is not comparable to Him. Only believe Him; only trust Him. Your friend in affliction--one who knows.{DG 221.3}
44. Your days may not all be clear and joyful, but let not this afflict you. In meekness, faith, and endurance, wait, hope, and trust. Your life is hidden with Christ in God. Your life, even now, may be a lesson to all, showing that one can be happy in the failing of strength under affliction. When the deep waters go over the soul, God's presence makes holy the chamber of His dying saints. {DG 218.2} .
45. Whatever your anxieties and trials, spread out your case before the Lord. Your spirit will be braced for endurance. The way will be opened for you to disentangle yourself from embarrassment and difficulty. The weaker and more helpless you know yourself to be, the stronger will you become in His strength. The heavier your burdens, the more blessed the rest in casting them upon the Burden Bearer. The rest that Christ offers depends upon conditions, but these conditions are plainly specified. They are those with which all can comply. He tells us just how His rest is to be found. {DA 329.1}
46. To the afflicted ones I would say, be of good comfort in the hope of the resurrection morning. The waters of which you have been drinking are as bitter to your taste as were the waters of Marah.. , but Jesus can make them so sweet with His love... God has provided a balm for every wound. There is a balm in Gilead, there is a Physician there... In trial grace can give the human soul assurance.{FLB 186.4}
47. Neither life nor death, height nor depth, can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus; not because we hold Him so firmly, but because He holds us so fast. If our salvation depended on our own efforts, we could not be saved; but it depends on the One who is behind all the promises. Our grasp on Him may seem feeble, but His love is that of an elder brother; so long as we maintain our union with Him, no one can pluck us out of His hand. {AG 153.5}
48. The time spent here is the Christian's winter:. Here the chilly winds of affliction blow upon us, and the waves of trouble roll against us. But in the near future, when Christ comes, sorrow and sighing will be forever ended. Then will be the Christian's summer. All trials will be over, and there will be no more sickness or death. "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying ... : for the former things are passed away." {Heaven 60.1}
49. We shall fail often in our efforts to copy the divine pattern. We shall often have to bow down to weep at the feet of Jesus, because of our shortcomings and mistakes; but we are not to be discouraged; w_e are to pray more fervently, believe more fully, and try again with more steadfastness to grow into the likeness of our Lord. As we distrust our own power, we shall trust the power of our Redeemer, and render praise to God, who is the health of our countenance, and our God. {AG 302.4}
50. Christ does not leave us in our weakness and inefficiency, but, gathering us in the arms of his mercy, binds us to his great heart of infinite love. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." {RH, July 28, 1896 par. 11}
51. I have endured your sorrows, experienced your struggles, encountered your temptations. I know your tears; I also have wept. The griefs that lie too deep to be breathed into any human ear, I know. Think not that you are desolate and forsaken. Though your pain touch no responsive chord in any heart on earth, look unto Me, and live. "The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee" (Isaiah 54:10). {LHU 205.2}
52. When we submit to God's way, the Lord Jesus guides our minds and fills our lips with assurance. We may be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Receiving Christ, we are clothed with power. An indwelling Saviour makes His power our property. The truth becomes our stock in trade.. We are able to speak words in season to those who know not the truth. Christ's presence in the heart is a vitalizing power, strengthening the entire being. {7T 71.1}
53. We may come to Jesus just as we are, with all our weakness, our folly, our sinfulness, and fall at his feet in penitence. It is his glory to encircle us in the arms of his love, and to bind up our wounds, to sympathize with those who need sympathy, and to strengthen those who need strength. {RH, October 23, 1888 par. 3}
54. Jesus loves to have us come to Him just as we are, sinful, helpless, dependent. We may come with all our weakness, our folly, our sinfulness, and fall at His feet in penitence. It is His glory to encircle us in the arms of His love and to bind up our wounds, to cleanse us from all impurity. {SC 52.2}
55. The message from God to me for you is "Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). If you have nothing else to plead before God but this one promise from your Lord and Saviour, you have the assurance that you will never, never be turned away. It may seem to you that you are hanging upon a single promise, but appropriate that one promise, and it will open to you the whole treasure house of the riches of the grace of Christ. Cling to that promise and you are safe. "Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out." Present this assurance to Jesus, and you are as safe as though inside the city of God. {10MR 175.1}
56. Just repose in Jesus. Rest in Him as a tired child rests in the arms of its mother. The Lord pities you. He loves you. The Lord's arms are beneath you... A compassionate hand is stretched out to bind up your wounds. He will be more precious to your soul than the choicest friend, and all that can be desired is not comparable to Him. Only believe Him; only trust Him. Your friend in affliction--one who knows. {DG 221.3}
57. Keep your wants, your joys, your sorrows, your cares, and your fears before God.... The Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy. His heart of love is touched by our sorrows, and even by our utterance of them....................................................................................... Nothing that in any way concerns our peace is too small for him to notice. There is no chapter in our experience too dark for him to read; there is no perplexity too difficult for him to unravel. .."He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds." {HL 242.2}
58. "As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." John 1:12. This power is not in the human agent. It is the power of God. When a soul receives Christ, he receives power to live the life of Christ. {COL 314.5}
59. Amid the perplexities that will press upon the soul, there is only One who can help us out of all our difficulties, and relieve all our disquietude. We are to cast all our care upon Jesus, and bear in mind that He is present, and is directing us to commune with Him. We are to keep our minds stayed upon God; and in our weakness, He will be our strength; in our ignorance, He will be our wisdom; in our frailty, He will be our enduring might. {SD 27.2}
60. It is true that disappointments will come; tribulation we must expect; but we are to commit everything, great and small, to God. He does not become perplexed by the multiplicity of our grievances, nor overpowered by the weight of our burdens. His watchcare extends to every household, and encircles every individual; He is concerned in all our business and our sorrows. He marks every tear; He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. All the afflictions and trials that befall us here are permitted to work out His purposes of love toward us. {ML 292.5}
61. God will help us if we take hold of the help He has provided. "Let him take hold of my strength," He says, "that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me." Isaiah 27:5. This is a blessed promise. Many times when I have been discouraged and almost in despair, I have come to the Lord with this promise....And as I have laid hold of the strength of God, I have found a peace which passeth understanding. {OHC 310.4}
62. Christ is our tower of strength, and Satan can have no power over the soul that walks with God in humility of mind. The promise, "Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me." In Christ there is perfect and complete help for every tempted soul. . . If we will look to Jesus as the One in whom we may trust, He will never fail us in any emergency. {OFC 56-57}
63. Live in contact with the living Christ, and He will hold you firmly by a hand that will never let go. {MB 119}
64. The thought that the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us, not because of any merit on our part, but as a free gift from God, is a precious thought. The enemy of God and man is not willing that this truth should be clearly presented; for he knows that if the people receive it fully, his power will be broken. {GW 161.1}
65. Nothing but Christ's loving compassion, His divine grace, His almighty power, can enable us to baffle the relentless foe, and subdue the opposition of our own hearts. What is our strength? The joy of the Lord. Let the love of Christ fill our hearts, and then we shall be prepared to receive the power that He has for us. {AG 257.4}
66. When trials come into our lives, when clouds darken the horizon, how ready we are to forget that Jesus is our Saviour, that behind the clouds the Sun of Righteousness is shining; that angels are close beside us, preserving us from harm. I would say to the despairing, Look and live. Hope thou in God; for on Calvary's cross a complete sacrifice was offered for you. Jesus is the sinner's Friend, the sinner's Redeemer. Eternal joy--a life of undimmed happiness--awaits the one who surrenders all to Christ. Look away from yourself to Jesus, who is pleading before the throne of God in your behalf. Listen to his words, "Come unto me, . . .and I will give you rest." {RH, April 18, 1907 par. 3}
67. Christ should never be out of the mind.... Jesus, precious Saviour! Assurance, helpfulness, security, and peace are all in Him. He is the dispeller of all our doubts, the earnest of all our hopes. How precious is the thought that we may indeed become partakers of the divine nature, whereby we may overcome as Christ overcame! Jesus is the fullness of our expectation. He is the melody of our songs, the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. He is living water to the thirsty soul. He is our refuge in the storm. He is our righteousness, our sanctification, our redemption. {RC 21.5}
68. If we cling to Him by living faith, saying with Jacob, "I will not let thee go" (Genesis 32:26); if we entreat, "Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me," (Psalm 51:11), the promise is to us, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." {OHC 22.3}
69. Jesus knows the circumstances of every soul. You may say, I am sinful, very sinful. You may be; but the worse you are, the more you need Jesus. {AG 118}
70. Long have we waited for our Saviour's return. But nonetheless sure is the promise. Soon we shaH be in our promised home. {Heaven, 163}
71. "I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. Look to him, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed. This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord, and was saved from every trouble. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. 0 taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him.” Ps. 34.4-8
72. "When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord 'is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord rescues them from them all. He keeps all their bones; not one of them will be broken." Ps.
73. "The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." Is. 58.11
74. "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me." Is. 49.16-18
75. "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you." Is. 54.10
76. "Listen to me, 0 house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am he, even when you turn gray I will carry you. I hajr made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save." Is. 46.3-4
77. "Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee; yea I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with my righteous right hand." Is. 41.10