Blanket Scriptures

~~ John 14:16 (KJV) ~~  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever

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by Carley Cooper

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Winter is over and the warm weather has kicked in.  Yipee!  Yea!  Double Woot!  Except I don’t always feel like celebrating.  Half the time I still need a blanket with me because I’m cold.  However, that’s not in the physical sense.  My heart is the part that’s feeling kinda frosty these days; on and off.  I’m feeling left out in the storm by people that I thought cared about me.  They don’t want to hear me; and I feel confused, lost, alone, insignificant, and empty. 

During those times when our hearts are heavy and we feel far from Jesus, it can be a very ‘cold’ feeling.  Being away from God tends to leave us feeling rather ‘chilly’.  It’s the same feeling of a cold, stormy winter day.  The last thing you want to do is venture outside into the weather, but suddenly you find yourself smack in the middle of it, like it or not!  All you long for is a big arm chair next to a fireplace; with a blanket, and a good book.  

During one of these times when I was in a lot of pain and felt very alone a few years ago, a friend from an online support group sent me a list of scriptures to read that she felt might help me feel better.  I thought of it as a little bit like a friend bringing me some chicken soup when I’m sick.  She called them her “Blanket Scriptures”.  Her description was this... “I ‘wrap’ them around me when I am facing issues that I see no solution to and they help me rest in the Lord.”

My blanket scriptures help me to feel relief from fear, depression, loneliness, feeling far from God, when I need to forgive, when I have sinned or I’m feeling hopelessly broken and rejected.  I’ve learned that my blanket scriptures really do keep me warm.  I’m single and alone; so most of my time I have no one to talk to or to confide in.  My blanket scriptures is all I have to keep me warm; but they’re all I really need. 

Blanket scriptures can be one verse, a whole chapter, or a whole book of the bible.  A few of those that help me are: 

• Psalm 23
• Hebrews 11
• 1 Corinthians 13
• Joshua 1:9
• 1 Timothy 1:7
• Psalm 27
• Psalm 139

 What are your issues?  What are your blanket scriptures?  I suggest writing them on a list and taping them to the inside cover of your bible so you have it handy whenever you need that warmth.  So next time you’re feeling a ‘chill’ curl up in a big arm chair with your bible and wrap yourself in those blanket scriptures.

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See Worship Melodies Topic Index Page for more lists of what to read when you need comfort, have specific needs, or if you’re feeling specific emotions

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~~ Dear God ~~  When I close my heart to Your warmth, and focus on the cold blown around me by the enemy, it can feel confusing and freezing.  Please do not ever let me feel that chill ever again.  Thank You for the comfort that I can only get by wrapping myself in Your blanket of warmth.  In Jesus name, AMEN.

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Emergency Help Numbers

~~ 2 Timothy 3:16-17 ~~ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.   

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When I was 18 years old, suddenly one day I had an attack of pain in my lower right side that was so bad I could not even hold myself up without support.  I was home from college for the weekend when it happened.  My parents got me to the local medical clinic; and the doctors told me the list of possibilities that could be the cause of my pain.  There was some doubt about the diagnosis due to some complications from other health issues.  After a long battery of tests, the end result was that I needed surgery... immediately, to get to the bottom of what was happening to me!  They put me in an ambulance and rushed me to one of the big hospitals in the city, about an hour away, where I went straight into surgery.  It turned out that my problem was not one of the more serious possibilities.  I had a very large cyst on my right ovary.  The medical team drained 2 cups of fluid from this cyst.  Though the surgery did not cure the problem or stop the ovarian cysts from returning, it did help to rid me of the pain for the moment. 

I was very thankful that day that we have access to such wonderful medical care.  In North America we are overwhelmingly blessed to have such resources.  There are hospitals with emergency rooms in every city.  Even small towns have clinics providing medical care for just about every health issue.  Help and information is available at our finger tips.  Doctor’s offices, hospitals, surgeries, therapies, fire departments, ambulances, police services, poison control, mental health services; and so much more, are available to every citizen, right down to our pets just by dialling the phone.  We are blessed.

That is quite a list of services that are provided to us; and in Canada we are even further blessed to have access to all these things free of charge!  However, do me a favour and go back and look at that list of services.  Did you notice that there is something missing?  Physical and mental health services are only two thirds of the services we need.  There is also a vital need for spiritual care.  I believe that we cannot adjust or function appropriately without it.  We get to dial a phone number to get access to those other services; but who do we dial to get the help we need for our spiritual health?  Yes, of course, we have our pastors; and I love my pastors more than I can say for the help they give me, but there are limits to what they can do.  The only One that can help you in every situation, no matter what your condition, is Jesus. 

Whether you are a new Christian or a “well seasoned” one, sometimes we all need to hear God’s voice so much that we wish we could call Him on the phone.  Wouldn’t it be great if you could just call God’s office when you need to talk to Him just the way you can call your doctor or 911?  You could just ask Him yourself what you need to know.  Imagine… He’d never be too busy to take your calls; you would never get His voice mail; you would never get a pushy secretary trying to keep you from using up too much of His time.  Then, once you get Him on the other end of the line, you can talk forever and He will ever get tired of listening!  He will never rush you saying “I have another appointment to get to”. 

Well, God does provide this kind of help to us.  It starts by reading His Word in the Bible, on a daily basis.  I often find myself picking up my bible looking for answers, but as someone who still feels “rather new” in the Christian world I am not always sure where to look to find the answers I need.  I do know, though; that the answers are there, because God’s Word provides us with all that we need to sustain us.  (Deuteronomy 8:3, Matthew 4:4, Luke 4:4).  God’s personal phone number is not 911 but all the numbers you need to contact Him are in His ‘phone directory’.

Here are a few numbers I found during my searching for answers.  (Though, variations of list can be found in different places on the internet; I have a larger list on the ‘Topic Index’ page of this site that I have compiled over time.  Please keep checking back as I do intend on adding to it as time goes on.)  When:

• You are in sorrow, go to John 14
• Men fail you, go to Psalm 27
• You have sinned, go to Psalm 51
• You worry, go to Matthew 6:19-34
• God seems far away, go to Psalm 139
• Your faith needs stirring, go to Hebrews 11
• You are lonely and fearful, go to Psalm 23
• You grow bitter and critical, go to 1 Corinthians 13
• The world seems bigger than God, go to Psalm 90
• You want courage for a task, go to Joshua 1
• You are depressed, go to Psalm 27
• Your wallet is empty, go to Psalm 37
• People seem unkind, go to John 15

So next time you need some help with your spiritual health, just call God.  Listen to His voice.  You can and will hear it.  The best part is that you can call direct, there will be no long distance charges, you will not get a cranky operator, all lines are open 24/7, and the most exciting part is that you will not get a computer operated menu (Woo Hoo... praise God, for that!)!

   

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~~ Dear God ~~  Whether  I am in a spiritual emergency or if I just need a check up; please always let my first action be to turn to Your ‘White Pages Directory’, the Bible, for access to the help and the prescription that I need.  Thank You for being there for me; and for loving me so much that you saved my life when I was dying by sacrificing Your Son, Jesus.  In His name, AMEN.

   

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