Halt

Hungry. Angry. Lonely. Tired.

HALT

Signs of weakness, signs of cracks in the facade, don’t let these feelings go unnoticed or unchecked. This is a tough time of year but everything begins anew tomorrow. Hang in there. You’re not alone.

Has the pressure of the holidays been too much? You’re not alone.

Are you afraid of what the coming year may bring or regret the year gone by? You’re not alone.

Are you hurting over the recent loss of a loved one or the reminder of those who have passed on before? You’re not alone.

Struggling with your family? You’re not alone.

If you’re feeling these things. Don’t try and white-knuckle it alone. Call a friend. Go to a meeting. Put the toast of champagne down. Most of all, remember, you’re not alone.

If you need to, check out the following resources:

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
   his love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the LORD say this—
   those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
those he gathered from the lands,
   from east and west, from north and south.

 
Some wandered in desert wastelands,
   finding no way to a city where they could settle.
They were hungry and thirsty,
   and their lives ebbed away.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
   and he delivered them from their distress.
He led them by a straight way    to a city where they could settle.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
   and his wonderful deeds for men,
for he satisfies the thirsty
   and fills the hungry with good things.

 
Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom,
   prisoners suffering in iron chains,
for they had rebelled against the words of God
   and despised the counsel of the Most High.
So he subjected them to bitter labor;
   they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
   and he saved them from their distress.
He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom
   and broke away their chains
.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
   and his wonderful deeds for men,
for he breaks down gates of bronze
   and cuts through bars of iron.

 
Some became fools through their rebellious ways
   and suffered affliction because of their iniquities. 

 They loathed all food
   and drew near the gates of death.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
   and he saved them from their distress.
He sent forth his word and healed them;
   he rescued them from the grave
.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
   and his wonderful deeds for men.
Let them sacrifice thank offerings
   and tell of his works with songs of joy.

 
Others went out on the sea in ships;
   they were merchants on the mighty waters.
They saw the works of the LORD,
   his wonderful deeds in the deep.
For he spoke and stirred up a tempest
   that lifted high the waves.
They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
   in their peril their courage melted away.
They reeled and staggered like drunken men;
   they were at their wits’ end.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
   and he brought them out of their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper;
   the waves of the sea were hushed.
They were glad when it grew calm,
   and he guided them to their desired haven.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
   and his wonderful deeds for men.
Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
   and praise him in the council of the elders.

 
He turned rivers into a desert,
   flowing springs into thirsty ground,
and fruitful land into a salt waste,
   because of the wickedness of those who lived there.
He turned the desert into pools of water
   and the parched ground into flowing springs;
there he brought the hungry to live,
   and they founded a city where they could settle.
They sowed fields and planted vineyards
   that yielded a fruitful harvest;
he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,
   and he did not let their herds diminish.

 
Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled
   by oppression, calamity and sorrow;
he who pours contempt on nobles
   made them wander in a trackless waste.
But he lifted the needy out of their affliction
   and increased their families like flocks.
The upright see and rejoice,
   but all the wicked shut their mouths.

Whoever is wise, let him heed these things
   and consider the great love of the LORD.
(Psalm 107, emphasis added)

2 thoughts on “Halt

  • January 1, 2011 at 12:53 am
    Permalink

    good post.

  • January 6, 2011 at 7:56 pm
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    Right on man.

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