Greatest

But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:19

I graduated college and got an electrical engineering degree. After studying, I went to work for a catholic movement aiming for college students to have personal relationship with Christ. I never thought I would get back to my profession. After four years of mission work, I applied as an electrical engineering instructor and was accepted.

One of the first subjects, I was assigned to teach was Electrical Engineering Ethics and Contracts, which is offered to graduating students. As I read the course outline, I had hesitation since it may require practical knowledge of electrical engineering practice so the lessons will not be rather theoretical. I had no electrical work experience at that time, all I knew was to organize prayer meetings and retreats. I decided to speak with the Dean of the college regarding my incapability to teach the course for I don't have the proper practical background. I can read through the books, but I did not want the students to learn from the books, they can do that in the library, they supposedly catch what can or may happen in electrical engineering practice at their graduating level. So, I gave up the teaching load.

Can we say the same thing with our Christian life? Give up teaching since we don't live up?

Some people obey but not teach. They want to be sure to obey before they can teach or have no courage to speak out what they are obeying.  Some people teach but have hard time to obey. They tend to over weigh saying than doing or they struggle as imperfect people of a perfect God . Both type of people contribute to the mission of God in one way or another.

However, Jesus defines greatness with both -- obeying and teaching. He tells us greatness is this, "whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven..." Do it and say it. Be a follower and a leader. Walk and talk. Live like a disciple and you can disciple.

There is greater conviction to obey when you teach. There is greater passion when you teach as you obey. Maybe, that's why Jesus tells a person who does both, obey and teach, is the greatest.

By his grace, let us live to be the greatest!

Big Brother

He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. Luke 15:28

He must have understood of all people.

After all, he is the big brother. He is the older one. He must have matured throughout the years, since he did not ask for his inheritance just like the younger son. He must have more understanding on how the father felt when his sibling packed his bags and went afar. The father's loneliness must not have been a secret from him. He might have saw his gloomy eyes at the dinner table. He might have asked his father to take more food as the father seems to have hard time since the departure of his little brother.

His brother was gone for some time. Did he not miss his brother? He might have heard the news about the sad plight of his brother. Did he do something to help him out? Now his brother sits at their home. Did he want to sit with him again? Now his brother needs assurance more than anything else. Did he give it? For all the questions above -- No.

His line of thinking was reminiscence of the Pharisees and scribes.

He questions the father's actions. He lets out his immaturity. He pouts. He is angry. He even stays outside of the house and outside of the family circle. A big brother should look out for his younger blood. He protects them. He cares for them. He looks for their benefits. But not in this case. As his younger sibling is welcomed home and given a feast, he lets go of his being a big brother.

One thing we read is this -- "the father came out and pleaded with him".

The father did not come out of the house when his younger son went out of his way. He did this when the big brother acted like a small child and did not act as a big brother. He does not want his son to suffer. He does not want his son to be hungry for his love. He does not his son to be lost. He wants him to be near him. The father knew what was like it, so he did his own his search and rescue. He came out for him. He pleaded with him. A father going after his son. The father's request for him was not so much to be a big brother but to be a brother.

Before he will be lost, the father found him. So the big brother who became small is not big again but again a brother.

Draw Near

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." Luke 15:1-2

Some are drawing near, yet some are drawing far.

The ones who were closing in to Jesus were sinners. They were publicly identified as sinners. No righteousness in their skin or in their heart. They have no academic knowledge of drawing near to God. All they know is to come closer to Jesus. All they know is that Jesus welcomes them. He searches for them. Jesus ate with them. He walked with them going to a dinner or a teaching session of sorts. He spoke with them in public even if they were known publicly. They felt significant when he is with them, when he took time with them, when he sat with them at the places where they would congregate.

The ones who were drawing far from Jesus were not sinners, at least for them. They were identified as righteous persons. Their piety is shown in their appearances but not sure if it has penetrated their hearts. They have an academic knowledge in drawing near to God. All they know is theory not practicality. That's why they always put Jesus in the examination room. Yet, Jesus searches for them or they look for Jesus. Wherever they are, Jesus is there. Wherever Jesus is, there they are. Given their position, they should be near to him but they are far. They even question how they spend the Jesus welcomes and eats with the sinners. Not only they are drawing far from him, they are making people draw far from him.

What can you learn from both? You can choose to be near or far to Jesus.

Choose to draw near to Jesus. Accept you are a sinner. Accept you need a Lord and Savior. Accept you need to know him. Listen to him as he declares his unconditional love for you. Listen to Jesus and listen not to people who are putting a gap between you and him. He searches for you, search for him, too.

Don't draw far from Jesus. Don't prevent people to come close to him. Jesus left his throne to be near to people, make his trip worthwhile. Even as you grow in Christ, don't let your head knowledge of him overcome your relationship with him. Let him sit with new members of your church or community. Let him eat with new believers. Be glad, he welcomed you as he welcomes them.

When given a pencil and a clean paper, you know what to sketch. Draw near.

Joint Account

He said to him, 'My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours." Luke 15:31

Our mother used to keep bank accounts with each of her children as secondary signatories of the account.

The savings I accumulate goes to our joint account. When Christmas comes and I get financial gifts from my godmother, she puts it on the same account. If she thinks that she has some money to spare me, she'll deposit right away in our account. When I won a quiz bee contest, she gave me prize money which was directly recorded in the account.

Looking at the account when I grew old, all of the funds where mostly saved for I may have deserved them or have worked for them. The joint account has also an expiry. If I reach 18 years old, my mother's name can be erased since I have come of age, I become the primary owner of the account. But this did not happen, when the eruption of Mount Pinatubo crushed our home, we withdrew all our savings to contribute to building our home again.

The older son in the parable of the prodigal son might have been in the state of shock when his father told him that everything the father has is his. We know that this son toiled and labored for his father, yet his rightful part of the father's property is now more than what he deserved. The son owns what the father owns. A joint account.

This joint account has no expiration date. This account may have deposits made due to the son's work. However, the main requirement of the father for the son was to be with him always to have everything he has. The father was not focus on the son's work for him. He was looking mainly at their relationship. Knowing that his son was near to him was enough.

If you are feeling lacking of something today, the Father has everything you need and everything he has is yours. He is always with us and be with him always. Know that the resource you need is a prayer away. There is a right time for his providence. There is a right amount for his splendor. Whatever you have is from his. Whatever you have from him is for him. Give to him whatever you get from him.

In this joint account, you don't need to make a deposit to make a withdrawal. Such is the Father's grace and love.

One Way Trip

And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.' Luke 16:24

This was the request of the rich man.

Max Lucado wrote about this man. That this man requested water. He also requested Abraham that Lazarus go back to his house to warn his brothers regarding the netherworld --- Hell. Max pointed out that the rich man did not request that he'll be save from hell.

Clever, right?

Jesus is pointing out rather an important teaching for all of us in this story --- once you go the hell, forever you will be in hell.

That's why as long as you are here on earth, do everything in God's power not go to hell.

Commit to Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Love God. Love others. Repent and believe. Avoid sin. Remember to love and follow the laws of Christ. Be faithful to your spouse. Be a responsible and loving parent. Respect your parents. Respect your children. Show love to your neighbors including the snob at the corner. Give encouragement to the fallen. Share your food to the Lazarus at your doorstep. Send money to children in need in developing nations. Attend church. Pray daily. Read his word. Commune with believers.

I know, you have a long list of to believe, to love and to do.

Yet, always keep in mind and in heart these are all worth it. For in every action, every thought, every word, you choose between heaven or hell.

For in both places, there is no return flight. There is no back in the back and forth. It's a one way trip.

Equalizer

When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried,.. Luke 16:22

Ha! This is just like the cellphone. At least in the Philippines.

The fireman has one. The garbage boy has the new model. The riches politicians uses it at the sessions. A student in her early teens has accessories with it. You look at the blue security guard's pocket, he has one. Everybody has a cell phone! The fishball vendor. The meat slicer in the wet market. Nurse. Doctor. Engineer. Accountant. Policeman. Clerk. Jeepney drivers. Car drivers. Bikers. Elementary graduate. High School drop-out. The oldest man in the neighborhood can text you. The youngest fellow in the family can call you. The cellphone, it's an equalizer.

Just like death. Jesus told us this, the poor and the rich will all meet death. Nobody is here on earth is to live forever and not bumped into death. Death maybe an early call or can be postponed for some decades. However,as sure as the air you breathe, you will stop in doing so. One day, we will all have to put our backs flat and never have to stand up again.

If death is the equalizer, what is that will spell the difference?

Life.

The way you live your life will present the inevitable inequality. To whom you will dedicate it. To whom you will spend it. For whom you will breathe as long as you live. How you are committed to loving God and helping people will make a difference. Why you do the things you are doing for God and his church will make the slack.

The rich man knew he has a poor man, Lazarus, at his gates but did not look his way. He was clothed with garments and linen good enough to make Lazarus warm and cover his sores but did not do it. Lazarus was willing to take the scraps from his table but he won't let it fall.

Lazarus, on the other hand, kept quiet. He did not curse God for his life. He did not shout at this rich man for not helping him. He accepted his situation and understood others situation. His conduct gives us the picture of man who did not complain about his empty stomach and body sores enough for a dog's tongue action.

Decide who made the difference.

Decide to make a difference.

Life is the difference, death is the equalizer. You can do something with the difference, you can't do something with the equalizer.

Heavy

They tie up heavy burdens (hard to carry) and lay them on people's shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. Matthew 23:4

If life has an idiom, this is it.

A bull session after the Christian seminar. As the set-up was set down, the service team were asked to gather by the leaders for a meeting. The ending of the seminar did not end their joy in serving but started their fulfillment for pouring precious hours to reach people for God. The heavenly burden on their shoulders was light by the grace of God's strength. The event servants have been putting their hands and hearts on the line for about two weeks now, so the end of the seminar was a heave of relief and fruitfulness.

So they were astonished when a heavier burden was laid out by the leaders, "If you have ill feelings towards one another, negative thoughts in serving with one another, this is the time and place to let it out!"

This was really heavier on the serving people. When leaders assume members have ill feelings towards one another, they burden them. When people in position see that their followers are not in a bad position where in fact not, it weighs down the members. Instead of a life giving atmosphere, burden giving was in the air.  These are the kind of burden shoulders can't carry.

Leaders must share the light not darkness. Leaders must make heavy things light not making the light heavy. If you are leading or supervising, do this. Avoid putting anger in hearts. Avoid putting dirt in hands. Avoid seeding guilt in minds. You can assign service matters to your members but do not assign unnecessary matters in their lives.

In this earthly life, every person will have to bear something on their shoulders. Don't add what you are not willing to lift. Give life. Give light. Not heavy.

Giving Mercy

Jesus said to his disciples: «Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:36

It makes sense.

To give mercy, or to be merciful. For people in poverty. For the abused. For the forgotten. For the worker who was laid-off. For the family relative who is not making ends meet. For the dead who was misdiagnosed. For the victims of massacres or heinous crimes. For the street dwellers, homeless and cold.

Can you also be merciful to people who are above the above persons? Government officials who are rich and who lives as if there are no poor in their community. People who deliberately deny the existence of the forgotten people. The boss who fired the worker. The relative who has much but don't want to share. The doctor who did the mistake in the diagnosis. The culprits behind the death of the massacre victims. The people who are in power who can make a difference in the lives of the homeless yet they don't.

Remember Paul. He was persecuting God's church. He was leading the destruction of the mission. He was high above the lowly. He was powerful against the powerless. If you read about his exploits against the early Christians, you'll have mercy to the oppressed followers but not to Paul. However, God thinks otherwise. God calls Paul into his side and gives his mercy to him just as God gives his mercy to the faithful. Mercy was given to the persecuted and to the persecutor.

The Father's mercy does not know no levels in life. It is provided to people who don't deserve it for none deserves it. It does not weigh on your economic standing. Mercy is free no matter what is your position in the company, in the church or in life. It does not claim benefit to people who has less or more. It does not discriminate. God's mercy is given to all.

"Be merciful just as the Father is merciful", Jesus tells us. Mercy, God gives it to you. Give it to all. It makes sense.

Coming Down

As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, "Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead." Matthew 17:9

It all comes down to coming down.

The sequence of events are known. They came up. Jesus transfigured, they saw Jesus like a dazzling Mr. Clean. They came down.

Same sequence of your life. You come up to a certain mountain. You get to the peak of your family relationships. You step on the tip of your professional career. You stand on the clouds of your spiritual journey.

At that stage, you see Christ like a bright morning star. You see God's glory since you are enjoying where you are. You see God's light all around you. You even believe people around you are as nice as God's prophets.

However, time will come you have to come down. His brightness will wander at least in your eyes. His companions will be seen no more. You ascended, now you have to descend. You have to come down from what you think is the top of your life.

As you come down, you know much more than when you came up. This is what you know-- Jesus is the Son of God with whom the Father is well pleased and the Father is asking you to listen to him. This declaration did not come from Peter's wisdom, it came from the Giver of that wisdom. This proclamation was not spoken by people who were healed of their ailments, it was spoken by the One who reaches out to comfort the body and soul. The statement did not echo the declamation of a preacher, these powerful words were came from God whose words created the universe.

You will muster higher courage as you come down. You will have ascending hope as you descend. You can step up high when you step down. For now you know Jesus is more than a healer, more than a preacher and teacher, more than a multiplier of lunch, he is the Son of God. And he is coming down with you, just like he came down from his heavenly throne to save the world.

God has a plan when you come down with Christ. Don't stick with the plan. Stick with the planner. He comes down with you.

Seize The Moment

While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, «This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Luke 11:29

While still more...

....unbelievers, be loving...

....believers, be encouraging...

....new believers, build up one another...

....hunger, reach out to your heart and pocket...

....dissatisfaction, be contented...

....sick and imprisoned, visit...

....lonely and discouraged, be a companion...

....homeless and broken homes, build hope...

....waiting, hope in Christ alone...

....arguments, understand the other side...

....faith, fix your eyes on Jesus....

....fruits, share and serve lavishly...

....time, hug your children and spouse...

....time, commune with God...

....earth, look after it...

....church, love it...

....priests and pastors, support them, pray for them...

....leaders, follow their example....

....followers, lead by example...

....free blog, write and write for God...

Refuse not to move. Refuse to give an excuse. Do it now. While still you have life. While still you have God. Seize the moment.

Seeing Jesus

Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?' Matthew 25:44

They see my father when they see me.

So, I spoke in the final general meeting for the election of my cousin running for the position of village captain. Since most village folks remember my late father, they were given a resurrection site as I stood in their midst. They were seeing a replica of the man they knew before. They were looking at a photocopy of the man they grew up with and live with in their little village.

The face, the mannerisms, the way of talking, and the way I carry myself,  they say I got it all from my father. When I speak, they tell me they see my father speaking. When I walk, they say they see my old man walking. When there's a discussion, they listen to me as if they are listening to my father.

Jesus calls us to see him in others. Would people look like Jesus? No, of course. But we are called to see Jesus in them. Our eyes may not show that, our hearts will.

See Jesus in the hungry and thirsty. Not only the people who have nothing to eat or drink, but people hungry for understanding. People who are thirsty with acceptance and love. Person at your office who is scarce with compliment to get through the hard week. Person sitting beside you at the family dinner table hungry for encouragement to lift his spirits.

See Jesus in the stranger and naked. Not only to the people whom you don't know but to the people who are in strangely difficult territories in their lives. People who gets wrecked and naked publicly. Person who is not close to you well enough for you to reach out for her. Person who is opening up his whole life to you like showing to you all he got.

See Jesus in the ill and in prison. There are lot of people who are sick in body. There are a lot of people who are in prison. But more are sick in spirit and imprisoned by bars of life. Our call is to see Jesus in them, look at them as if we are extending God's healing to their weakened soul. To see Jesus in them as we help them out to escape from their emotional and spiritual Alcatraz.

There's a great shift when we see Jesus. We become kind. We become patient. We become understanding. We bring out the best not only in people but in us. Great things happen when we see him.

It's not easy but hard to see Jesus in others. It takes Jesus in us to see Jesus in others. You have to know him. You have to grow in him. You have to live with him. Walk where he walked.

See Jesus when you see people. People will see Jesus when they see you.

In Between

For I know my offense; my sin is always before me. Psalm 51:3

Let's try to dissect David's statement. What did he mean when he said about knowing his offense, and his sin is always before me?

When you sin, you know you sinned. You can deny it before your family and friends. You can keep it to yourself. Nobody might know it or not. Or nobody don't care if you did it or not. Or maybe people may not come up to you to confront you about your wrongdoings. But between you and God, you know you have sinned. There is no denying the fact you step out of bounds in your relationship with the loving Father.

So when you know you sinned, your sin will always gives you this conviction that you have done it. You always see it before you. It will bug you. Is it guilt or shame? It's up to you. When you look in the mirror, you see the sin you did. When you are before your friends or family, you have this wall, your sin, in relating with them. It's just not the same stuff. Your sin may not be publicly exposed yet your mindset in your eyes see that sin in front of you.

Most importantly, when seen is before you and when you come in God's presence, there's something in between you and God. Sin. This is will turn out to be good or bad.

Bad because if your heart is hard to repent from the sin, the gap before you and God stays. You can't see God fully as the sin blocks you. You know the sin gives you a certain distance from God yet you allow it to remain.

Good because if you are confessing the sin to God, you are asking for forgiveness from Him, you are exposing the sin to the merciful Lord. You are not denying it. You are being true to your weakness. You are saying you can't do it alone, asking for his strength. You are being confident of his mercy. You are allowing him to renew you and restore you.

So, today, dissect your heart. Examine your life. You know your offenses. You see your sins before you. Decide to confess and repent.

With God and you, don't let come sin come in between.

Losing is Gaining

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. Luke 9:24

The Miami Heat basketball players cried after losing a very close game.

Many, yes like millions, cried when recession hit the US economy resulting to losing jobs, homes and livelihood.

My mother and all her children cried when we lost our father. We all cried when we lost our mother.

We were devastated when I lost my good job, I got laid off from my job.

My daughter Praise cried when she thought she had lost a stone she believed came from her late grandmother.

People cried as they lose their houses, homes being washed away in lahar, during the Pinatubo eruption.

When people lose someone, people feel abandoned. When people lose something, people feel helpless.

Jesus tells us otherwise. Save your life, you will lose it. Lose it for him, you will save it. As long as we go after his heart, every losing will be gaining. When we give our lives to him, we receive his life in abundance and grace. Losing won't be painful, it will be fruitful.

Lose your pride, gain humility.

Lose self-centered living, gain selflessness.

Lose a good job, gain God's best plan.

Lose a loved one to death, gain love and concern for the living.

Lose your house, gain shelter in God and support and prayer from family and friends.

Lose your individualistic mentality, gain community.

Lose the world, gain the Lord.

We will cry no more. With Jesus, losing is gaining.

Even Now

Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Joel 2:12

Thanks be to God!

He is not like a school principal who calls a problem student in his office and gives him some days of suspension before the student can comeback to his classroom. Not like a vice-president of your company who puts somebody, who erred on job related issue, on forced leave without pay before that person can report back to the office. Unlike the sports commissioner who disciplines a player who has incurred technical fouls and forced the player to sit down a game or two before the player can suit up again.

He is our loving and merciful God.

As Joel proclaimed, "Even now..." God calls us to comeback, NOW. After you have sinned. After you have done so much wrong. After you have walked away from his goodness and mercy. You did something wrong just now against your God, you can return to him, NOW! You hold this habitual sin in your life like you hold your breath, you can rejoin God's family, NOW! You keep on blurting your temper on your kids and wife, you can restore your relationship with them and with your God, NOW! You are like a person who has this long list of criminal record, you can have your homecoming to the Father, NOW!

And here it goes, a God who tells us we can come to him with no added disciplinary action. He allows us to comeback to his arms with no suspension in placed. He does not tell us, "Okay, you can come back to me after your one-week suspension." He does not require us to go into forced leave or sit down a game out. He only tell us to return to him with repentance, with your whole heart and with your life focus on him alone.

No suspension. No disciplinary action. No buts. No ifs. You can come back to God. Even now.

Jesus Speaks In Spite Of

Jesus began to speak to the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders in parables. Mark 12:1

He still spoke to them.

Jesus still took time with these people. He still sat down and conversed with priests, scribes and elders. People who were always at his nose. Always questioning him of his actions. Always putting doubts over his words and message. Jesus' one step begets examining and scrutinizing eyes. Jesus' one word begets ears ready to pluck away it's impact.

You debate me, "But he spoke to them in parables!"

Yes. But it does not take away the fact that Jesus still spoke to them. It does not take away the event where Jesus took time from his busy mission itinerary to stop and sit down with the members of his opposition. This must be his way to erase their questions and doubts by speaking with them in spite of.

And yes, he still speaks to you even you question him about your health concerns. He still stops and sits down with you even doubts clutter your heart and mind regarding your prospective employment. He spends time to you in the duration where you have a bunch of question marks in your unresolved family relationships. He takes a look at what is happening to the chaos in the Middle East with the same concern the way he looks at your situation.

No questions will stop him from speaking to you. No doubts will prevent him from having a coffee chat with you.

Why would these stop you? If there are chief priest, scribes or elders in your life who are always darting their doubts at you and are examining your actions and words, take some time with them. Sit down with them. Speak with them. Open your life to them. Know them and let them know you.

In the midst of questions and doubts, Jesus speaks. In spite of.

Part of the Many

And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me." Mark 10:48

He was asking for pity, many were asking him to stop.

The many are stopping him to call on Jesus. More than telling Bartimaues to be silent, they rebuke him. Rebuke is an express of disapproval and/or criticism of of one's actions. This is absurd, right?

But it happens.

When we think people tend to disrupt our time with God, when they are maximizing their time with God. When we want people to relate to God the way we relate to God.  When we want people to convert to our religion rather than convert to Jesus. When we want people to participate in prayer meetings in the manner we do it. When we want people to join our service group and further stop in his membership in another church ministry. Or frankly, when we believe we have the monopoly of God's attention, we stop people to go after God passionately.

Hopefully, Jesus will butt in and say, "Call him."

For the same Lord who called you is calling him. For the same God empowering you is empowering him. For the same grace given to you is given to him. For the same desire in you to seek God is in him.

Be open to God's work in anyway. Do not box God's work in your world. God has million ways to reach him, to love him and to serve him. He has created each one of us uniquely and he will relate to each one of us uniquely.

Don't stop someone in calling out Jesus. Don't be part of the many.

Stiff Slide

You are my shelter; from distress you keep me; with safety you ring me round. Psalm 32:7

It was a stiff slide coupled with an icy landing.

This was not the usual site for our sledding. My bigger daughter, Praise, suggested we go this way today. She has been here with a friend the other day so she was familiar with the contours of the snow mountains. On the other hand, my smaller daughter, Bless, was nervous is doing what she used to do in the familiar site.

So goes Praise. She sled through the stiff slide and got to the bottom safely. But not Bless. She mustered her courage but her smaller physical being gave her up. At the bottom, she landed outside her sled with her body and face on the snow. I have to rush downhill to give her aid at that point. She cried but she was all right after all.

If life is a stiff slide nowadays and you feel you are small to go through it, remember you have a big God.

Maybe your career is spiraling down. Maybe your family life is going to the basements. Maybe life has turned to a way which is very unfamiliar to you. Or your community or church relationships are sliding and cascading under the ground. And you feel you are too small to go through these. Sure thing is this, you will fall flat on your face if you face these all alone.

Look up to your big God, your shelter. A big God who knows the curves of the downward slope. Call on your big God who keeps you from distress. A God who is familiar of what your are undertaking. Cry out to the big God who keeps your safely. A God who is strong and powerful will give you grace needed for the rough road.

Our God, our Father, will rush to you. He will shelter you and keep you. You will be all right after all.