"In every situation God is doing a thousand things that we cannot see and do not know."
-John Piper
Lately life’s blows have left me speechless.
If you know me then this is a feat in and of itself. (Wink, wink.)
At times it's been over-whelming and yet we have been quietly
trudging forward. The verse that says,
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will
worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
has never been more
poignant. (Matthew 6:34)
And while I could go on and on about our own families
“stresses” my heart is more heavy laden for those dear hearts of my friends and
family around me.
One dear young friend who
is grieving the loss of not only her mother, but the grandmother who raised her. Both passed only a week apart.
A mother who
is grieving the gut-wrenching loss of her baby.
A brave
heart who is fighting the attacks of the enemy as she heals from the damage
left by childhood abuse.
A few of my friends who are about to celebrate their Christmas season for the first time without their loved ones.
A friend who
was told his place of work would be closing at the end of the month when he has
4 little mouths to feed.
One who is about to undergo another barrage of medical tests as the Doctors search for a diagnosis yet again.
Another in
debilitating pain, still trying to work and support the family.
Yet still, there’s more my friends, so much more.
I am sure you have been there because life is not always
rosy, and every rose has its thorns as well.
I am reminded of
something the Lord revealed to me on a cloudy, rainy day as I sat in the
airplane awaiting the take-off. The rain dripped down the windows of the plane and
carried the heavy cares of the day downward to the ground.
The heavy clouds hung low, dark and gloomy, but as the plane
made its decisive turn on the runway and began its ascent. As it continually pointed its nose upward towards the heavens something
amazing happened.
Onward and upward we plunged into the dark clouds. They grew so thick around the plane that I found myself unable to
see through the masses of gray apparitions.
Suddenly a flash of blinding light broke forth searing my eyes. I blinked several times and had to look away, but yet there it was…The blue sky, the sun, they were still there even during the storm.
Suddenly a flash of blinding light broke forth searing my eyes. I blinked several times and had to look away, but yet there it was…The blue sky, the sun, they were still there even during the storm.
The deep azure expanse of bright glowing sky was all the more alluring
after the hopeless pallor of the storm clouds. The rain drops that were being
pushed back across the window pane from the ascending winds, sparkled in the suns bright and blinding
light. A light that caused the once gray clouds from below to almost glow, stretching into fluffy white rolling
plains here above the storms.
And then I heard the Lord whisper to my heart,
“You see my daughter? I am still shining even during the storms of life. I am still working good things for my children. I am always here.”
“You see my daughter? I am still shining even during the storms of life. I am still working good things for my children. I am always here.”
And so my friends, in our dark nights when our questions and "whys," pour out in a torrent into our tear stained pillows, this I cling to...
This I absolutely know.
Our God never grows tired or weary and He never ever stops working for
our good.
Isaiah 40:28-31
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Romans 8:28
And
we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose.
So like a sweet friend encouraged me the other day, I will let “grace
take hold” for I have nothing left to offer and in the end I know the result
will be His masterful craftsmanship. A life's work that will point gloriously to the Lord because it is showered in His beautiful finger prints.
