"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
John16:33
I have been thinking about some things...
This world is not a perfect place...
There WILL be trials...
Things WILL be hard...more than hard sometimes...almost crushing really...
"A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice."
Isaiah 42:3
We will weep...
"Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle..."
Psalm 56:8 (King James)
Sometimes we will be hurt by those we love...
There will be pain...
and we have days where it is hard to even lift our heads...
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Matthew 11:28-30
and it is ok to be in that spot...
we do not have to be perfect, to have the answers or to act like we do...
Because having it all together is not what it is all about...
actually, it is not even what the Lord wants when we are walking through painful stuff...
"For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings."
Hosea 6:6
What He wants is for us to come to Him...
To pour out our hearts to Him...
To find our rest in Him...
To open up those weak and frail and broken and crushed feelings spots in our souls...
and find...
That He will not drop us...
That His compassion is endless...
And He knows our very hearts...
and desires for us to know his...
That what He has to offer is far better than what we are grieving,
He offers Himself
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Mark 10:45
and promises that this world is not the end...
That there IS a place with no more sorrow...
and no more tears...
Where our trials will be over...
Where we see Him face to face...
Forever and ever...
Joy unspeakable...
"He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever."
Revelation 21:4
"He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever."
Revelation 21:4
And He promises to carry us all the way until we get there...
and when we stand with wrinkled and tear worn faces at the end of the storm...
and even as the wind and waves batter us still...
There can be peace, and joy, in the midst of it...
But not because we pulled ourselves up by our bootstraps...
Or because we acted like things weren't hurting ...
Or the things causing the anxiety had gone away...
Or because we acted like things weren't hurting ...
Or the things causing the anxiety had gone away...
But because we got to know God's deep compassion and unfailing love...
When He says:
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:6-7
He is not saying not to worry or act like you are not anxious...not at all!
Because the verse does not stop there.
It says IN EVERYTHING brings our requests to Him through prayer and thanksgiving.
We are not to conger up false peace on our own or to pretend that all is fine in the midst of our trials...
We are to bring our hurting, worried, scared, fainting hearts to Him....
And it is through experiencing how He holds, and listens and cares for our deepest fears and wounds that we find the truth of that beautiful promise...
The peace comes not out of faking it but out of facing our deepest fears, pains and anxieties
and allowing God to come alongside them.
The peace or the change does not come from our circumstance,
but from seeing and knowing Christ more clearly.
It is sometimes in our vulnerability that enough of ourselves is stripped away and we can see the truth more clearly.
When He says:
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:6-7
He is not saying not to worry or act like you are not anxious...not at all!
Because the verse does not stop there.
It says IN EVERYTHING brings our requests to Him through prayer and thanksgiving.
We are not to conger up false peace on our own or to pretend that all is fine in the midst of our trials...
We are to bring our hurting, worried, scared, fainting hearts to Him....
And it is through experiencing how He holds, and listens and cares for our deepest fears and wounds that we find the truth of that beautiful promise...
The peace comes not out of faking it but out of facing our deepest fears, pains and anxieties
and allowing God to come alongside them.
The peace or the change does not come from our circumstance,
but from seeing and knowing Christ more clearly.
It is sometimes in our vulnerability that enough of ourselves is stripped away and we can see the truth more clearly.
"Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy."
Psalm 126:5
9 comments:
Thanks so much for sharing this. :) I have been very slowly learning just this lately.
thank you so sooo much for sharing this. tears just keep flowing. it's hard sometimes. a couple of weeks ago, i brought my problems to Him and slowly but surely He is giving me that peace and coming alongside me saying, "I've got you. I'm not letting you go. Cry on my shoulder. This isn't supposed to be easy for you. I just want you to know, daughter, that you'll be able to do it. It might seem like it's taking all you have, but that's the key. I want all of you. Even the broken, shattered pieces that you're scared to show me. Yes, those. The ones that you're not sure how they'll be put back together or how long it will take. I want those and I want to heal them. I want you to know there is nothing to fear nor anything that you can't do. I'm for you, daughter. I'm for you."
thank you so much. this post was awesome.
Such a lovely reminder (beautiful pics) of God's truth for those difficult times. Seems God keeps bringing Phil. 4:6-7 into my every day lately. I hope things are going well. We really should get together for coffee or something sometime soon. :)
I went to sleep with doubts last night. doubts that the prayers I am praying are being heard or even considered...
I tossed all night with ridiculous images in my mind. Stupid things like something crazy happening to my kids. Just outrageous things keeping me up all night. I kept asking God to bring me peace.
There is a lot of stress in our lives right now and I guess sometimes that's how it all comes out. in sleepless nights and crazy thoughts.
You have no idea how comforting this post is to me this morning.
Thanks...
Thanks for this...I needed it! We've recently had some family members start "the comments" (again) about us adopting, and it's just been hard to take. Everyone else seems to "get it" and we have support from everyone except for a couple of those that share our last name. It hurts. These are the people who should be MOST supportive.
Thanks for posting...I needed it!
Shannon,
This is so what I needed!! I am so grieving since leaving England and the sudden pregnancy is not helping me emotionally. I keep wondering if I will ever get past this. I miss the ministry and friends and family so much!! Being without a home is also so challenging. And with my husband traveling every month almost for two weeks at a time, it is too hard to bear!! I feel as though my bottle is full to the top since I cannot stop crying! Oh I know the Lord is doing something do deep in my heart and showing me more of Himself. But in the midst it hurts so much! I know I need to keep reading all those scriptures you shared and meditate on them moment by moment! Please pray for me!!!
Thank you.
John 16:33 is my favorite verse!!
Thank you. :)
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