The "How Longs?" and "Whys?"

 

In times of struggle, grief, and trials, Christians tend to often ask the questions, "How long, Lord?" and  "Why, Lord?"  It is not an act of unbelief to ask these question of the Lord God.  The Lord wants us to ask Him our  honest faith questions  Even Jesus on the cross asked "Why?" of His heavenly Father.  

In Psalm 13 the Psalmist in faith also asked multiple "How long, Lord?" questions of the Lord God. The psalmist wanted to know how long it would be before he again sensed the Lord's presence in his life.  He also wanted to know how long it would be until he would no longer be tormented by his own thoughts and by his enemies.

Yet through all his questions and through all his trials and grief  the psalmist of Psalm 13 expressed his trust in the unfailing love of the Lord.  He also continued to rejoice in his salvation and praise the Lord for his salvation and goodness.

The Lord promises us that one day we will be free from all trials and grief.  All of our sorrows will end.  (See Isaiah 60:20.)  Yet even in this life God will begin to heal many of our sorrows in his grace and by His healing hand.

Honest With Our Emotions and Struggles

 

It is important to be honest with our emotions whether in active grief, or if we are just facing the every day challenges of life. Below is a devotional from one of my GriefShare messages which come daily to my e-mail box:

Do you embrace honesty as a foundational principle in your life?

If yes, then honestly evaluate your emotions right now. What emotions and struggles have you experienced from the first moment of your grief until now, including those you have not admitted to others? Be honest with yourself and with other people.

“When you are suffering, you may sometimes tend to withdraw, pull back, and pull away,” says Anne Graham Lotz. “I do think there is a time for that, and each day you should spend time alone with the Lord. But don’t forsake other people, because other people can give you comfort and encouragement and help you keep your focus. Sometimes you can get so preoccupied with the problem that it consumes you. Other people can help give you a balance.”

God wants you to be truthful with yourself and with other people. He wants to free you from the debilitating effects of withdrawing and hiding your emotions. Jesus says in the book of John that “the truth will set you free.” Read the book of John to learn more about Jesus' teaching, His truth, and true freedom.

“Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free…. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:31-32, 36).

Lord Jesus, I want to be set free. Amen.

Moving On or Moving Forward?

 

Does one move on, or do we or move forward to a larger life with and in the Lord after the death of a loved one?  Is the healthy path to grief healing mean we need to emotionally disconnect from the loved one who has passed, or is it or something else?  The answer is that for emotional healing to take place one has to gradually move forward in one's life.  This does not mean we deny that our loved one has died, because we will always hold on to them emotionally to some degree through our thoughts and memories.  We will also continue to  be ambushed by grief at times maybe even years later especially on special days like anniversaries and birthdays. 

 Further, our personalities and values are often formed by the people who came before us and influenced us.  God has sovereignly shaped us to be the people we are by the grandparents, parents, spouses, and circumstances that He has orchestrated in our lives. We become the people God has planned us to be and whom He is shaping us to be largely by the people He has allowed in our lives.  So treasure the memories and cherish the good values instilled.  They are a gift and part of whom we are.  

Helen Keller is quoted saying this, "What we  have once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes a part of us."  Our memories of them are also a continued connection with our loved ones while we are still on this earth and until we reunite with them in Eternity.  

Grief Letter

 

Dear Friends and Family,

I am part of a community grief share group, and it was suggested that we share a letter with our friends and family.  A few months ago I suffered the lost of my husband.  This was the second husband that the Lord has asked me to bury.  It will take me awhile to live with my loss once again, although one never completely gets over a  grief lost.  One just learns to live with it.  it becomes more manageable,  and it becomes part of who one is.  Grief is not a sign of weakness or lack of faith.  It is God's gift to me to help me process my emotions.   Please be patient with me especially when grief at times causes me to feel unfocused.   More than anything else I need your understanding and prayers.  You don't always have to know what to say, or even have to say anything.  Your touch,  hugs, and assurances of prayer for me are wonderful.  Pray for me that I can come to see meaning in my loss once again one day.   Thank you for caring for me and praying for me.  It is a wonderful gift to me for which I am thankful.

Blessings Even in the Struggles

I have a secret I am going to disclose.  I love Cinderella "happily ever after" type movies.  The truth is, however, that our "happily ever after" will not come until our Lord returns.  He is our only true Prince of Peace.

There are many moments of joy and happiness in this world.  There are also many trials and challenges.  God doesn't always let everything go our way or facilitate our version of "happily ever after" at least not during our existence on earth.  God is more interested in bringing us into a deeper relationship with Him and to a place of submission to His will.  He wants us to come to a place of trusting that His will is always best even in the struggles of life.  He wants us to rest in Him, to trust in Him.

Even in the struggles we can know that He loves us and cares about us, though our unreliable feelings may try to tell us differently.  He loves us even when He doesn't "fix" our difficult situations in the way we would like Him to remedy them. We must rely on the truths of Scripture which promise us over and over that He will never leave us.  God often uses the difficult chapters of our lives in ways that He doesn't use the smooth-sailing moments of our lives.  In the difficult moments it is also His chance to show His faithfulness over and over again,  Rest in His faithfulness, dear reader.

Below is a link to an interview with Laura Story.  Her husband and she, as his wife, have been dealing with the consequences of her husband's brain tumor for over a decade.  Her vision of "happily ever after" would have been for God to fix the situation.  That is not what happened.  Yet God has used this situation in her life for her good, to bring blessings.  God has also used the situation for His glory in wonderful ways-one being to encourage us. Click on the first link below to hear her story and insights.  You also may also want to check out her song "Blessings" by clicking on the second link below:

http://www.crosswalk.com/video/when-god-doesn-t-fix-your-life-an-interview-with-laura-story.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=fbpage&utm_campaign=cwupdate


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQan9L3yXjc

My Divine Valentine

 

This past Friday was Valentine's Day in the United States.  Valentine's Day is considered a day for lovers to express their love for each other with cards, and perhaps candy, flowers, or jewelry.  For some people, however, it can be a day of sadness because of past losses or current trials.

During those moments of sadness remember that the Lord loves you with an infinite love.  He in effect is your Divine Valentine.  He is sufficient.  He alone can give you all that you need.  People may fail you at times, but the Lord never will fail you.  

Below is a poem called Your Divine Valentine.  This poem became very special to me when I was a widow after Wayne died and is special again after the death of Bob.  I love this poem.  I especially love Jesus being referred as the Rose of Sharon in the Song of Solomon reference, because Sharon is my first name.  (Be sure to check out this verse and all the verses for that matter.)  Sharon is the name of a place and not the name of a person in the Bible, but I still love this verse.  I hope you find the poem and accompanying Bible references a blessing.    

Your Divine Valentine

A Valentine may play a love song for you, but God sings you the sweetest love song in the universe.  (Zephaniah 3:17)

A Valentine may give you flowers, but God sent you the most beautiful rose of all, Jesus.
(Song of Solomon 2:1)

A Valentine may bring you chocolate, but God provides you with something even sweeter, His Word.  (Psalm 119:103)

A Valentine may love you for a lifetime, but God loved you before you were born and will love you for all eternity,
(Jeremiah 31:3)

frida

God's Direction and Guidance

Scripture often talks about the Lord being sovereign and about Him directing our steps.    We are told that God's Word  is a lamp or light for our life's path.   Scripture also teaches us that the fountain of life is found in God and that in His light we see light. (Psalm 36:9  Proverbs 20:24. and Psalm 119:105).  I don't know about you, however, but I often find myself anxiously fretting and planning my next step instead of trusting in and resting in the sovereignty of God not only in my head but also deep down in my heart.

Recently God's directing my path came into sharp focus.  I had planned on being somewhere that morning,  It was a good place to be, but God seemed to have other things in mind for me that day.  I woke up with an unpleasant sick headache.  I then began to question whether I should leave the house that morning.  It also had snowed a bit over night just enough to make it slippery on the roads and sidewalks.  Finally, I received a computer borne message that morning from someone who needed my prayers and encouragement.  I felt that the Lord had directed my steps that morning to stay home by sovereignly directing circumstances for me to do so.

The Lord laid this on my heart in another way recently  For some time I have been fretting and overthinking a situation sometimes even in the middle of the night.  Very recently the Lord has shown me some new information which makes me realize that all the fretting had accomplished nothing but to make me tired and anxious.  God is in control.  He is sovereign and directing my steps.  Thank You, Lord!  Forgive me when I fret, worry, and over plan.  

A few days ago I posted a song about God's sovereignty on Facebook.  I have a link to that song on this post today also.  Let's rejoice in God's sovereignty and guidance in our lives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x8TZiwPGa0