Thank You, Lord

 

Thank You, Lord, for the lessons taught by grief and other trials.  Thank You, Lord, that You use suffering to help me grow spiritually and emotionally.  Thank You,  Lord, that grief and other trials teaches me that I am not in control of anything; but You, Lord, are in control of everything-that You are sovereign and are God!  Thank You, Lord, that even in the very difficult things which I have experienced in my life such as breast cancer and the decline and deaths of my parents and my two husbands, Your sovereign plan for my life was still in place.  Thank You, Lord, that even in more recent household and car issues You are in your control.  Thank You, Lord, for being with me each step of the way and for what You taught me and are continuing to teach me through every difficult experience.

Thank You, Lord, that Your wisdom is beyond my understanding.  Thank You, Lord, that You are a loving and caring God.  Thank You, Lord, that I can trust You.  Thank You. Lord, that You use suffering for my ultimate good; so I become more like You, Jesus, in my actions and attitudes and become the person You intend me to be.  Thank You, Lord, for Your hope and joy.

Lord, instead of me asking, "Why did you allow this to happen?' type questions; help me to ask, "How  can I grow and honor You through this experience?" type questions.   Lord, grant me patience, as I wait on Your perfect timing for healing.  Thank  You, Lord, for the peace and healing I will and do find only in You.  Help me, Lord, to remember that this world is only temporal, and help me to not try to distract myself with mere busyness or meaningless pursuits but to rather rest in You and shine for You.

Thank You, Lord, that in my eternal home there will be no more instability, fear, or sadness.  Thank You, Lord, that in Eternity I will never stop learning more and more about the wonders of Your character.  Thank You, Lord that it is You who will make Eternity wonderful, but also thank You that I will  be reunited with loved ones as well  Thank You, Lord, that I  can experience hope. peace, and joy because of what lies ahead in Eternity!

Who is Worthy to Open the Scroll?

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, in our church in our evening services we have been contemplating that Jesus is the Lamb of God who was slain to pay for our sins.  In the book of Revelation in chapter 5 an angel is lamenting that no one is able and worthy to open the scroll in the author, John's vision.  But then it was also revealed that Jesus, the Lamb of God, is the only One who is worthy to open the scroll and also the only One worthy of praise and worship.  The scroll that He alone is worthy to open is symbolic of the future of all the world's events and of the unfolding of your and my life's stories.  He is the only One the that is able to implement His will for this world and for your and my lives.  He alone is in control.

You and I can trust Him in all this.  Will you and I submit to Him as the all powerful Lion of Judah?  Will we submit to Him as the Lamb of God who sacrificed Himself for us on the cross?  Will I personally submit to Him and trust Him my grief and also in the things I  don't understand?  Will  I  further trust Him with my fears for the future?  He is worthy of my trust! 

There is a beautiful song that the Lord Jesus alone is worthy to open the scroll of this world's history and to implement His will in our lives.  You can listen to that song by clicking the following link: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkRiYsTN7KY

Yet Another New Year

 

As we soon leave one year and enter yet another new year, the Lord desires that we hide ourselves in the peace that only He can give, in the peace of His presence.  We need to do this in everything we do, be it in the quiet moments or when we face difficult challenges.  We must do this when we face the day to day duties of care-giving for a love one, our own illness, a job loss, the death of a loved one,or a host of other possible trials.  We all need to do this, as we walk the path God has assigned to us.  As we do this, remember the Lord's presence is in us and beside us.  He also walks in front of us and behind us.

Dear Reader, I know the burdens of life at times can become heavy.  Life can become challenging at times.  We can walk with joy in our hearts, however, if we remember that the Lord is our burden-carrier. The Lord says in John 16:33 of the New Testament of the Bible that in this world we will have burdens and trouble, but He goes on to say, "But take heart!  I have overcome the world!"

 2024 again had some difficult challenges for me, as I found myself once again in a family care-giving situation.  On January 10 my husband, Bob, entered an assisted living facility and then in late June he entered a full skilled nursing facility.  On November 26th Bob passed away.  This was all after a few months of in home help and care  as well   

I sometimes wonder why God has asked me to go through a similar situation twice over.  Yet God has never failed me.  In fact, He never will fail me.  He will not fail you either, dear Reader.  Psalm 31:19 says, "How great is Your goodness which You have stored up for those who fear You." We don't need to fear outside circumstances.   Instead we need to stand in fear and awe of the Lord and to hunger and thirst for His presence.  The psalmist in Psalm 63:7 of the Old Testament of the Bible says, "Because You are my help, I sing in the shadow of Your wings."  It is okay and even necessary to grieve our losses, but God will walk with us through those experiences

This is the pathway to peace no matter what the circumstances.  May we all endeavor to rest in that peace.  May we resolve to walk in His presence throughout this coming year. 

Christmas Hope

 

In my church as we celebrate the advent season and prepare for Christmas, our evening services are centering on the theme,"Behold the Lamb of God!"  Jesus Christ is called the Lamb of God who came to sacrifice His life to atone for and pay for our sins.  In the Old Testament God's people had to sacrifice lambs over and over as a picture of Jesus, the ultimate Lamb of God, who would come to pay for our sins.  After Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins that was the final sacrifice.  No other sacrifice was needed after that.  Jesus was sufficient.     We deserve eternal punishment for our sins.  Yet Jesus took the punishment for those sins upon Himself and paid the price for our sins.  The song, "The Lamb of God" talks about that wonderful sacrifice that he made for us.  There is a link below to that song that you as a reader can click on to listen to that wonderful song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QGNUDsQ6fI

I don't know about you, but I am very weary of the effects of sin coming into the world. I am tired and heart weary of seeing sickness and suffering in this world   I am tired also of even seeing loved ones who are believers pass away.  Yet because of Christ's sacrifice on the cross that is not the final word for believers.  Believers go immediately to heaven after death,  and one day their bodies will be raised also.

At Christmas we remember Jesus coming to the earth the first time as a baby in  a manger and then later die on the cross for our sins.  One day Jesus Christ will return, and all the dead in Christ will rise!  My Christmas cactus has reminded me of that blessed truth often this Christmas season.  From  a plant that showed no sign of blossoms a beautiful flower has emerged full of blossoms in just the last few weeks.  How much more wonderful will be Christ's second coming and the resurrection of believers  one day.  What a day that will be, and what hope that gives us even now!

My Only Comfort

Those of you who follow me on Facebook know that I  recently lost my husband, Bob.  Bob and I had found each other late in life after both having lost our first spouses to death.  We were married a little over five years.  Yet Bob was in nursing facilities for almost a year before his death on November 26, 2024.

Right now my grief symptoms include fatigue and feelings of having difficulty concentrating at times.  I know from having experiencined grief before that these symptoms will alleviate in time.  Yet I also know grief is a process which must be experienced, and the emotions should not be stuffed.  I also know there is a sense in which the grief although getting better, never completely goes away.   It  just becomes a part of one's life.  This is not all a bad thing, as it makes one lean more  on the Lord and grow closer to Him.

There is beautiful song called, "NO More Night."  which talks bout the day coming when there will be no longer any sorrow or heartache or night.  What a comfort that is for believers.  I posted the link for that song below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iPIi7sunEU

Another song which I find to be a comfort is the song, "Redeemed."  Because I am redeemed and a child of God, I find great comfort in knowing I am held in His arms as His child.  You will find a link for that song below this paragraph:

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

And now I quote a beloved catechism question which asks,  "What is your only comfort in life and death?"  The beautiful answer is "My only comfort in life and death is that I belong to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ."

Please pray for me, as I continue the grief process.  Pray also for Bob's daughters who have just lost their second biological parent.  When that happened to me I remember thinking, "Now I am an orphan."  Even as an adult such thoughts go through one's mind.

The God of the Mountain

When life appears to be going smoothly, we tend to be happy and relaxed and at peace.  In fact, we love our mountain top experiences.  Yet life also has many difficult or valley experiences.  Our lives are often troubled by deep trials.  It is less easy to be at peace during such times and experiences in our lives.  Yet it is good to remember that the God of the mountain type experiences is still with us and is still God during our difficult valley like experiences.  God is with us directing our paths in both the pleasant times and in the deeply difficult moments.  He is the same God who is leading, directing, comforting, and loving us in both type situations.  We need to rest in Him in all situations.  He never stops being our God no matter where we find ourselves in life.  Below is the lyrics to the wonderful song, "God of the Mountain." followed by a link to the song on YouTube.  May the words of the song bless you today, dear Christian.    

Lyrics

Life is easy, when you're up on the mountain
And you've got peace of mind, like you've never known
But things change when you're down in the valley

Don't lose faith, for you're never alone

For the God on the mountain, is still God in the valley
When things go wrong, He'll make them right
And the God of the good times, is still God in the bad times
The God of the day is still God in the night

You talk of faith when you're up on the mountain
But talk comes so easy when life's at it's best
Now it's down in the valleys, of trials and temptations
That's where your faith, is really put to the test

For the God on the mountain is still God in the valley
When things go wrong, He'll make them right
And the God of the good times, is still God in the bad times
The God of the day, is still God in the night
The God of the day, is still God in the night

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCTl4tUYIAg

Truth Be Told

I think  we often like to present an illusion to the people around us that we always have it all together in our lives, that we are never troubled or sad about anything.  We sometimes also think that other people's lives are relatively free of troubles and heartaches.  This, of course is not true.  We all face trials of various kinds and degrees in our lives.  The Lord is the only One who fully understands our heartaches in their depths.   Yet to the degree that I have shared my heartaches with others as well as the Lord, I have felt uplifted and helped.  To the degree that I have felt deeply moved to pray for someone else, I have also felt helped and uplifted.  If truth be told, we need to share our burdens on a much larger scale than we do.  I recently ran across a song that talks about that very thing.  The song is titled. "Truth be Told."  Following is a link to that song on You Tube and then also the written lyrics for the song.  It certainly is food for thought:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs-PcD79XVY

Lie number one you're supposed to have it all together

And when they ask how you're doing
Just smile and tell them, "Never better"

Lie number 2 everybody's life is perfect except yours
So keep your messes and your wounds
And your secrets safe with you behind closed doors

Truth be told
The truth is rarely told, now

I say I'm fine, yeah I'm fine oh I'm fine, hey I'm fine but I'm not
I'm broken
And when it's out of control I say it's under control but it's not
And you know it
I don't know why it's so hard to admit it
When being honest is the only way to fix it
There's no failure, no fall
There's no sin you don't already know
So let the truth be told

There's a sign on the door, says, "Come as you are" but I doubt it
'Cause if we lived like it was true, every Sunday morning pew would be crowded
But didn't you say the church should look more like a hospital
A safe place for the sick, the sinner and the scarred and the prodigals