Thursday, March 20, 2014

When I Am Faint-hearted, God Replenishes My Soul


“I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint”
(Jeremiah 31:25).

I have heard the expression "not for the faint-hearted" used to describe very difficult conditions, and I think chronic pain and illness fit this category quite well.  Ongoing health problems have a way of wearing me down until I feel I can’t handle any more. 

I particularly like the King James Version of this verse:  “For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul”.  When I think of being satiated, I think of a plant so drenched with water that it cannot absorb anymore.  Being replenished reminds me of a water glass that is continually refilled the minute it is empty.  And this is what God promises to do for me.

I have been dealing with continual bad headaches and eye pain lately.  I am weary of persevering through the throbbing headaches.  I am sorrowful over the limitations my eye pain brings.  But as I cry out to God in faith, He gives me the strength to endure.  Sometimes His refreshment comes through pain relief.  Sometimes He leads me to websites or other sources of information that offer me fresh hope. The Holy Spirit may bring the words of a worship song or Scripture passage to mind that calms my anxiety.  Each day God enables me to keep going.

When my life springs are dried out by suffering, God drenches and satiates my soul with the waters of His love, mercy, compassion, and grace.  His strength carries me through all may pain and problems, no matter how intense or long-term they may be.  There has never yet been a time when He has not replenished my ability to endure, and I am clinging in faith to the truth that there never will be, praise God.

Prayer: Lord, you know how hard it is to keep enduring through my pain and trials.  But You have given me Your strength and refreshment until now, and You will keep giving it, no matter how faint-hearted I feel.  Let me press on today believing  that truth.  Amen.

 

 

No comments:

Post a Comment