“They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe” (Acts 14:19, 20).
I am currently going through a particularly difficult time
physically. Continual migraines, pain, nervousness, and sleeplessness sometimes bring me to the point of feeling I can’t handle
things anymore.
I am very familiar with Paul - his struggle with a thorn in
the flesh and his admonitions to give thanks in all circumstances, to not be
anxious for anything, and many other encouragements that apply to any kind of
suffering or hardship. But as I read Acts
14, I noticed something.
Paul was beaten to the point of being considered dead. What happened then? His friends surrounded him and probably gave
him needed physical attention, but he then proceeded to get up and continue on
his journey ministering to others.
In a figurative sense, I sometimes feel beaten almost to the point of
death. I don’t want to get up and keep going.
Paul was beaten many times, along with countless other physical
sufferings (II Corinthians 11). But each
time he got up and kept going. He must
have felt pain – after all, he was human.
At one point he even despaired of life (II Corinthians 1:8). But he still got up and kept going. He trusted God and God sustained Him.
I am not the spiritual giant Paul was, but I have the same power of God within me that Paul did. The Lord will keep me going. I can get up. I will get up. And I will keep getting up until I have finished what God has put me on this earth to do. He who is called me is faithful, and he will do it (I Thessalonians 5:24). And whatever you are struggling with right now, He will do the same for you.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for the example of
Paul and others who show that it is in my weakest and most desperate moments that
You do the greatest work of empowering and strengthening me. Thank you for
equipping and enabling me to endure when I feel I can’t go on, and help me to
continue persevering through my pain and not lose heart. Amen.
I received this post on a rest ministry email and boy did it speak to my heart in the midst of trials that I'm in , I've been dealing with excruciating pain all over my entire body with Dercums disease for last 9 yrs I'm 38 yrs old with a husband and 4 children, Dercums causes Tumors (hundreds) all over anywhere there is adipose tissue (pretty much everywhere) this has caused me to be unable to work and function much due to pain , deteriorating tissue and muscle , vascular disease, lymphatic disease, migraines that last days and extreme swelling and fatigue. On top of my own diagnosis my 20 yr old daughter was diagnosed with same genetic disease then a yr ago my 7 yr old that was totally healthy out of the blue began to have serious epilepsy that is nocturnal and can cause him to stop breathing (similar to sids in babies) and then this week my 14 yr old daughter started to show signs of thyroid problems took her to the dr and it was very large they believe autoimmune disease also probably related to the Dercums disease and took her in for a sonogram of her neck and plain as day there was a large grape size oval mass in the middle of her thyroid. I feel beaten and battered and staying focused on the Lord and being mindful to give Him glory for everything, I'm absolutely nothing without Him and that in itself is worthy of all praise. Thank you for sharing and I'm very thankful for reading this post and gathering encouragement from it,
ReplyDeleteIn Christ our Lord and Savior
Debbie Knoblauch
I received this post on a rest ministry email and boy did it speak to my heart in the midst of trials that I'm in , I've been dealing with excruciating pain all over my entire body with Dercums disease for last 9 yrs I'm 38 yrs old with a husband and 4 children, Dercums causes Tumors (hundreds) all over anywhere there is adipose tissue (pretty much everywhere) this has caused me to be unable to work and function much due to pain , deteriorating tissue and muscle , vascular disease, lymphatic disease, migraines that last days and extreme swelling and fatigue. On top of my own diagnosis my 20 yr old daughter was diagnosed with same genetic disease then a yr ago my 7 yr old that was totally healthy out of the blue began to have serious epilepsy that is nocturnal and can cause him to stop breathing (similar to sids in babies) and then this week my 14 yr old daughter started to show signs of thyroid problems took her to the dr and it was very large they believe autoimmune disease also probably related to the Dercums disease and took her in for a sonogram of her neck and plain as day there was a large grape size oval mass in the middle of her thyroid. I feel beaten and battered and staying focused on the Lord and being mindful to give Him glory for everything, I'm absolutely nothing without Him and that in itself is worthy of all praise. Thank you for sharing and I'm very thankful for reading this post and gathering encouragement from it,
ReplyDeleteIn Christ our Lord and Savior
Debbie Knoblauch
Debbie, thank you so much for sharing. My heart aches for all you are going through with yourself and your family. This is what I pray for you - I am "asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will though all spiritual wisdom and understanding. I pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints of the kingdom of light" (Colossians 1:9-12).
ReplyDeleteIn the mighty name of Jesus,
Bronlynn