God's Blessings of Unfailing Love and Wonderful Deeds

“He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron”

 (Psalm 107:14-16).

Sometimes my pain feels like a prison. Whether it’s physical pain or the mental anguish of anxiety and depression, I feel trapped and unable to escape. Then these words are of great encouragement to me. During one of my worst moments I made notes on this chapter listing all the things God does for me. I go back to that list continually.

God leads me and shows me where to “settle” when I’m wandering (verse 7). He gives direction on where to go or what to do when I need guidance. And if I choose unwisely, He can bring good even out of that.

He satisfies my hunger and thirst ( verse 9) when I feel dissatisfied with my life, pulled by the world, or longing for some unknown fulfillment.

He brings me out of the darkness and gloom (verse 14) of anxiety, despair and depression , bringing victory over these behaviors if I cling to the truths of His Word rather than my own thoughts.

He heals me by His Word (verse 20). Even when God does not physically remove my suffering, His written Word heals my heart and mind.

He stills my storm and guides me to my desired haven (verse 29-30). In the chaos and confusion of life, He brings a peace not of this world.

He turns my deserts into pools of water and my parched ground into springs (verse 35). He may use others along with His Word to bring me relief, and He may use my suffering to minister to others.

All this He has done and will continue to do. Let me give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and wonderful deeds in my life!

Prayer: My Savior and my God, whether You free me literally or spiritually, “Set me free from my prison, that I might praise Your name (Psalm 142:7). Amen.

Our Time Is in God's Hands

“Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of very opportunity, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15,16).

The King James Version of this passage says to walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time. One definition of walking circumspectly means to be heedful of potential consequences, being prudent, careful, thoughtful, and observant. Redeeming can mean making something acceptable in spite of negative qualities. I find this to be very wise advice as I walk this life of chronic pain.

I used to be quite good at multi-tasking. Everything was done as efficiently as possible to save time. As my health deteriorated, I learned to slow down and do less. Too much busyness overwhelmed me physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Increasingly over the past months, my family responsibilities with ageing parents and grown children are requiring a good bit of time and I feel very overwhelmed. Trying to help others while either in pain or exhausted is draining. I also become my own worst enemy by imposing my perfectionist standards on myself, thinking I need to be everything to everyone. I become frustrated and discontent at what I can’t do, yet also overwhelmed and fearful about what I need to do.

God has a plan and knows what I can and can’t handle. He has faithfully shown me that when He calls me to do something, He gives me the power to accomplish it, and when rest is best, I need to accept it. Every day I must seek the Lord’s plan for my time. Some days it may be best for me to rest and some days I may need to push through the pain and keep going. Whatever God’s plan of the day is, He will give me the grace to accept and even endure it if necessary. Whether I am in a season of plenty or want, God can redeem the time if I wisely yield it to Him.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, “teach us to number our days, that we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12 NAS). Whatever our days bring, whether seemingly too much or too little, help us to accept them as Your perfect plan for our lives. Amen.

Viewing Our Pain from Higher Ground

“You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place”
(Psalm 31:8).

I saw a movie once about a psychologist who helped people manage their grief over the death of a loved one. He took a group of people out into the middle of a busy city street and had them observe their surroundings. He then took them up to the roof of a tall building on that same street, look around again, and tell him what they saw. Their responses were completely different. Instead of flashing lights, noisy traffic, and harried people, they saw blue sky, sunshine, and rooftop gardens. He reminded them that they were in the same place as before only their perspective had changed.

I love that analogy. So many times I become overwhelmed by the entrapped feelings of despair and discouragement. I can’t see past my current pain and suffering. In those moments God can lift me up to a higher place – a place where I can see things differently, even if just for a moment.

Of course there may be times when the pain or suffering is so great that I feel I can’t see beyond the moment. Then I find it helpful to remember something I read once. Ask myself not what does this time of agony mean to me, but what does it mean to God? And if I have no answer, remember nothing is a lost cause with God.

In our most desperate moments, if we can mentally drag ourselves upwards to that higher ground, God may very well give us a glimpse - however brief - of His divine love, mercy and grace. We may see a bit of our eternal reward in a ray of sunshine through the clouds or a flower through a brick wall. And that different perspective may be what just what we need to keep hanging on.

Prayer: I want to live above the world, though Satan’s darts at me are hurled; for faith has caught the joyful sound, the song of saints on higher ground. Lord lift me up and let me stand by faith on heaven’s tableland, a higher plane than I have found: Lord, plant my feet on higher ground. (Hymn – Higher Ground).

Allowing God to "Pop" Us through Trials

“These (trials) have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold. . .may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed: (I Peter 1:7).

I enjoy popcorn in any season of the year, but for some reason I associate it with fall and winter the most. Interestingly enough, a recent children’s sermon I heard in church gave me some thoughts on popcorn and my life.

Popcorn must be heated to pop. We all know the sensation of biting down on an unpopped kernel. I have almost lost a few teeth that way! Kernels need to pop to be good. We have also probably tasted popcorn that has been heated too long. In my opinion, nothing smells worse than burned popcorn and it doesn’t taste too good either. The key to perfect popcorn is having it heated for just the right amount of time (and adding some salt and butter of course!).

The “heat” of my earthly trials is going to affect me. If I don’t allow them to “pop” me and accomplish their work, I will not grow in perseverance and maturity (James 1:2-4). Likewise, if I allow my trials to overwhelm me and become overly burdened by them rather than trusting in God’s wisdom, I may get burned.

God is in control of the heat in my life. Just as we should never leave our popcorn unattended on the stove or in the microwave, God never leaves me unattended. He never brings more than I can handle, even if that seems to be the case at the moment. God will sustain me through the pain and sufferings in my life, even when I feel the popping is too painful. And as others look at my life, they may even be able to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8).

Prayer: Heavenly Father, may I believe these words in faith today: “When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply; the flame shall not hurt thee; I only design thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine” (hymn - How Firm A Foundation).

Glorifying God in the "Deaths" of our Pain and Illness

“I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death”
(Philippians 1:20).

Although I love the fall, I experience mixed feelings during this season. I enjoy the beautiful colors and crisp days, but I physically feel the effects of the colder weather and know that winter is coming. A statement from one of my daughter’s friends impacted me greatly: “I wonder if fall is God’s way of inviting us to consider that the deaths he calls us to can be beautiful” (Alex Kirk).

This thought spoke to me in several ways. One relates to my physical death. When I die I will experience the wonders of my eternal heavenly home and perfect body. But I also realized that these words can apply to my current earthly life. Right now I am surrounded with trees whose leaves are a blaze of color. Yet those leaves will eventually drop off, die, and never return. The trees will appear to be dead but next spring there will be new buds growing in to new leaves. They will not be the same leaves, but they will be beautiful and useful in their own way. Sometimes I feel I am dying to things daily - hopes, dreams, activities, and abilities. I may have periods of what seem to be “deadness”. Yet I can accept these deaths willingly, believing God will bring new buds of purpose to my life - different leaves than before but still beautiful and useful to Him.

There is some sadness in any death, but the deaths that we die due to our pains and illnesses are not the end. As I see the peak of fall’s beauty and then the deadness that follows, I want to remember that a new spring will come. Rather than bringing hopelessness and despair, the deaths I yield to God can and will bring new beauty and glory to Him, now and in eternity.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, may I allow each death I die to bring glory and honor to You. Amen.

Purposeful Pruning

“He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful”
(John 15:2).

My husband and I recently took a trip to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. Although I was more interested in the flowers, I did see the bonsai display in the huge conservatory. I didn’t know too much about bonsai other than the fact that it involves much pruning and training to achieve the desired appearance. As I looked at the tiny trees, I was amazed to discover that some of the pruning had begun as much as 80 years ago!

Two thoughts came to me as I looked at those incredible plants. As a bonsai tree grows, the pruner must vigorously cut off various branches to develop the right shape and size. Even healthy growth must be cut if is not going in the planned direction. There is also much waiting involved. Sometimes it takes decades for the plant to become what the pruner desires it to be. Once that goal is reached, there will still be maintenance pruning as long as the tree lives.

I realized that my life could be compared to one of those trees, and that God my Father is the patient pruner. He started me from a small seed and has watched me grow for decades. Many times He has cut off unhealthy branches in my life, but He has also cut off what seemed to me to be good growth as well. He will cut what is necessary for my life to take and keep the shape He has designed specifically for me.

Those bonsai trees achieved the purpose for which they were created – to display the creativity and patience of the people who shaped them, as well as to provide enjoyment to those seeing them. If and when I don’t like the pruning and shaping God is doing in my life through my pain, I want to remember that I am being conformed into the perfect image He has chosen just for me. And it is good.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, whether painful for pleasant, help me to trust Your pruning and shaping of my life. Amen.

Courage through the Storm

“Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (Mark 6:50)

We have experienced very severe storms here lately on the east coast. Watching the torrential rains and hearing the severe winds, I remembered a recent sermon our pastor gave.

The above verse is from the story of Jesus walking on the water to the disciples during a storm. Our pastor pointed out something new to me. Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him. The word “made” here means to compel or command. Jesus knew the storm would come, yet he made the disciples go out into the lake. Of course at the time they had no idea what was ahead of them, but Jesus did.

In the throes of this storm, when the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water they were terrified. Jesus’ words, “It is I”, are the same words used by God in the Old Testament when He revealed Himself to Moses as “I AM that I AM”. The Eerdmans Commentary defines this expression as follows: “God will prove himself to be ever dependable and sufficiently resourceful to meet every need.” Jesus was saying to them that He was there with them, in total control of everything – the Great I AM. They were to take courage and not fear.

At times we may question why God would deliberately send us out into the storms of ongoing pain or illness. We may feel He doesn’t care that we are sinking, beaten by the wind and waves. Yet God uses these storms of life to show us who He is. He is our Deliverer, our Savior, and in control of every crashing wave and raging storm that we face. He sometimes has a bigger plan than simply our comfort. He wants to change our hearts so that we will have the courage and faith to trust Him completely, regardless of our circumstances, perhaps impacting others in the process as well. Take courage! Whether He calms our storms or holds us through them, He is still the great I AM.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, give me the courage to trust You through each storm I face, knowing Your power and presence are with me through them all.