"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made"
Psalm 139
Because God wanted to make the unchanging
nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of
what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath.
God did this so that, by two unchangeable
things in which it is impossible for God to lie,
we who have fled to take hold of the hope
set before us may be greatly encouraged.
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul,
firm and secure.
Hebrews 6:17-19
Unchanging - ALWAYS stays the same; FOREVER
Promise - A promise is a statement that you make to a person in which you say that you will definitely do something or give them something.
If you make a promise, you keep it!!
Hope - The longing or desire for something accompanied
by the belief in the possibility of its occurrence.
Encourage - give someone hope, confidence or support.
Anchor - a reliable or principal support.
Firm - strongly felt and unlikely to change.
Secure - not subject to threat; certain to remain or continue safe and unharmed.
💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗
WOWZA! How about these words!? Plucked directly from the word of God! I was reading a devotion this morning and pondering how amazing it is that God knows exactly what I need to hear even when I don't. I'm thankful for his provision. I'm thankful that he knows me SO intimately that when I sit at his feet he provides ALL that I need.....actually he provides that which I don't even know that I need. 😏
"A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
Mark 2:1-5
In reading this passage this morning I never saw before what a big deal it was for the men to get the paralytic to Jesus. They pushed through crowds, they persevered, they had an amazing goal. They KNEW and BELIEVED that Jesus could heal him. The Bible doesn't say if they were friends (but most commentaries I've read do) but they certainly cared about his healing. This is what I am called to do! Fight for my friends. Persevere with and for them. Walk with them WITHOUT thinking, "what's in it for me?" I think it would be fascinating to know if their relationship went beyond that one moment in time
or if it was meant for that specific time. Curious 🤔
Enduring Word commentary says this:
"So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying: This proved the determination and faith of the friends of the paralytic man. They counted on Jesus healing their friend, because it would be a lot harder to bring him back up through the roof than lowering him down. They counted on him walking out of the room."
How well do I persevere when I'm called to do it?
It's all good when you get along well....agree on most things.......But I've had some difficult friendships. Friends who are very, very different from me. Friends I've come to absolutely ADORE despite those differences. Some sisters in Christ and some not. I think the reason I think they are difficult is because they don't fit my definition of what I THINK a friendship should look like. I'm usually "all in". If I'm all in and they're thinking "acquaintance"......well..... It may hurt ME, but they don't even see it as I do. Nobody is at fault. We just see things differently. They can walk away......I feel loss....
Though a conversation may need to be had I HATE conflict of any kind and perhaps I don't want to expose myself for fear of what I might look like.....vulnerable, silly, misunderstood....and just maybe, I won't like what I hear...... I'm most likely to sit in sadness than to enter into conversation. I'm more apt to be silent and shrink back therefore making the appearance of not caring. While others may be confrontational, wanting it all to be laid out and talked about. I may actually want that but I certainly don't want to initiate it and if I'm honest the uncomfortableness of it all I would avoid like the plague. Weaknesses in me? Absolutely! I confess it! Am I a good friend when everything is going well but when things get tough not so much? Do I give the appearance of not caring? One of the major reasons I adopted 2 Corinthians 12:9 for my verse of this year is because I need to lean on these words. .
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you,
for my power is made perfect in your weakness."
Verse 10 says, "For when I am weak, then I am strong." Hmmm.....WHEN not IF....
Will I ever learn that when I pray for God to move in me it's usually not easy? See I just want him to REMOVE my weakness. BAM! DONE! But no! He will place me in situations where I HAVE to call on HIS power IN my weakness. My WEAKNESSES are NEVER going away! I NEED HIM! If my weaknesses are gone I won't need him! Some of the ways he works out my weakness is by putting wonderful people in my path that are not only supportive and encouraging but who gently, sometimes unknowingly, correct my wrong thinking. Some are put in my path to mentor me and bring me along in the Word. Some are put in my path to simply love me. And......
Some are put in my path to specifically work out my weaknesses.
And that right there is hard stuff! It could be forever and it could be for a season. And again, that is hard. For the one who is chosen to work out the weakness and for the one having the weakness worked out. If it's for a season.....well, when I count them all friends....for me there's loss.
But oh to persevere like the paralytic's friends did! To "hang in there" because it's what we SHOULD do. To be able to experience the healing of a friend, what an honor....what a privilege....what a gift! I could think of at least ten reasons why we shouldn't put our friend on a stretcher and force our way through the crowd and tear the roof off of someone's house! But, those friends weren't thinking about themselves were they? They were united in loving their friend unconditionally. They weren't thinking "what's in it for me?" It was a selfless act. It wasn't about them!! And sometimes, even if I'm hurt, it's not about me. When I make it about me, my weaknesses begin to get pretty ugly and the "whoa is me" mentality breaks through...so what DO I DO?
I had a friend tell me today, "Sometimes all we can do is offer prayer" and I so flippantly said, "I know, but that's all?" And she very gently said, "That IS enough." Oh, she is so right. Correction well taken. See I want to FIX it. I want my questions answered. I want everything smoothed over and peace to be had. I want sunshine and rainbows. Definitely in heaven but on earth,
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you WILL have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
John 16:33
I had another friend ask me this question:
"Are you right with God?"
If the answer is "yes" than you've done all you can.
See, we can't change people but we can be right with God.
God, thank you for the working out of hurt feelings. Thank you for those you send at just the right time to correct me when I fall into wrong thinking. Thank you for your Word that speaks to me in just the perfect way in perfect timing. Thank you that it was a quick answer. Thank you that my eyes were open to see and my ears were ready to hear. I confess, many times I'm stubborn or disengaged and I don't see or hear your instruction. I'm sorry about that Lord. May I always look to you ALWAYS...not just in times of trouble.
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