II Corinthians 5:1-10 - "Come As You Are"

Oh my...so many hurting people going through some very tough days...praying...

• the ones dealing with the death of their wife/mother/grandmother/sister/aunt
• the ones dealing with the death of their husband/father/grandfather
• the young man who has been in the hospital for over a week without being able to eat
• the man and his family who was put on a ventilator yesterday
• the woman with stage 4 pancreatic cancer
• the woman going through medical testing today
• the woman having steroid IV's for her MS
• the man life flighted on Easter Sunday with an aneurysm and then a stroke
• the young man who is battling blood clots in his legs
• the woman with blood clots in her lungs and a mass in her female organs
• the young man electrocuted and in ICU
• the woman in ICU with blood clots
• the toddler who continues to fight for life after multiple surgeries
• the man who lost his job yesterday
• the woman with multiple doctor appointments this week with a procedure
• the woman battling cancer

It can be so overwhelming to even start to pray for all of these. But then the Lord brought the song Come As You Are to my mind.

So lay down your burdens
Lay down your shame
All who are broken
Lift up your face
Oh wanderer come home
You’re not too far
So lay down your hurt
Lay down your heart
Come as you are
Come as you are
Fall in his arms
Come as you are
There’s joy for the morning
Oh sinner be still
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can’t heal
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can’t heal

So lay down your burdens
Lay down your shame
All who are broken
Lift up your face
Oh wanderer come home
You’re not too far
So lay down your hurt
Lay down your heart
Come as you are
Come as you are
Come as you are

Praise the Lord for the reminder "Earth has no sorrow...That heaven can't heal..." When we lose a loved one from this earth, it is sad for us yet when they are a believer it is joy for them. They no longer will suffer with the diseases of this earth when they receive their new body in heaven. Paul tells us in II Corinthians 5...

5 For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3 For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. 4 While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. 5 God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. 6 So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. 7 For we live by believing and not by seeing. 8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. 10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.

There are days where I yearn for my new body. This body doesn't want to function in the way I want it to but I must remember it is in the Lord's timing that I receive my new body. I can't hurry the process along nor should I even try. While waiting on my time to receive my new body I need to make sure I am doing His will. Verse nine tells us "...our goal is to please him." That is my goal each and every day. When I realized that I could come to the Lord with all of my burdens and He would refresh me, I was blessed in such a mighty way. 

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for accepting me just as I am. Thank You for loving me through some tough days in my own life and in the lives of so many others as I minister to them. Father, You are so awesome in the way You encourage me. Lord, You know the ones I will be visiting today and I ask for Your words to flow from me. I pray for more of You and less of me so Your words will be more effective through me. Lord, it is a bit overwhelming with all that is going on. I pray for Your peace to be within me. Thank You Jesus for being My Hope. Amen.