"Let my song join the one that never ends..." Forever. Eternity. Whatever word you want to use for a life with Christ, it is how long I want to live. There is hope in living for Christ. He empowers us to endure whatever physical ailments we may have when we live in Him. It is by "...the power of His blood..." that we can overcome. Woo hoo! That is pretty exciting to think about!
When you get hit with one after another of physical issues in your family, you definitely have to wonder "Why?" or "What are we doing wrong?" He wants us to hold onto Him and go deeper in our relationship with them. He wants us to hold onto James 1:2-8...
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
The trials themselves are difficult to endure but when we do as the Lord instructs us to we will be blessed with a deeper faith. He is never going to leave us, even though there are times we may feel like it. The trials we go through are not punishment, even though we may think they are. In verse five, we are told when we ask God He will give us what we ask for. The key thing to remember is that God will only give us what we ask for if it is in His will. He won't give us something that will hurt us or draw us away from Him.
Matthew Henry writes, "We should not pray so much for the removal of affliction, as for wisdom to make a right use of it." He continues, "A mind that has single and prevailing regard to its spiritual and eternal interest, and that keeps steady in its purposes for God, will grow wise by afflictions, will continue fervent in devotion, and rise above trials and oppositions." That thought takes me back to the words in this song, "I believe I overcome...By the power of His blood..." Jesus died on the Christ so we could live. When we are in relationship with Him, He will enable us to endure whatever comes our way. He empowers us through the empowerment He received from His Father.
Because He lives
I can face tomorrow
Because He lives
Every fear is gone
I know He holds my life my future in His hands
Dear Jesus,
Thank You for dying for me on the cross. Thank You for the example You give to me on what obedience looks like. Thank You for the hope You give to me. Father, on one hand I disagree with Matthew Henry when he says we shouldn't ask for a healing but instead ask for wisdom on how to use it. But on the other hand I know I want my life to glorify You. If the way I am physically right now with this MS flair-up will do that, then so be it. I was frustrated yesterday with not being able to go and do what I 'normally' do when I prayed, "Having places to go and people to see takes on a whole new meaning when you can't jump in the car and go...Lord, help me to get use to this way of life OR better yet heal my legs!" So here I am trying to find the 'fine line' in so many different ways. Lord, I do want You to be glorified but I would prefer it to be with my legs working! BUT I sure don't want anything that is not in Your will. Father, Your will is the most important thing in my life. I will have to say I don't understand why Doc has to go through the pain of kidney stones. Nor do I understand why he has to have a surgery at this particular time with all we are dealing with in my body. But whatever the reasons are for these things I pray You will be glorified in our lives. Father, I also pray for the families with their Momma's in Hospice Care. Lord, both of these woman have lived for You. I pray for Your mercy to be in their situations. I pray for the one who has lost another baby in such a short time. Father, wrap Your loving arms around this family. I pray for the young father who died suddenly. I pray his wife and three little ones will feel Your presence as they go through the funeral today. Lord, so many hurting people with such tragic things happening. I pray they won't lose faith in You through the challenges of life. I pray they will hold onto the promises found in James 1 just as I do. I pray as they face these tough times physically they will realize the best times spiritually. Thank You Jesus for being My Forever Life. Amen.
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