The words to a song Josh Wilson sings are in my heart this morning...
Would you dare would you dare to believe
That you still got a reason to sing
Cause the pain that you've been feeling
It can't compare to the joy that's coming
Cancer, Alzheimer's, infertility, death of a loved one, M.S., fibromyalgia, dementia, depression, unknown reason for pain, the list goes on and on of things we deal with on this earth that will no longer have to be dealt with in heaven. Praise His Holy Name for new bodies for those who spend eternity with the Lord. But a big question is how do we survive through such things while on this earth? How do we deal with pain every day? How do we continue pressing on when we feel like we can no longer go? What happens when we feel like we can no longer fight what is before us? Each one has to find the answers to these questions but the final answer is leaning into God, allowing His empowerment to give you strength to continue on. It takes more than what any human can do on their own to deal with anything like what I previously mentioned. We are not capable of doing anything without Him. I have said it many times before but I do not understand how people get through life without Him. I know a lot of people when faced with adversity will cry out "Oh, God!" but they are not crying out to Him for His empowerment only for Him to take care of their present circumstances. There is such peace when one gets to the end of themselves and allows Him to have full control of all of their being. When one holds onto Him through the adversity, there will be "joy in the morning" as David spoke of in Psalm 30. In verses one through five of this Psalm David praises God for delivering him out of what he was going through. David cried out to God for help and he was answered. In verse four it says to "Sing praises of the Lord, you His faithful people..." When His faithful people leave this earth, they spend eternity in heaven. We are told there is praising that happens in heaven. If we truly mean the Lord's prayer where it says "on earth as it is in heaven," then we need to be praising Him while on earth. How is it possible to praise Him when going through times of adversity? Sometimes it may seem impossible. The enemy does not like praises. Therefore, if he has any little open door into your life, praising God will make the situation worse. But my God is greater than anything the enemy throws my way! My God is greater and wants to empower me to knock the enemy down. Sometimes the enemy is not involved in the adversity. Sometimes God is trying to get our attention or take our faith deeper. As we praise Him through the adversity He will empower us to stand firm in our faith through it. I love verses eleven and twelve of Psalm 30...
11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will praise you forever.
Woo hoo! I remember walking into the church one night with a walker and cane; going to the altar at the end of the service and crying out to the Lord for a healing; and dancing out with such joy in my heart! "My sackcloth" was gone! Woo hoo! Thank the Lord for speaking to Brother Dan Bohi to come to do that service and for Brother Dan walking in obedience! Woo hoo! "joy comes in the morning" has been lived out so many times in my life. We need it to happen right now with Doc's health and are praying and expecting! I am praying the same for many people who are waiting for the same.
Dear Jesus,
Thank You for Your love, mercy, and grace! Thank You for the many times You have heard our cries and turned our wailing into dancing! Thank You for being greater than the enemy! Father, I know the only way to live with expectation in my heart is for You to cleanse me so You can fill me. May You do that this morning so I can be a beacon of light for You with my words, actions, and attitude throughout this day. Thank You for ten hours of rest last night! Thank You for having me pray for one yesterday who I had not known was going through labor and delivery at the time. Thank You for her precious baby boy! Father, You are so good! You deserve all of our praises! I continue to pray for Doc to have "joy in the morning" with his pain; Sandie and Jim with her health; many, many going through Alzheimer's, infertility, death of a loved one, M.S., fibromyalgia, dementia, depression, etc. Thank You for being My Joy! Thank You for Brother Dan who walked in obedience so "You turned my wailing into dancing"! Amen.
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