Each time He said to me:
"My grace is all you need.
My power works best in weakness."
2 Corinthians 12:9
each time.
words which add
comfort
upon
comfort
for the words imply
a need for repetition.
the need or even want
has been spoken or cried
to Abba more than once.
the same need or want is
brought into the throne room
time and time again.
and my heart wonders:
could it be a lack of faith
on my part to bring the same
circumstance or person
or need
to Him
over and over?
or could it be a sign
of faith growing deeper
for I know that He will
answer?
and then I must wonder
if somehow He already
did answer and I just
didn't hear or see.
was I so busy asking
that I missed the answer?
and then I must wonder
if the continued petition
is even necessary,
for He already
knows the
outcome.
no.
for although I cannot
even begin to
understand the
inner workings of the
Father's heart,
still I know that He promises
to hear and answer every prayer.
so
I
will
pray.
and I will
thank Him for
how He is already
working in that
circumstance
or person
or need.
and praying becomes praise
and praise becomes gratitude
gratitude leads the heart
back
to the
heart of
the Father.
.
You have turned my mourning into
joyful dancing.
You have taken away my clothes
of mourning and clothed
me with joy,
that I might sing praises to you and
not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks
forever!
Psalm 30:11~12
out of adversity blessing flows.
out of tragedy hope springs.
out of despair joy rises.
and sometimes the point of impact
between adversity and blessing,
tragedy and hope,
despair and joy,
is messy.
whether the impact
is definitive or
blurred,
pieces of hearts
and lives and relationships
and illness and
even death itself
can be found scattered
and
shattered
on the ground.
and sometimes
the outcome is
simply not that
for which was prayed.
and His arms gently
enfold the hurting,
His goodness never
failing.
and sometimes
the joy which
rises from the
ashes of despair
comes at a high price.
and sometimes, for one to live
another
must
die.
and that life lost
is deeply mourned.
and sometimes,
in that death,
the very heartbeat
of life lives on as
adversity meets blessing,
tragedy meets hope,
despair meets joy.
and is that not the story of Lent?
was His heart not broken
and wounded and crucified
so we could have a new heart?
His love so passionate
so priceless
so perfect
so pure
was what
held Him to
that cross until
the final heartbeat.
and once the heart
was stilled, it seemed that
adversity, tragedy, and despair
had won.
this point
of impact
must have
seemed oh
so blurred to
His followers.
yet three days later
blessing, hope and joy
rose from out of a
dark tomb as Jesus
was raised from death
to life eternal...
the Lamb at the
center of the Throne.
and because He lives,
we, too, have life.
hearts
made
new.
rarely are
new normals
something we
seek out.
rather,
they seem to find us,
often invading and
radically changing
everything we know.
we are left stunned.
and it is nearly impossible
to not question God.
to ask that small yet
all encompassing word:
why?
over
and
over.
and honestly,
His answers do not
always satisfy.
for
how do you understand
the ununderstandable?
how do you comprehend
the incomprehensible?
when the heart is still
enough to hear, He whispers,
"My beloved child,
I am here.
I am closer
than your next breath,
your next heartbeat.
I. am. here.
no pain is without purpose.
no pain is ever wasted.
every lonely moment,
every heartbreak,
every tear cried,
are being woven
into the very fabric
of your heart with a
delicacy unimaginable.
not for one moment
have I or will I let go.
the story of your life
is being formed into
a living, breathing testimony.
an exquisite love story,
written before
time began
by
My
hand.
do not be afraid.
do not fear the
departure from
what you know,
for you can be assured
that the unknown is
not unknown to Me.
nothing can separate
you from Me.
no place on earth,
no emotion felt,
no court room,
no hospital room,
no darkness black
exists where My light,
My love,
My peace,
My comfort
are not.
for I AM.
and I am for you,
not against you.
in time that which
feels so wrong today
will be embraceable
as the beauty of your
story unfolds."
your Abba
And I am convinced that nothing can
ever separate us from God's love.
Neither death nor life,
neither angels nor demons,
neither our fears for today
nor our worries about tomorrow ~
not even the powers of hell can
separate us from God's love.
No power in the sky above
or in the earth below~
indeed, nothing in all creation
will ever be able to separate
us from the love of God that
is revealed in Christ Jesus,
our Lord.
Romans 8:38~39
