Oh Lord, How I Need You!

All of us are hurting in some way or another.  My hurt is physical and emotional.  For the last five years I have suffered in chronic pain and chronic fatigue.  I also suffer through severe panic, loneliness and a feeling of just being lost, unworthy & worthless.

One Dr. says it's a spinal issue.  Two others say it's fibromyalgia.  Honestly, at times I feel so lost, I just don't know what to think.   All I know is that God is Jehovah Rophi, Our Great Healer, so I know that no matter how much pain I must endure, He will always be there going through it with me!  I'm much too young to feel this darned old, so I know it can't be over!  A little surgery and I might be just fine!  Who knows, so why bother worrying about what I have no control over right?  That's tomorrow's problems (Matthew 6:34).  I believe with all that is within me that it's not over yet!  My best years are yet to come!  The devil can do what he likes, but he'll never steal my mind from me.  This is why I am so grateful for the Holy Spirit who dwells within all believers and gives all of us the power to get through everything the devil can hurl at us!  "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!" (Philippians 4:13).

Some of you have lost your faith, your health, a loved one.  Maybe some of you just lost that 2nd family paycheck that was keeping you going and now it seems like foreclosure is looming like a monster in your dreams, thus causing utter despair as you think about having to move, your children losing their schools, their friends...maybe losing your own friends in the neighborhood you have come to love so much.

Just remember this:  God see's you.  He hears you.  He knows your pain, your trouble and your circumstances and He wants to help you.  He is already working upon your behalf, and you are going to see miracles in the future, as never before, as long as  you fully trust Him!  First, you must believe, and then even through the blinding pain of our lives, no matter what kind of pain it is, confess your sin to Him.  Then?  I dare you - turn on the news or pick up a newspaper and when you read about the pile up that killed several people including two children the same age as your own?  Then it will hit you.  It's not a house or a job that matters, it's what's in them that matters.  Here one minute, gone the next?  Seems harsh, but still, I dare you to think of their families vs. what it is you are going through. Then, here's the big one.  Start to pray for their family, their friends....their pain!  Because while you may be going through a very painful set back, your pain is temporary while their pain is very PERMANENT and it cannot be undone.

So whether your pain is emotional, physical, temporary or permanent, God is always there, right in the midst, even in the tragedy we see around us, just remember, He is the God of Heaven, not of this world!  That belongs to the evil one, so it's the devil you can place your blame on when things go bad, not God!  The Lord always wants what is best for us, but sometimes. our children will make choices that deeply disappoint us, but they are always loved by us aren't they?  Well, God works exactly the same way!  He ministers to us directly through the Holy Spirit, even when we make a really big mistake, He is willing to forgive.  (1 John 1:19).

So look up, ask the Lord's forgiveness and then praise God for every hangnail you go through,  no matter how painful, and His mercy and grace will seem to have no end in your life!  When we have faith, He grants us the benefit of His constant presence, which you will feel like your best friend is standing right there and He will show you very clearly what His good, pleasing and perfect will for your life truly is!  (Romans 12:2). 

"Humble yourselves therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." (1 Peter 5:6).

God knows I put up a brave front most of the time, just trying to live as best I can for Him so that I might be a blessing to others through what I write here, but when I was so lost, He actually left the entire flock...just to come and rescue me!   You see, our adversary the devil, "roars about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour," (1 Peter 5:8), but the Holy Spirit will protect you!  So don't be swallowed up by the evil's around you, chose the "good portion," and sit at Our Master's Feet instead!  (Luke 10:40-42).  

Just stay brave, have faith in God and no matter what hold on tight to the one that parted the Red Sea, caused the walls of Jericho to fall with a bit of marching and a great shout and held back the waters of the Jordan River so that the Ark of the Covenant could cross on dry land!  Pray for His will for your life.  Ask Him to show it to you and I guarantee you......

He most certainly WILL!