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| "Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come unto thee. Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily." Psalm 102:1-2 (KJV) Pain can be a very lonely place, be it mental, emotional or physical, regardless of the cause. It is the bittersweet place wherein God promises to be. (1 Kings 8:12) Yet as it cries out it seemingly is not heard. It cries out from the soul with groanings deep from within. It lingers and haunts and hinders and binds. Words do nothing to comfort it. I know this well. Words are not sufficient or easily found. Only God's sole touch into the depths of the soul can release, refresh, comfort and bring one into those transcendent places of unspeakable joy. There are times when I think I cannot go on one more moment for the severity of the pain and confinement. There is no joy of our own to be found. Yet there is still found this place of unspeakable joy deep from within that cannot be denied. It truly is the joy of the Lord that is our strength. And that joy no one can take from you. N. C. copyright 2003 |
| "Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things we hope for, being the proof of things we do not see and the conviction of their reality (faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses)" Hebrews 11:1 (Amplified Bible) I had been lying in this hospital bed for nearly two months. I could no longer walk and had had dozens of tests. My doctor walked into my room with several other doctors. The diagnosis was in and it was definitive. I had a very rare disease that would put me in a wheelchair the rest of my life. I was only 41 years old, a single mom a 15 year old daughter and a 9 year old son. My thoughts were all over the place. I was stunned and shocked. But there was a strange peace also. It was as if God had prepared me for this quietly and I knew everything would be allright. He would take care of us. I began to realize as time went on that life is a precious gift regardless of how it is packaged. Inner healing is the greatest gift and when we begin to understand this beautiful truth and trust God life becomes a beautiful journey. How precious it is that His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). God is so patient and loving and kind. He leads us gently and always causes us to triumph. There are bumps and bruises along the way but there is a special joy in the journey when we let Him lead us. (Proverbs 3:5-6, Romans 8:11,12:11, Philippians 3:21) N.C. copyright 2003 |
| "You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book." Psalm 56:8 (New Living Translation) I had received a letter from a dear friend sharing how she felt like such a little girl when she found herself crying over ridiculous things. I also cry about the ridiculous and mundane. We all do and we are all little children in our Heavenly Father's eyes. Sometimes we don't even know why we are sad. Yet He knows and He bottles every tear. He understands in completeness why we feel the way we do every single time. He is never surprised, dismayed or disappointed. He knows it all before it happens and that is what makes it so sweet. He loves us, purely and simply, no performance necessary. (Isaiah 65:24) N.C. copyright 2003 |
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