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| "The angel of the Lord came the second time and touched him and said, Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you." 1 Kings 19:7 The Word of God is our sustenance and without it we wither away into the abyss of our own thoughts. Situations and circumstances begin to weigh us down. We are taken captive, imprisoned by false information. Walls go up. Years of illness have taught me this and made me weak. This was yet another particular sleepless night when pain tried to take control. These words (1 Kings 19:7) were sweet and honey for my soul. We need food and air and water to physically survive and to have a healthy body. It is the same with the Word of God. We must eat and drink of it daily to have a healthy spirit and soul. Allow Christ to become the air you breathe. There is nothing more pleasant than the flow of God's life in earthly, perishing bodies. He is indeed the quickening Spirit (Ps.119:107, Romans 8:11, John 6:63) who sustains us, who nourishes us and who directs us (Proverbs 3:5-6). "Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for thee". N.C. copyright 2003 |
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| "Blessed, (happy with life joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, apart from outward conditions and to be envied) is he who takes no offense in Me and who is not hurt or resentful or annoyed or repelled or made to stumble whatever may occur" Luke 7:23 (Amplified) Never misinterpret a battered soul to be an embittered heart. The weight of pain can muddy perception. When I first entered into this illness God had given me a beautiful promise of healing in Luke 8:48 and I believed with my whole heart that I would be healed and walking again. But as the years wore on and the pressures of pain and illness intensified and increased, my faith began to dawdle and dwindle. I was weak, in pain and always tired. Mishandled words from people, isolation, loneliness, and people being uncomfortable around me only increased the pressure. Every time I heard of someone being healed my feelings were a paradox of sorts. I am full of thanksgiving that their suffering has ended and at the same time there is a pin prick that my suffering must continue. And then I read this verse and it all began to make sense. I was refreshed and released. We cannot understand God's ways and are not meant to. We are asked only to trust Him and believe. There is a reward for trusting our Heavenly Father. It is the blessing of joy and satisfaction in the midst of chaos. N.C. copyright 2003 |
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