Despair Part I

Are You Discouraged?

Are you facing trials and tribulations?

Does everything seem to be falling apart in your life?

Does it feel like God has abandoned you?

If you answered yes, you are not alone. I struggle with this myself, but when I do, I turn to the scriptures. There are numerous passages that tell the stories of Godly men and women who were discouraged. I get no delight in the suffering of others, but I do gain strength by knowing I am not alone. Furthermore, I see examples of how I am to trust God through the worst life has to throw at us.

So they took Jeremiah and dropped him into the cistern of Malchiah the king’s son, which was in the guard’s courtyard, lowering Jeremiah with ropes. There was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.-Jeremiah 38:6

I don’t know how long Jeremiah spent in this pit, but having spent time in mud before, I can tell you it is not pleasant. Imagine not being able to sit or lie down without being covered in muck. Where do you use the bathroom? In the muck. This could not have been pleasant.

There was no bread in the city so he was hungry as well.

Jeremiah was put in a cistern that was full of mud and slime all because he spoke the word of the Lord to the king. The king had asked Jeremiah for a word from the Lord but did not get the word he wanted to hear so he punished God’s prophet.

Fortunately, Jeremiah was brought up out of the pit eventually. What do you suppose he did? He continued to speak all that the Lord gave him to speak.

If Jeremiah could endure this and still trust his God enough to continue speaking on His behalf knowing his was an unpopular message, what is it for me also to trust this same God in my light afflictions?

If you are struggling right now and need to share your burdens, consider going to the One, the only One, who can sustain you. Also, please feel free to contact me if you have questions or need prayer.

May God give you His peace, comfort and joy to sustain you through these dark

Days.

Merry Christmas

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. –Isaiah 9:6

Wishing everyone a blessed, and Merry Christmas.

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Hope This Christmas

I don’t know about you, but things are not great for me right now. Money is tighter than it has ever been and the economy is not really showing signs of improvement. The world seems to be in a state of chaos. In September my brother went to be with the Lord and I am struggling through my first Christmas without him. No, things are not looking good.

¹ Now gather yourself in troops,
      O daughter of troops;
      He has laid siege against us;
      They will strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek.

    ² “ But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
      Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,
      Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
      The One to be Ruler in Israel,
      Whose goings forth are from of old,
      From everlasting.”
       ³ Therefore He shall give them up,
      Until the time that she who is in labor has given birth;
      Then the remnant of His brethren
      Shall return to the children of Israel.
       ⁴ And He shall stand and feed His flock
      In the strength of the LORD,
      In the majesty of the name of the LORD His God;
      And they shall abide,
      For now He shall be great
      To the ends of the earth;
       ⁵ And this One shall be peace.

                Micah 5:1-5a

At the time this was written, things were not looking good either. The nation of Israel had been attacked and abused and more of the same was heading their way. But GOD! I love this so I will repeat it; But GOD sent a message to Micah of a promised deliverer. If you read the New Testament, you will see this prophesy, as well as all the others, fulfilled in none other than Jesus, the Christ (Messiah).  

As we gather to celebrate His birth and we think of Him as a precious baby, let us not forget that He was “before” His birth. He has always been and will always be. He came in human flesh to suffer and die for our sins, in our place, but He came to overcome death and the grave “forever!” He came to stomp on Satan’s head and reign and rule for eternity. 

I love one of the last scenes in the movie The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, where Lucy is sad as she watches Aslan walking away down the beach. Mr. Tomlis (sp?) tells her he will return and that he is not a tame lion. Jesus will return and He is love, but He is not a tame lion. 

As we prepare to celebrate His birth in a few days, may we find hope and joy as we contemplate that He will return soon. We need not worry about the bad that surrounds us; we have a hope and a future, of this we can be sure.       

May the Lord Jesus Christ give you peace, joy, and hope this Christmas~