Psalm 44:18-21 - Our hearts have not
deserted you. We have not strayed from your path. Yet you have crushed us in the desert. You
have covered us with darkness and death. If we had turned away from worshiping our God
or spread our hands in prayer to foreign gods, God
would surely have known it, for he knows the secrets of every heart.
These sons of Korah were experiencing one
of the hardest parts of life to bear. We
can do everything right…long for God…spend time with him in prayer and Bible
study…be his hands and feet to those around us…but the world still hands us
lemons. It seems as though God is asleep
to our needs…and he hasn’t heard our prayers for weeks… months…or even years. We
just can’t understand if we are doing what he asked….why life is so very hard.
It is important to remember Paul’s words in
Romans 8:37-39…when we feel so distressed. He said… “ No, despite all these
things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am
convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't, and
life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our
worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away.
Whether we are high above the sky or in
the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us
from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
It’s like the time when Jesus was asleep in
the boat with the disciples…during a horrible storm in Matthew 8. Only Jesus
knew that they were going to make it to the other side with no real damage…so
he took the opportunity to rest. But the disciples were focused on the storm
too much…and they fretted and worried about the outcome of a situation that
they saw as hopeless.
I think of the one perfect human…Jesus….and
how very hard his life was. Born in a stable…raised by humble parents…ministered
to others with no suitcase or fancy car to carry him around. He didn’t have a
fancy house to go to and kick his tired feet up in a recliner after work. He walked through his short life with one
purpose…to help all of us understand the servant side of loving God. He prayed
one night for God to remove the heavy cup he had been asked to drink from… but
only if it was the father’s will. Then
he allowed men who had no clue what they were doing hang him on a cross…where
he gave his life for all of our sins.
God never promised our lives would be easy…but
he did promise to walk with us anywhere he asks us to go. And what is really
cool is that God takes the scars from the batterings we suffer in life and
turns them into a message for others. Jesus’ scars in his hands…feet and side….tell
a great story of love…that I need to share with others. The scars I carry from SURVIVING
divorce and the death of a spouse I loved so much….give me a testimony to share
with others who still think God is asleep and has forgotten them.
Father...I thank you for the reminder that
my scars can be helpful to others. Help me to thank you for carrying me through
the difficulties of this world and for walking through my storms with me. Help
me to hide so much of you in my heart that I will never feel like you are not
there…right beside me...holding my hand. Help me to sleep when you sleep…so I
can hear your voice when you are awake…and follow what you need me to do…even
if it seems hard to my human heart. Amen.
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