Mercies In Disquise

Psalm 84:5-6 -  Happy are those who are strong in the LORD, who set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.  When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs, where pools of blessing collect after the rains!  They will continue to grow stronger, and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem.

 

Asaph loved his job.  He would rather have been working in the temple…writing another beautiful psalm…or just humming a new melody to go with one of the ones David gave him to worship by the next Sabbath….than have 1,000 other things. He wanted nothing more or less than to be close to God…his source of happiness and contentment.

 

Asaph had learned one of the hardest lessons in life…to draw near to God…to set his mind on walking through every valley God allowed in his life…and see the positive.  He had learned to turn his tears of sadness into shouts of joy…because he saw how much stronger he was for having traveled through the valleys of life.

 

I admit that tears still fall sometimes when I recall the hardest moments of my own life.  But I can say with certainty that I am glad that God allowed me to realize that these moments of pain and sadness held valuable lessons of how his love works. The… rain truly brought new life to my soul when I realized that the tears had purpose in helping me grow closer to God.

 

Laura Stories song…Blessings… comes to mind.  The line…. What if my greatest disappointments -
Or the achings of this life - Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy….really sums it up for me.  The pain we go through reveals to our heart that God is truly the only one that has permanence in our lives.  We must cling to him…and get to know him on the deepest levels …if we are to ever truly grasp the power of his great love.

 

Father…I never thought for a moment …in the deepest valley of my life that you had left me….and I admit to you oh Lord that I still ask why sometimes….but I am truly thankful that you have helped me see the blessings your rain have collected on the other side of my pain.  I know my joy here on Earth doesn’t hold a candle to the joy I will experience when I meet you face to face….but the small portion of joy you have let me feel…sure helps me keep going when I feel like I am beat down.  Help me to continue to seek you…and satisfy my thirst for love with only your water that gives life and peace.  Amen.

 

PS…...here is the link to Laura Story’s great song….    http://youtu.be/eOOFAaUGfRE