Tag Archives: Scripture

Loss & Grief… & the Love & Faith That Brings Hope to Dream Again!

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“And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.” (1Samuel1:10)

The above passage of Scripture refers to a woman named Hannah who grieved over her inability to have a child.  Today I related to Hannah in her bitterness of soul as I prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.  While my circumstances may differ from Hannah’s, in that my sadness has nothing to do with not being able to bear a child, I can certainly relate to her heart.  When I turned my pain over to the Lord today, my question was “How long is this going to hurt?” In trying to understand my pain, and why I was hurting so much, I realized that I was grieving a loss.  Nobody physically died, but I did lose someone that I had invested a great deal of myself in, and suddenly this person is gone from my life.  It hurt a lot! But thank God for His precious love for me.  God is so faithful! As I was in prayer, the Lord led me to a scripture in my bible: “And she said, “Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.” (1Samuel1:18) The life lessons note in my bible regarding this specific Scripture says the following: “Hannah left behind her grief, not when her circumstances changed – they hadn’t – but after she poured out her soul to the Lord.  Because of her grief, she connected with the Lord on a level she had never known.” ~Charles Stanley. This was a huge act of faith on the part of Hannah! She had stopped eating because of her grief and sadness but here in this Scripture she went away after her prayer and ate and was no longer sad.  She had placed her faith in God and trusted that He would grant her the desire of her heart.  In Hannah’s prayer for a son, she also vowed to dedicate her son to the service of the Lord which was a selfless act on her part.  That was her sacrifice onto the Lord.  Later Hannah conceived and bore a son!

I was so encouraged by this today and I hope that you will be too.  Nothing is too big for God and He can certainly make your dreams come to pass when you put your trust in Him.  Let your fear become your fuel for faith.  Turn to God in prayer and pour your soul out to Him.  This isn’t the first time I’ve turned to God and in the past He has always been faithful even when the answer wasn’t what I expected.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart; Lean not on your own understandings.  Acknowledge the Lord in all that you do and He will direct your paths.” 

 

His Power Made Perfect In Weakness

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“And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2Corinthians 12:9)

I was so encouraged by a conversation that I had today with a dear friend who God has recently brought into my life.  We discovered that we both share something in common – we’ve both been diagnosed with serious mental illness and have experienced many similar symptoms.  As we encouraged one another on the phone today we both shared our desire to not over sleep and to be able to just get out of bed and face the day.  It may seem like a simple enough task, but to someone that has struggled with the effects of mental illness it can seem like moving a mountain to get out of bed. Therefore it takes faith because without it mountains cannot be moved – it’s physically impossible! So as we were speaking I was blessed with a wonderful idea to write us a love letter from God that we would read everyday upon waking up to encourage us to get out of bed despite how we may feel.

I’ve decided to post and share the letter in case there is anyone reading this who can relate.  Please feel free to copy it and use it for yourself or even to give it to someone who you may know that is struggling.

Good Day My Beautiful & Precious Daughter,

I hope that this will be the first thing that you read every day upon waking up, not because I desire a religious commitment from you, but so that you can be reminded of how precious and valuable you are to Me. It is My will to be your help and to grant you the desires of your heart as you delight in Me. As you open your eyes and prepare to face the day I would like to encourage you despite how you may be feeling today. Remember that your faith is not based on your feelings and that your feelings may not always be representative of the truth. The truth is that no matter what you may feel right now I have chosen to give you the precious gift of life today. Every breath you take on this earth is a precious gift from me to you my beautiful daughter and the fact that you are breathing means that I have a purpose and a plan for your life that is filled with hope. Know that while you may feel absolutely powerless over the ability to get out of bed, I am your strength and my power is made perfect in weakness. Depend on Me and know that through Me you can do all things. Know that I am with you every step of the way. I will always love you no matter what. Even if you stumble or fall, I am here waiting for you to run back into My arms so that we could walk again and if need be I will carry you. I don’t want you to feel ashamed or to condemn yourself if you fail. Come to me and even in your mistakes I will be glorified. I don’t expect you to be perfect, I just desire your trust in Me, your perfect Saviour whose blood covers your iniquity. Hebrews 9:14 says, “how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to the living God?”

Today is a new day and behold in Me all things are new, including My mercies. This is the day that I have made, be glad and rejoice in it my daughter. As you prepare yourself to face the day I want you to know that I love you and accept you and approve of you as you are. I am your God and I am with you. Do not fear what the day may bring because I am your strength and your refuge. Lean on me and I will be your help, walk in the Spirit by faith and overcome the flesh.  

You can do this! Believe in Me…

Here is some Scripture to meditate on:

Psalm 90:12  

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Ephesians 5:15-17

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Psalm 90:14

Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all of our days!

 

I love you My precious daughter…

With all of My love, from your Heavenly Father ❤

 

How thankful I am for having met such a wonderful friend.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says,

The Value of a Friend

 Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

 

Overcoming Depression With A Good Word!

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Overcoming depression with a good word!… what does that even mean?  Let me share that I just made a conscious choice right now not to wallow in my feelings of loneliness and sadness but instead to acknowledge that they are there and they are valid, but they do not rule me.  I have a choice to allow myself to give into these feelings and head down a path of  negative thinking which will only cause anxiety about my current situation which really isn’t bad or anxiety about the future.  My choice is to look upward and not inward; to step outside of myself and entrust what I’m feeling to my Saviour.  As I turned to God for sweet comfort and relief, I came across a Scripture which inspired me from the book of Proverbs chapter 12 verse 25.  It reads: “Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad.” God is so faithful, He never fails to provide what we need just when we need it!  So I’ve decided to turn to His Word, His truth to bring me (and you) comfort and relief while weathering these stormy waves of loneliness and sadness.  The first Scripture that comes to mind is Psalm 46:10 which says: “Be still, and know that I am God.”  We’re actually applying this Scripture right now by turning ourselves and our feelings over to the care and trust of God knowing that He can comfort and bring relief and that we can find gladness for our hearts in His Word.  I find it most helpful to address specifically what we’re feeling with Scripture that speaks truth to counter the lies that our feelings may lead us to believe.  For example, I’m feeling lonely right now but does that mean that I’m alone? No, so I will read and meditate upon a Scripture which speaks truth into my being. In Isaiah 41:10 God says:

“Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

I also know that I never have to worry about being alone because as a born again believer in Jesus Christ, He has promised to never leave me nor forsake me.  “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

Finally there’s one more Scripture I’d like to meditate on and that’s from Jeremiah 29:11:

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” 

That is one of my favorite Scriptures because it offers so much hope about a future that is unknown to us but known to God.  During these emotional times we have a choice to let our feelings rule us and lead us into anxiety and depression or turn to a loving God who is in control and knows every detail that lies ahead.  I choose to trust! I trust that as I choose to trust God I will be blessed – maybe not necessarily with what I want when I want it, but definitely with what I need when I need it.  He knows my needs better than I do  and He is a faithful provider.

I’d like to pray tonight for anyone that may have an anxious heart…

Dear Lord,

Thank you for Your mercy and love for us.  You truly are compassionate and you care enough about your children to want to carry our burdens and give us rest.  Lord I pray for all the anxious hearts tonight. Father please gives us the rest and peace that only You can provide as we surrender ourselves, our feelings and our emotions completely to You.  Please give us the strength Lord to lift up our heads even though we may feel so low and to look upward and not inward so that You may shine Your glory upon us and bring us sweet relief and comfort during this time.  Father I pray for your protection so that we may not be led into the temptation to give into the enemies tactics to use our feelings against us by feeding us lies.  Help us to turn to You through Your word so that we may equip ourselves with Your armour so that we may withstand and share in Your victory.  Father God, thank you! To you be all honour and glory.  In the name of Jesus, Amen. ❤

For those who feel alone who do not know Jesus as your personal Lord & Saviour I pray that you will turn your heart over to Him who will love and rescue you from eternal separation from Him.  He loves you and cherishes you so much that He died for you.  Hear that… Yes you are worth dying for! Romans 10:9-10 clearly says “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” I urge you, don’t wait another minute! Run into the arms of Jesus right now and allow Him into your heart. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins and to give you His gift of eternal life.  You are loved!