Where else will you go…
Photo by Mark Olsen on Unsplash
Good morning, Rise and Shine friends!
Today marks 11 months that my daughter was in a terrible incident at the lake.
It brings back painful memories of some hard days that followed.
However, it also brings to mind the absolute Faithfulness of God.
There is hardly a day that goes by since that 28th day of June, that I don’t thank God for sparing her life.
Through that horrible and scary time, God was so present. Perhaps more present than I had ever known before.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18
All of those Truths that I had memorized and studied and even written about over these past 14 years all came to a screaming halt that day.
My faith and my belief and my trust in God was put to the ultimate test…
Would I still believe God was good, even if….
Would I still believe God was good, even though…
Every doctor and nurse and PT that we met all said the same thing…
Your daughter’s life is a miracle.
We just do not ever see this kind of injury turn out this way.
And they were right.
However, I still struggled with the “why’s”….a good bit.
Why did this have to happen?
Why did she have to suffer?
Why didn’t God protect her like I had prayed just that very morning?
These are the questions that we all wrestle with at times.
Trust me, I know.
Oh, but friend…
God can handle our hard questions.
God can handle those trust issues.
We just have to talk to Him about them.
We have a tendency to cut Him off when we don’t understand or we don’t hear His voice and feel His Presence…
But, His Word tells us that is when He is the closest.
In our darkest times.
In our loneliest times.
A story I keep going back to can be found in John 6.
Jesus gives a hard teaching to His disciples.
After the teaching, many disciples deserted Him.
Here is the passage…
On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”
From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
Goodness, I cannot stop thinking of this story!
When Jesus asks the remaining disciples if they too will desert Him…
Peter so boldly declares to Jesus…”Lord, where in the world would we go? There is nothing in the world that can satisfy and bring us peace! You have EVERYTHING we need!”
I want to shout on the rooftops..
YES!!!!!!
Friend, if you are in a hard place. A doubting season. A dry and lonely season. A full of questions season…
It is ok!
You are not alone!
Even Jesus’ closest companions struggled at times.
But, rest assured….Jesus never changes.
He doesn’t change to fit our narrative.
He is always Faithful.
He is always True.
He is always Right.
He is always Present.
When we try to put Him in a box, or tell Him how things should or should not be…
We will never have peace.
When we surrender to His Will, His Way, His Path, His timing, His Truth (even when we don’t understand}…
His Peace will wash over us and overwhelm us in the very best way.
This morning, I sat down and wrote these truths in my prayer journal.
Because sometimes, we need reminding.
Some days, we need reminding over and over and over again.
Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105
The Lord is my Shepherd I have all that I need. Psalm 23:1
He perfects that which concerns us. Psalm 138:8
He commands His angels concerning us to guard us in all our ways. Psalm 91:11
He is our Refuge. Psalm 46:1
He is our Strength. Nehemiah 8:10
He gives us the desires of our hearts. Psalm 37:4
He anoints our heads with oil, our cup overflows. Psalm 23:5
He contends with those who contend with us. Psalm 35:1
He establishes the work of our hands. Psalm 90:17
He makes our paths straight. Proverbs 3:6
He sings over us. Zephaniah 3:17
He comforts us. 2 Corinthians 1:4
He will refute ever tongue that accuses us. Isaiah 54:17
He wipes every tear. Revelation 21:4
He numbers the hairs on our head. Luke12:7
These are the exact scriptures I wrote down in my prayer journal this morning.
I pray with all my heart that you believe them. Memorize them. Treasure them. Hide them deep down in the well of your heart.
Where else would we go??
He has the Words of eternal life.
remembering His Faithfulness again and again and again,
jill
