Life is laden with ups and downs but where we are looking can make all the difference, whether or not we trip and fall or if we will stay the course.
These last few months have brought challenges I hadn’t expected. On the heels of a difficult hip replacement with nerve complications no one prepared me for I then found my son’s heart shattered as his wife of 17 years asked for a divorce. His ministry career came to an abrupt halt and our family was being torn apart.
Problems, heavy hearts, challenges, these are all part of being human, of being a parent or a marriage partner a grandparent or a friend. There are changes that come and although we get up from being knocked down and we take our stand, we make our declarations and we see God do miracles, there are still those moments… That momentary flash where you look back at what was, what might have been and your heart aches. I found myself thinking that so many times we can be praising God for the victory while we are still in the middle of the fight. We may experience heartbreak as we journey towards restoration.
Our hearts desire for those we love is full recovery, now. Needs met now. Hearts mended now. Broken bodies healed now. Finances restored now. Yet sometimes the restoration comes incrementally. When that is the case it requires renewed prayer, steadfast trust and an infusion of faith. We have to “hold on”.
Hebrews 10:23, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”
Our God is Faithful even when our circumstances are difficult!
Lamentations 3:22–23 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
One way the Lord will help us is when we shift the pain and the burden over to Him. Take it to the throne room and deposit the care at His feet. If we do not we may find ourselves crushed by weight we were never intended to carry…
Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
Our job is to cast, or throw the burden to Him! His is to sustain or strengthen us so that we will not be moved by feelings or what we see or what we hear!
I share a lot on what we say and that is vital but it is equally as important that we are careful with what we see. The road to victory demands that our focus is steady. It is very hard to move forward when we are turned around, looking behind us. It is difficult to see through the lens of faith when our eyes are focused on what is happening right before our natural eyes. I believe we have to keep our inner eyes looking up.
I am reminded of Lauren Dangles song, Look up Child. Her words: Where are you now, when darkness seems to win? When all I feel is doubt? I hear you calling my name, look up child….
It is by keeping our eyes on the Lord, who is the keeper of His promises, that our faith will be renewed.
Hebrews 12:1-2
12 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,
and…
Hebrews 10:23
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
Holding fast during the journey takes strength. It takes encouragement, it takes staying in the word and in prayer, it takes holding fast to our declaration, it requires that we stay focused.
I was reminded of a poem my dear friend Beth used to quote so often when she heard of a continual struggle someone was facing:
“Does the road wind up hill all the way, yes to the very end. Does the journey last the whole long day? From morn to night my friend.”
The way may be uphill but we are promised that He goes before us and is our rear guard!
For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
God with Us. God in Front. God Behind. Our journeys are not without regrets and heartbreak yet as we give those to God he turns our mourning into joy. He renews our faith and gives us hope for the future.
These moments will come on the road to restoration. Jesus knows our moments of heartbreak, He understands, He does not tell us not to feel, just not to be moved.
There is tremendous power in the creative words of our mouths and what we see with the eyes of faith.
There is also great power in fellowship and intercession. Reach up to God, Reach out to those you know will pray and encourage you. You are not on the road alone, you are not a pack-horse. You are an over comer, by His blood and your testimony!
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