Hebrews 13:5-6
For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"
As I was reading the scriptures this morning concerning the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus, I got to thinking about a poem my sister Gerri wrote called "Alone". I can't even fathom how alone Jesus must have felt during that darkest of times in his life. He even cried out on the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" He felt like even his Father had left him.
Likewise, I'm sure his disciples and other followers felt scared and abandoned as well. Although they had just lived through 3 1/2 years of being front row witnesses to some of the most spectacular miracles one could ever imagine, now they felt utterly and completely alone. In that moment of harsh reality, their thoughts were not focused on the magnificent miracles they had seen and even taken part in. No, now their thoughts were focused on what was happening now.
They, like Jesus, felt alone. Yes, they knew Jesus loved them; yes, they knew Jesus could do the impossible; yes, they knew Jesus had always been there for them. Yet, this was different. No longer could they see him, hear him, touch him. This time they were alone. Who would calm the raging sea of life's all-too-real problems now? Jesus was gone; they were on their own.
Of course, we know the outcome of this most magnificent piece of history (some day I will explain why I hesitate to call it a story). We all know that while the disciples were feeling like Jesus was no longer there to help them, he was actually in Hell kicking satan's rear end for them! He was busy securing the victory of their salvation! He was enduring Hell and all that went with it so that all mankind could have the opportunity to live. In fact, not just so they could live, but so that they could live more abundantly! Hallelujah!
Eventually, the disciples realized all of that, but for a time they felt alone. They were scared and not at all sure how they could possibly do the ministry they were called to do when everything in their lives looked so terrible. Some of them, out of sheer frustration and not knowing what else to do, went back to their old lives, their old ways.
Wow! What was wrong with those disciples? They should have known Jesus would never leave them nor forsake them, right? Easy to say when we look at them because we know the outcome, but what about us? Aren't we guilty of the same thing? Even though we have seen miracles, don't we often forget to focus on the wonderful things the Lord has done in our lives? Just like the disciples, we often feel alone when bad times arise. We feel like we can't see Jesus in our situation. We feel like we can no longer hear him. We feel like we can't sense his presence at all. Fear takes a grip on our oars, and before we know it, we have paddled head-on into a massive storm of doubt and unbelief.
If that description fits you, as it does all of us at one time or another, stop trying to take matters in your own hands! Jesus has not left you! He is still in your boat, but maybe you have allowed the Jesus in you to go to sleep. Well, what are you waiting for? All you have to do is call upon his name! JESUS! Wake up Jesus within you by getting your focus back on him! Stir up your faith by thinking on and talking about all the wonderful things God has done in your life! Remember...you may not know how, you may not know when, but if he did it before, he'll do it again!
Whew! That was a long introduction! Here's today's boast:
I remember when it looked like all I knew as life was lost. It definitely didn't feel like God was anywhere around. I was in the midst of watching my marriage of 14 years crumble before my very eyes after discovering something horrible. Foolishly, I stayed married in hopes that we could all get counseling and that God would heal my family and my marriage.
As a result, I hurt my daughter worse than I will ever be able to imagine. Our once strong relationship dwindled, and all was for naught because counseling never happened and the tension in our home was thick enough to choke the life right out of you. One-and-a-half years later, I finally ended the marriage.
It felt like my life was over. It felt like I would never experience happiness again. Ahh...but God had different plans! Although I felt so alone during those times, he never left me nor forsook me. He ended up giving me another husband who is a Christian man, and we have now been married for almost 11 years! Also, God has repaired my relationship with my daughter, and she has become an awesome and mighty woman of God! Even the strained relationship with my sons has begun to heal, and they both are walking with the Lord now as well!
So as I go through the situation I'm in now, which is nowhere near as horrible as that situation was, I choose to REMEMBER all that God has brought me through. He did it before, and I know he is doing it again. God is awesome!
Amen! I needed that boast. Thank you for allowing God to speak through you.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome baby girl! I love you and miss you!
ReplyDeleteDefamation—also called calumny, vilification, traducement, slander (for transitory statements), and libel (for written, broadcast, or otherwise published words)—is the communication of a statement that makes a claim, expressly stated or implied to be factual, that may give an individual, business, product, group, government, or nation a negative image. This can be also any disparaging statement made by one person about another, which is communicated or published. It is usually a requirement that this claim be false and that the publication is communicated to someone other than the person defamed (the claimant).[1]
ReplyDeleteIn common law jurisdictions, slander refers to a malicious, false,[2][not specific enough to verify] and defamatory spoken statement or report, while libel refers to any other form of communication such as written words or images.[3] Most jurisdictions allow legal actions, civil and/or criminal, to deter various kinds of defamation and retaliate against groundless criticism. Related to defamation is public disclosure of private facts, which arises where one person reveals information that is not of public concern, and the release of which would offend a reasonable person. "Unlike [with] libel, truth is not a defense for invasion of privacy."[4][not verified in body]
Anonymous...if you feel the need to threaten me, at least be big enough to reveal who you are.
ReplyDeleteIn case the comment posted by "Anonymous" is implying (and I can only assume that it is) that the statements made in this blog post are untrue, let me just squash that by saying that they absolutely are true. Thus, by the very definition that was posted, this post is not defamation or slander. As for this post being an invasion of privacy, I would be beyond hard pressed to believe that any judge or jury would rule in favor of this post being guilty of such a ridiculous accusation, given that the ONLY person who would be offended by these very vague (if it were me writing this, there would have been MUCH more detail) and altogether true statements. There were no names named, and no specific accusations made. To say that a person's marriage crumbled after finding out "something horrible" is not and should not be offensive. To say that an involved party refused to get counseling to restore a marriage is not and should not be offensive. If anyone IS interested in the details, I'd be happy to disclose those, and believe me when I say that this post does not even come close to doing justice to the horrific truths behind this story.
ReplyDeleteOnly a coward would post something like this anonymously. Shame on you for attempting to cast a poor light on such an uplifting blog. Shame.
I am very sad to know that "Anonymous" would want to cause further harm to our hearts by threatening legal action for one sentence worded in a way that was not intended to offend anyone. If you only knew the pain that was suffered and continues to be suffered as a result of what was shared. Thank you though for making me aware of what the law says. As a result, I do hereby recant the wording in my original post and replace it with the revised wording shown in the edited version.
ReplyDelete