Ever feel forsaken? Ever wonder if the Lord truly sees you? Ever wonder if your answer will ever come or your trial will ever end?
Isaiah 49:13-16
13 Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains!For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. 14 But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me,the Lord has forgotten me." 15 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! 16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands...NIV
I love this passage;
Verse 13 reminds us to rejoice; HAVE HOPE! Why? Because God does comfort His people and WILL HAVE compassion on His afflicted ones. If you are facing a trial today, know this: THE LORD IS NEAR. You are not alone. And, He has compassion "ON" you. The word "ON" is unique to me. Often times we can have compassion "For" someone. But when we have compassion "on" someone it means an act of doing something. God has compassion "on" His afflicted ones to me denotes that He is both able and willing to move in our affliction. We simply need to continue asking and we will receive whatever we ask for in His name.
Verse 14 reveals so much of what we feel. Zion, God's People, cry out saying, God has forsaken us. It is so easy in the midst of the storm to feel alone, to feel darkness surrounding us; even Jesus, Who never sinned, felt forsaken on the cross crying out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" There is no sin in feeling forsaken. You don't have to muster up unrealistic faith. Simply cry out to God; He's listening! And as...
Verse 15 reminds us, though even those dearest to us may forsake us, though we may have tasted the rejection of ones who should have drawn us in...GOD NEVER WILL!
The ultimate truth and demonstration of God's love...the final authority and revelation that we are NOT forsaken, that we are NOT abandoned is found in verse 16...God writes, "See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands..."
THE Greatest demonstration of love is when a person sacrifices their life in exchange for another. Jesus, the reason we commemorate this holiday season, faced a grueling death. He suffered at the hands of unjust men, and painfully bore the weight of our sin on His body. His sacrifice should remind us that we are loved!
Friend...you are not alone! You have not been abandoned! And though others may have forgotten you, God sees YOU! And He is moved with compassion! Hear him say gently to you today, "I have loved you with an everlasting love...I have drawn you with loving kindness...YOU ARE mine!"
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
If forever began today, what would your horizon look like?
Bills, kids homework, gymanastic lessons, taekwondo, work, clean the house, cook supper, make time for ministry...and the list goes on and on and on...
Sometimes life gets so busy that we tend to just do the next thing on our required to do list, seldom taking time to think about eternity, or what really matters.
But what if forever began today...what would your horizon look like? This thought either brings the sting of conviction or a sweet solace as we remember what should be the most important aspect of our lives.
Jesus promised, in John 14:2-4, "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going." NIV
We are loved beyond all measure. God’s love is more tender than a mother’s, more faithful than a brother’s, and more intimate than a lover’s; His love crossed the battlefield of pain, traversed through the trenches of indifference and pride, and stretched His arms wide, nailing the weight of our sin to its final death.
So, as you face the mundane list of all your necessary "to do's" remember...there is more to life than endless tasks. Take a moment to thank God for all He has done and ask Him for the strength to do all that you need to do without forgetting what is most important.
Sometimes life gets so busy that we tend to just do the next thing on our required to do list, seldom taking time to think about eternity, or what really matters.
But what if forever began today...what would your horizon look like? This thought either brings the sting of conviction or a sweet solace as we remember what should be the most important aspect of our lives.
Jesus promised, in John 14:2-4, "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going." NIV
We are loved beyond all measure. God’s love is more tender than a mother’s, more faithful than a brother’s, and more intimate than a lover’s; His love crossed the battlefield of pain, traversed through the trenches of indifference and pride, and stretched His arms wide, nailing the weight of our sin to its final death.
So, as you face the mundane list of all your necessary "to do's" remember...there is more to life than endless tasks. Take a moment to thank God for all He has done and ask Him for the strength to do all that you need to do without forgetting what is most important.
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