In that little waiting room in the hospital, I sat with my head bowed. With a broken heart and troubled mind I went to prayer - at first not sure even how to pray. A beautiful young woman lay just steps away, holding onto life by a thin thread. "Oh God, Oh God, Oh God" - was all I could manage, at first; but then with the help of the Spirit, I began to thank Him for His beauty, His majesty, His greatness, the love He has shown to us. From that praise came a boldness to ask God to intervene. Nearly an hour slipped quickly by as I prayed in quiet murmuring of petition and silent ponderings of praise. That alcove became a sanctuary! I felt Him come close and touch us!
How do people face life alone, without God? I cannot answer that question, because I have been blessed all my life with the knowledge of His love for me. From the earliest days of my childhood, prayer and the Presence of the Lord have been part of my the world I live in. No, I am not always a perfect saint! I don't always live close to God, but I've always known He is there, sometimes even abusing His mercy and grace in my immaturity and ingratitude. Yet, He loves me. Don't read this paragraph as indicating that my life has been without disappointment, without moments of doubt or confusion, or even fear. Sometimes, for reasons I cannot know, it seems that God stands aside and I feel like I'm on my own. Sometimes He allows situations to develop for which I can find no purpose and I'm left with the stark option of faith! The truth is that I never walk alone. In the darkest situation, He is there.
David writes -
"You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.
You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
"You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.
You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you." (Psalm 139:3-12, NIV)
Even the darkness will not be dark to You! What a wonderful assurance. The Father walks with us and sees the way - even in the dark. He knows our frail nature, our tendency to fall, and loves us anyway.
Do you live in His Presence?
Do you walk with Him?
Is your first inclination in times of joy and trouble to share it with your Friend, Jesus Christ?
If you answer those questions with a 'yes,' then you know what I'm writing about. If 'no,' then let me urge you to receive Him into your life today! Open your heart and mind to Him. Hand over your life to Him. Sell out - irrevocably! The transaction is one born in faith. It doesn't require a priest or preacher, just a hungry heart that says, "Jesus save me. Love me. Be my Lord!" Becoming a child of God does not mean that you will be exempt from the trials and tests of living. That's the nonsense of prosperity preachers imaginations. Those of us who walk with Him continue to live in a world where there is war, pain, suffering, and death. But, we never walk alone!
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