Many people know that one of my favorite verses
which helps me through my difficult times is in 2 Corinthians 12 when Paul says “For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
I have definitely had a lot of times of weakness
over the past few months and throughout my life. We all go through times where
we are confused, anxious, upset, hurt, disappointed. We feel weak in our spirit. We feel weak in our knowledge. We feel weak when we compare ourselves and what we have to those around us. During those times, I
often ask God “Why is this happening? If you are so loving, then why is this
happening to me?” Recently, though, I find myself thanking God even in the midst of the difficult times. I was given a necklace a few years ago with a ring that says "hope" three times. To me, it is a constant reminder that no matter what we are going through, we can always find hope in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
Britt Merrick is a pastor who recently addressed how God works in our struggles very nicely
in a sermon entitled "When Sparrows Fall." I had a chance to watch it this morning and then again earlier tonight.
If you have a chance to watch this sermon, I highly recommend it because he
speaks from his own experiences of going through storms.
One of the most powerful points that Britt makes
throughout the sermon is that the issue in our lives is not why. It’s not why
our families are not perfect. It’s not why we struggle financially or feel like
we are not enough or we don’t have enough. It’s not why we have moments in our
lives when we feel alone and that nobody cares.
It is, however, about the fact that in those times
when we feel abandoned, hurt, anxious, that the world is out to get us, or
people do not really care about us, we have a God who will never abandon us, who will never hurt us, who can replace our anxiety with peace, who is ultimately in control and who will always take care of us.
God is with us in every situation, difficulty, obstacle and storm in our life that we face.
During the past month or so, I have drawn closer
than I think I ever have to God. He has literally used everything and anything
in my path to teach me and continually reveal to me who He is. He
has shown me His love when I have had times when I felt alone. He has
filled my heart, mind, soul and spirit with peace and calm when there was a
storm inside me. Slowly but surely, He is picking me up, brushing off the dirt,
wiping my tears, placing Bandaids where I hurt the most and letting me know who
He is. He is turning the darkness into light, bringing joy where I feel pain,
and transformingmy mourning into a morning sun.
In our society, we are always told to build
ourselves up. Mass media always focuses on our weaknesses. You’re too this. You’re too that. You’re not enough of this.
You’re not enough of that. You need this. You need that. In our world, we are taught that the immediate fix is the only option.
But it is NOT the only option.
What I am learning more and more is that God rarely delights in immediate fixes. He is much more concerned with the journey and
getting to know Him even in the midst of the most difficult times in life. If
He fixed everything in our lives in a matter of two seconds, which He could,
what would be the point of living? If everything was perfect, we wouldn't have the opportunities we do to get to know who He is.
Allow God to bring His strength and presence into
your times of weakness, into those weak spots in your relationships, at your
job or any other place of weakness in your life. Because He can take your
weaknesses and do the most unimaginable things with them.
I personally have experienced this in so many circumstances in
my life. The one that immediately comes to mind was three years ago. I fell
about 40 feet. I do not remember a thing, except waking up on the ground. The
police told the doctors that I hit a tree that broke my fall and that is the only reason I am
still here. As my family drove many miles to the hospital, the only hope that
they had that I would ever walk again was that the doctors said that I was
moving my feet. I sustained multiple injuries, including a few fractured vertebrae.
I walked two days after my fall. And today I can run six minute miles. Every
time I run, I am reminded of how God took one of my weakest moments in life and
how He continually helps me to run the race with perseverance.
The following verse has been my favorite since I
was a little child:
they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk, and not faint.
-Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)
Beautifullt written !
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