My friend's heart ripped in two. Her faith tumbled like a boulder down her mountain of disappointments. Nothing seemed to stop the avalanche of sorrow. Fear. Despair. She clung to the promises of God, only to watch with horror as the downward spiral continued.
Devastated? Oh, that doesn't even begin to describe her pain.
Her emotions rose and fell like the undulating beat of a drum. She raised her hands to praise her God, only to fall crumpled on the floor moments later, despair overwhelming her. Up and down. High and low. Peace and anguish beyond description.
And then the Spirit of God reminded her of a precious Truth: "I am the Lord. I do not change. Therefore you are not consumed" (Malachi 3:6).
Ponder that for a moment. "I am the Lord. I do not change."
Is your world crumbling around you? Is your faith being shaken to the core? Believe it or not, that is a good thing. When our faith goes through the fire, that is where we learn how precious it is. That is where we learn Who God is. Jesus made it very clear to us that "many are the afflictions of the righteous" and "in this world we will have tribulation". Welcome to the fallen world.
But.
But, God is our constant! He. Does. Not. Change. And what He says He will do? Ahhh...Yes! He will do. He is not a man that He should lie. In an ever-changing world, God, the Father - your God, my God - is the constant.
Not for a moment will He forsake you.
Father God, You are an awesome God! Open our hearts to know and understand that You are the constant, sure anchor that holds our lives together. We can rest in Your faithfulness. We can bask in Your love all the days of our lives no matter what comes our way. In You, alone, do we place our hope and our trust. We love You, Lord and we give You praise.
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If you received Morning Glory via email, please visit the Morning Glory page to worship with Meredith Andrews as she sings, "Not For A Moment".
Nan, these are beautiful words to start my morning. Thank you for your faithfulness to encourage and teach us through His Word.
ReplyDeleteI'm thankful this ministered to you. I love you Vonda.
DeleteOh Nan, what a powerful truth! I'm so glad to know that He doesn't change! Through my days of depression, He doesn't change. Through my pain of losing a friendship, He doesn't change. Through it all...He doesn't change. Thank you for such a sweet reminder. Love you, sweet friend!
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right, Jamie: "Through it all...He doesn't change." Hold fast to that Truth. Love you!
DeleteI have witnessed what your friend went through, several times. And I've seen God come through each time, in His time and His own way. Thanks for spreading the message of hope to the broken and breaking hearts that need to hear it.
ReplyDeleteBruce, thank you so very much for stopping by. You've encouraged me with your kind words. Bless you!
DeleteI find it interesting that I read this today. I have found myself coming back to it time and time again. I feel like when I am in such a desperate place, it is for God to strip me of everything. All the impurities, everything of this world. He strips me down to my very soul and then he starts to rebuild me. He molds me once again into what He wants and needs me to be. Yes, the stripping hurts. It hurts like nothing ever before. But it has to take place to get us back to our innocent, wholesome form. That is when he pours into us his love, his compassion, his quietness. And this is where the healing begins.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that I read this today. I have found myself coming back to it time and time again. I feel like when I am in such a desperate place, it is for God to strip me of everything. All the impurities, everything of this world. He strips me down to my very soul and then he starts to rebuild me. He molds me once again into what He wants and needs me to be. Yes, the stripping hurts. It hurts like nothing ever before. But it has to take place to get us back to our innocent, wholesome form. That is when he pours into us his love, his compassion, his quietness. And this is where the healing begins.
ReplyDelete