Psalm 126:
When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for them." The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.....Those who sow in tears, will reap in songs of joy.
Life is filled with wilderness experiences. We're walking in circles, searching for direction, thirsty from the long journey, and wishing our feet didn't hurt so badly from tripping all of the obstacles in our way. Can you relate?
Here is the key: "Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy." For these verses say, "WHEN the Lord brought the captives back, our mouths were filled with laughter...Then it was said among the nations, 'The Lord has done great things for them.'"
There is joy coming because whatever challenge we are facing today will glorify the Lord tomorrow. Our tears over the challenging experiences will reap joy as others discover the hope that comes with a life journey with Christ.
I've heard this somewhere before....maybe in a song:
Sometimes God chooses to be glorified by bringing us out of the storm.
Sometimes He's glorified by bringing us through the storm.
Showing posts with label Living in Bondage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Living in Bondage. Show all posts
Back from the Wilderness
Well, as you can see, it's been exactly 2 years ago that I wrote my last blog post. The last two years have been a walk through the wilderness for me. So dark, at times, that I haven't been able to write devotionals.
My wilderness started as doubts and fear crept into my spiritual life. Add in seven months of fertility meds with handfulls of hair coming out everyday, nightmares and hotflashes every night, cramping and swelling, and an optical migraine where the walls started cracking and sliding down, and I can honestly say I've been in the pit (as Beth Moore would say) for the last 2 years.
But as Ecclesiastes 3:4 says, "There is a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance." And I'm ready to start dancing again. :) We have officially started the process of adopting a precious little baby from China. Just to show you how God works in His omniscience...I have wanted to adopt from China since I was a little girl, and I have had a heart for orphans all this time. Only now am I realizing that the twinges and yearnings I have felt all these years are actually a calling from God. So I am going to continue my devotional posts, but I will sprinkle in updates on the adoption from time to time. Right now, we are buried in paper work with a goal to complete the home study by June. I'll keep you posted....
One of my favorite songwriters is Laura Story. Just shortly after she and her husband were married early in their twenties, they found out he had brain cancer. Her songs epitomize the greatness of an all-powerful God in the face of human frailties. So today I leave you with her latest song Blessings.
My wilderness started as doubts and fear crept into my spiritual life. Add in seven months of fertility meds with handfulls of hair coming out everyday, nightmares and hotflashes every night, cramping and swelling, and an optical migraine where the walls started cracking and sliding down, and I can honestly say I've been in the pit (as Beth Moore would say) for the last 2 years.
But as Ecclesiastes 3:4 says, "There is a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance." And I'm ready to start dancing again. :) We have officially started the process of adopting a precious little baby from China. Just to show you how God works in His omniscience...I have wanted to adopt from China since I was a little girl, and I have had a heart for orphans all this time. Only now am I realizing that the twinges and yearnings I have felt all these years are actually a calling from God. So I am going to continue my devotional posts, but I will sprinkle in updates on the adoption from time to time. Right now, we are buried in paper work with a goal to complete the home study by June. I'll keep you posted....
One of my favorite songwriters is Laura Story. Just shortly after she and her husband were married early in their twenties, they found out he had brain cancer. Her songs epitomize the greatness of an all-powerful God in the face of human frailties. So today I leave you with her latest song Blessings.
Living in a Prison
20 Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
All of us have lived in a "prison" at one time or another. Perhaps you're struggling with feelings of self-doubt, or you don't like your job, or your marriage is struggling, or your children are rebelling, or you have that one petty coworker who constantly picks at you...
There are so many times when our life circumstances or our own emotions wrap around us and we feel imprisoned by them.
But according to this passage about Joseph, no matter where we are or how we are feeling, God can grant us supernatural favor and peace. We can overcome our circumstances! If Joseph can sing his praises to God after being sold into slavery by his brothers, betrayed by his boss's wife, and thrown into prison, then we can trust God to bring us that joy and peace as well.
Remember, it took Joseph decades to overcome the circumstances that his brothers had thrown him into, but God was faithful through the darkest hours of his life and brought him into a place that he could have never imagined.
I pray that through all of our darkest times, we will know that God's greatest treasures are waiting for us on the other side.
Blessings,
All of us have lived in a "prison" at one time or another. Perhaps you're struggling with feelings of self-doubt, or you don't like your job, or your marriage is struggling, or your children are rebelling, or you have that one petty coworker who constantly picks at you...
There are so many times when our life circumstances or our own emotions wrap around us and we feel imprisoned by them.
But according to this passage about Joseph, no matter where we are or how we are feeling, God can grant us supernatural favor and peace. We can overcome our circumstances! If Joseph can sing his praises to God after being sold into slavery by his brothers, betrayed by his boss's wife, and thrown into prison, then we can trust God to bring us that joy and peace as well.
Remember, it took Joseph decades to overcome the circumstances that his brothers had thrown him into, but God was faithful through the darkest hours of his life and brought him into a place that he could have never imagined.
I pray that through all of our darkest times, we will know that God's greatest treasures are waiting for us on the other side.
Blessings,
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