The walk of faith is one of delight-and difficulty. When you signed on for the first, you signed on for the second. Paul was on a sixteen-month missionary journey-one of miracles and church-building. But he ended up in prison on trumped-up charges and was left to rot there. How did he respond? 'Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!' (Philippians 4:4 NKJV) You say, 'How can somebody rejoice in prison?' When you see your disappointment as God's appointment, you start to understand its purpose. Paul had books to write that would change the world, so God needed to get him 'off the road'. Listen to what he wrote from prison: 'I want you to know...that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God's message without fear.' (Philippians 1:12-14 NLT) Hidden in some of your biggest disappointments, you will find treasures of truth that literally transform your life and your future.
-The Word for Today by Bob Gass
Yesterday, I loved (and was very touched by) listening to my husband singing the chorus of a song that was part of worship at church during the first service we attended after we lost Jubilee. "Hallelujah our God reigns" he sang as he was painting the skirting boards in our house. I was washing up at the time and his praise, prompted me to start singing the rest of the song. So today, allow me to share that very song with you.
My favourite lyrics: (is it any wonder I can't make it through a church service withouth being in tears! lol).
"God, I look to you. I won't be overwhelmed. Give me vision to see things like You do."
"I will love you Lord, my strength. I will love you Lord, my sheild. I will love you Lord, my rock.
Forever all my days, I will love you God."
I love it in this version, where you can here the worship leader saying at one point: "sing it over our families."
I believe, that is exactly what we were doing yesterday whilst we were both going about our housework.
You can imagine, the disappointment of loosing a child and now two children and how important it is (and how hard it is too, at times) to sing these words out loud and really mean them! Like my Dad always used to pray before we sang at Mass; that we would sing the songs as if they were our own prayer- that we would pray the words and others would see God through us and that the words would also touch their lives.
I believe, that is exactly what we were doing yesterday whilst we were both going about our housework.
You can imagine, the disappointment of loosing a child and now two children and how important it is (and how hard it is too, at times) to sing these words out loud and really mean them! Like my Dad always used to pray before we sang at Mass; that we would sing the songs as if they were our own prayer- that we would pray the words and others would see God through us and that the words would also touch their lives.
The disappointments allow us to be intimate with God in a way joy and happiness never can. Aren't we blessed to have been walking this journey recently where God has had an intimate appointment with both of us.
Praise God for His faithfulness and His reign over our lives.
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