I think I need a Lord of the Rings movie marathon. I am feeling down and tired. Worn and weary. As Bilbo said, “I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.” I am afraid this blog may not be my usual post. Ha, even as I write that I am sure that by the end of it I will be uplifted and hopefully you will be also. I do know who God is, and I do know who I am in Him. I am just tired out. Yes, it has been a bit of a difficult year with my health, and I am still dealing with a couple of things. And for some reason, maybe because of the health issues, I just feel so much older this year. I am second guessing all that I am doing and have done. Have I made any impact on anyone? What ministry is ahead of me? As I enter the second half of my life what is in store for me?
I am sure that God understands our being weary. There is no biblical imperative against being weary. But there is a charge to not grow weary in doing well. (Galations 6:9 and 2 Thessalonians 3:13) You look at the life of Jesus and you know that He knows weary. Being in the wilderness for 40 days. Fasting and being tempted and tried by Satan. All of the ministry He did and He didn't have an Uber at His beck and call to get Him back and forth. It was walking or rowing a boat for Him. The emotional and spiritual exhaustion in the garden of Gethsemane. The brutal physical abuse He took before the crucifixion. And then hanging on that cross. Bloody, beaten, exhausted. Ok, yeah after writing that, I am feeling better about where I am today. Seriously what can I go through that would even come close to all of that? What can I go through that will cause the physical and emotional pain that could compare to that? And the spiritual separation from His Father, His God? Nope, it will never happen. So, my heart, take courage; it is well with my soul.
Courage. Defined as the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery. Sixteen times the bible tells us to be of good courage. How can we be of good courage? Honestly, how can we not? Romans 8:31, " If God be for us, who can be against us?" Then the scriptures go on to tell us this, "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." That means that NOTHING can separate us from His love, then nothing can separate us from His grace, His peace, His strength. Nothing can take all of His spiritual blessings away from us. But there is a caveat. That love, those blessings are ours in Christ Jesus. He first must be our Saviour, but also our Lord. Acts 17:28, "In Him we live and move and have our being."
If I am in Him I have all that I need for daily living; all that I need for life. I have strength when I am weak, rest when I am weary. I have everything in Him. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ", Ephesians 1:3. And we have those spiritual blessings, they are not some pie in the sky idea. "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus," Ephesians 2:4-7. In ages to come. Today, tomorrow, next month, next year. He shows the exceeding riches of His grace to us. Goes back to the fact that nothing can separate us from His love towards us, in Christ Jesus. So today when I am weary His love is just as strong for me as when I may be feeling on top of the world. Tomorrow if I am in distress, His grace is sufficient for me. Next week if my world seems to fall apart, He is there to take me through it; He allows me to go through nothing that He cannot take me through. "Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again--my Savior and my God!" Psalm 43:5, (NIV).
Yes there are days when I am weak and weary, discouraged and discombobulated. There are days when I am tired and torn, sad and seemingly inconsolable. But the day that God is not on the throne? That day will never arrive. The day that the Lord turns His back on me? Nope, not gonna happen. The day when He finally says He is tired of my shenanigans? Sorry devil; He loves me with an unending love. Sorry self, He loves you no matter how petulant you are. No matter how much self-pity you are wallowing in. Sorry. Not sorry.
See, I told you that by the end of this post we would both be feeling better. How can I not? How can you not? The Lord of the universe. The God of all creation loves me. Loves you with an everlasting, unending, never-failing love. Even when we fail. When we give up and give in He never does. Oh, my soul be strong and of good courage. "Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee," Deuteronomy 31:6. No matter how much bread, He always provides more than enough butter.
All scripture KJV unless otherwise noted.
I am sure that God understands our being weary. There is no biblical imperative against being weary. But there is a charge to not grow weary in doing well. (Galations 6:9 and 2 Thessalonians 3:13) You look at the life of Jesus and you know that He knows weary. Being in the wilderness for 40 days. Fasting and being tempted and tried by Satan. All of the ministry He did and He didn't have an Uber at His beck and call to get Him back and forth. It was walking or rowing a boat for Him. The emotional and spiritual exhaustion in the garden of Gethsemane. The brutal physical abuse He took before the crucifixion. And then hanging on that cross. Bloody, beaten, exhausted. Ok, yeah after writing that, I am feeling better about where I am today. Seriously what can I go through that would even come close to all of that? What can I go through that will cause the physical and emotional pain that could compare to that? And the spiritual separation from His Father, His God? Nope, it will never happen. So, my heart, take courage; it is well with my soul.
Courage. Defined as the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery. Sixteen times the bible tells us to be of good courage. How can we be of good courage? Honestly, how can we not? Romans 8:31, " If God be for us, who can be against us?" Then the scriptures go on to tell us this, "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." That means that NOTHING can separate us from His love, then nothing can separate us from His grace, His peace, His strength. Nothing can take all of His spiritual blessings away from us. But there is a caveat. That love, those blessings are ours in Christ Jesus. He first must be our Saviour, but also our Lord. Acts 17:28, "In Him we live and move and have our being."
If I am in Him I have all that I need for daily living; all that I need for life. I have strength when I am weak, rest when I am weary. I have everything in Him. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ", Ephesians 1:3. And we have those spiritual blessings, they are not some pie in the sky idea. "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus," Ephesians 2:4-7. In ages to come. Today, tomorrow, next month, next year. He shows the exceeding riches of His grace to us. Goes back to the fact that nothing can separate us from His love towards us, in Christ Jesus. So today when I am weary His love is just as strong for me as when I may be feeling on top of the world. Tomorrow if I am in distress, His grace is sufficient for me. Next week if my world seems to fall apart, He is there to take me through it; He allows me to go through nothing that He cannot take me through. "Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again--my Savior and my God!" Psalm 43:5, (NIV).
Yes there are days when I am weak and weary, discouraged and discombobulated. There are days when I am tired and torn, sad and seemingly inconsolable. But the day that God is not on the throne? That day will never arrive. The day that the Lord turns His back on me? Nope, not gonna happen. The day when He finally says He is tired of my shenanigans? Sorry devil; He loves me with an unending love. Sorry self, He loves you no matter how petulant you are. No matter how much self-pity you are wallowing in. Sorry. Not sorry.
See, I told you that by the end of this post we would both be feeling better. How can I not? How can you not? The Lord of the universe. The God of all creation loves me. Loves you with an everlasting, unending, never-failing love. Even when we fail. When we give up and give in He never does. Oh, my soul be strong and of good courage. "Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee," Deuteronomy 31:6. No matter how much bread, He always provides more than enough butter.
All scripture KJV unless otherwise noted.