Be Still My Soul

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
~ von Schlegel

Usually I am not a big fan of the "old" hymns because they never seem to speak to me.  But God, in His infinite wisdom, grace and sovereignty, led our worship pastor to include this one in our service on Sunday morning.

What a blessing it was to read these words and to speak the truth of them to my heart -- especially as I work through this situation with my health.

Honestly, I have shed many tears over the last three weeks and especially last week, after receiving the final round of test results. But, I also know this truth ...

Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.
~ Psalm 30:5 (NLT)

That does not mean that I am not still scared of what lies ahead. But yesterday afternoon God was also gracious enough to allow me to cross paths with a fellow believer from my church who has also struggled with her own extremely serious health issues. And as she prayed for me she asked God to give me the ability to be content in my moments of suffering, knowing that I am exactly where He wants me to be.

Although I have been praying that God would be glorified in my situation, I had forgotten to ask Him to help me be content. Such an important reminder from the Apostle Paul:

In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.
~ Philippians 4:12

So that is my prayer tonight: that right now, in this very moment, God will help me be content in my circumstances, knowing that joy will come in the morning. Maybe not tomorrow morning. Maybe not even the morning after that! But ...

Joy. Will. Come.
✞

Seasons of Life

This morning I decided to go to McDonald’s for breakfast because I had a taste for an Egg McMuffin. As I was waiting for my order at the drive-thru window, I noticed a sign inside the cashier’s window informing the cashier that the service time for each customer was to be no more than 10-15 seconds.

“Typical” was the first thought that crossed my mind because we have become a society which does not want to wait for anything. Rather, we expect our lives to be easy and when challenges arise we expect them to be resolved instantly! And, as I drove home in the snow (our first snow-fall of the season, announcing that winter had arrived), the next thought that crossed my mind was “aren’t we lucky that God gives us the winters of our lives so that we can then appreciate the spring times when they arrive!”

“My soul is in anguish, how long, O Lord, how long?”
(Psalm 6:3)

Two years ago (this month), my own “winter” began and, truth be told, there were times when I thought I would never make it through to the other side (i.e. “springtime”). In fact, even as I write this I’m dealing with shooting pains that have no known explanation and no cure, but rather are the residual effects of past trauma (part of my “winter”) and are so excruciating at times that they will actually stop me dead in my tracks.

“So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed.”
(Psalm 143:4)

The good news is that two weeks ago, after a week of horrible dreams and nightmares, continuous shooting pains, and a brief conversation with my pastor about how to process all of this, I finally had the realization that perhaps I’m the lucky one with these dreams and shooting pains because they serve as a constant reminder that I am completely dependent upon the grace of God (like Paul’s thorn) – otherwise I might be tempted to go it alone! Been there, done that, and it was a complete disaster!

“For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”
(Proverbs 2:6)

I wish I could tell you that this period of winter was completely over and that springtime had arrived but that would be a lie. There are still days when the showers are not hot enough and the shooting pains feel like they are too much to bear. However, I cannot trust my feelings. Instead, I must cling to the promises of God’s Word and to the truth of His character, knowing that while I may feel alone and scared, the truth is that He is right here with me, He is in control and He is God!

“For You are great and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God.”
(Psalm 86:10)

Today's Prayer: O, Holy Father, please help us to always remember that no matter what we may feel, the truth of Your Word tells us that You, and You alone, will deliver us from the depths of despair, but only if we seek You with all of our heart, all of our mind and all of our strength, acknowledging that You alone are God! Thank you for loving us too much to allow us to stay the same, no matter how much it may hurt at times!

✞