Psalm 34:18

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18

Sometimes we feel like we are carrying a heavy load. Like nothing seems to be going right. When we feel our hearts have broken, or that everyone has forgotten us, God draws closer to us. Even when we are at our worst, God wraps his arm around us and holds us close. He loves us always. He is the only one who can rebuild and restore us, the only one who can fill that brokenness. He is the true doctor, mender, repairer. 

During our darkest times, we need to look to God. The world is full of promises for the brokenhearted, but they are lies. Nothing and no one on this earth can fix our sadness, fill the emptiness, except God’s love. There is no magical surgery, no pill, nothing that can make ourselves whole again except God.

Lord, thank you for always staying near me, even in times when I pushed you away. I pray that I can bring your light with me today. 

Luke 1:37

For nothing will be impossible with God. Luke 1:37

The angel told Mary she would conceive a child, and informed her how her barren cousin Elizabeth was pregnant. 

How I would be afraid to see an angel and have him tell me I would be carrying the son of God! God does great works when he sees it to be done. I had a friend several years ago who had been struggling in her life. She is single with a 3 year old, and was living 14 hours from her home. She was trying to sell her house on a short sale just so it wouldn't be foreclosed. She kept fussing about her realtor and how she (realtor) wasn't getting her house sold. She was ready to tell realtor off. Realtor asks her "What is your relationship with God?"

When my friend retold me this story, she was in tears. It seems after the many, many years of me praying, and the many many years of her struggles, her eyes have been opened. She said she will start going to church. She is back with her family now. I am hoping to hear soon that she has started looking into a church. 

Lord, you work in mysterious ways, when you think we should hear you. I am amazed at your grace and mercy. I thank you for all my blessings. 

Isaiah 40:31

 

They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

In our current time when we become tired and weary, God will renew our strength. We must not lose faith. It’s easy to say we trust him when things are going well, but then lose sight of things start to go awry. He is always with us, ready to help us back up. Those who wait for God for his strength will receive it. Of course, this doesn’t really mean sitting around, letting the world go on, waiting on God to fix it. This means taking up our place in the world and actively trying to make it better. God will multiply our gifts and actions as we seek him and rely on him.

Lord, I praise you for always being near. I will actively seek you until my days become like the winter grass, and I will be ready for you to take me home. Until then, I will spread your fire so future generations will always called you Father.

Romans 8:24-25

 Hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Romans 8:24-25

Waiting with patience is hard. The Israelites had to wait for their Savior, and some were patient. They hoped the Savior would come soon. We are nearly in the season where children begin to hope for things for Christmas. They wait patiently (or not) until Christmas morning to open their gifts. As adults, we may have our own hopes: promotion, children, bonuses, etc. For each of these things, we too need to wait with patience, and we should pray to God for his will. When we turn to God, our faith deepens as we wait. 

Lord, we all have hopes and dreams. I turn to you with my hopes, and pray that your will be done. Only you know what’s up ahead for me.

Psalm 121:1-3

I lift up my eyes to the hills.

From where does my help come?

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Psalm 121:1-3

This Psalm is one many people recite as a blessing for someone who is leaving on a journey. It helps people to remember that even though the road ahead looks scary, the woods may be dark, the mountains high, God is there with them always. He is not confined to a pace or time. He goes wherever we go. Every step we take, day or night, God is by our side.

Even when we are on a spiritual journey, we don’t have to wait until the end of it, or until we have arrived to the church we were searching for, to find him. People jump from church to church because they can’t “find God,” but that is a mistake. God is always with us in the journey itself. He is our guardian, watching our steps. He is there to protect us from evil. He is there during the night to keep the darkness away. All we need to do is trust in him.

Lord, I pray that you continued to protect me on this journey I am set upon. I put my faith in you Lord, let thy will be done.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

Worry is a big issue. By definition, it means to allow one's mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles. Worry affect people of all ages. For a mother, a new worry starts when she finds out she is pregnant. Pregnancy is a big loss of control. Basically, God is saying, "Do you trust me?" What a BIG thought! Do I trust God with this new person being knit in my womb? Do I trust with every morning of morning sickness that this is for the best? Before I felt the first movements, did I trust God? When the baby was quiet, did I trust God?

Trust is not always easy. It wasn't easy for me. I let fear control me. Fear of when the 20 week scan showed that her bones weren't quite the right proportion. Fear let me believe I needed to have the amniocentesis, even though there was a potential for it to hurt her. Then my fear gutted me as I saw them needle on the ultrasound machine getting so close to her, as it was obtaining amniotic fluid. It was 13 years ago, and I remember clear as day my baby backing up in the womb, away from the needle. From that moment, I swore I wouldn't ever let anything hurt her. Out of fear.

Then we have the child, and we worry about what to feed them, when they will walk, when they will speak, etc. We fret at night if they cry. We run ourselves ragged without a second thought to trust in God. Is the house baby proofed? Did the sitter take CPR? Had I trusted in God the many, many nights of walking my second baby because of his colic? No. I know now that even if I had trusted Him, the colic may not have been easier, but I could have handled it better. We worry over schools, riding bikes, dangers of crossing the street, grades, dangers of every day. Again, God is asking, "Do you trust me?" Do we trust Him with our child's life? The very life HE knit together for us? With this child that HE knew before we ever did?

Psalm 56:3 says, "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you."

When kids go to college, that is another BIG loss of control. The first 18 years of their life, your child has been yours. Yours to protect, yours to feed, yours to monitor their choices.  Now they are their own person, moving to another place. I'm not here yet, and won't be for a while. Instead of being afraid for this change, I have learned how to trust in God in small, daily things.  I pray daily that He will protect my child in their endeavors. And I am teaching them to trust in God. I have several years until that next step happens, and I hope that in the mean time, I can continue to grow so that my trust in God will be bigger than my fear. I pray for those whose children are preparing for college. I pray that they feel God's arms around them, and that they can be reassured that they raised some great kids. And God will always be with them.

Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Romans 15:13

There have been lots of time in my short life that I have begged God, “Why?” When our 6 year old neighbor died in a car accident (I was 9). When my friend’s dad died (I was 11). When I was in a car accident at 16. When the WTC were attacked (I was 17). When we lost our house to a hurricane (I was 21). When my engagement broke off at age 22. There were so many others in between and after that, including several times after joining this prayer group back in 2014. And I have come to realize there will be many more times I will question his reasoning. I know I won’t get an answer now. I may not get the answer until I get to see him face to face.

Regardless of not getting an answer, I know my God is watching over us. Every person whose life is affected in some way, God is watching over. We must continue in hope that our God does know what is best, and let ourselves be surrounded by peace. We cannot fall into despair when we don’t get an answer or when tragedy takes place in our lives. We have to continue on. This world is not our home, and we have so much to look forward to in the next one.

Lord thank you for always being there for me in my dark times, in the days of questioning, and not turning away from me. I know I have not struggled as much as others, and I lift them up in prayers to you Lord, that you will help them see, and they can find,  the hope and peace you offer. Amen.