Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – March 13, 2018
I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. Psalm 27:13
This morning I opened an old journal from April 2009. My eyes fell on an entry I made a little over five years before I married for the first time at 46, and a few years before I became acquainted with my husband.
During this season in my early forties, it hit me hard that my dreams of having a family were not going to come to pass—at least the way I hoped—and I was heartbroken.
“I woke this morning, curled into a small ball on my left side, stared through the blinds into the blue sky and poured my heart out to God.
I’m lonely, Lord. I stopped wondering a long time ago if You had punished me for my past relational choices. I stopped asking questions about the past. And then I decided to trust you with what I don’t understand. I received Your love and let it be okay.
But it still hurts.
Whereas before I counted years, now I’ve started counting months until my next birthday. I’m already a third of the way to 42. The dream of marrying is making a slow death in my heart, and what frightens me is that I don’t have the emotional energy to want anymore.
I look at others like my friend Jenn, who met the love of her life when she was young and had a family. I’m too old now. She has a family. She is loved. I always wanted to be loved, and to have a little girl and a husband. Being alone really hurts sometimes.
I’m crying now. My heart aches. But I will trust in You, Lord. Please help me to trust You.”
I don’t share this with you to be a bummer. I am sharing it as a reminder that our emotions aren’t good indicators of how our stories will be written. We never know how God will intervene in our darkest times to bring us great joy in a way we hadn’t anticipated.
Imagine how the disciples felt in their darkest hour after Jesus’ crucifixion. Their Lord had died and with Him, their dreams. What a sense of loss they must have felt!
But our emotions don’t tell the story of how God will bring redemption into our lives. They don’t tell how the light of His love will shine brightly once more and warm our broken hearts. They can’t foresee the future or predict God’s surprises. That is why in our darkest times we must choose to trust the Lord and His heart, even when all seems lost.
I could have never known that just five years after I wrote this that I would marry the love of my life. And I would have never known that nine years later I would become a grandmother to a beautiful baby boy.
Trust Him even though your feelings may be telling you that all is lost. He knows what He is doing—and you are greatly loved.
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3).
Prayer
Lord, I praise you that you are at work in my life even when it seems you aren’t. Help me to trust you through times of sadness and heartache. Amen.Application
Share about how the Lord has brought you through times of heartache with someone today.Related Reading
Psalm 56:13; Psalm 31:19; John 14:27Post/Tweet today
Emotions are not always the best indicator of God’s best plan for us. #WisdomHunters #TrustHimWorship Resource
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Shana,
Thank you for your words of encouragement. I have been waiting for a new Mr. Right for a long time now. My husband left me several years ago. Told me
God told him to do so. He had a drinking problem. We remain good friends. We have a son with a lot of emotional issues at age 24. Two years ago, I completed 22 years of care giving to my parents. Through all the loss, I have remained faithful to God’s plan for me, but as you know, it can be lonely and disappointing and frustrating. I continue to pray for acceptance and patience. Stories like the one you shared, continue to give me hope. Thanks again.
Shana, thank you for sharing your story. I cried as I read what you journaled years before because I’ve felt the same way. And many women/friends I know who are Christian, are experiencing similar emotions and thoughts about the future of their lives. Your story is an encouragement and reminder that we are not in this world alone, and God can/will bless us even through disappointments.
Dear TK,
What a blessing you are!!! Thank you for sending us your kind and heartfelt comments for Shana after reading “Trusting God Through Disappointment”.
Please know that I have passed along your comments to Shana and I know she will be blessed by them.
There were so many powerful reminders in this devotional of why we MUST trust in God in all things and not let our emotions take over our heart!
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23
Shana states, “But our emotions don’t tell the story of how God will bring redemption into our lives. They don’t tell how the light of His love will shine brightly once more and warm our broken hearts”. Amen and Amen. Do you love the expression “the light of His love shines brightly” to warm our broken hearts? When I read that, I could actually feel a warmth in my heart!
And then she goes on to write,”That is why in our darkest times we must choose to trust the Lord and His heart, even when all seems lost”. TK, I am with you, her story is not only a reminder but encouragement that WE ARE NEVER ALONE IN THIS WORLD!! So very thankful for that…
We are grateful for you, dear sister, and look forward to hearing from you again soon.
Continue to shine His Light, TK!
Believing and trusting,
Gwynne
“Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father.”
Colossians 3: 16-17 (NLT)
Dear Tricia,
Thank you for reaching out to us after reading Shana’s devotional, “Trusting God Through Disappointment”. Please know that I will forward your kind words and your story along to Shana to read. Thank you, too, for your sincerity and transparency in sharing your story of life’s challenges and your remarkable obedience throughout these years. I am sure that your strength through this time came from our Heavenly Father who loves you so much. While you said “Stories like the one you shared, continue to give me hope” (referring to Shana’s story), I must say, Tricia, you also give others hope with your faithfulness and trust in the One who knows “your story”. Thank you for shining His Light for others to see.
Tricia, please let us hear from you again. As you pray for acceptance and patience, tell us about the path HE is guiding you towards.
We are grateful for you and look forward to hearing from you again sometime.
Blessings to you during this holiest of weeks.
HE IS RISEN!
Gwynne
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.” Jeremiah 29: 11-13