Rejoice in the Lord always!

Today I was reading in Philippians 4:4-7
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again :Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

A few things stuck out to me as I was reading this...

  • 1st we need to rejoice always in the Lord, even when trouble or hardship hit. I know how difficult it is to be happy when you are in pain, but this isn't about being happy, but choosing to rejoice knowing God is always good!
  • 2nd I tend to get grumpy when I am in pain and these verses tell me to be gentle and let that be seen by others. This is also a choice. Joy and gentleness are very hard when in pain, but what better way to show someone else God's amazing love. I have heard a few times this last week, "Thank you Myndi for your sweet nature, especially going through so much pain. You are a testament to the Lord." This is not something I can do on my own, but something Christ is doing in me. Allow Him to work in you for others to see.
  • 3rd if you are going through a very painful trial right now and you do not see an outcome in sight (like I  am going through), it is very easy to become anxious and feel overwhelmed. It's easy to say, "Don't be anxious," but very hard to do. Rely on the Lord. Ask Him to calm you down. When you are anxious bring those feelings to the Lord. Paul tells us here that when we pray we need to be thankful when we pray to God. My husband and I have been complaining about our situation recently and we stopped and thought of what we say to our daughter about complaining..."Go write down 10 things you are thankful for today before I hear another complaint." Works for us grownups too!! 
  • 4th God promises to give us peace that is beyond any human understanding! He will guard our hearts and minds when we pray with thanksgiving, rejoice in Him, be gentle, and be calm. I pray you are able to reflect on these verses today in the midst of your pain. 
God Bless you!

The Way to God

THE WAY TO GOD 
by Helen Steiner Rice 


I was given this book of poems by a friend when I was very upset over pain. It has helped me immensely. May this poem speak to you in your pain!



If my days were untroubled
and my heart always light,
Would I seek that fair land
where there is no night?


If I never grew weary
with the weight of my load,
Would I search for God's peace
at the end of the road?


If I never knew sickness and never felt pain,
Would I reach for a hand to help and sustain?
If I walked not with sorrow
and lived not with loss,
Would my soul seek sweet solace
at the foot of the cross?


If all I desired was mine day by day,
Would I kneel before God
and earnestly pray?


I ask myself this,
and the answer is plain-
If my life were all pleasure
and I never knew pain,


I'd seek God less often
and need Him much less,
For God's sought more often
in times of distress-


And no one knows God
or sees Him as plain
As those who have met Him
on the pathway of pain. 

Disability and the Sovereignty of God

Below is a great interview between John Piper and a dad who had a son born to him and his wife that was blind and how they were able to see God's purpose in and through their son
HERE

HOPE IN GOD


Read John 9:1-38

4 Questions

› Do you worship Jesus?
› Do you find your worship of Jesus deepening or weakening
in the midst of pain and suffering?
› Does your worship falter or flourish when your family is
fearful or unbelieving?
› Do you confess him openly and defend him with your simple testimony, I was blind, but now I see?

3 statements
To encourage you in each of those four ways, here are three
statements:
› God has a wise, good, and Christ-exalting purpose for everything that happens to you.
› Jesus is the only path to the full, final, joyful experience of
that purpose.
› Jesus sought out a rejected blind man—this nobody, this
beggar—and he is seeking you out right now. To make you a
courageous worshiper of Jesus.

Never borrow sorrow from tomorrow

Deal only with the present,
Never step into tomorrow,
For God asks us just to trust Him
And to never borrow sorrow -

For the future is not ours to know
And it my never be,
So let us live and give our best
And give it lavishly -

For to meet tomorrow's troubles
Before they are even ours
Is to anticipate the Savior
And to doubt His all-wise powers -

So let us be content to solve
Our problems one by one,
Asking nothing of tomorrow
Except "Thy Will Be Done."

~ Helen Steiner Rice ~


Dealing only with today is so hard for people who have chronic pain. The day may seem to drag on and on and it may feel like forever, while the rest of the world seems to happily race by us. God does ask us to trust Him just for today. Just like the Israelites in Exodus 16. When the Israelites had been in the desert two months after escaping Pharaoh, like us, they were beginning to get anxious. They longed for the days in captivity where they got great food...They began to whine to God and out of His great grace He gave them manna but just for that one day. In the same way, God gives us the grace to deal with our pain just for today. He wants our trust for today and not to worry about tomorrow. Total reliance on God means we don't doubt that God is always faithful. He will always give us what we need.

 Tomorrow will have worries of their own, but for today I am finding satisfaction in Him and Him alone. 

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