I still get weekly evotions from our old pastor Rob Hutchinson. I think he has a good way of putting things sometimes and this week his evotion kind of hit home. This is not the whole evotion but this is the meat of it. So I hope you enjoy!
Life delivers us many blows that are unexpected, frustrating, scary, and certainly painful. Sometimes it is the result of our own decisions; other times, we are simply victims of the circumstances that surround us. We get hit by cars, laid off from our jobs, get tripped, get ripped off, and sometimes told off. Our expectations are not met, our dreams are shattered, friends betray us, spouses abuse us, and our love ones pass away.
None of us is immune. Psalm 38 is full of deep human emotion – grief and pain.
I am bent over and racked with pain. All day long I walk around filled with grief… I am exhausted and completely crushed. My groans come from an anguished heart. (Psalm 38:6,8, NLT)
Because of the freedom of choice God created in us, when faced with the pain and hardship that life throws at us, we can choose the “Woe is me!” response. We can seek revenge, hold a grudge, and withhold our forgiveness. We can curl up in a ball, complain, and/or curse the world and everyone we think is responsible for our plight. Or… we can choose the way Jesus modeled for us.
In Acts 14:19, the Apostle Paul was attacked out of nowhere by an angry crowd and they stoned him. They dragged him out of town thinking he was dead. But when his followers gathered around him, he got up and went back into town, then continued on to another town the next day to preach the good news.
Paul and Barnabas returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch of Pisidia, 22 where they strengthened the believers. They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God. 23 Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. (Acts 14:21-23, NLT)
God wants all of us, even our pain and grief. He is ready to take it on, help us carry it, learn to live through it, and discover that, in Him, there is much more to life than our circumstances. Our Heavenly Father wants us to let go of the fear, pain, anxiety that we try to hold onto and control. He encourages us to cry on His shoulder when we are hurting, and to allow His grace and love settle over us so that we can prepare ourselves to respond in ways that bring Him honor and glory.
What is going on in your life that is uncomfortable, or painful, and that you need to give to God?
How can you be an instrument of God’s love and grace to someone else who is in the midst of pain or crisis? How can God use you in a tangible way to enable them to experience God’s presence?
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