HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN FAITHFUL TO ME

Heard this beautiful old song today, and it says it all. 

 

When things are looking scary or bleak, may I never forget that no matter how dark things may have looked in different seasons of my life, He has always been faithful to me.

STRIVING FOR STABILITY

You will keep in perfect peace those

whose minds are steadfast because

they trust in you. -- Isaiah 26:3, NIV

A crazy day of ups and downs left me feeling drained and understanding the wisdom of keeping an even keel where my emotions are concerned rather than allowing myself to feel extreme highs or lows according to whether what I am experiencing seems good or bad. Right now it seems easier said than done though.

I know the key is to keep my eyes on the Lord and not get upset by frustrations or things that don't go the way I expect or want them to--or get carried away when they do. 

Today I felt tossed between extreme highs and lows. Highs when I received a wonderful belated birthday present and later, an unexpected invitation out for lunch. Plummeting to lows when I missed a phone call from someone I would really have liked to talk to and they did not call back, and when Word quit on me when I was in the middle of a work assignment. Plummeting even lower as frustration arose when I tried to find something I needed but couldn't, and when my mind refused to cooperate as I searched for the right words to express something I was trying to say.

If life is a school, then today was a test day that I did not score very well on. It did however reinforce the importance of not letting my emotions control me or tell me what reality is.

This song reminded me to trust God and keep my focus on Him.

 

IN SURRENDER THERE IS PEACE

Why are you cast down, O my soul,

and why are you in turmoil within 

me? Hope in God, for I shall again

praise him, my salvation and my 

God. -- Psalm 42:6, ESV

It's hard not to feel discouraged when it's one thing after another, and I feel useless, tired, and overwhelmed. Makes me feel like throwing up my hands in defeat and calling it quits. But then I think just maybe my breakthrough is about to appear and if I quit I'll miss something really awesome. So instead, I'm throwing up my hands in surrender.

In surrender there is peace. I can stop second-guessing about why things are the way they are and trust that God is in control and has a perfect plan that nothing or anyone can thwart. And His plan is always the best plan because He sees the whole picture, which I do not. 

What is going to be is going to be, and there's no point stressing over it. And why should I stress when I know He loves me, and despite how things have ever looked in the natural, true to His Word (Romans 8:28) He has always come through for me and worked things out for my good and His glory. As I look back in retrospect over the course of my life to the times when things were looking pretty grim and far from what I would have wanted or expected, I've seen this played out over and over again. 

As I chose to leave all the things that are stressing me at the foot of the cross and surrender the outcomes to the Lord, I felt as though He was approving my decision through the voice of someone on the radio who was ending his message by saying, "If you really trust, there is no cause for concern."

HOLD ON JUST A LITTLE BIT LONGER

So let's not get tired of doing

what is good. At just the right 

time we will reap a harvest of

blessing if we don't give up.

-- Galatians 6:9, NLT

I've been feeling pretty down lately. No matter what I do, and despite my best intentions, I keep falling short. 

Every now and then there seems to be a faint glimmer at the end of the tunnel, like at PT, when my sessions with a new therapist had seemed so promising, but his schedule was so booked I spent what seemed like a lot of wasted time on the wait list waiting for a cancellation that never opened up. And now there are only two appointments left before he relocates and there's no way we can reach the goal he thought he could get me to before then. 

Even though I know God is in control and that He could easily have opened up the door for more appointments, and even though I know that ultimately my healing comes from Him, it's hard not to feel discouraged and disappointed.

Today I was feeling pretty hopeless, not just about my PT experience, but also about the financial pit I've been trying so hard to climb out of, and wondering what's the use of trying. It's getting harder and harder to keep on keeping on.

And then, during my quiet time, this little picture about perseverance came to mind, as did Galatians 6:9, and when I turned on the radio, the song "Hold On Just A Little Bit Longer" was playing. A loving reminder to switch my focus from my circumstances to my God who is seated on the throne and in control, who is working all things together for my good and His glory, and to trust in His perfect timing.

I am so grateful for His mercies that are new every morning, and that He never gives up on me.