Friday, June 20, 2008

A Heavy Heart, An Unshakeable Hope

I feel like my heart is full-up (as they would say in the South), and not in a good way. There are so many issues in my mind right now which need to be considered and prayed over--from my life and the lives of my family and friends--that I feel......heavy-laden (I knew growing up on the King James Version would come in handy eventually!). I feel weighted down and grieved.

And even as I realized that I felt this way, God's sweet Spirit brought to mind this passage:
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge. Selah.

(Psalm 62:5-8)

Some of you don't even know me, yet your prayers sustained me through a difficult week last week (/month last month!). I thank you for that, truly. If the Lord leads you to keep praying, would you add my momma to your list? She is not well, and we are now going to wait a week for the results from a week's worth of tests. God knows what the problem is and what the solution &/or outcome will be, but we also have the right to ask Him for healing and health, as long as we accept whatever comes from His hand.

I've long believed that the journey, the processes of life are where God hides the lessons. The result is glorious, but it is the journey that changes us. And it is the transformation of our lives that God is seeking, so that we might reflect the very image of His Son (2 Corinthians 3 & 4, esp. 3:18). And so we review lessons spoken so often into our lives: learning to wait on the Lord, and opening ourselves to the transformation He longs to work in the midst of the journey.

May we never cease to be ever clearer images of His glory.

Polishing my reflection,
-J

Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my sighing.
Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to You I pray.
In the morning, O LORD, You hear my voice;

In the morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation.
Psalm 5:1-3, NIV

(c) 2008

3 comments:

Sarah@Life in the Parsonage said...

Beautiful...and I know what you mean. Praying for your momma, you and your family.

In Him,
Sarah

Beth@playinwiththepaulsens! said...

heavy laden.... know the feeling....
so sorry about your mom.
I will pray, now, today.

Lindsay said...

Praying for you, your momma, and your family.

...and am right there with you on the "heavy laden" part.

It's not easy to trust and believe in the unknown. I just wrote a post about it late last night.

Isn't it wonderful to know that we're not alone and that He really and truly does have everything in the palm of His hand!