Marian
Scriptures: Romans 8 Matthew 10:28 John 16:33
Since moving house we’ve needed to downsize. This has involved sifting through our many books, files, photos and old diaries. Yesterday an entry I recorded many moons ago caught my attention, especially since the chosen subject for Bread of Life this week is PROTECTION. Here is what I wrote:
8th September 1986.
I’ve been feeling heavily burdened for my family and friends who are experiencing terribly sad and desperate situations. Today grief has engulfed me and I no longer know how to pray because my prayers seem to be falling on deaf ears. I’m not seeing the answers I’ve hoped for. In my sorrow I decided to drive into the countryside where I could sit, undisturbed. I found a beautiful spot where I could be alone. My eyes drank in the beauty and immense majesty of God’s wonderful creation and I breathed deeply the warm and sweetly scented Autumn air. A gentle breeze seemed to brush my troubled brow. In the distance beyond the fields I could see a church tower rising majestically above the treetops. It seemed to be a reminder of God and His Love, and in that moment I was compelled to pray with great openness and honesty, pouring out my heart as tears began to flow. Why Lord? Why are so many people facing such dreadful worries, problems, sicknesses and bereavement when Your plan was for good? Why does evil oppress us? Why are we entangled within our own problems? Why does so much sickness afflict good people? Why are we not free as You planned us to be? Why can we not see beyond the problems and pointlessness of now? Surely this was not Your plan Lord – all this suffering, all this sickness, all this pain, all this loneliness, all this worry and despair. Surely this was not Your plan. I waited a few moments before realising God was replying and I grabbed my pen and wrote down what He told me: “I haven’t promised a life free from the storms, but I have promised to be with you in the storm, to still the waves, to keep you from sinking and to give you My Peace if you will put your trust in Me. I’ve given you the rainbow – My promise of things to come. I’ve promised that all who come to Me will receive forgiveness and cleansing from their sins, so that they can enter into My everlasting Kingdom where sickness, sorrow and pain are no more. I’ve promised that nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate you from My Love. I’ve promised the gift of Holy Spirit to help, comfort, strengthen and bless you. Remember, I was willing to come down to earth where I too experienced persecution, rejection, temptation, loneliness, pain, suffering and fear, so I do understand what you are going through. I AM WITH YOU. I’ve promised that I will never leave you nor forsake you, and in the end I will display my Victory over the evil one. Therefore, put your trust in Me. I am with you always and in My love you will find rest. My love is everlasting love, and My promises are true. Even though I am high above, I was willing to humble myself when I came down to earth to secure your salvation through My own sacrificial death. I warned that in this world you will have tribulation, but be strong because I have overcome the world. I AM with you. (John 16:33). Therefore do not lose heart, but walk on assured of My protection over you even to the end of the age.”
Prayer: Heavenly Father help us to place our trust in You even when we don’t understand. May we never forget that You have already overcome the evil one, and that in You there is nothing in life nor death that will ever be able to separate us from Your love which is ours through Christ Jesus. May Your promised Helper guide our footsteps until we see You face to face. Amen
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