June 28, 2023

 

God is Faithful

 

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. – Hebrews 11:1

 

I struggle to see. Some days are worse than others but every day is frustrating. It was not what I expected in this season of life.

 

Isn’t that how it often is in our faith journey? Just as we enter a season of strong faith, we find ourselves rocked by yet another challenge. We do believe; Lord help our unbelief! (Mark 9:24)

 

Gratitude fills my heart. It could be so much worse. I know that. I am blessed that I can see some. I can still read, which is huge for me. And I am so, so grateful for a doctor willing to send me to a specialist who diagnosed my eye disease. I could easily have gone blind without that diagnosis.

 

Still, sometimes as I list my blessings, my heart wants to delve into self-pity. Isn’t it enough that I already deal with the side-effects of chemo? Must I add yet another issue? Then I look around and remind myself once again that I am truly blessed.

 

I know that God is in this place. I count blessing after blessing, the most important one being that He never, ever left me. When my world fell apart, He was there. When I was being blamed for sins that weren’t mine, He was there. When I was afraid of the future, He was right there.

 

We lose sight of that sometimes. We forget that God holds us tightly throughout our journey. He knows exactly what we need, and who we need, before we even realize it. God takes care of His own.

 

Several years ago we had some sweet friends going through a terrible trial. He was a pastor who’d lost his church. It got ugly as the pastor stood firm in his faith. During that season of renewal, God provided jobs and strength. Now this same pastor serves a church that adores he and his family. God has blessed them more than they could ever imagine.

 

What I remember most about his season of grief, is his attitude. He told me that God held him in the palm of His hand and there was no better, no safer, place to be. (Isaiah 49:46) He was so right.

 

I don’t know what you’re going through right now but know that God is there with you. Have faith that He sees you and has good things planned for you. (Jeremiah 29:11) Hold tight to your hope because He is faithful. Always. Forever. Faithful.