Lately, I've been looking around me and feeling like the overwhelming trend is mountains: big cliffs in my way that seem impossible to move; big cliffs in the lives of the people I love; hurdles and challenges and circumstances that can make the soul weary.
I pray for breakthrough. I take fasting more seriously. I believe for miracles.
Please, Lord, a baby for them. A financial miracle for her. More laborers in the ministry, Lord. A place to reach out in Potsdam. Strength and consolation for that family. The right connections for him. People who love You to surround that little girl.
And yet the rays of daylight still seem overshadowed by the plain old challenges that surround-- big boulders that seem to laugh at me and make me wonder if these prayers are making a difference.
I carry the burden of seeing my children follow Him. I desperately long for a fire to be lit inside of them that nothing in this life can ever quench. Please, Jesus, I want nothing more than for them to love You.
I carry the burden of this local church family. I love these people. I love this vision. I love this leadership team. I love our gatherings and I long for the lost to be brought into the house of the Lord. Sometimes I wonder why it seems like the enemy is being allowed to taunt when I know he loses in the end. Please, God, give us favor and victory.
I carry the burden of my husband. When he hurts, I hurt. When he's disappointed, I am, too. When people he loves turn away from Christ, he's not the only one who cries. Please, Father, let the joy before him carry him always.
I confess to letting the burdens weary me.
But today I am reminded that it's not because He has grown faint.
No, He is ever strong. His faithfulness never falters. He said He will build His church, and the gates of the hell won't prevail. He who keeps us will neither slumber nor sleep. The glory of the Lord will be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.
And the key: those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.
Today, I don't just lift my requests to Him-- though it is certainly right and fitting to bring my burdens to the One who holds everything together. Today, I serve Him and make Him my focus. I wait on Him. There is joy in His presence. In the face of His goodness, the mountains that loomed crumble before me. When I look to Him, that which seemed so overwhelming and impossible absolutely fades away in the light of His kindness and faithfulness.
Today, my prayers are not uttered out of a weariness of soul, but out of a confidence and a contentment: He's got the whole world in His hands.
I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications.
Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.
...Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
Yes, our God is merciful.
The Lord preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.
Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
...O Lord, truly I am Your servant;
I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;
You have loosed my bonds.
I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And will call upon the name of the Lord.
Psalm 116
Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.
...Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
Yes, our God is merciful.
The Lord preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.
Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
...O Lord, truly I am Your servant;
I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;
You have loosed my bonds.
I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And will call upon the name of the Lord.
Psalm 116
"those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength."
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right. That's the one I have been remembering.
Oh, the weightiness of the battle and sin and this world and brokenness. Yes, we must pray. We must stand. Thank you for encouraging words to this heart that would want to faint and lose hope. Amen.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful words of faith, Brietta. Thank you. Your family and friends are so blessed to have you praying on their behalf!
ReplyDeleteAmen Brietta! God is faithful. These are beautiful words and a great reminder that God is always listening.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it nice to know that God see's our hearts and He knows what is in them and still loves us beyond our wildest dreams or imagination. I too have had to confess lately, many times I must add, about carrying burdens and not giving them to God and realizing that they weighed me down and then to know that behind that what came was my Peace and my Joy was taken away to a degree.... But a few weeks back God spoke to me and my husband and I looked up on the fruits of the spirit and God used that to speak to my heart and get my soul back on track... God's word is ever so assuring to help us put things back in the right place in our hearts. His word is wonderful.
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