Have you ever looked at your circumstances and failed to see the goodness of God? You wouldn’t be alone. Things happen in life in which we can see no goodness or redemption.
One of the things I have found most discouraging with illness, is the way that suffering exposes our sin. When I am tired or in pain, my patience levels plummet, I can be irritable, grumpy, joyless, selfish
I know, LORD, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course. So correct me, LORD, but please be gentle.” – Jeremiah 10:23-24a
When I first started developing CFS/ME, neither me or my family worked it out for a while. I kept falling asleep when working, forgetting things, and getting behind in all my work…
Betrayed by God?
Have you ever felt betrayed by God? When prayers you have desperately prayed, seem to go unheard and unanswered? When the promises you have clung to appear empty and without fulfilment? When the hope you have kept alive is finally dashed beyond repair…
“For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.”
“…What if this title is not a “claim to fame” but actually a humble declaration that He is no more or less than loved by God and a follower of Him. Nothing more needs to be said…”
Who are you? You might answer this question by describing your job, family, abilities, or hobbies…
“To be made in God’s image, is to possess, in your very being, a reflection and imprint of the eternal nature, character, and glory of God.”
Knowing what it was to depend on God to give me the next breath, and the next breath, I found that each breath was precious. Every breath is a chance to live, every breath a chance to know God, every breath a chance to praise and give thanks, every breath a chance to live for him. This makes every moment worth living, even when it means chronic pain, being housebound and struggling to breath. I started to give thanks for them, one breath at a time… each one a gift of life, and an opportunity to live for him.
“To do this we have to hold out our hands to God, opening them and releasing to Him all that we so desperately want to cling to, at the same time giving thanks for whatever He gives, knowing by faith that it is good…”
If he allows sickness I will praise his name.
When he guides I will follow.
When he stays silent I will wait.
In pain I will pursue him...”
“One of the most beautiful things about the Song in the Night, is that it is a heart’s cry… from the depths of our pain to the depths of God.
“Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me. By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.” (Psalm 42:7-8)…”
“This is to fully live right now, to take the life of “not enough”, to hold it in open hands of grateful acceptance, and to find that, in doing so, you have received the life of “more than enough”. Thismiracle happens because, in opening our hands to receive whatever God gives, we open our hearts to receive Jesus wherever we are – and He is always more than enough.“…
“If God’s promise of perfect salvation came through suffering, then could his other promises too? Treasures of darkness is my journey of recapturing the preciousness of God’s promises where they shine brightest – in darkness.”
Treasures of Darkness 