“You’re so strong”
“I could never go through what you have.”
“I couldn’t handle this as well as you.”
I have been told all these things but the truth is, they are simply not true. I am no superwoman. I am not immune to the pain and anxiety I endured and still endure. But I love God and the truth is, any strength you see in me, is not my own. Any strength you see is His.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
In my weakness, you see God’s power. Not mine. When you tell me I am strong, I burst with excitement because I can’t wait to share this truth with you:
“You could be strong.”
“You could go through every minute I have.”
“You could handle this just as well, maybe even better.”
Because the truth is, God is so very good to those He loves.
With eyes twinkling I would love to sit in front of you right now and tell you one of the greatest truths I have learned. (Its based on Ephesians 3:20.) “God will do immeasurably more in your life than you can imagine. His power is at work in you!”
God allows suffering and hard times in our lives because unfortunately its one of the few ways to get our attention. Its one of the only times we look for Him. It’s in these places that we realize just how much we need Him. When you love Him and seek Him, he will carry you just as he carried me.
In Lamentations 3:22 he promises us the hard times will not consume us. In verse 25 Jeremiah reminds us the “Lord is Good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks him.” God promises to be good to those who depend on Him. He doesn’t say everything will be good. Loving God doesn’t make you immune to hardship. Christians and Non-christian will experience hard times. But when you choose to believe God’s word as truth, than you know despite the circumstances, God will be good to you.
When I pictured God being good to me, I pictured bringing my son home. And yet he was still good to me even though I didn’t. Through the 23 most excruciating days I could ever imagine, He was present in every moment. I felt Him. Peace unimaginable. I asked for mercy and he provided. He didn’t want Josiah to suffer and I believe his heart broke right along with mine. He matched me tear for tear and then some. God is good to those whose hope is in Him. His compassions never fail.
Lamentations 3:32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.
God loves you. He will be the strength in your weakness just as he has been in mine. Just as He is still my strength today. Over the next three posts I want to share with you three ways in which I survived the storm still standing. Again I can only credit God for this but as individuals we have a choice. We can choose to submit to God’s will for our lives or we can fight for control. I have learned the following three ways are how I will approach hardship in the future. I believe they are key to surviving life each day.
Lesson 1. What I believe to be true about God will directly influence my ability to sink or swim in the storm.
Lesson 2. As a believer I have this hope as an anchor for the soul.
Lesson 3. God is sovereign and I must surrender.
Check back as I share how I learned these lessons and how they have made all the difference in my life.
Josiah