finding a roadmap in the valleys of life

The past few months my emotions have been all over the map.  Some frustrations with things that I do not understand and cannot control. Exhaustion from the daily demands of life.  Days when the weight of the burdens of those I love threatens to consume my joy.  Moments when the dark cloud seems to follow me around and anxiety longs to be my constant companion.  So many questions that it grows hard to wade through them all and leaves only a lingering feeling of confusion.  It is in these times I am reminded and thankful that my faith in God is not based upon an emotion but the Truth of who God says He is and who He says I am.  And that I can find plenty of examples in scripture of others who have wrestled with the same emotions and the Truth that continued to carry them and set them free.

"Why are you in despair, O my soul?  And why are you disturbed within me?  Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God."  (psalm 43:5)  I love how the psalmist yells at his soul.... Hey soul, put your hope in God!!!  Forget not what has occured in the past, His love and His faithfulness!!  And now praise Him again. Rend Collective has put this psalm to music.  Music has always had a profound impact on my life and a key way that I worship and connect to my Father.  From my childhood bed where I would cry out my own heart's song to Jesus to songs like this one that get played loud on repeat as I care for my family.



 "My flesh and my heart may fail, BUT GOD is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."  (psalm 73:26)  But God.  Those two words redirect and refocus. My emotions can betray me, they can lead me to struggle, they can challenge me BUT GOD.  He alone is my strength.  When the struggles come it is a reminder to find my refuge in Him. Verse 28 of this same psalm reads "But as for me, the nearness of God is my good;  I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of your works."  Our enemy seeks to kill and destroy us and would enjoy to see us trapped in an illusion that we are in a pit.  Here comes the freedom.... We are NOT trapped all we need to do is look up.  "My eyes are continually toward the LORD for He will pluck my feet out of the net." (psalm 25:15)

When we journey through the hard days those are the times to draw even nearer to God.  I have already mentioned worshipping God with music and song.  Another way I draw near to him is to OPEN MY BIBLE.  There is power in the words of Scripture because they are the Words of God.  There is freedom in taking our thoughts captive with the truth of Scripture.  There is no other way to do it.  Only real truth can tear apart a lie.  When something is broken, what do you do?  You send it back to the person who designed it, to the person who made it because they know best how to restore what has been broken.  It is the same with us.  When we are broken, when life doesn't make sense, when our emotions seem set to consume us, when we wrestle with what we are supposed to do now.... there is only one place to go... back to our Creator God.  Search His Words to remind yourself who He is, not who you have made Him to be, but who He says He is and who He says you are.

And know that you are not alone.  God wants to walk through every struggle with you.  And one of the ways He does that is through His body, His church, His people.  Do you have a hard time with this one?  I know that I do.  I love helping other people.  I love being the listener, the friend, the one who someone else calls to pray for them.  But I often struggle to reach out when I am the one needing the help.  Even being obedient to writing this blog post has been a bit of a struggle for me.  However this was God's design for His church.  If you do not have someone in your life who you regularly check in with to seek God's work together and to pray for one another, this should move to the top of your list of things to do.   Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:23-25)  

I do hope what I have shared will be an encouragement to you today.  You can find hope and life and freedom in God.  I do not just know this to be true because of what I have been told or what I have read but also because I have experienced it for myself.  If you feel lost in a pit of emotions, if you are burdened by life, if you are just struggling,  I would love to walk with you. 

When confusion's my companion
And despair holds me for ransom
I will feel no fear
I know that You are near

When I'm caught deep in the valley
With chaos for my company
I'll find my comfort here
‘Cause I know that You are near

My help comes from You
You're right here, pulling me through
You carry my weakness, my sickness, my brokenness all on Your shoulders
Your shoulders
My help comes from You
You are my rest, my rescue
I don't have to see to believe that You're lifting me up on Your shoulders
Your shoulders
~ For King & Country  "Shoulders"