Have you ever had one of these days with God? Where you want something else? Where you say, “Anywhere, but here God…” and God won’t budge?
(I’m having one of those days.)
I want the landscape of my life to change into something else. Something new, something fresh, something… I don’t know—something, else.
I’m complaining, of course.
(Kvetching is not supposed to be allowed in the kingdom.)
“Bad girl,” I tell myself. “Keep your mouth shut and suck it up.”
Maybe it’s the season…
I always find the end of summer wearisome, and this summer in particular, has been more than a little wearying. There have been days, and days, of heavy smoke from all the forest fires. We’re not supposed to go outside. No breathing all the fine particle stuff in the air!
(I keep asking God to lead me to a better place.)
We are surrounded by wildfires that are destroying everything in their path; our landscape looks like something from a bad horror movie! (Yes, this is not “the place” I want to be.) It’s raining ashes from the sky for Pete’s sake!
And my heart keeps whispering, “Anywhere, but here.”
My only prayer, “LORD, help!”
Where’s my Bible?
I need a good dose of truth and some encouragement for my cranky heart.
Something that will blow the smoke from my spirit’s eyes.
Something positive in all this ash and char.
So I open my bible…
A Voice beckons, “I will lift my eyes… where does my help come from?”
Yes, that’s it!
“God, none of this summer’s disasters have taken you by surprise.”
“Yet there is one ray of hope:” Jeremiah’s words are whispering to me again…
“…his compassion never ends. It is only the Lord’s mercies that have kept us from complete destruction.“
“Okay. Yes,” I agree. “Much is gone—but much more is still here.”
“Great is his faithfulness;” Jeremiah continues. “his loving-kindness begins afresh each day.“
“Yes, Lord. You are right. Of course, you are right.”
“His loving-kindness begins afresh each day.” I repeat.
“My soul claims the Lord as my inheritance; therefore I will hope in him. The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for him, to those who seek for him. It is good both to hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” Lamentations 3:21-26 TLB
Yeah, it has been one very tough summer.
I’m tired. I’ve been coughing and blowing my nose all summer long. I am longing for the rains to come. I want to breathe clean air! “Where is any good in all this ash, and char, and smoke?”
All the more reason—for me to hope—and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
- God will bring something good out of all this disaster.
- He is The Rock that won’t budge when all around me is shifting sand.
(Deep audible sigh.)
“Lord?” I am looking up now. “I’m sorry.”
I hang my head. “I know. I’m always saying that.”
“I’m just this pile of dust after all…”
(It’s all I’ve got. No point making fancy excuses.)
“You are The One who rescues the riffraff of this world Lord. So—here I am, again.”
(Tears running down face now.)
“Father, revive this dusty heart of mine.
I’ll stay right here Lord… I will.
Since this is where You’ve planted me?
Help me to bloom… even when it seems to me You won’t budge…
Here, among the ashes.”
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the suffering and afflicted. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted, to announce liberty to captives, and to open the eyes of the blind. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of God’s favor to them has come, and the day of his wrath to their enemies. To all who mourn in Israel he will give: beauty for ashes; joy instead of mourning; praise instead of heaviness.” Isaiah 61: 1-3 TLB
Women With Destiny 