Tag: comfort

A New View of Mourning

On By vickleaIn Admonition, grief, ScriptureLeave a comment

I have always taken this verse as referring to those mourning over a loss, those who are grief stricken when someone they deeply care for has died. And I am sure that applies here, because each time I have lost someone to death, the Holy Spirit has been right there beside me comforting me and letting me know that I am not alone.

In my devotional this morning, Craig Groeschel opened my eyes to a different way to see this verse. What if it also refers to mourning over your sinful state, all of the sins that have separated you from God?

I can definitely see that interpretation, too. I think people today take sin too lightly. “I lied, but it was just a little white lie and it didn’t hurt anyone.” “Yes, I took that from the store without paying for it, but they make tons of money, so they won’t miss it.” “Sure, I am sleeping with my boyfriend! Doesn’t everyone want to try out whether you are compatible before you even think about marriage?” Since sin is rampant, just as it has always been, then we should be fervent in our desire to get others to see the consequences for their sin. We want them to mourn over the fact that their lying, stealing and fornication hurt God’s heart, and ultimately will hurt them for eternity. I would like to think that the everyday people I meet on the street don’t mean to sin; they are just following along with what is accepted in our culture. Nevertheless, sin is sin and it keeps anyone who is a sinner from getting close to the Creator who made them to have a relationship with Him. It brings tears to my eyes when I think of all of my unsaved loved ones who have been duped by Satan and the world into thinking that the little sins don’t count and if everyone is doing it, God can’t send everyone to hell, can he? Why, yes! Yes, He can and He will, even as He cries for those who failed to turn and repent. God is loving, but He is also just. Thus, we should mourn over sin and the condition of the world. Not only do individuals need to mourn over their sin and their lost relationship with God, but we should be mourning with them, in prayer daily for God to show us who is ready to really listen to the truth from His Word. His Comforter is there to help us share the truth and to comfort those who are finally realizing the cost of their sin.

This verse has always been a source of comfort for me when I mourn a lost loved one. Now it will be a source of comfort for me when I see sinners comfortable with their sins. God knows and understands that I cry out to Him for Him to lead them to the knowledge of Him and to comfort them with the joy of His salvation.

Carried

On By vickleaIn promises, Scripture5 Comments

Do you remember carrying your children around when they were young? I vaguely remember doing that, but I actually remember carrying around my grandchildren. The youngest is three now, and when he was four months old, I stayed with him for four months to take care of him while his parents worked. And, of course, I had to carry him because he wasn’t walking yet. In fact, he had just started trying to crawl when I returned home again. Anyway, sometimes I was a little afraid to pick up that little one because I am not always steady on my feet, but I prayed that God would help me carry Nathan safely, and He did.

I cannot imagine anyone carrying me these days. I am “pleasantly plump”, elderly with aching bones and don’t like to be touched much, not to mention carried. But the Bible says:

God is carrying me, in His heart and mind, all the time. He is ready and able to sustain me and rescue me, and He is the One who knows me best, since He created me. So, I am content in my Father’s arms.

Of equal importance is that Jesus is our High Priest and carries our names before the Father, right into His presence. Remember when Aaron, the High Priest and Moses’s brother, wore an ephod with the names of the twelve tribes on it. When he entered the holy place, he was bringing them before the Father. So, not only is God carrying us, but His Son carries our names with Him before the Father, letting God know that we are part of the family, grafted in or adopted as His children. What wonderful word pictures I had this morning in my devotional! I am old and gray…God is carrying me! I am a child of the King, and Jesus bears my name before His Father. How blessed I am to be carried, with no worries about God’s ability or stability. He is able and willing!

Do you at times want to lay down the burdens of life and just be carried away to a place of peace and joy? Then, imagine God doing just that. He wants to, and He will, if you will surrender those burdens to Him and allow Him to pick you up right where you are and carry you to a place where He can minister to you. It is in His arms that I find comfort, solace, rest and strength. I hope you find that, too.

God Is Right There

On By vickleaIn Scripture, testimony2 Comments

Over forty years ago, something so totally unexpected happened in my life that not only was I not prepared for it, I still look back on it and ponder how in the world I survived the events. One day, I was a young mom celebrating with my husband that our baby was about to turn a year old. Then, the phone call came. In the middle of the night, of course. My grandmother in Virginia called and said my entire family was packing up and leaving Virginia and if I wanted to tell them good-bye, I needed to get to Virginia right away. Well, I didn’t understand what was happening, but I told my husband and he helped me to calm down enough to pack our things and get ready for the seven hour drive to my hometown. Unfortunately, when I got there, my family was gone. My mom, my dad and my three younger siblings…gone. I was greeted by the sheriff’s department who were investigating my father and told that I could get personal items out of the house, but nothing else. The home I had lived in most of my life before marriage was going to be auctioned. I was in a cloud of confusion and despair, hoping to hear from my parents that they were just on a trip and would straighten everything out soon. My husband had just separated from the military as we prepared to attend Youth With a Mission in New Jersey, and we had a few months before our school started. So we spent that time first staying with my grandparents and then in a long-stay motel while we waited for our new life in NJ to begin. Meanwhile, I was dealing with the grief of losing my family, the overwhelming grief of my grandparents who had always had my mom in the same town with them, and a change in life’s circumstances that meant we had no viable income but were depending on God. Everything was changing, and I am not one who likes any change at all, much less change that turned my world upside down. But God was right there with me and He had a plan. The experience with YWAM was not one I would want to repeat, mostly because they were not set up for young families, even though there were half a dozen of us attending this session. I had to relinquish my young daughter to their daycare early every morning and did not see her again until after evening classes, sometime around dinner. It was breaking my mamma’s heart not to be with Hope, but I dutifully did what the leaders said to do, attending classes, working a job off campus to pay off bills to the school and studying God’s Word diligently. It was in burying myself in His Word that I found the comfort that I needed. After all, it had only been a few short months since my family disappeared and now I was in a new state, living in one room, eating barely recognizable food (we had chicken fly soup a lot…because we said the chicken flew over it but never stayed there), and expected to do the menial labor of cleaning houses for just enough money to pay to do our laundry. I was desolate and felt abandoned by all but God. My husband was preparing to go on a missions trip and I was working extra to help pay for that adventure for him. He, by the way, was all in for YWAM, and I was the reluctant participant. I saw my husband less than I saw our daughter, but that was okay at the time because God was with me. Every spare minute I had was spent in God’s Word, praying for my family and desperate to hear from them. The only people I heard from was the FBI…no, really, the FBI was involved and kept trying to get me to tell them where my parents were. Thanks goodness, I honestly did not know! Anyway, in the darkest, bleakest days of my life, God was right there. He held me in the long nights as I cried out my grief and despair. He comforted me with His Word and reassured me that He was right there with me.

We completed our classes at YWAM and my husband and I decided that since I was pregnant again (in spite of using birth control), he would go back into the military to support our small family. After two years, I unexpectedly got a letter from my mom. The family was in FL and was safe but I couldn’t tell anyone where they were. Eventually, a couple of years later, I was able to visit them because daddy did some kind of deal with the authorities and they knew where he was then. Two years without knowing where they were…two more years before seeing them again. My five year old sister was nine, my brothers were almost grown. In fact, one had quit college and given up a full scholarship to go with my parents when they fled Virginia. They were working and barely surviving, but they were alive! My grandparents, by the way, never got to see them again. They were too frail to travel to FL and my parents could not return to VA (or wouldn’t…I’m not sure). They did talk on the phone, but that was before technology allowed for video calls, so it wasn’t the same as having them less than fifteen minutes away. Anyway, that’s how I know that the more you need God, the more present He is in your life. I would not recommend YWAM to any young family, but for me, at that time and under those circumstances, it was the best place for me. I was filled daily with God’s Word which was the exact nourishment I needed to face each uncertain day.

My parents are both dead now. My siblings have their own families, two in Fl and one in CO. We are all close to each other, clinging to the relationship we have together and all with a faith that one day, we will get to see our parents again in heaven. Whatever the future brings, I have full confidence that God and I can handle it together. My saying to myself and others who wonder at my strength during tragedy is,” Nothing will happen today that God and I cannot handle together.”

Closer Than You Think

In one unsuspecting moment, everything can change.

A relationship can shatter, a dream can suddenly end. Your heart can break for a million different reasons: grief, rejection, loneliness, uncertainty, tragedy, betrayal.

When something terrible happens and the world makes zero sense…

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. 
Psalm 34:18 NLT

David, the writer of Psalm 34, preached what he lived. He experienced some intense highs and fierce lows, but he recognized God’s presence in the midst of his circumstances. He knew that God was near, and God could change any situation in an instant.

Is your heart broken? Is your spirit crushed?

God is near.
He hasn’t left you to fight for yourself.
He sees you in your heartbreak.
He meets you where you are.
He has not forgotten you.
He has not abandoned you.

This doesn’t mean you won’t face hard things. But even when your mind races and your heart doubts, God offers a peace and an intimacy that cannot be fully explained.

Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we now have constant access to God’s presence through His Holy Spirit. There are many places in the Bible where the Holy Spirit is described as the Comforter—ready to soothe, guide, counsel, and encourage. 

The comfort we receive from God is a gift from His Spirit who is always with us. So if your heart is breaking and your spirit is crushed, know that you are in good hands. God is near, and He will not abandon you.

Today, take a few moments to name anything that has crushed your spirit. Then, give yourself permission to just sit in God’s presence for a few moments. When you’re ready, consider memorizing today’s verse and meditate on it throughout your day.

God’s Unyielding Light

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

When we come to yield signs on the road, we slow down and are more cautious about approaching the intersection, aware that there are other cars already there and we have to time our merge to get into the flow of the traffic safely. But when I say that God’s light is unyielding, I am talking about the fact that God does not cower from the darkness. He shines light on it instead. If only we could see things the way God does, then His plan for us would be more clear and it would be easier to accept hardships because we would see that good things are coming. God is always present. The darker the night, the closer His presence to us. We have to acknowledge that He is there in order for us to feel His comfort and embrace.

Growing up, I had the habit of getting up every night to go to the bathroom. My bedroom was only a short distance from the main bathroom in the house, so even though I didn’t like the dark, I walked quietly to the bathroom, closed the door and sighed with relief when I could turn on the light. There was nothing there to jump out at me and scare me, just the darkness. What power darkness can have over us if we let it! We have to remember that God always shines through those dark places in our lives, the places where we are not sure what is going to happen next and what steps we should take. God is right there.

I still use a night light, several of them in fact. One in our bathroom, one in the living room and sometimes one in the kitchen. I cannot say that I am comfortable with the dark now, but I am not afraid of it. I have learned that God is a whispered prayer away and whenever I am afraid, I have but to say His Name and He is right there with words of comfort and peace from His Spirit to mine. I am blessed to have God’s light in my life so that the hard times of life, when the path seems to be growing darker and the way is twisted and unexpected, I can know that God is right there, my refuge and strength. I hope that you have found His unyielding light in your life.

Finding Refuge

Psalm 139 is a contemplative psalm, often attributed to King David. In it, the psalmist reminds himself of the all-knowing and all-present nature of God. According to him, we can always find comfort in the unconditional promise of God’s presence:

“If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me, even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.”
Psalm 139:11-12 NIV

Though life has its challenges and moments of overwhelming darkness, God’s nearness remains. He is intimately acquainted with every detail of your life. He sees you, not with the gaze of human eyes, but with the infinite clarity of His love.

When was the last time you acknowledged God’s presence in your life? Have you recently paused to simply dwell with Him? Pausing prompts us to consider the vastness of God’s knowledge and the inability to hide anything from His sight.

There is no darkness too deep and no night too long that can conceal us from the unyielding light of our Creator. Seek Him today.

Right-Size God

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App5 Comments

www.bible.com/reading-plans/13952/day/15

When I look at all that is happening in my family right now, I have to right-size God to get the correct perspective on things. Yes, cancer is a terrible diagnosis. But it is a hynena or a bear in the face of an awesome and omnipotent God. Isaac is at the hospital now having his bloodwork and CT scan done. We don’t know what the results will be, but God does. I am praying for God to be close to Isaac and to reassure him of his love. You know, I have said before on this page, when things go wrong, it’s difficult to see God’s hand in it. But God never moves, never stops loving, never stops reaching out. So, I am believing that even in this, God is right there, right beside Isaac and his dad, giving them the comfort of His presence that they need.

I do appreciate all of your prayers and hope that I am not wearying you with this topic. I cannot focus on anything else these days, and I ask that you bear with me as I process this new bump in my road. Thank you for your patience and lovingkindness. I do appreciate all of the thoughts and prayers even when I don’t reply to each of them.

God: Devoted Doctor and Loving Parent

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App1 Comment

www.bible.com/reading-plans/13952/day/4

I think we can all agree that our society is broken, headed in the wrong direction. The author of this devotional hits the nail on the head when it says it’s a heart and head problem. I would add that it is also a problem of idol worship, the idols being social media and all of the technology that has a corner on the market of minds today. It is not a coincidence that Satan is called the “prince of the power of the air.” I am grateful that God is a doctor who is totally devoted to healing His people as well as a loving Father who disciplines, corrects our way and shows us the right way. How many times have you sat in a restaurant lately and watched a couple have a meal together but never really communicate with each other? Both are absorbed in whatever is on the little screen that they hold in their hands. My husband and I found ourselves doing that a while back and determined that when we go out, our dining table is a no-device zone. The restaurants aren’t always compatible with our philosophy since some have QR codes to read the menu and then to pay at the end. But, we persist in trying to establish a conversation with each other instead of with random strangers online. How many times have we turned to social media for advice or solace when the best advice we can get is from God’s Word and the best solace is from His Holy Spirit? Yes, we are a broken people, but the good news is that God is a devoted doctor and a loving father, and He doesn’t give up on diagnosing the problem and coming up with a solution. He will find a way to get our attention!

Return to God

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

One of the things that I most enjoy doing is going on short trips, enjoying my time in a new place and then returning home to all that is safe and familiar. I like visiting others, but I really like being at home, with my comforting things all around me. To put that in a spiritual perspective, God cries out to us constantly to return to Him. There are so many who wander from place to place seeking some kind of peace and acceptance from the world. But the only real peace and acceptance comes from our Father who has created us and knows what is best for us.

God wants to show us mercy and compassion. His desire is not to punish us. I have been asked by non-Christians how a loving God could send people to hell. My answer is always the same. He did not create hell for people. It was created for Satan and his demons. But if man chooses to go the way of sin and turns away from God, refusing to repent, then God has no choice but to allow them to go to hell. It is man’s choice, not God’s. In the book of Joel, God is crying out for His people, all those whom He has created, to repent and turn to Him, to change their hearts. God’s cry is not one of vengeance or waiting for us to mess up so He can punish us. His cry is a heartfelt one of sincerely desiring us to change so that we don’t have to suffer eternal punishment and separation from Him. God provided a way to be with Him always through His Son Jesus Christ, but it up to us to return to God. Just as we find comfort when we are among our familiar things at home, we can find comfort in the arms of our Heavenly Father who made a way for us to return to Him.

May you have a blessed and peaceful Ash Wednesday as you ponder the sacrifice of the Lord and the eternity with Him that is granted by His sacrifice. If you need to do so, may you return to God!

Love Without End

On By vickleaIn Scripture7 Comments

I know that my husband loves me even though he gets irritated with me sometimes. We are very different people. I am the one who wants everything in its place and calm, quiet times at home. He likes piles of things everywhere and to go and see new things. Nevertheless, we have managed to stay married for almost five decades, putting up with each other’s strange ways and loving each other in spite of it. Or maybe because of our differences? I have never been sure of that, but I am sure of his love for me.

I am equally convinced that God loves me and oftentimes, He does so in spite of me, my actions and my behavior. He loves me because He made me and knows exactly who I am and loves me anyway. That is something I can count on. I cannot see God, but I can feel His love for me each time He sends the Comforter to be with me and whisper the words from the Scripture that I need to hear at the right moment that I need it. I know that He loves me when I feel His protection all around me in scary situations. I feel His love surrounding me when I am feeling weak or tired, what I tell others is just “bone weary.” Yes, God loves me, but He also loves each of you and wants you to know it. He wants you to hold His love for you deep in your soul where it will always be with you, no matter the challenges you face in life. God is not a respecter of persons (no favoritism with Him), so His love is never-ending and unchanging for each of us. Good news! God loves me and you, sometimes in spite of us, but always because He is love!

May the Lord bless you and keep you and may His eternal love shine in your life, reaching to others who need to know that they, too, are loved!

Thankful for Grief

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

No, I am not having a pity party, and no, you are not invited to join. I am thankful for grief because of the memories it brings. Thanksgiving is a hard season for me although I will readily admit it has always been my favorite holiday. But twenty years ago, my mom died the week of Thanksgiving, shadowing the holiday in sorrow and grief that seemed to overwhelm me at times. My mom and I had a difficult relationship and as I have aged, I have come to the conclusion that we had trouble relating to each other because we are so much like each other. I like order, organization and plans. So did mama. I like to be quiet and reflective and read. So did mama. I tend to explode when things happen unexpectedly. So did mama. And on and on it goes. Thus, each Thanksgiving season, I ponder why I never felt really loved by my mother. She used to tell me how ugly I was (I look a lot like she did), told me I had to go to college and pay for it myself so I had better study hard in high school, and told me that I would have to work my whole life because no man would ever want me. Yes, mama was cruel at times, but I think it was because she was judging herself. I have a tendency to do that, too, but I hope and pray that I am not harsh as she was. When I find myself about to speak harsh words, I remember how deeply mama’s words cut me and try to control myself and my speech better. The long and short of it is that I am thankful for grief because it also brings healing from wounds that have festered for too long. I had to come to a place of forgiveness for my mom before I could really grieve for her. Now, each Thanksgiving, I realize that it is another year without her and I miss her smile and know that she would have loved being a grandmother because that is a great joy in my life. I’m sorry that her life’s choices led her to miss out on this part of her journey.

God’s love is always compassionate. He understands loss and grief. It was not His plan for man to die at all. That came from poor choices in the Garden of Eden and poor choices ever since, too. We are now all sinners saved by grace and each of us has to die. Each of us will grieve at some time in our lives, and I sincerely believe that God grieves with us, holding us close and comforting us when the grief rolls over us like high tide during a full moon.

One of the strange things about grief is the everyday tasks that suddenly and without any warning turn into tears streaming down the cheek. I can be in the grocery story getting ingredients for one of my favorite dishes and recall that mama used to make the same dish and tears come to my eyes. I see a grandchild do particularly well in an activity and tears spring out because I think about all that mama has missed. It’s a strange thing to go from happiness to grief in a split second. But just as quickly, the Comforter comes and reminds me of His love and grace and mercy and that He is always with me. Others may leave and I will never see them again on this earth. Just as one phone call shattering my night ended my earthly relationship with my mother, so sudden and unexpected is death. I want to leave behind happy memories for my children and grandchildren. That has been my goal since that Thanksgiving twenty years ago. I want them to remember the good times and rejoice that I have a relationship with God that gives me eternal life and them to, if they make that choice. God doesn’t love me or you any less than anyone else. We are all the same and He truly desires that we find out the truth about grieving. It is a process, part of our journey on earth, that we all must go through.

May your day be blessed with fond memories and sweet times with your family and friends as you create new ones together!

God’s Presence and Answered Prayer

On By vickleaIn Scripture6 Comments

These verses were in my devotional this morning and they are so appropriate that I just have to share my testimony about what happened at the retina institute yesterday. As I wrote previously, my ophthalmologist had diagnosed me with dry macular degeneration. My sister has the wet kind which leads to blindness and insisted that I go to see a retina specialist since mine is just starting. So, I jumped through all of the insurance hoops and three months later (yesterday) I got an appointment at the Retina Institute of Virginia. I had to be there alone because of restrictions about patients only, so I was really nervous. Where was my faith? It was still there, but the real me was anxious to find out what was going on with my eyes and what the solution would be, if any.

The first nurse was very nice, jovial and encouraging and explaining all the drops that she had to use in my eyes and how the ocular thing worked with pinholes in it. Then, I sat in a dark room for about ten minutes waiting for my imaging. The next lady was quite rude and impatient, but I prayed for me and for her to get through that part of the test and eventually we did. Next step, a dark room to wait to see the doctor and get his diagnosis of my condition.

I was there long enough to start being assailed by doubts and fears. Of course, it didn’t help that my sister has told me repeatedly for the last three months that I’m going to be blind. (She is not just a cup half empty person; her cup is also cracked and leaking.) Anyway, my answer was to pray and ask God for His presence to be really near me. I cannot say that I heard an audible voice but I did hear God speak to my heart to hold my hand out and He would hold it and be with me. Honestly, I have no idea what I was thinking, but I put my hand out on my lap and the Lord spoke to me and told me He had my hand and I was not alone and all would be okay, no matter the verdict from the doctor. I prayed quietly, thanking God for His comfort and calming presence. I can’t say that I felt the Lord holding my hand, but I felt comforted and knew He was there with me.

When the doctor came in, he showed me the photos of my eyes and told me that my left eye has a trace of macular but my right eye has no signs of it at all. He finished his exam and told me that he would see me in a year, that he’s pleased with the radiograph and the photos. My response was to thank him and to thank God, of course! He had me all along, even in that dark room where I was feeling so alone and frightened, He took my hand and spoke words of encouragement to me.

Naturally, when I called my sister to tell her, her response was negative. She informed me that the disease will get worse, there’s no cure, it will go into my right eye and I will go blind, just later instead of sooner. But you know what? I didn’t argue with her or point out to her that God is taking care of the whole situation for me. I knew that in my heart, but she doesn’t know or accept God and His truths, so I wanted to just hold His love for me close to me and enjoy it rather than listen to and accept her harsh words. Shortly thereafter, my husband arrived to take me home and my trial was over. I shared with him what had happened and he was like, “That’s good. That’s really good news.” The best news is that my faith was renewed (again) because God showed me not only that He is powerful but also that He cares about the tiny details in my life. Since I needed someone with me, He was that someone for me. Always there, never intrusive, always willing to console and encourage. That’s my God! I’m ashamed that I needed to be reminded, but I wanted to share my humanity with you all. I don’t have it all together all the time, but God does and knows just what I need and how to meet those needs.

May you be blessed today with the certain knowledge that God is with you, helping you and protecting you in all circumstances.