Today's Verse
You have preserved me because I was honest; you have admitted me forever to your presence.
~Psalm 41:12 TLBThoughts on today's verse...
Do you ever question God? Now that may sound blasphemous to some of you, but is it? I don't think so. Above everything else, God wants us to be honest with Him. He wants a real relationship with real people, not something perfunctory or plastic or falsely "holy and reverent".
There are times in our lives when we are hurting. Maybe it's physical, maybe it's emotional, or maybe it's spiritual. I recall one such time. My son (my only son) was sentenced to prison. Since I work for the prison system I was especially devastated. In my prayer time with the Lord, I screamed, I ranted, and I raved. I questioned God, I didn't understand how He could allow this. After I had poured out all the anger, all the questions, and all the fear I had, I simply asked the Lord to help me see His purpose, to perhaps allow me to minister to other parents in this situation. And to glorify Him through all of it. Mind you, this was not an immediate response, it took months of prayer to come to this attitude.
I wish I could say that everything in my son's life has turned out well, but I'm still waiting for the answer to that prayer. And I will continue to pray for him for as long as I have breath.
My prayer...
Lord God, sometimes prayer isn't pretty. Sometimes it is down right ugly, especially when we have questions and are totally honest with You. Help me to remember that it is alright to question You. Help me to remember that You prefer a broken and contrite heart above sacrifice. Help me Lord, to be open with You, You know my heart better than even I do. ~Amen
Yours, because we're His,
Tamara
Yours, because we're His,
Tamara
Tamara, I can't tell you how much this post speaks to my heart!
ReplyDeleteAnd I hear you about your son. I have a very similar situation going on with two of my children. I'd love for me to be able to see them turn around, but that's not for me to decide. All in God's Good Time, all in God's Good Hands.
And I sure hope He doesn't mind the constant head shaking on my part, because I've done a lot of it in my lifetime. I eventually come around to the right way of thinking, but at times it takes quite awhile for me to get there.
So glad I'm not the only one.
I once said to my sister-in-law, "Well, nobody ever said life was going to be perfect here on earth." And she responded, "Yeah, but nobody ever warned me either that it was going to be H-E-(double hockey sticks) here on earth!"
She does have a hard life and there's no arguing with her!
Thanks for this post!
Thanks for the prayer that lives in my heart!
All the best,
Eileen
Oh, Tamara, how well I know that part about praying for your children and being so incredibly upset over traumas in their life! I continually pray for all three of my children, but most especially for my middle daughter, Laura who is still struggling with mental and physical problems beyond belief!! She is still in AZ where at she is getting lots of help through Magellan, but it's going to be a long, long road for her.
ReplyDeleteSo I keep hounding Heaven in hopes that maybe God will at least get tired of me and help Laura help herself.
blessings and hugs,
marcy
p.s. Will now add your son to my long prayer list.
Hi Tamara,
ReplyDeleteI think questioning God is natural. Human Nature. After all he made us and gave us that gift. To question. Even him.
I also think that you are so wonderful because everyday you are inspired enough by God's word that you are able to post about it.
I think a lot of us have problems with our children or perhaps other people or things in our lives. Whoever say's that they don't, are lying.
But we go on. And we keep praying. And we try to hold on to our faith. And yes we question God!
As long as you remember that you are not God and things cannot always be in your hands but in his, well I think that is a huge accomplishment in and of itself.
Just finding the courage and strength to hand our lives over to our Lord everyday is hard work, and you my friend, have one up on me there!