When the light dims!

I was so sore and distraught and at the verge of tears, all around me my hope had faded, the light at the end of the tunnel looked even further away.  I had been really ill for a few weeks, a mixture of being bed-bound and house-bound and so I felt completely isolated, alone and overwhelmed. I felt this illness was just robbing me of so much and that I had been forgotten about by others.

I hadn't spent much time in prayer or the Word that week and so I realized how thirsty I was for encouragement from God himself. How easily it is to neglect God's Word and prayer. Nothing my husband or son could say would encourage me so I knew it was time to spend time with my Father God. I needed His help and no-one else. So I knew I really needed to read something that would make me think and lift me up. My first port of call was Psalm 40:1-4;

I waited patiently for the Lord;

And He inclined to me,

And heard my cry.

2 

He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,

Out of the miry clay,

And set my feet upon a rock,

And established my steps.

3 

He has put a new song in my mouth—

Praise to our God;

Many will see it and fear,

And will trust in the Lord.

AS i cried out more to God; the line 'new mercies every morning' came to mind. I remembered that beautiful hymn, '' Great is thy Faithfulness' and my first thoughts were it was from a Psalm. However it isn't from a Psalm but from the very mournful book of Lamentations. After a quick concordance look-up I found exactly what I was looking for and that was;

Lamentations 3:22-24 

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,

Because His compassion's fail not.

23 

They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

24 

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,

“Therefore I hope in Him!”

So I went on to read the whole book of Lamentations! I know if you're familiar with this book in the bible it wouldn't be the first place you'd seek encouragement, as it is indeed quite a miserable read but important book as it details Jeremiah's mourning's from a literal pit of despair as God judged the nation of Judah for their sin. However on I went and read it and could see that Chapter 3 is indeed the gemstone of this book. It is then that Jeremiah looks up to God instead of the situation around him and sees hope.

As I cried in the acknowledgement that God indeed had not forgotten me I was also reminded of Revelations 21:4;

4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

God himself was reviving my heart of despair. As I came away encouraged and amazed at how God had led me to those Bible passage, I was lead to look up the hymn 'Great is thy faithfulness' and so I listened to a lovely rendition of it on YouTube. That lead me onto the Author and I read a short bio of Chisholms life.

He became a Christian when he was 27, went on to study to be a Methodist minister, in his mid 30s he graduated and then only went on to minister for 1 year until his ill health prevented him. And his ill health followed him for the rest of his life. However he went onto write many poems of which 'Great is thy Faithfulness' is one.

Now that stopped me in my tracks as my ill health has prevented me from going forward into full time ministry from my mid 30's as well. Not a coincidence but God intervening in my pitiful state to remind me, all is not lost, God will still use me no matter what life throws at me.