A Distant Light

When you are at the bottom of the pit, the light seems so distant. If you look hard enough, overhead you can see the glimmer. You may, for a moment, remember that there is light.

Genesis 1:3-4 God said; "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good and he separated the light from the darkness.

The light...the foundation of God's creation, the very first thing he created.

There is light. When you can't see it, when you forget that it's there, there is light.

Remain

The word 'remain' appears 11 times in John 15:1-10.

The passage says that God is the gardener and he cuts off our branches and prunes us. This sounds like a painful process.

Christ knows that it's painful and he pleads with us; "Remain in me". It's like he is saying; "My child, I know that this will hurt, but hang onto me....remain in me and you will survive this pruning."

In the passage he goes on to say; "If anyone does not remain in me he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned."

If we do not remain in him, we will experience more suffering and our pain will be for naught. If we do not remain in Christ, we will be thrown into the fire and burned. On the other hand, if we remain in Christ, the pruning process leads to fruit bearing.

Rest assured that if you remain in Christ, you will not only survive the pruning, but as a result you will reflect God's glory.

A Spacious Place

Ps 18:16-19
He reached down from on high and took hold of me, He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me.

God delights in you even when you can't get out of bed. He delights in you when you can find no joy. He delights in you when you cry incessantly. God delights in you when you can do nothing but breathe in and out and survive another day.

He will rescue you because He delights in you. He will reach down from on high and pull you out of the pit and place you in a spacious place.

We Are Not Consumed

consume - kalah - to cease, be finished, perish, to be completed

dejected.
hopeless.
overshadowed.
oppressed.
debilitated.
overwhelmed.
hurt.
helpless.

But we are not consumed.

Lam 3:22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.

In Hiding

If you're like me, when you are in despair and your soul is downcast, you want to run and hide.

I will hide myself in my bed, down under the covers. I will hide away from the world, but not from my pain. The hopelessness follows me under the covers. It keeps me company like an old familiar friend. Only, this negative mentality is not my friend. It keeps me from stepping into the light. It keeps me hiding out, crying in the fetal position.

But there is a better place we can run and hide. We can run to the LORD and hide ourselves in Him. He will hide us in the shadow of His wings if we will chose to run to Him instead of our covers.

Psalm 143:9 Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD, for I hide myself in You.

Psalm 27:5 For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.

As we hide ourselves in Him, He sets us high upon a rock. Out in the open. Rescued from our enemies. Safe. Sheltered.

The next time you are tempted to run to your bed and curl up under the covers, run to God instead. Hide yourself in His loving embrace.