wrestlingwordblog posted: " Doubt has been flapping around me like vultures over a half-dead animal. Struggling with the high stress of caregiving and accompanying health problems, wrestling with disappointment and maybe even anger at God about how things have turned out in my life" Wrestling Word
Doubt has been flapping around me like vultures over a half-dead animal. Struggling with the high stress of caregiving and accompanying health problems, wrestling with disappointment and maybe even anger at God about how things have turned out in my life. The unhealed lacerations of past trauma making it hard to feel or receive anybody's love, God's love. Feeling that God's love is conditional toward me. That I haven't been able to get it right. I haven't said or done the "correct" thing yet. My daily Word another disapproving censure. Out of yet another dark place I reached out to my sweet (and may I say oh-so-patient) sister. She had this to say:
"God's Spirit came to live in believers through Jesus Christ's sacrifice of love. We now live in Roman's chapter 8 love. No condemnation love. No separation love."
And then she prayed:
"Lord, we need revelation to sink down into our hearts! Change us! We can't do it without you. We want to love you more truly and deeply. Amen."
Yes, I need revelation. That flash of Light in my darkness. And, let me say with deep thankfulness that whenever – always, as sure as the sunrise – whenever I stumble, He reaches out to catch me. Almost immediately. I am humbled and undone.
In my daily reading the next morning were Paul's writings about Jesus, who came as a priest in the order of Melchizedek, "not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life" (Hebrews 7:16). That word translated "indestructible" means no, not, or without (in other words it is impossible to) dissolve, disunite, destroy, demolish, overthrow, to render vain, to deprive of success, bring to naught, to render fruitless one's desires or endeavors, to deprive of force, annul, abrogate.
Jesus' life is indestructible and our lives are hidden in His (Colossians 3:3). His plans and purposes, His desire and will, His power, His unity with me in the Spirit, are indestructible, cannot be destroyed, dissolved, rendered vain – not even by my weakness and wounds.
And then I noticed that in the margin I had written, years ago, "Romans 8:38-39." Nothing is able to separate us from the love of God. Soon after, in my inbox came this from a daily devotional1 I follow:
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
OK, I'm listening. When this happens, I always know that God has a message for me.
Well, the very next blog2 I read had this to say (thank you Alan Kearns!):
"So often in life we are left scratching our head at how things have turned out; despite our best plans or efforts the unexpected has happened. We are left with a handful of question marks … we are mystified by the circumstances we find ourselves in, praying for His light on the matter ... Be assured if you know Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, His Father is in control of your puzzle - He knows what the final picture is!"
And then a link to this beautiful song. (Remember how I told you that God uses song lyrics to speak to me.)
God Jehovah, Jehovah Rapha
You're our healer
You and You Alone ...
In the middle of doubt
In the thick of sorrow
You say look up
To where our help comes from
If everything around us
Says there is no hope
We're never gonna let go
Of the hem of Your robe ...
We're leaning on your power
You'll do what can't be done ...
All depression, every worry
Every sickness Lord, You heal
All addiction, every family
Every heartbreak Lord, You heal ...
You and You Alone3
I looked up what Jehovah-Rapha means and found this at Got Questions. "Jehovah-Rapha has the power to heal physically (2 Kings 5:10), emotionally (Psalm 34:18), mentally (Daniel 4:34), and spiritually (Psalm 103:2–3). Neither impurity of body nor impurity of soul can withstand the purifying, healing power of Jehovah-Rapha."4
Yes, I need healing in all those areas – physical, emotional, mental, spiritual. I need them all and I know He will do it. Because nothing can withstand His indestructible Life.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8:35-37
He opened the rock, and water gushed out; like a river it flowed in the desert. Psalm 105:41
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