Hope

Relief

If I’m honest with myself, most days are good days.

That doesn’t mean that all days are good days, or that most days are great days, but God has been gracious to me, and most days I’m reminded of that grace in more ways than I can count, and that makes the day good.

Some days, however, are heavy. Whether it’s a cummulation of minor things that become major in their aggregate, or a heavy loss or burden, some days are hard, difficult, and a challenge to get through. It’s those days that I find myself crying out to my Abba Father for relief – from simple escape from the heaviness that fills my heart.

Most of the time, I’m asking for relief from the situation; I want the circumstances to change so that they will no longer bother me. God, sometimes, but rarely provides that. Instead, He removes the heaviness of my heart. The situation usually does not change, at least in the short term, but as He walks through the trial with me, He provides comfort and peace.

As Psalm 94:19 says:

“When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.”

The heavier my heart is, the more He bears the load. When my cares are multiplied, so are His consolations. When storms rage, He brings peace.

He provides relief. Not by obliterating all my cares, but by overwhelming them with His grace. 

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Growth

Holding On

In the waves and shifts of life, sometimes it can be hard to remain steadfast. We think we’re heading one way, things changed and we’re knocked off balance. What we thought we knew for certain, now comes into question. The direction we thought we were heading becomes unclear.

When this happens, we’re tempted to revert to the things we know. For the Christian, this can mean their old way of living before they repented and put their faith in Christ. The things that were once familiar can become enticing again. We can cling to the patterns of live and behavior that helped us get through tough times before.

We usually think of sin as something that we do, not something that we have possession of. Yet, Colossians 3:8 states that we can put these things (anger, wrath, slander and obscene talk) away. Through the grace of God, He enables us to let go of these things that previously defined our lives (See Col. 3:7) And by His power, we can cling to Him instead.

Walking down the path that’s familiar seems comforting; we know what to expect and we know how to navigate the circumstances. Yet, when it comes to the pattern of our lives, God calls us to no longer walk in the former ways, because they no longer define our lives. He does. And when times are trying, we must not cling to what we once knew, but instead we must hold on to Him.

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