“Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness.” He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.”
God breaks through a bleak, devastating picture of judgment on Judah and Jerusalem, promising restoration if the people would only repent. He promised the devastating drought would be reversed with a regular rainfall pattern. He promised to restore His people and their material lives, replenishing their fields, orchards, vineyards, and flocks. He would replenish the fruit of their land and eradicate invading armies from the north. He would once again, prove His faithfulness by regulating the pattern of rainfall with refreshing rain.
Doesn’t he promise the same for us? For the messes we find ourselves in, His faithfulness is there to meet us where we’re at. All He requires from us is a repentant heart and our Redeemer and Savior will move in to clean up and replenish the wastelands of our lives with His refreshing rains of grace and mercy. Are you searching today? Feeling life is quite messy with things you can’t change, habits you can’t break, and people you can’t love?
God promises help for those moments of bleak devastation! He’ll eradicate your past and replenish the fruit of your life with the redemptive power and cleansing blood of Christ. Just give him a chance and tell Him to take over the control of your life… your problem… your heart!
Oh, don’t we all need a big heap of God’s love today? Just to wrap us up tightly and carry us over the rough spots that come along. All the things hoped for seem to transfer to the back burner while things not hoped for, nor even asked for, come a calling.
Yeah, the enemy can throw some pretty difficult stuff into our pathway and it keeps us on our toes for sure and makes us wonder how we’ll make it through. But remember, our faithful God is so faithful and walks the same road with us. He’s rich in mercy! He’s compassionate in care and perfect in love. His eye is on you and You are highly favoured in His economy. He heals! He mends! He repairs, and He protects and that’s what we need today for sure. Just one big heap of it all to take its place right in our midst and give us a springboard to propel us on for His glory!
So, beautiful one, whatever has you down ~ whatever has come a calling that wasn’t asked for, you might not realize it yet, but it’s been perfected just for you and customized just for your needs today. He’s got it. Enjoy God’s faithfulness through it and let Him direct your path. Be blessed under His divine protection through the testing time and watch His miracles unfold.
“God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation.”
James 1: 12
“The grasslands of the wilderness become a lush pasture and the hillsides blossom with joy.”
So when things aren’t what they seem, and when things don’t go the way you planned, you gotta know it’s all okay anyway, right? That medical diagnosis just wasn’t what you thought it might be! That bank account that wasn’t topped off like you thought, and now it’s left you high and dry with huge demands nipping at your heels. That friend, who, well, turns out, wasn’t a friend after all, and rather than supporting you ~ betrayed you, and just made for a terrible, miserable, very bad day!
Yeah, so when you’re turned over to the wolves, shoved under the bus, or hung out to dry, life can be pretty upsetting, and it can rankle the spirits a bit, not to mention the hurt and the broken that come of it. The hurt and the broken that you’re left to deal with and mend, somehow, someway!
Well, there is a Soul Friend when everyone else walks out. There is a Care Giver; a Sustainer, and a Provider when the bank account runs low, and the cupboards are bare. There is a soul-saver and a mercy-maker when the underside of the bus is rusty, and the ravenous wolves torment!
Oh yes, there is a Protector and One who is faithful, even in the hard places. David, inspired by the Spirit of God, writes wisdom into Psalm 138 for all of us to read and learn from, and in verse 7 he states,
“Though I am surrounded by troubles, You will protect me from the anger of my enemies. You reach out your hand, and the power of your right hand saves me.”
Ahh, then comes the thrilling realization for David, when he continues on to say, even in his hardship,
“The LORD will work out His plans for my life–for Your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for You made me.”
Yeah! Our Lord has this too: whatever it is that has you, and when you’re looking at the gruesome underside of the bus, you can know, even there, even though He may not have caused it, He allowed it for a purpose and uses it for your good and His glory! Phew, that’s a perfect thought for us right now!
So hey, beautiful you, right there in your heaps of where you are, you can know He cares and cares deeply! Abandonment isn’t in His vocabulary. He won’t leave you, just because you messed up! He won’t turn on you or reject you. That’s not what He does. Trust Him in your trouble and hide out in His presence. It’s so safe there!
