When The Door Slams
Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. Psalm 61:1-4 NIV
We can sometimes succeed at pushing physical pain right out of our thoughts by crowding our time and attention with other matters. But inside suffering...ah, that is a different matter. Mental anguish, resentment, bitterness, disappointment, or even dryness of soul can hound us. And it is not so easy to put those feeling behind.
Those sorts of hurts and pains of the heart and mind and spirit create an emptiness, and seem to put us in a spiritual vacuum. We can describe physical pain to a doctor or nurse, but inside pain can only be known-really known-by God.
Think about this: I think God permits this kind of inner anguish for a good reason. Physical hurt is almost outside of us, sometimes we can drive it from our thoughts. But inside pain is within our thoughts, and action that will forces us to cope with the problem. God may allow it because He knows this kind of suffering can be more purifying than any other kind of pain. Today we are forced to face it and deal with the situation at hand.
Let this time be significant. Let these days be an event, a milestone you can point to and say, "That was the day I let the Lord God of my life turn my sorrow into joy...Just as pain and sorrow brought us to tears of remorse and regret...Just as certain painful events can cause our lives to come to a full stop, God calls us now to a new start.
Confession: For your ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all your paths. The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them; the cords of their sins hold them fast (Proverbs 5: 21-22 NIV). Renewal: For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:9-14 NIV).
Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.
Never Rest Ministries
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