Strength In Suffering

In church one morning recently, we listened to a short talk introducing Operation Christmas child by Samaritan’s Purse. It is an amazing opportunity to give to impoverished children across the world at Christmas by simply filling a shoebox with small gifts. You can find out more by following this link https://www.samaritans-purse.org.uk/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/ During the talk about how the project operates, the following distinct phrase was used, “in receiving a gift the children have something to interrupt their brokenness”. There is something quite profound in that statement. Last year, when we were at our most broken, during the days, weeks and months following our son Nathanael’s accident, we needed something to interrupt the sheer brokenness in our hearts. During that long period in hospital and rehabilitation, it was a kind nurse or doctor with a smile that brought reassurance, a text message or call from a friend, someone coming to visit us, hug us and pray with us. We are so thankful for the people that did those things. We all need positive interruptions in our lives. Sleep is an interruption. It causes us to rest from the physical progress of our busy lives. For some, it can bring relief to our minds from carrying a heavy burden. For us, creating a website and writing blogs is a positive interruption. An opportunity to pause and share our experience, and when people take time to engage with us we find encouragement, and that in itself is an interruption from our brokenness. Jesus was and is the Master Interrupter. In Luke 18:35-43, we read the following, “As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.” ESV Notice in verse 40 it says “Jesus stopped and…” Very soon after this, Jesus was going to suffer the most horrific death on a Roman cross for the sins of the world. Yet, He laid aside the immensity of what He was about to suffer, to stop and bring relief to a man who was blind. After the interruption of Jesus, the man was able to see again. His brokenness was interrupted. Maybe today, we need to stop and look around us. The world is full of need, but maybe today we can interrupt someone’s brokenness by sending a text message, giving financially to a worthy cause or putting your arm around someone the next time you see them to momentarily interrupt their brokenness. God wants to interrupt our broken lives. He wants us to meditate on His Word where we can find solace in knowing that He will one day make all things right. We can find strength in Him because He is indeed our strength. Sometimes, He may take us back into our broken state time and again but for our good so we can experience the interruptions He can give. It is those interruptions that help to keep us going, that help us to endure under great hardship. We live in a very broken world. Let’s look for ways today that we can interrupt that brokenness for someone else. Prayer - Dear Lord, You are the one who came to this broken world and interrupted sin, interrupted Satan, interrupted death. Would You please help us to follow Your example and look for ways in which we can help those who have little, who are suffering and broken. We want to be Your hands and feet. Amen.

“I walked a mile with Pleasure; She chatted all the way; But left me none the wiser For all she had to say. I walked a mile with Sorrow; And ne’er a word said she; But, oh! The things I learned from her, When Sorrow walked with me.” ― Robert Browning Hamilton As we walk through life, we each experience a multitude of situations that will affect us one way or another. What we would call “good times” and “bad times”. Sometimes we might think that to experience the “good times” we have to hit the heights of pleasure by being successful or wealthy in whatever we do, but these times can simply be enjoying friends and family, sharing laughter together. None of us want experience the “bad times” or sorrow that might be hallmarked by ill health, tragedy or the death of a loved one. If we had a choice between pleasure or sorrow we would all choose pleasure, every time. But even pleasure when lived ‘under the sun’, lived for pleasure’s sake in meaningless. Everything needs to be lived in light of eternity not just the here and now. 1I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity.a 2I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” Ecclesiastes 2:1-2 ESV But God allowed sorrow, sickness and death to enter His arena for a very good reason. It is often said that we learn from our mistakes. Adam and Eve made a huge mistake in the garden of Eden which opened the floodgates for sin and sorrow to enter the world bringing with it sickness and death. However, in spite of their great mistake, nothing is wasted with God. He can use sorrow and suffering to bring about His purposes if we allow it. Sadly, there are those who turn away in the face of “bad times” but those who hang on to faith will find refuge in the God who is there. When we are faced with tragedy it can either make us or break us. The words penned here by Robert Browning Hamilton may ring true for many who have experienced tragedy, trauma, sickness and suffering. Through the dark times of sorrow we can learn to reflect. We can learn to meditate on what life is really all about. We can take time to notice and treasure the small things in life. We can take seriously the psalmists plea for us to number our days. Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90v12 NIV When we are experiencing pleasure through the “good times” we may not notice or have the time to reflect in quite the same way. We may take things and people for granted. We may forget that we are here today and gone tomorrow. 15As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. Psalm 103:15-16 ESV None of us go in search of sorrow and suffering or persecution. But we may all experience these to some degree during our lifetime and when we do, we have a choice - we can either turn from them or learn from them. We can find God in them and through them and they can indeed make us wiser and help us appreciate the really important things in life. Whatever “bad times” we may be going through right now, let’s allow those experiences to shape us, let’s learn from them and through them become more Christlike. Christ suffered the most horrific death imaginable in order to bring us forgiveness and eternal life and to show us the way to live a life that is focused on the suffering God seen in Christ. In our suffering and sorrow, God suffers with us, He is walking us through these things to make us more like Him.

Jonah 2:3-5 “For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds wrapped about my head” The story of Jonah being swallowed by the big fish, in the Bible, is a well known one. When in the depths of the fish’s belly, Jonah uttered many words, speaking of being ‘cast’ into the deep. Of floods surrounding him. Of waves and billows passing over him. Water closing in and weeds wrapped around his head as if he was going to drown. There have been many times in our situation when we have like Jonah, drowning in the waves of pain and suffering, almost suffocating at times. I remember as child going swimming with a group of friends. As I stood on the side of the pool one dear friend decided to push me in backwards. I can still remember today that horrible feeling of going deep into the freezing cold water of the outdoor pool. I didn’t like it one bit. I remember gasping for my breath and not knowing what would happen. There are many experiences and situations that happen to us in life that take us deeper than we expected to go. Perhaps we feel like we’re drowning from sheer pressure of the circumstance, perhaps we have that sinking feeling that we will not survive the ordeal. Feelings such as fear, worry, hopelessness, anxiety, regret, and facing the future may be some of the emotions that overwhelm us and give us that drowning feeling. But take heart for we can be confident that in spite of how we feel at times, God is so much bigger than all of these things. If we look through Scripture we see many examples of how the Lord’s hand is mighty to save in the most dire of situations and how His arm is never too short that it cannot deliver. Take time to read Isaiah 59:1 and Zephaniah 3:17. God alone is able to help us out of our despair and feelings of going under and He also works in and through His body, the Church, to help us to help rescue one another. There are times in our lives when God looks for us to be in that rescue mission. He may direct us to make the phone call when someone is struggling or to send a message, pay a visit, to pray, to invite that person for a coffee and a chat. Sometimes it’s the simple yet often overlooked things that may help another from “drowning”. Galatians 6:2 says, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” NKJV The Bible also exhorts us to “cast all of our care upon Him because He care for you.” 1 Peter 5:7 There is a much quoted phrase that says ‘Just because I carry it well, doesn’t mean it’s not heavy’. We all have burdens at times, some much heavier than others, and its true - there are many people who appear to carry their burdens well. But we must never be so caught up with our own lives that we become unaware of others who may be drowning in deep despair. We must all pray for the discernment and courage to say something when we feel someone may be struggling. We can all put on a facade. Those who seem to be doing so well in the midst of suffering can also hide well behind masks. https://www.strengthinsuffering.com/post/the-mask For us in our personal situation, the drowning feelings haven’t gone. But when they do come, we are able to remind ourselves of how God has lifted us up out of those emotions time and again. He has allowed the waves to completely overcome us. The more we look to God in the midst of those “drowning times” the more we find hope and a new perspective. Prayer - Father, we thank You that we are all made in Your image and that means we all have immense worth. When we see need around us, help us to have the discernment to know how to minister to that need. Give us wisdom on how to reach people we know personally who may be “drowning” in their problems. Amen.

Questions have been a part of everyday life since the very beginning. In Genesis 3:1 Satan asks Eve, “Did God really say?” and God asks Adam, “Where are you?” in Gen 3:9, and we haven’t even reached the 4th chapter of Genesis. In fact, questions are a key feature throughout the entirety of the Bible. The Book of Psalms is bursting with questions and Jesus, Himself was the master at answering questions with questions. In the Gospels, we see Jesus asking the harrowing question on the cross, “My God My God, why have you forsaken Me?” Matthew 27v46 Questions help us to learn and it’s when children ask the simplest of questions that adults really have to get thinking! Questions provoke us to think. Sadly, within many church circles questioning is often frowned upon especially if doctrines or long standing traditions are questioned. It may appear like we are unlearned, lacking faith or fear of the Lord if we begin to ask questions. But, questioning should be encouraged! I’ve always enjoyed asking and answering questions. They help us to gauge one another’s understanding and can help us build friendships. No question should ever be too simple or too outrageous. It is the same with God. Questioning is and should be a natural response especially when going through difficult times. During our most intense time of suffering, as we have over this past 18 months, questions abound. Why us God? Why our son? Is there something wrong with my life God? How can I ever feel normal again? Am I still truly saved? What does the future hold? Where are you God? Will I ever enjoy life again? How will we get through this? These questions are normal for anyone who is deeply troubled. People who are suffering are looking for answers and answers can only come if there are questions. We mustn’t look down on people with such questions because questioning can draw us closer to God and bring healing. Listening to a Joni Eareckson Tada podcast recently on this subject, I was interested in what the guest speaker on there had to say. “Instead of treating them (the sufferer) like a project or something to be ‘fixed', allow their suffering and questions to propel them and us deeper into scriptures”. Darby Strickland. https://joniandfriends.org/podcast/ Some, perhaps many of our questions may never truly be answered on this side of eternity, But none of us know and it is always worth asking questions. Questioning can bring healing even if we don’t get the desired answers, because like Job in the Bible, the questioning and answers was the very essence of his relationship with God. We need to remember that God is big enough to handle our questions. He expects them. Relationship demands that we ask questions of one another. That’s why we don’t need to be afraid to ask them. God is fine with our questions. Just like the children who ask those questions that actually make us think, let’s allow those with suffering questions to minister to us and think again or think differently about God and His Word. Prayer - Dear Lord thank you that we can come to You with our questions. Help us to reach out to those and also learn from those who have questions that they are wrestling with right now. Amen

As I awake to yet another day The pain in my heart isn’t going away Just trust God I hear people cry But still, there lingers the anguished ‘why’. Why has this happened to our beautiful son? Things could be so different when all is said and done Life doesn’t always work out the way we think Instead many of us are left just wanting to sink Questions abound, and regrets raise their ugly head And yet I have to keep coming back to what I’ve read God is faithful, He will not let me down I need to remind myself that He wears the crown So please don’t tell me I should do this and the other I don’t need another lecture as I’ll run for cover I need space and a lot of time To rediscover that I am His and He is mine Life will never be the same again with all this pain in my heart Yet with the Lord each day offers a new start Tomorrow is promised to no-one So find God as He beckons us to come If I wake tomorrow to begin another day I can know deep down that He will make a way I can’t do this in my own power It has to be God or I will again cower Will the why and the pain ever go It won’t in this life but this I know That God is able to keep me from falling Even when I’m weak and not calling Alan Howes

The title of this blog is taken from a quote by Os Guiness. What makes our God so worthy to be followed and worshipped is the fact that He has suffered, He was wounded, He was offered up for us upon the cross. There are many religions in this world with many gods and/or goddesses. Not one of them has come to this earth to give themselves up to die for us except the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible was clearly manifested and seen in Jesus Christ. The prophet Isaiah calls Him “the man of sorrows”. Some translations have pain or suffering. Isaiah 53:3 We worship a God who can relate because He has suffered. When we suffer, He doesn’t just look on, He actually suffers with us and that’s why He is able to help us. Or to use the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer “Only the suffering God can help”. Please listen to this beautiful song penned by Graham Kendrick and allow it to minister to you and may you connect with the Jesus of the scars. When skies grow dark and all we see are shadows The road too rough, the mountains rise too far When pain runs deep, and wounds cry out for answers We come to you, O Jesus of the Scars What other god chose to be born in weakness Knew toil and tears and felt our deepest woe? Then to a cross, to bear our sin and sorrow And so, we worship you O Jesus of the scars When nights are long, and daylight weighs so heavy Where can we go to ease the troubled mind The Man of grief once crushed in dark Gethsemane Says ‘do not fear’ I’ll take you by the hand Our wounds cry out but yours will have the final word And in your scars, we glimpse our story’s end O glorious Day - death swallowed up in victory For this we worship you O Jesus of the scars When all is healed, and every might-have-been will be And every sad, sad story comes untrue When heaven’s love floods back through time and history And all things lost and broken are made new When clouds are gone, and earth’s illusions disappear When faith is sight and hope reality We’ll see your face and nothing else will matter And there we’ll worship you O Jesus of the scars Words by Graham Kendrick Copyright © 2023 Make Way Music, www.grahamkendrick.co.uk

What's the point!? Have you ever wondered what the point of life is? Questioned why? especially in the light of so much suffering. When going through personal hardships, we may ask, what's the point? As we age and become less able, we may ask, what’s the point? When we watch on our screens the horrors of war, killing and death, we may ask, what's the point? When we receive bad news, terminal illness, tragedy, we may ask, what’s the point? When we hear of children suffering abuse and murder, we may ask, what’s the point? When you have a child who was once full of life and ability but now has a brain injury, we HAVE asked what's the point? This world is full of suffering, difficulties, hardships and tragedies. This world is broken and so are we, every single one of us and that's one reason why terrible and difficult things happen. But what’s the point of all this? The point is, that God has put us on planet earth for a reason. His reason. The reality is, that sadly sufferings happen everyday but rather than focussing on the suffering, the question we need to ask ourselves is, what are we going to do with it when we encounter it? If we see suffering as a part of God’s reason for us and our lives then, we can use it as part of the answer? We could make a difference, however small we think it is by using our suffering. When we think about our own personal situation with our son Nathanael, we have had to ask ourselves, how can we possibly use this devastating, heartbreaking, tragic situation for good? We could spend the rest of our lives asking 'what's the point'? and although I’m sure we will again, there has to come a point when we, and indeed all of us, in our sufferings ask for God's strength to use what is before us, for good. Many times we cannot see how good can come out of terrible situations, for example in Israel right now. But one thing for sure is that we can and must pray, and we can give financially and do whatever God lays on hearts to support. We will all suffer but we are God's hands and feet in a hurting world, that is THE point. When we see brokenness and suffering - do we see pointlessness or do we see an opportunity? Matthew 25v31-40 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ We should do all things as unto the Lord suffering or not, that is the point. As we care for Nathanael we do so because he is our son, a gift from God and we love him to bits but also because we are serving the Lord in our caring and suffering. Thankfully despite any suffering and pain. Jesus is coming again to make all things right and so that we can inherit an eternal kingdom. Even so, come Lord Jesus so that we can finally and fully see the point from YOUR perspective. Prayer - Dear Lord, we don’t always understand why there’s so much suffering around us and why it continues. But Lord please help us to see things from your perspective and to be your voice, your hands, your feet as and where we can. Amen

“As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away”. Matthew 13:20-21 The western church today has become plagued with prosperity eg. ‘live your best life now’, ‘God wants you rich’ etc. We have majored too much on having all the blessings when the reality is often living with adversity. No-one likes to suffer hardship and difficult times, but when they come our way, many of us don’t know what to do, how to respond or where to turn. In the parable quoted above, Jesus taught about four types of soils, representing the state of our hearts, and in particular quoted here, that many will fall away and turn their back on God when trials arise. We all deal with difficulties differently. We ourselves have suffered enormously following our son’s accident and continue to do so day to day. However, we must equip ourselves to not only accept and receive God’s blessings and goodness during these times but to use them to enable us to handle adversity, suffering and persecution when it comes along. I was struck by a term I heard recently ‘Spiritual ambidexterity’. To be ambidextrous means that we are able to use both right and left in balance with no difficulty at all. The question for us all is, can we manage prosperity and adversity as equally well? The majority of us, of course, would say that it is easier and more comfortable to live in the blessings rather than the adversity. Whilst that may be true, I believe God wants to use both and to go a step further that God actually brings more growth into our lives through the sufferings. James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Romans 5:3-5 “Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” For me personally, I have had to ask God to deal with the soil of my heart over recent months. Having been a follower of Jesus for over 30 years my roots are deep and it is that depth that has helped me to endure. But in spite of that my heart can still become very hard and twisted though the pain of suffering if I’m not careful. God is teaching me very slowly because He is patient with me, that He wants to shape me and my family through this very tough episode in our lives. God gives us His strength in these difficult seasons, because He doesn’t just want us to endure for a while, as in the parable, but He wants us to endure until the end. Can we do this in our own strength? Certainly not. We need His strength and the word of God that encourages us ‘to make every effort’. That effort may be very minimal. You may in your suffering feel that you have nothing to give, I’ve certainly felt like that. God still meets us even when we’re rock bottom. What God is looking for is a heart that is open for Him to work in both the good and the bad. When the book of my life is laid before God there will be chapters that are full of joy and blessing and fulfilment. There will probably be more chapters that are full of regret, disappointment, suffering, and pain, but through it all I pray that I will hear those amazing words from the lips of Jesus. “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’’ Matthew 25:23 Prayer - Dear Lord, would You please help every one of us to know that You work in our lives through the good times and the bad. Help us Lord, to be able to cope better and praise You in both times and to trust You in all things. Give us strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. Amen

Up until last year I hadn't heard of PTSD. It stands for ‘Post Traumatic Stress Disorder’. Anyone who has experienced an extreme situation in their life may experience some or all of the above symptoms. Those who have been involved in fighting in war torn countries will most certainly experience PTSD, having witnessed firsthand the devastating atrocities of killing and death. Our own extreme suffering was when our young son Nathanael was run over by our own car. A split second freak accident that has changed the course of our lives forever. No one saw it coming and there was absolutely nothing we could do to change it. It happened and the overwhelming grief and trauma that enveloped us was and is like nothing we have ever experienced before. During our time in the Specialist Neuro-Rehabilitation Centre, I was diagnosed with severe PTSD. This is not something I want to be labelled with but recognise I need help and support with. PTSD is something that I will experience from time to time as I process and work through the trauma. With God’s help I can get better and in time, God willing, overcome even though our lives are forever changed. Those who return from war are never the same again. Thank God that He is in the business of helping us in our brokenness and we can certainly testify to that. My identity is not PTSD. My identity is as a child of God. No matter what situation any of us are going through in life - our identity in God does not change. John 1:12-13 says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of a man, but of God.” NASB It is easy to beat ourselves up when we are going through experiences of PTSD, but God wants to meet us in whatever we are experiencing. Just as we comfort our own children during difficult situations, how much more so does God with us. Let me encourage you today - do not to allow the things that are pulling you down determine your status with God. Our situations in life will always be ongoing but God travels with us in them. We are much more than what we experience. We are His and He is ours. God is able to keep us and with that I will finish with a wonderful promise from God’s word. “To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy” Jude 1:24 NIV Prayer - Father, thank You that we can look to You for our identity. Yes, we may be plagued at times by outside influences and faced with extreme situations but that will never change our status with You. In the midst of the battle may we know Your tender touch. Amen

Suffer Strong: How to Survive Anything by Redefining Everything by Katherine Wolf, Jay Wolf Is it possible to embrace suffering as a privilege, rather than a punishment? Beloved authors Katherine and Jay Wolf offer readers the bold invitation to trust a known God with an unknown future, as well as practical insights into surviving anything by redefining how we think about everything. Hope heals by Katherine and Jay Wolf An excruciating yet beautiful road to recovery has led the Wolf family to their new normal, in which almost every moment of life is marked with the scars of that fateful April day in 2008. Now, eight years later, Katherine and Jay are stewarding their story of suffering, restoration, and Christ-centered hope in this broken world through their ministry Hope Heals. Lament for a son by Nicholas Wolterstorff Lament for a Son avoids easy answers about suffering. Its honest depiction of one man's struggle will help open the floodgates for those who cannot find words for their own pain. Dark clouds Deep mercy by Mark Vroegop Exploring how the Bible―through the psalms of lament and the book of Lamentations―gives voice to our pain, this book invites us to grieve, struggle, and tap into the rich reservoir of grace and mercy God offers in the darkest moments of our lives. Between Two Trees: Our Transformation from Death to Life by Shane J. Wood Between Two Trees reveals that the real tragedy of Eden is a union with death, a union that produces division and despair. Life isn’t lived under Eden’s tree of life or beneath the healing leaves of the tree in the New Jerusalem. It is lived between them. And between these two trees, life is hard. In spite of this tragedy, Between Two Trees will challenge you to embrace hope, love, and the beauty of reconciliation at the true tree of life: the cross of Calvary. This Too Shall Last: Finding Grace When Suffering Lingers by K.J. Ramsey This Too Shall Last offers an antidote to our cultural idolatry of effort and ease. Through personal story and insights from neuroscience and theology, Ramsey invites us to let our tears become lenses of the wonder that before God ever rescues us, he stands in solidarity with us. We are all mid-story in circumstances we did not choose, wondering when our hard things will end and where grace will come if they don’t. We don't need to make suffering a before-and-after story. Together we can encounter the grace that enters the middle of our stories, where living with suffering that lingers means receiving God's presence that lasts. Undone by Michelle Cushatt Undone is author Michele Cushatts quest to make peace with a complicated life. It is an honest confession of a diagnosis of cancer and the joys and disappointments of motherhood and marriage, ripe with regret over what is and, yet, still hopeful for what could be. Songs of Suffering: 25 Hymns and Devotions for Weary Souls by Joni Eareckson Tada As an author, speaker, and advocate for people with disabilities, Joni Eareckson Tada has inspired people around the world with her story of faith in the midst of suffering. In this beautiful collection of hymns and devotions she acts as a “song leader,” guiding readers through their own painful seasons with heartfelt praises to God.

2 Chronicles 20v12 12 O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you Not long after Nathanael’s accident someone sent us the above verse. It was just what we needed during a time of uncertainty and despair. How often we take our eyes off of the Lord when the going gets tough? Just like Israel in the text, when enemies surround us we have to somehow keep our eyes on the Lord. Your enemy could be loss, divorce, worry, depression, family conflict, etc. In our case it was uncertainty of not knowing whether our beautiful son would survive this horrific event. For us, it certainly was not easy to keep looking to the Lord. At times it still isn’t. When wave after wave of emotion keeps coming upon you it’s so difficult to focus. When fear and dread are so very real, it’s almost impossible to know where to go. How do we keep our eyes on the Lord? Maybe it’s just a simple but profound cry of ‘Help me Lord’ It could be getting alongside someone you trust and to pray together It could be opening your Bible and asking God to speak to you But even if we can’t do any of these things, we can simply wait for God to rescue us. Ultimately He knows our hearts. He knows we want and need to keep our eyes on Him and we can alway trust in His faithfulness. There are times when we simply have to allow the Holy Spirit to take over. We have to allow Him to be our eyes and to intercede on our behalf. Romans 8v26-28 26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Prayer - Lord, I know that I need to keep my eyes on you. But even when I can’t, would you please help me in my weakness. Would you please do what I can’t do. Please strengthen my heart today so that I can see you more clearly and know you plans in all of this. Amen