March 24 – Hebrews 12:3-11
Our Jesus, we praise You, for You are Salvation. You are Hope. You are Peace! We love You and want to draw near to You. Be with us as we come together to spend time with You and worship You.
Truth be told, it is 0400 and I have been awake since 0200. Lack of sleep these past two weeks is exhausting! I am missing obvious things, not fully engaged, easily irritated, dissociating, and it is bringing back to me all of my sleep deprived military years! And as I read these verses, my brain says, ‘Enough!” It is so tired I absorb very little.
And yet. Here I sit. Quietly asking God to break through, to clear my brain, and to see what it is He wants to show me. And He quietly told me, ‘Just show up.’ And here I sit still with Him in response. At my dining room table, next to a calming glowing candle, He holds my hand and listens. I am blessed to have one earthly father who does this, too. He was my intro to who God the Father is and made it so easy to trust Him. I am eternally thankful for my dad!
This morning, God reminded me that He too is my Father and His love for me so great that He sent His son, that we would have great joy. Jesus endured much for us. Far more than we ever could because He IS love.
If you are feeling burdened, unloved, lost, exhausted… go to Him. Lay it at His feet, give it to Him. I know it is hard to do. Ask Him to help you because Jesus wants your burden to be light, joy to fill your heart, Spirit made strong. Let Him do that, and when He does… thank Him!!!
My Verse: Hebrews 12:3, “Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.”
My Response: Father, help me to accept discipline gracefully and eagerly. Help me to do Your will, to love like You love. To repent and fix my errors and give me the courage to do it without falter.
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Oh Melissa, tears stinging my eyes as I absorb the truth that God is pleased when we “just show up” on hard mornings. Thank you for sharing His word to you with us.
My verse: Hebrews 12:11b ” … But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained this way.”
My response: When we are asked to receive hardship and still trust You, when You allow a loved one to die when we begged for them to live and we accept Your sovereignty and right to determine the life span of every human, then we can live in peace, no longer trying to control a world too complex for us to possibly understand. Father, it’s hard when we see outcomes we hate and we had asked for something different. Yet faith teaches us that even in deep pain and disappointments You are with us and help us if we turn toward You in trust instead of away from You, still demanding that we get our way. Help me, Lord, to receive what You allow, grieving of course, but not despairing.