What in your life is making your days difficult and your nights torturous? I’ve been walking a journey of chronic pain and am learning to trust God in ways I never thought possible. Most days I struggle to get out of bed. I constantly battle fatigue, constant headaches and a myriad of other health problems.
But GOD is so good.
Yet many times I only see me, and my suffering and fail to look up into my Father’s face. He is Jehovah Rapha, my Healer. He is the Almighty, God the Creator of Heaven and Earth. He is my refuge and my strong tower. I can always run to Him. He is my always. He is trustworthy and in control. My hope is to encourage you through this blog by pointing you to Jesus and His omniscient perspective. We have darkness in our sin. Apart from Jesus we will stay in a state of hopelessness. But in Him alone there is eternal hope. Our struggles to overcome sin can seem like such a daily battle that many days we are too weary to fight. We have difficult situations that no one can begin to understand. We have trials that couldn’t possibly make sense no matter how matter questions we ask God. We say why God? Why? Why would You allow this to happen? Why would You allow someone I love to make this choice? Why would You allow this suffering, this pain? But God is not confined to our darkness. God is not confined to our pain and grief. He is not confined to our finite brains.
HE is SO much bigger.
He is the Maker of Light. He is Light. My suffering is to glorify my Savior and to make Him known. Remember God Almighty was here long before you had a name or a beating heart. Before there was anything, He knew your name and your story. He made you to reflect Him. Dear child, don’t fret. God’s got this. Love you.
Anna ❤
How It All Began
– Parts of Gen 1 &2 with artistic license. Read Gen 1& 2 for the full and accurate version.
Darkness
Silent and still
In anticipation.
As its Creator dipped His fingers,
Swirling the emptiness
And in a moment
A split second
That forever defined eternity
Four words were spoken
“Let there be light.”
It had no choice but to obey.
And the darkness was forever changed
Never to be the same.
God smiled.
The masterpiece before Him
Was astounding.
He spoke and created
Mountains, layered upon layer
Sunsets, rivers running into the ocean.
Animals roamed freely
And harmoniously.
It was all so lovely
so perfect.
What could possibly be better?
But God turned to the Holy Spirit and to Jesus
And they knew.
They knew what was missing.
It was time to for the best part
Their magnum opus.
The one that would outlive eternity.
It was time.
Time to create man and woman after Their image.
Smiling as He thought of what would come
Grieving as He knew of the pain that would be undone
Of the times when they would turn away
Cause devastation
And run away.
Times when they would blame Him and shout in His face.
God foresaw when He’d have to send His dearly Beloved Son
To pay a price His image bearers
Could never afford.
But knowing and understanding what only He could
God created man.
First.
Out of the dust.
Because out of the ashes
Beauty will rise
Out of the dirt
God restores our lives.
Apart from His breath
We are dead
We are silent.
We must allow The Almighty to shake us
And breathe into our nostrils
The breath of life.
So, with His hands
He: with the breath of eternity
God created man.
In His image.
And behold,
It was very good.
But The Sovereign God
Was not done
With His great plan.
No, this man
Needed
A companion.
One that was like him in shape and size
With a different kind of beauty
One that would mesmerize.
She would also reflect the image of God
But differently.
She wouldn’t come from the dust
But from the man’s rib.
God smiled
Knowing what was to come.
As a skilled and gentle Surgeon, He
Softly hushed Adam to sleep.
Adam obeyed and was soon dreaming
quite deeply.
Meticulously
And carefully so
The Lord crafted a woman
From His side
And brought her out of the man
To be his bride
His companion
Fit only for him.
“Oh, my word!”
Adam declared.
“I can’t believe it!”
He was speechless.
God brought her to Adam
And performed the ceremony
Right then and there.
No need for a long engagement.
Only Adam spoke the words
That God needed.
“This is now bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh
She is like me
And was taken from my side
I’m not complaining LORD
Yes, she will be my bride!”
They were both happy and free before
Their LORD, Creator, and Father
Just as they should.
They took long morning walks with God
And learned all about how He formed the sod.
They talked of the bats, bugs, and the bees
And how He created each individual tree.
And their intimacy with God and each other grew
Everything was as perfect as the sunset’s hue
As lovely as the morning’s dew.
All was happy in paradise.
Perfect communion with God
No need for any of sacrifice.
If only life could stay this way
But that’s another
Story….
for another day.
So, whatever you’re facing don’t ever forget
That God created you!
You’re made in His image!
When you forget who’s in control
Look at the stars scintillating in the sky
The rivers, the tall oaks
and the people passing by.
Trust Him.
HE is LORD
Even when you can’t understand
Your painful why.
Photos taken by Anna. 🙂
Thorns amidst the Roses 