"Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying,
'Thus far the Lord has helped us."
'Thus far the Lord has helped us."
I Samuel 7:12
~Pismo Beach 2008~One day a short time ago, I was thinking how the waves of trials just seemed to be coming one right after another. Before I could catch my breath another would come and knock me down and take my breath away.The trials seemed to be compounded by living daily with chronic illness and pain. Small trials seemed bigger and big trials seemed enormous. As I was pondering these things, I remembered a time when I was a teenager growing up in Southern California. I had taken my three younger brothers to the ocean. It was a beautiful summer day. The California sun was bright and the surf was high and strong. We were having a fun day in the sand and water.
It wasn't long before I found myself being caught in the crushing surf and I thought I was going to drown. My brothers, on the other hand, were having fun, but were being taken out farther and farther in a rip tide. I thought for sure we would all drown. My brothers were rescued by the life guards, and as I let myself relax in the pounding surf, I eventually washed onto shore. I fought to catch my breath with each crushing wave, fearing they would never stop coming.
Later, as an adult, my family and I were vacationing on the coast of Central California at Pismo Beach. It was there as I walked the beach, that I found a smooth yellow stone in the sand. There were no rough or raged edges, but a stone smooth from years of the surf and sand wearing it down. As I remembered back to those times, I thought to myself, that the waves that kept crushing me down years ago, were like the trials of today, living with chronic illness and pain. Sometimes things come one after another, at times taking my breath away. And just like that smooth yellow stone that was smoothed by years of the surf and sand, God too will use those things to smooth out my rough edges and perfect His beauty in me.
I have that yellow stone on my desk as a reminder, that be it the trials of life in general or the trials that accompany living with a chronic illness, "That thus far the Lord helped us". I know that this very day, He will help me to deal with anything that comes my way and I know He will do the same tomorrow. How do I know that He will? His Word says so.
It wasn't long before I found myself being caught in the crushing surf and I thought I was going to drown. My brothers, on the other hand, were having fun, but were being taken out farther and farther in a rip tide. I thought for sure we would all drown. My brothers were rescued by the life guards, and as I let myself relax in the pounding surf, I eventually washed onto shore. I fought to catch my breath with each crushing wave, fearing they would never stop coming.
Later, as an adult, my family and I were vacationing on the coast of Central California at Pismo Beach. It was there as I walked the beach, that I found a smooth yellow stone in the sand. There were no rough or raged edges, but a stone smooth from years of the surf and sand wearing it down. As I remembered back to those times, I thought to myself, that the waves that kept crushing me down years ago, were like the trials of today, living with chronic illness and pain. Sometimes things come one after another, at times taking my breath away. And just like that smooth yellow stone that was smoothed by years of the surf and sand, God too will use those things to smooth out my rough edges and perfect His beauty in me.
I have that yellow stone on my desk as a reminder, that be it the trials of life in general or the trials that accompany living with a chronic illness, "That thus far the Lord helped us". I know that this very day, He will help me to deal with anything that comes my way and I know He will do the same tomorrow. How do I know that He will? His Word says so.
"Your mercy O Lord is in the heaven and Your
faithfulness reaches to the clouds."
faithfulness reaches to the clouds."
Psalm 36:5
The waves may come, they may knock us down, and maybe even take our breath away, but we know that God is faithful to us and He is smoothing us and shaping us
into what He wants us to be...more like Jesus.
Let us continually meditate on His goodness and His faithfulness in both the big things and the small things......Thus far the Lord has helped us!
Praise His name!
into what He wants us to be...more like Jesus.
Let us continually meditate on His goodness and His faithfulness in both the big things and the small things......Thus far the Lord has helped us!
Praise His name!
Dear Heavenly Father,
Great is Your faithfulness to me. You are constantly working in my life smoothing out all the rough edges. Thus far You have helped me, O Lord. Help me to always remember that when the next wave comes crashing down; it is your perfecting process making me more like Jesus.
Great is Your faithfulness to me. You are constantly working in my life smoothing out all the rough edges. Thus far You have helped me, O Lord. Help me to always remember that when the next wave comes crashing down; it is your perfecting process making me more like Jesus.
1 comment:
Though the waves pound, greater still is His faithfulness. Amen.
. . .
A prayerful reminder:
Lizzie's surgery is today.
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