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Friday, October 27, 2017

Good things do come to those who wait and why we must not rush our recovery from our pain






Psalm 25:4-5
Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you, I wait all the day long.



Oh, it is hard to wait on God to help us heal from our pain. We have very little impulse control. We want God to heal us instantly from hurts of our losses. Yet, if there is anything I know about grief and loss, hope does come to those who put their trust in the Lord and wait.   

I had this beautiful image that I was on the north shore of Lake Superior looking at the famous lighthouse upon the rock. To those standing on the shore and you see this rotating ball of light reflecting on the surface of the lake, it is only that- a beautiful ray of light in the thick of darkness.  

However,  if are the captain of a huge boat trying to find your way on a stormy sea amidst huge waves threatening to capsize you, that lighthouse becomes your hope that will bring you to a safe harbor.

What if there weren't any lighthouses along the shore. What if those on shore just assume all the struggling boats will reach safety and saved themselves the time to build and man those lighthouses?

Many more lives would be lost because those caught in those late seasons storms would be unable to find their hope.

Hope, is one of the single most attributes of our God.  He uses broken people who have waited as His lighthouses. 

 I hear all the time people say to me, "I don't need that 12 step program because I can do it alone," or " I don't need help recovering from the loss of my loved one because I can do it on my own."  When we refuse help that is readily available, we become like those ships on Superior trying to find their way to safety without those lighthouses. Some of them will find ways of coping with their pain through substance abuse. Some will die from their addictions.

For you to become a lighthouse to other hurting people, you must wait, trust and lean on our Lord.  You must embrace every emotion you feel from your loss and ask God to help you. 

 Grief is often described like the waves of the ocean. Some will come like a massive wall toward you, while others will come more gently. When they do, it's best to wait for the water to wash over you until it passes. Our emotions work the same way.  We must not deny those emotions or toss them in a back room vault by working too many hours or having a good time with our drinking buddies,but we must be ready for them, with a box of tissues, embracing every painful moment.  The book of Psalms is a perfect example embracing pain and crying out to God.  

We are reminded in through this verse that you are not alone in your suffering: 1 Peter 5:9-10 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace,who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

If you wait upon the Lord with your pain, good things will come just as the promises of God's word reveal.  

God will use you as a lighthouse to others suffering the pain of loss.  You will become a beacon of hope to point them toward God's harbor of safety. 

Good things do come to those who wait.


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