In the
beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a
garment. Like
clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same,
and your years will never end.
Psalm
102:25-27
I feel afflicted and weak from time to time, in
body, but also in my spirit and soul. What struggles frighten you and make you
feel inadequate? We tend to act the way we feel, and allowing inadequacy and
fear to take hold makes us weak.
A weekend trip to Colorado reminded me of just how
small and insignificant I am. The mountains stand strong, robed in majesty, as
they have for centuries, a testament to the power of the God who “laid the
foundations of the earth.” God is so much greater than I am.
Recently, I
experienced a setback in my plans, a rejection of years of work. I felt weak,
insignificant, inadequate, doubtful, and uncertain of the future. It reminded
me of how small I am and how many people are better and more capable than I am.
Surrounded by successful, confidant people who won awards for their work, the
rejection of my own efforts was even harder.
The part of Psalm 102 that struck me almost as much
as the word of the psalmist himself was the note my NIV Bible placed at the
beginning. “A prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a
lament before the Lord.” I was allowing myself to feel afflicted when, in spite
of rejection, I received another opportunity and an unexpected blessing. God
never leaves us at a dead end. He always has something else waiting up ahead.
Just as those mountains showed me how small I am in
the scheme of things, they reminded me of how great my God is all of the time.
The mountains will not stand forever. An earthquake could destroy them in
seconds and God will someday bring them crashing down to be replaced with
something better. However, the psalmist goes on to say that God remains the
same forever, no matter what happens to His creation.
If you struggle against fear, inadequacies, and
insignificance, look to your Creator. He has a plan for you, and He will see it
carried through to completion. All that is required from us is to take the
opportunities offered and do our best, seeking God’s help. He will never let us
down when we are trusting in Him. He will offer another path. Look for it and
go forward in His strength. I may feel afflicted, but God never fails.
©
Copyright by Norma Gail Thurston Holtman, June 23, 2017
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About the author:
Norma
Gail is the author of the contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams, winner of the
2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21
years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the
Stitches Thru Time blog, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American
Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. Norma is a former RN
who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 41 years. They
have two adult children. If you’re interested in connecting with me, I invite
you to follow my blog, join me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, or Amazon.
Norma, your post is so special. It seems we run into brick walls along the way whether they be health issues or rejections or whatever. Thank goodness Good is with us every step of the way down the road of life.
ReplyDeleteWe certainly couldn't make it without Him!
DeleteNorma Gail, Thank you for this reflective post to start the week with. I believe when God closes a door we wanted to walk through or thought what we were doing was His will for our lives, He'll open another door with a greater blessing than what we could of imagined when the first door closed. So thankful we have God through every fear, affliction, setback, etc that we go through. God bless.
ReplyDeleteI believe the same! He always has a plan that is better than ours.
DeleteThank you for the encouragement. We all need this reminder daily....sometimes hourly!
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful encouragement! I'm currently recovering from a surgery and it has totally reminded me that I can't do it all. I have a hard time relying on others to help me, I just want to do it myself! It is humbling to see who is around me to help if only I just noticed.
ReplyDeleteNorma, I am late reading this but this has been a great encouragement today. At 3 am Wed. morning a friend called to tell us that her 25 year old grandson had taken his own life. I immediately left to go to her and I hit a black steer on a country road. My car is totalled but I escaped serious injury. All day Wednesday I played the "what-if" game. "If I had taken another road; if I had waited till daylight; what if the insurance doesn't help us get a new car?" but not once did I think I shouldn't have gone. My friend needed me and I did get there even though I was delayed a few hours. Thursday, after a good night's rest, I awoke to a new day and a new promise and tomorrow I will try to help this young man's family as they say a final good-by. God is with us through it all!
ReplyDeleteThe psalms continue to show us how Big our God is and how small and puny we are. But He loved us so much that He sent Jesus to us and for us! Wow! I keep remembering He is in control! Thanks.
ReplyDelete