When Will I Be Loved?

Do you remember crawling up on the lap of a loving grandparent or parent as a small child & knowing that you were completely safe?  In the trials of life, do you ever feel like you'd like to be that little kid again?  I know that I have those moments.  

Photo by T. Getz

There's a song I could NOT get out of my head one of my sleepless nights earlier this week.  It was written by George Mathesen in 1882 and entitled, "O Love That Will Not Let Me Go."  Some of my favorite lyrics from that are below:

O love that will not me go, I rest my weary soul in Thee. I give Thee back the life I owe. That in Thine ocean's depths it's flow may richer, fuller be.  

Oh joy that seeketh me through pain, I cannot close my heart to Thee. I trace the rainbow through the rain. And feel the promise is not vain - that morn shall tearless be.

I'm so blessed to be one of God's children and to be a recipient of His love that will not let me go & His joy that seeketh me in pain. The Bible says that God loves us like his own children. God's love is complete & unconditional & perfect.  What a privilege!

• How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1a
• The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs-- heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.  Romans 8:16-17
• If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 7:11

How wonderful to know that no matter how young we are OR how old we get, we can still crawl into the arms of the Father & rest in safety and peace.  His love - that is without condition - will never let us go.

I am loved!

Dying of Thirst Lately?

It was a particularly bad summer that year. The weather had been a SCORCHER in central Indiana (and in a HUGE portion of the nation)! Even long after the sun had set, the heat index was 10-15 degrees over the air temperature -- and HOT! Plants suffered; animals suffered; people suffer! And, all the advise the media seemed to give was...

DRINK LOTS OF WATER & STAY COOL!

Photo by T. Getz

Have you ever felt like you could just not quench your thirst? I remember a time a few years back when I was driving through the Central Valley in California in a car without air conditioning & thought I was going to die. Having lived in south Florida for many years on the beach, I've always been a fan of hot days. But, let me tell you... thirst can be a real killer. 

Does your soul thirst for something and long to have that thirst quenched? Have you gone through times in your life where you felt you couldn't move on without something refreshing to provide energy. 

Well, 'the One sitting on the throne' said,

"I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life." Revelation 21:6 NLT

My times of spiritual famine & thirst have attested to God's word, 

"With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation!" Isaiah 12:3 NLT

I'm thankful that my God promises to meet my every need. As Jesus said in John 4:14, "... those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life." 

Here's a link to an older song, There is a River, recorded by the Gaither Vocal Band. It always brings peace to my soul in all the struggles of life. 

There is a River... that never shall run dry!

When I Can't See... I Claim Promises...

Some days I just don't SEE... so, I trust in promises. I seem to be having a LOT of days lately when I don't see how this mess can turn out okay. I am living on promises!! We're promised in Isaiah 40:30, 

"... those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." 

What great promises - new strength, not getting weary, etc. Why do I make such a big deal of my troubles?

Isaiah 40 - always worth reading :)

Did someone expect ME to come along and relate so well to these words :)

"How can you say the LORD does not see your troubles? ... how can you say God ignores your rights? Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength.They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." Isaiah 40

I needed to be reminded of those promises today. Some days it's ESPECIALLY necessary for me to live by faith & not by sight. How about you?

Linking with Ann Voskamp - A Holy Experience today...