Can you imagine creating anything just by speaking? But that's exactly how God created the world. Psalm 29 describes how powerful God's voice is.
Verse 3 ~ "The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters."
Verse 4 ~ "The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic."
Verse 5 ~ "The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon."
Verse 7 ~ "The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning."
Verse 8 ~ "The voice of the Lord shakes the desert..."
Verse 9 ~ "The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare."
We were living in Washington state when Mount St. Helens erupted. The forests were stripped bare and the mountain looked desolate. Unbelievable power was evident in that destruction. There's no doubt about it, God is omnipotent - all powerful.
But the amazing thing is that the final verse of Psalm 29, after talking about the awesome power of God, gives this assurance:
"The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace."
There is so much Scripture to support this truth. Over and over again, God tells us that He gives us his strength.
Isaiah 40:29 ~ "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak."
Isaiah 41:10 ~ "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
Philippians 4:13 ~ "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
And what about the display of God's power in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead? When you think about death, it can feel so depressing, so final. We do whatever we can to avoid it, or at least, avoid thinking about it. But because of Jesus, death has lost its sting. There is hope beyond the grave. Death is only a door into a fuller life.
I went to a funeral yesterday. I was actually looking forward to going. Then I started wondering if I was being morbid for "enjoying" going to funerals. I've been to several recently. When the funeral or memorial service is for a Christian, it is an opportunity to remember the person, the contribution he made to our lives, and how he lived his life to glorify God.
Maybe because I feel I am closer to death because of Andy's suffering, but my heart seems more tuned in to the hope that God offers to those of us who grieve, as well as the picture of him welcoming us home to himself. Pastor often uses the illustration in his devotional about how when Paul was nearing the end of his life, he wrote to Timothy to tell him the time of his departure was near. (2 Timothy 4:6) But this only indicates a journey. Yes, there is a departure...but there is also a destination. I love the picture in 2 Peter 1:11 where we are told that we "will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." That sounds like a party to me! Yes, we're sorrowful here, but it's party time in heaven when he calls his children home.
My days are so emotionally up and down. I mentioned to a wise counselor this week that I feel so emotionally fragile. He was very kind and validated my feelings. He visits Andy occasionally and affirmed that it is so difficult to visit and see Andy in his condition. But he can't imagine how I do it when I visit Andy every day.
As it was such a beautiful spring day yesterday, I decided to try to get Andy outside for some fresh air. So after dinner, I took him out for a stroll around the courtyard. We had only gone a quarter of the way around, when I noticed he was walking with his eyes closed. I asked him what was wrong, and he mumbled something. I told him he needed to open his eyes to see where he was going, but he kept them shut. Fortunately, I was holding his hand and leading him along. I got him back inside as quickly as I could, took him to his room and helped him lie down on the bed. I don't know what was wrong. Was the sun too strong for his eyes? Was he upset about something?
I got him settled, then read the book of Ruth to him. He seems to do better with me reading the stories of the Bible. I finished all four chapters. Then he got up off the bed and walked out of the room - back to "normal." A couple of days ago, I read the book of Jonah to him. I was amused that when I got to the part where the sailors threw Jonah overboard, Andy interjected with, "Bummer!" It made me chuckle.
Another difficult thing for me is that I feel I'm living two lives. On the one hand is the extreme sadness I feel as I think about and spend time with Andy. I miss having him live life with me and share in the experiences I'm having. On the other hand, there is a lot of joy that I experience - with family, friends, my home, work, nature, etc.
Amy and the kids came down on Tuesday. It's always such a treat to see them. We ate lunch together, then went over to see Andy. He seemed glad to see them. We spent some time in the ice cream parlor before taking him back to his room. His ability to handle long visits is just too physically taxing for him.
I went with Amy to Laurel Acres Park to walk around the lake and hike through the woods. We were pleasantly surprised to see some woodland flowers blooming along the way.
The kids were happy to pose for pictures...where do they get all their energy? Oh, the exuberance of youth!
Yesterday was another lovely day, so after the morning funeral, I met up with three friends and went over to Amico Island Park on the Delaware River. We saw turtles sunning, deer (if you look closely), the far off Philadelphia skyline, and enjoyed being out in nature with other women.
I appreciate people's concern for me and assurances that they're praying for me. When they ask me how I'm doing, I can only answer that I'm doing this in the strength God supplies. He is a great God, powerful and strong, giving strength to the weary and increasing the power of the weak. If his strength is made powerful in weakness, then there you have it!
1 Peter 4:11 ~ ..."If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ."
2 Corinthians 12:9 ~ "But [Jesus] said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness'."
No comments:
Post a Comment