A Refreshing

A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.
Ecclesiastes 3:4 NLT

This year has been hard. Early in the year, I lost my brother and then two friends from church, then two long-time neighbors (unrelated to each other), and most recently, one of my closer friends. He and his wife are "inner circle" friends, and her grief is overwhelming. Thankfully, our church family understands what it means to be a family and how to weep with those who weep, how to put love into action, and truly how to bear one another's burdens. It has been so obvious these last 3½ weeks. 

God, in His unfailing faithfulness, places people in our daily paths to encourage, to lift up, to reminisce, and to laugh in the telling of memories. Helping hands, practical helps, unlimited offers of "anything you need" all lavished so that while we grieve, we are reminded that we are not without hope. 

Tonight, I attended a social event that takes place monthly at our church. I didn't really want to go. I had lots of excuses for not going. This was my first week back at the office since March of 2020, and I was tired. I wasn't in the mood to play games and it was game night. On and on - I had a list. But then I thought of my sweet friend who wanted to go because she and her husband used to go all the time before he got sick so I sucked it up and went. Thank You, Jesus

There is something about being in fellowship with other believers that strengthens a weary soul. Do you remember that old Michael W. Smith song, "Friends"?  One of the lines in the chorus is, "And friends are friends forever if the Lord's the lord of them..." Such a time of refreshing and soul restoration as the love and laughter soothed our hearts and minds. A time to cry and a time to laugh... 

Prayer:

Father,

           Just as Your Word says, To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven... Thank You for love and laughter and hope that springs eternal ever after. Thank You that we do not grieve without hope. We will once again see those who believed in You while on this earth. We look forward to that day. We pray for divine appointments for those who do not yet believe. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Psalm 73 - A Time of Refreshing

No doubt about it! God is good—
good to good people, good to the good-hearted.
But I nearly missed it,
missed seeing his goodness.
I was looking the other way,
looking up to the people at the top,
envying the wicked who have it made,
Who have nothing to worry about,
not a care in the whole wide world.

Pretentious with arrogance,
they wear the latest fashions in violence,
Pampered and overfed,
decked out in silk bows of silliness.
They jeer, using words to kill;
they bully their way with words.
They’re full of hot air,
loudmouths disturbing the peace.
People actually listen to them—can you believe it?
Like thirsty puppies, they lap up their words.

What’s going on here? Is God out to lunch?
Nobody’s tending the store.
The wicked get by with everything;
they have it made, piling up riches.
I’ve been stupid to play by the rules;
what has it gotten me?
A long run of bad luck, that’s what—
a slap in the face every time I walk out the door.

If I’d have given in and talked like this,
I would have betrayed your dear children.
Still, when I tried to figure it out,
all I got was a splitting headache . . .
Until I entered the sanctuary of God.
Then I saw the whole picture:
The slippery road you’ve put them on,
with a final crash in a ditch of delusions.
In the blink of an eye, disaster!
A blind curve in the dark, and—nightmare!
We wake up and rub our eyes. . . . Nothing.
There’s nothing to them. And there never was.

When I was beleaguered and bitter,
totally consumed by envy,
I was totally ignorant, a dumb ox
in your very presence.
I’m still in your presence,
but you’ve taken my hand.
You wisely and tenderly lead me,
and then you bless me.

You’re all I want in heaven!
You’re all I want on earth!
When my skin sags and my bones get brittle,
God is rock-firm and faithful.
Look! Those who left you are falling apart!
Deserters, they’ll never be heard from again.
But I’m in the very presence of God—
oh, how refreshing it is!
I’ve made Lord God my home.

God, I’m telling the world what you do!