“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, Who has compassion on you.” ~Isaiah 54:10
What an incredible verse to base this week’s lessons on!! I don’t know about you, but I could have just pulled up there and parked awhile! My world has been rocked to its core in recent months… or perhaps better put ~ my mountains have been shaken! Yet God’s unfailing love and His promise of peace is not shaken or removed!!
Day One we were to list a number of variables in our lives. That list seemed so overwhelming to me personally, as we currently are dealing with many unknowns in relation to our finances and my husband’s military career. As I penned out each one, and thought through all my fears and anxieties over then, it was so refreshing to read those things in the context of Romans 8:38-39.
“For I am convinced that neither… {insert your own variables here}… will separate me from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Day Two discusses the freedom we find in God’s unfailing love. The one who shouts the loudest is often the one who was rescued from the most. I do not believe we should compare sins, hardships, or struggles on a scale of whose is the “easiest” or the “hardest.” I do however believe that someone who has walked through a very dark valley seems to have a greater understanding and appreciation for someone who has been allowed to avoid the valleys in life. Just as Beth said in Day Two, I too knew truth at a young age, and I too crashed and burned. As a result of my failings, and my heartaches, I now feel as though I have a much greater appreciation for Who God is than I ever would have had otherwise. People often ask me if I would choose to go through our divorce and reconciliation again, had I known then what I now know… Of course, my initial response is a resounding NO, but truthfully I do not believe I would change a minute of this journey He has brought me on. Each step, every chapter, has held valuable lessons and rewards, and each valley has been filled with chances to see the power and unfailing love of my Heavenly Father!
To be filled with God’s love is to be satisfied with Who God is. In order for our knowledge of God’s love to surpass what our own minds can comprehend, there must be a continual relationship with Him ~ a continual desire to allow Him to fulfill all our needs and desires. In Day Three, Beth states that the primary hindrance to our satisfaction is refusing God access to our empty places. When we block off areas of our hearts or lives, and refuse to allow God to fill those spaces for us, we are not only robbing ourselves of the peace He can bring, but we are robbing the Lord of His joy in bestowing peace and love to us!
To say that I struggle with unbelief of God’s love seems absolutely preposterous to me! The truth of the matter is though, that I do in fact struggle with unbelief. If I trusted Him and His Love wholeheartedly, my instinct to fix everything right away would decrease, and handing all my variables over to Him would become my first instinct rather than the last! What are your thoughts on Day 4? Is this an area you also struggle?
The example Beth shared in Day Five of a child who could not be convinced of love seemed so sad and heartbreaking! And yet, in a strange way, it felt familiar. The heartache she must have felt over trying to persuade Michael of her love only pales in comparison to what we ask the Almighty God to endure every day! I encourage you to go back and read through the numbered points she listed on Day Five. Point #4 is the one that stood out to me the most ~
God’s child who trusts His love possesses security in His comfort.
Total trust = complete security = great comfort = no more variables to fret over. God loves me unconditionally and unfailingly. He is my greatest resource, and yet the last One I turn to in desperate times. Dear Lord, I want to break free from this impossible bondage I force upon myself when I refuse to trust in You!
I pray this week has been a blessing to you as well, and that you are keeping up with the videos or the audio sessions of this study as we go!
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I am living proof of how the Lord can take a broken life and turn it into something beautiful. Although I am still very far from perfection, I am still a work of His art. My heart's prayer is that "Brokenness into Beauty" will be a source of inspiration and encouragement to all! There is hope, and there is healing on the horizon.
