Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Pain Along the Journey by Elizabeth Marks


Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, 2 and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. 4 And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you. 5 Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ. 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 NKJV

It’s all about the Lord, isn’t it? Everything is the Lord’s. He rules over it all. He is the one guiding our hearts toward Him. He gives us our very breathe. He provides for our every need. He guards us against the evil one. We do none of this on our own.


God is faithful. He will establish you. This section of scripture reminds me of 1 Peter 5:10: “But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.” After you have suffered a while it says. We can conclude suffering is part of growth journey. There are some things we can never learn without suffering.

In my own journey, I had to suffer the consequences of poor choices. I had many expectations in life, none of which came out the way I envisioned. I was disappointed most of the time. Then, again, I believe most perfectionists are disappointed constantly. It’s a sad condition to live in. As I became more critical of others and cynical about life, I resented everyone and I allowed bitterness to take up residence in my heart. I didn’t handle things well before and it brought me more pain, than I ever imagined.


During times of suffering, God is there, eager to show himself faithful, loving and kind. All He asks is for us to turn to Him, trust Him and He will lead us out of the difficulty, whatever it may be. I can say He was there for me. When I finally could stand no more of my life, sobbing in the shower one morning, I prayed “Jesus, I’ve messed up my life! Help me! The bible says You died for my sins and rose again to give me a new life. Please come into my life and give me a new life. Amen.” I didn’t know how my life could ever be good again, but a wonderful peace came over me anyway. He was there waiting for me to turn to Him. He was faithful to answer my prayer.


Lord, thank you for wanting to come into our lives and heal us from our poor choices. Thank you for your faithfulness to answer our prayers. Thank you for dying for our sins and rising again to give us a new life in Christ Jesus. Amen.


God will perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you. The Bible teaches us this, but the Spirit of God living in us, confirms it in our own lives. He did for me. He will for you. Are you trusting God today? If not, ask Him to convince you how good He is. He will not disappoint!

Copyright Elizabeth Marks, author of ThinkOnIt Devotions, has a heart for encouraging believers with God's Word. Please visit http://www.ThinkOnItDevotions.com for more devotions, bible studies, book reviews and more!

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