When we feel devastated because we haven't been able to help the people we live in the ways we want to, or in the ways they expect, we can go through a rough time emotionally and in our relationships. Sometimes no matter what we do, the kind of reconciliation we hope to have with the person or people we have failed is beyond our reach.
The grief that comes when there is some kind of rift between loved ones can be difficult to endure. When we turn to God in prayer, the Holy Spirit can comfort us, guide us and lead us.
The psalms are first place I turn when I am trying to figure out how to deal with the situation and how to make recompense with the person or people I have hurt. Psalm 136 was the first one I felt led to read today in the midst of some turmoil:
Psalm 136
Praise the Lord! He is good.
God’s love never fails.
Praise the God of all gods.
God’s love never fails.
Praise the Lord of lords.
God’s love never fails.
Only God works great miracles.
God’s love never fails.
With wisdom he made the sky.
God’s love never fails.
The Lord stretched the earth
over the ocean.
God’s love never fails.
He made the bright lights
in the sky.
God’s love never fails.
He lets the sun rule each day.
God’s love never fails.
He lets the moon and the stars
rule each night.
God’s love never fails.
God struck down the first-born
in every Egyptian family.
God’s love never fails.
He rescued Israel from Egypt.
God’s love never fails.
God used his great strength
and his powerful arm.
God’s love never fails.
He split the Red Sea apart.
God’s love never fails.
The Lord brought Israel safely
through the sea.
God’s love never fails.
He destroyed the Egyptian king
and his army there.
God’s love never fails.
The Lord led his people
through the desert.
God’s love never fails.
Our God defeated mighty kings.
God’s love never fails.
And he killed famous kings.
God’s love never fails.
One of them was Sihon,
king of the Amorites.
God’s love never fails.
Another was King Og of Bashan.
God’s love never fails.
God took away their land.
God’s love never fails.
He gave their land to Israel,
the people who serve him.
God’s love never fails.
God saw the trouble we were in.
God’s love never fails.
He rescued us from our enemies.
God’s love never fails.
He gives food to all who live.
God’s love never fails.
Praise God in heaven!
God’s love never fails. (CEV)
* * * *
The most important perspective in any disturbing situation is the Lord's. The more we focus on the hurts and problems and strife, the more we can become stuck in the midst of all that is difficult. Seeking God's face and trusting Him to help and guide us by the power of the Holy Spirit allows us to open a channel between the Lord and us.
He can help us find ways to apologize. He can help us understand that as human beings, we will not always be able to help one another and sometimes we will hurt people we love even when we don't mean to do that.
The Lord will also help us when we hurt people out of our weakness or impatience or jealousy. I often cannot live up to the ideal way I think of myself and how I hope to feel and act. Then some kind of very critical and judgmental "tapes" start playing and I begin to feel horrible about myself.
At the point the strains of Psalm 42 set to music when I sang with Russian Methodist Choirs both in the U.S. and in Moscow.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8xCr0iAWmRo
And in English it's:
Psalm 42
As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?[b]
My tears have been my food
day and night,
while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?”
These things I remember,
as I pour out my soul:
how I would go with the throng
and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
a multitude keeping festival.
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.
My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep
at the roar of your waterfalls;
all your breakers and your waves
have gone over me.
By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
I say to God, my rock:
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?”
As with a deadly wound in my bones,
my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?”
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God. (ESV)
* * * *
The Lord is so good and so faithful. His reconciliation in Jesus is one of the most wonderful gifts God gives us. And when we are able to see our lives and situations from His eternal viewpoint, we can find comfort beyond anything we can try to develop for ourselves. So please, Beloved, if there are people you love from whom you are estranged, or who have hurt you, or with whom you have difficulty communicating, don't give up and don't despair.
Trust the Lord, please. Rest in Him and receive the assurance that He is positive and loving toward you and toward everyone you love -- and indeed toward every human being. Sadly, some people do not believe that and think that they are the only ones who can help themselves.
Or they have rejected the Lord for a myriad of reasons or just because there has never been enough love show. To them. Others have suffered spiritual abuse in churches or by people who claim to know the Lord and follow Him, but who are sadly judgmental or critical. They also need more love and we can keep praying for them all.
So, please, Beloved, whatever difficulty you may be going through; whatever disappointments you face; whatever problems with people you love that you may be having--please don't be disconsolate. Please don't despair and please don't give up hope.
The Lord is able to do so much more than we can even think to ask. And He reminds us that we often do not have certain provision or blessings because we haven't asked Him.
It's not that He doesn't know what we need or desire. It's not that He doesn't want to have what we want. Often it is just that we haven't opened up a channel to receive whatever love, faith, provision, blessing, desire, relationship, reconciliation or gift the Lord has for us.
The best way to change this is to spend more time aside with the Lord in prayer and contemplation; by reading the Bible and Bible studies; meditations; and biographies about people of faith.
When we put on praise music or hymns or beautiful music we love we also set up an atmosphere to be close to the Lord and to allow our hearts to be present to the Holy Spirit. The most important part of prayer may not be what we say to the Lord, but how we listen and give Him time to speak to our hearts.
So, Beloved, as ever, I pray that you feel the presence of the Lord and know that He lives you right now.
And if you don't know Him already, as ever I pray that you will give Him a chance to touch your heart and to begin to get to know Him so that He can prove His love to you.
May the Lord continue to bless and keep you and yours, this night and always.
❤
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