Keeping Our Bones From Becoming Dry

Week 9 Our Lives Are A Vapor

This post by Angela of Good Morning Girls really hit home today. We spent the weekend looking for updates on the disaster in Japan and praying for those afflicted. I was on medication for the flu and not too coherent most of the time. Today, I feel a little more clear-headed and looking at this video, plus reading a few other blogs suddenly awoke me from my stupor and cleared the fog that invaded my ability to write.

There are mothers out there grieving for their children today. There are people still in the limbo of not knowing if their loved ones are survivors or not... waiting for word, waiting with hope that may be quickly evaporating.There are those who are trying to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives.

Closer to home... I've read the blogs of women who are grieving for children who are lost to them because they have chosen to walk a different path, others who have lost children to heaven and a few who are going through trials with parenting, dealing with issues they are not sure they are prepared to handle.

There are women who are questioning their purpose, their choices, questioning whether they are good parents, wives.

There are women who are recovering from divorce or separation, or going through trials within their marriages.

Those who are grieving the loss of their spouses, trying to redirect their lives without the strong shoulders and arms to support them. What do you do when the "two become one" becomes one walking on his/her own? What overwhelming emptiness and grief must reside in the soul of one who has been separated from his/her soul mate.

So much pain, grief, anxiety and fear. What does one do when so much darkness seems to be descending, choking out the light of God's presence? We turn to Him for strength, we seek counsel and comfort in His Word. Even in the midst of our own personal 'deserts', we must search for the light or be strangled by the darkness. Brought low to our knees we have nothing and no one to turn to but our Creator, our Saviour and our Paraclete. Sadly, many people do the opposite, they turn inward to where resentment and bitterness dwells.

In Ecclesiasticus 3:1-3 we are told that there is a time and season for everything. We are further warned against despair in Eccl 38:16-24. In verse 18-19 ".. and then be comforted in your sorrow; for grief can lead to death, a grief-stricken heart undermines your strength."

Remaining buried in grief, leads to despair and weakens our Spirits to the enemy who preys on our weaknesses and uses them against us.

We are reminded that God has charge of our lives in Psalm 31:14-15 "But I put my trust in you, Lord, I say, 'You are my God.' My days are in your hands, rescue me from the hands of my enemies and persecutors" Sometimes those enemies and persecutors are our own thoughts and temptations.. like despair, lack of hope and trust in Him.. anger towards Him for allowing bad things to happen to us.

In worst case scenarios.. even turning from Him in our anger, grief and pain. We think, "Lord I'm a good person, I've done x,y,z. Why did this happen to me?" We then try to wrest control of our lives from Him and shut out the voice of the Spirit, cutting off our soul's life source, spiralling deeper and deeper into a pit of darkness.

We become like dry bones in the desert... Ezekiel 37:11 "..Our bones are dried up, our hope has gone; we are as good as dead."

Yet, He never gives up on us. He is always there, the Good Shepherd, coming after us, His lost sheep. We can take comfort in this word: Isaiah 58:11 "The Lord will always guide you, giving you relief in desert places. He will give strength to your bones and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters never run dry."

Please join with me today..

Light a candle in your home and keep up a vigil of prayer for all of our sisters in Christ out there who are in desperate need of support. It is very easy, as I know from my own experience, to sink deep into grief and pain and end up like those dry bones.

Lord, we do not know them all by name.. but you do. All these mothers, sisters, daughters, wives who are in dark places of pain, fear, grief, hopelessness. You know each one's heart and each one's situation. We ask you to pour out your graces upon them now, give them strength and courage and the wisdom they need to deal with each aspect of their individual issues. We pray that they will turn to You and lean upon You and not upon their own understanding and human emotions. May their families and friends be sources of comfort and support to them and may you heal their broken hearts and fill all spaces with the healing light of your love.

Amen

May God's graces and blessings be with you all and thank you for participating... hopefully we will have one huge prayer chain of support for our sisters out there.. even ourselves in our own trials. Hope you all have a truly blessed day.

Keep on shining brightly for Jesus!