He Will Renew Our Strength

A wife loses her husband and 2 children in a tornado. Just like that. 3 members of their family gone.

How does a mom grieve for 2 children and her husband?

 Her soul-mate. 

I am familiar with the loss of a child. 

I know the searing pain. 

The overwhelming grief. 

I know the knee bruising prayer of pleas to spare my husbands life. 

To lose them all at once? 

My heart snaps. 

There is so much pain. 

I read the comments one of the daughter places on Facebook. 

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. 

Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Words I too have quoted, spoken, relied on. 

They are words from Job.

Job 1:21

And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: 

the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.

A man well acquainted with grief and sorrow. 

Yet a man who persevered through his trials. 

The Lord does give and He does take away. 

It doesn't change His character.

Until His return we may never understand.

We take one step at a time. 

Each day, a step toward the cross. 

We are given grace for each moment. 

To rest in His promises. 

To serve Him with all our being. 

To let go of all that hinders our walk. 

To wait upon His timing. 

Isaiah 40:31

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;

 they shall mount up with wings as eagles; 

they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

He will renew our strength. We will not grow weary. 

He will equip us for His work. 

We are kept and we are loved. 

Blessed be the name of the Lord. 

When the darkness closes in Lord, 

Still I will say. 

Blessed be the name of the Lord. . . 

Blessed be your glorious name.

When I Don't Measure Up. . . I Need To Remember What I Wrote Earlier In The Week

I fall short. I don't measure up. I head down a road of self destruction. 

It is so easy to do. The dishes aren't done. The floors need to be mopped. 

The phone rings and there are bills to pay. The laundry is backed up again. . .the kids need help.

(I didn't say they were helping. . .they need help)

The house is so cluttered. 

One of the hydraulic hoses on the case blew. There's a flat tire on the Swinger. 

The Valtra is at the shop. 

My farmer worries me. I miss my son. 

My heart hurts. I am worn. 

It all clambers for my attention. Every detail. 

And just for a moment I have lost sight. My vision blurred. 

There are too many I's and My's in those statements. 

And I remember my reflections earlier in the week. 

We are kept. 

(click on the link to read)

Jude 1:1

To those who have been called, who are loved by God,

 the Father and kept by Jesus Christ.

We are kept by Christ. 

What a thing. 

It is time to rest. To be quiet before the Lord. 

How ever that looks to you.

 But be still. 

(Really. Shut off the radio, the fist pumping music, 

the delightful books on tape (or cd or whatever) and listen. . .)

Know that He is God.

 He will never leave us or forsake us. He is doing a mighty work. 

Psalm 43:19

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? 

I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

We are kept through the storm. Through the fire. 

There is much mercy and grace. 

The trials of farming are overwhelming at times. 

 It is a reminder to persevere. 

Hoses and tires can be fixed.

And we are kept. 

We Are Kept

It says it right there. Right there in Jude. At the very beginning. 

To those who have been called, who are loved by God, the Father and kept by Jesus Christ.

We are kept by Christ. 

What a thing.

 I linger on those words. I sip coffee for a few moments, and then a few moments more;

while meditating on those Ancient Words. I actually even got up and got another cup because I needed to hear this message. And I stayed up too late watching the Olympics and my brain is still fuzzy. 

So I needed another cup to clear the sleep away and catch hold of this verse. 

 I let them penetrate my heart. 

Kept by Jesus Christ. 

These words are followed by; 

Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.

He doesn't say only if your life is travelling along at a beautiful pace.  

He doesn't say when all is wrong and your heart is shattered into a million pieces 

and you wonder what all this is really about. 

Jude tells us.

Remember.

You are kept. 

And in abundance is mercy, peace and love. 

May all this be yours today. 

May you find time to drink your coffee and hold these truths close.