This week has been hard. Just when I thought this last year had been a roller coaster, this week dropped. The kind of drop where the ground under you gives way, your stomach free falls and a flash of shock comes over you. Where you are stripped of any control, gasping.
Didn’t I just declare a desire to thrive this year, not just survive? now the world comes in and says, hold up — No, no, no we’re not doing that — we’re in a pandemic, we’re fighting amongst ourselves, we’re too busy dwelling and blaming to thrive. Well, I’m not here for that. When life gets a little too real, maybe thriving looks different. Maybe it looks like surviving, like not giving up, not losing hope. Having faith by remembering what we have made it through and holding tight to the sovereignty of Jesus, knowing He will bring us through it again.
We sang one of my favorites in church “Do It Again.” What a powerful reminder I seem to need daily. It made me go back and read my very first blog, I Hate Running. Those thoughts still feel so raw — I’m thankful I put them in writing.
Walking around these walls
Waiting for change to come
Your promise still stands
I know the night won’t last
I’ve seen You move, You move the mountains
Your promise still stands
— “Do It Again” by Elevation Worship
There may be times when physically all you feel like you have the strength to do is hide in your room and fall to your knees pleading with God. But what a place to be — at the feet of Jesus — begging, crying, remembering, broken, and humbled by His faithfulness in your life. It brings a whirlwind of memories flooding back. The hospital rooms, the machines, the fear, the spiraling of bad news, the pain of watching loved ones fight for their lives or slowly waiting with them to move on leaving you breathless. In the midst of these thoughts, when you’re gasping for air, memories of the good come in like forced breaths of air. Even moments that seemed insignificant before are now the ones helping you surface and move forward — to find solid ground and set your eyes on Jesus allowing us to see the greatness of His faithfulness in the darkness. Our hope is eternal, our spirit strong and faith unfailing in Christ through the Holy Spirit given to us as children of God.
— Jonah 2:7
We pray his kingdom to come, His will be done, on earth as it is in heaven and He prepares us for patience in healing. We pray selfishly for healing on earth with the underlying knowledge that as children of God, believers in Jesus Christ, we will all survive. For even death does not defeat us, but makes us fully whole.
“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”
— Revelation 21: 3-5
Oh, how I hold tight to this promise for so many reasons. So, I’ll stay standing on His promise in the pain, remember the good, believing he will do miracles because I have seen him do it and I believe I’ll see it again — on earth and in heaven.
“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”
— 1 Peter 5:10
Thank you for this great reminder
We will see Him do it again 🙏🏻
Please “Do it again,” Jesus.
So, I’ll stay standing on His promise in the pain, remember the good, believing he will do miracles because I have seen him do it and I believe I’ll see it again — on earth and in heaven.
I needed this! 2021 is proving to test us.