The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring, I will give this land.”  So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.  From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east.  There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.  Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.   Genesis 12:7-9

Abram, later renamed Abraham, was called by God to leave his home and all that was familiar to him to travel to a new land.  Except for his servants and livestock, only his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot accompanied Abram.  He began his journey in obedience to the Lord without a clear vision of the future and pressed forward through many miles and difficulties.  Surely Abram expected a bountiful land that would supply abundantly all he and his family needed.  Instead, he came to the land of the Canaanites, people who were far from God and certainly not open to giving up their precious land to Abram.  He was a stranger in a strange land.  How disappointed and perhaps weary Abram must have felt.  God had promised Abram many descendants who would inherit the land of Canaan.  Even before the promise came to fruition, Abram built an altar to the God who is faithful to His promises.  Instead of getting angry or impatient with God or wallowing in his disappointment, Abram built an altar to God as a way of saying, “I trust You, Lord, even when I don’t know where this journey will take me.”

We, too, are on a journey.  For those of us who grieve, we are on a path of loss and sorrow and we don’t know where this road will take us.  We, like Abram, have to trust that God knows what He is doing.  Our altar is a place where we stop and say, “I trust You, Lord, through difficult circumstances, to a place of peace and healing.”

God Himself comforted Abram with His divine appearance on two occasions in the first nine verses of Genesis 12.  When we feel we are strangers in a strange land, when we sojourn through our grief, we too are comforted with God’s presence as we find Him in His Word and through prayer.

We, like Abram, can thank God in advance for His comfort and for His promises.  Verses like Joshua 1:5 and 1:9 tell us God will never leave us and He will be us wherever we go.  Just as Abram trusted God to be faithful, so we can trust God to be faithful.

Life is a journey, most often into the unknown.  Through new and difficult terrain, may we keep our focus on Jesus who gives us the strength to press forward as He ultimately leads us to hope and healing.  Will you trust the Lord right now in the midst of your grief journey?  Will you build an altar to honor God by choosing to trust Him?

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for the example of Abram, who, though he walked through many difficult circumstances, built altars of trust to You.  As I walk along this journey of sorrow, may I trust You to go before me, to lead and guide me, to comfort me, and to always be with me.  Help me to build an altar of trust in my heart as a sign of my commitment to trust You more and more.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.


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Lord, what are human beings that you care for them, mere mortals that you think of them?  They are like a breath; their days are like a fleeting shadow.  Psalm 144:3-4


Life is short.  Even octogenarians would agree that life flies by at warp speed.  How many of us consider the brevity of our days?  I’m sure I didn’t until my 48-year-old brother Logan passed away suddenly.  Life quickly took on new meaning for me.

In Psalm 144, David realizes how fleeting life is.  He compares life to a mere shadow cast by the shining sun.  In the heat of the day, shadows lengthen and quickly fade.  Life on earth is also of short duration.  What life lessons can these evanescent shadows teach us?

For those of you who mourn the loss of someone you love, you understand how brief life can be.  Maybe you are in the throes of grief right now and grasping the future seems out of reach.  Part of my healing process has been to realize how quickly life on earth can end and the importance of “carpe diem”.  Seize the day.  Make the most of every minute.

Do you have a “bucket list”?  Are there dreams, goals, and activities on that list that need tending to before it’s too late?  On my bucket list, there are many activities and goals I’d like to accomplish and places to which I’d like to travel.  I’m so thankful that in the six years since Logan passed away, I’ve accomplished many things on my list.  I still have lots untouched on that list, but I’m making progress.  And as I do, I find healing.

Another lesson taught to me by the fleeting shadows of life is the importance of relationships.  Never take for granted the opportunity to spend time with those you love.  Make the most of the time you have with family and friends.  Before it’s too late.

Ecclesiastes 11:8a says “However many years anyone may live, let them enjoy them all.”  Some translations say “let them rejoice in them all”.  We don’t know how much time we each have left on planet earth.   Seize the day!  Enjoy life to the fullest.  Find joy even in small, everyday things.  Find joy in the goodness of the Lord.  And discover healing as you go.

Dear Jesus, thank You for the opportunities You give me each and every day.  Help me to “seize the day” and make the most of my time here on earth.  May I live, love, and honor You with all that I do.  In Your precious name I pray, Amen.

 
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Copyright © 2015 by Dawn Dailey.  All rights reserved.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.  Proverbs 16:24

Words have the power to heal and the power to hurt.  We can use our words to build others up or to tear them down.  The Bible says when we use gracious words, we can bring about healing deep into the lives of other people.

What does it mean to use “gracious” words?  According to the dictionary, “gracious” means kind, courteous, merciful or compassionate.  When we use gracious words, we’re showing others the compassion and love of Jesus.

What about words from others to us?  When we’re grieving, we need to hear words of compassion.  All too often, though, well-intended words are hurtful or insensitive.  I doubt many people are comfortable around someone who has just lost a loved one.  These situations are so awkward.  People don’t know what to say but feel the need to say something anyway.  What comes out of their mouths may cause you pain.  Words like “it was his time” or “it was for the best”.  Even “you’ll see them in heaven” has a hollow ring to those who are grieving.  We need words of comfort, words of kindness, and words of mercy.  Words like “I’m sorry you are hurting.”  “I’m here for you.”  “I’m praying for you.”  “How can I help you?”  Practical assistance reinforces those kind words with meals, babysitting, cards, and flowers.

Even when those around us don’t understand the negative impact of their words, we can turn to the God of All Comfort whose grace and mercy is extended to all who believe.  Many of the Psalms bring words of encouragement.  Psalm 46:1 says “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”  In Psalm 63:8, we find the words “I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.”  If you are looking for words of healing, turn to the Book of Psalms.

Jesus also understands our pain because He lost loved ones, too.  Like His friend Lazarus.  Like His friend and cousin, John the Baptist.  Even when those around us don’t have the words we need for comfort, turn to Jesus and His word to us, the Bible.  May God whisper words of grace and love to you as you find comfort in Him.

Dear Jesus, I thank You for Your words of comfort to me.  I thank you especially for those You have placed in my life who do indeed know how to offer gracious words to me.  Help me forgive those who, however well-intended, say words that hurt me and cause me more pain.  May I become a person of gracious words who uses the power of my own words to help and encourage others.  In Your precious Name I pray, Amen.

 

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?...But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.  I will sing the Lord’s praise for he has been good to me.  Psalm 13:2, 5-6

“O, the Lord’s been good to me, and so I thank the Lord…” is a well-known song and prayer for children.  Even preschoolers can recite this beloved prayer with tiny hands folded, heads bowed and hearts singing.  But do we who are much older and wiser grown-ups believe that God is good?  Do we thank Him with hearts of gratitude?

In our struggle over loss and death, we wrestle with our thoughts.  Sometimes, like David who penned Psalm 13, we do have doubts of God’s goodness when we look around at our circumstances.  We do wonder when our heartache will end and how long we have to continue suffering.  We may feel like Job where nothing is going right and there is heartache at every turn.  We miss our loved one and nothing can bring them back to the land of the living.

God is with us in the middle of this horrible, gut-wrenching situation we call grief.  He does not leave us alone.  He desires a relationship with us most of all.  Sometimes He carries us when we’re too weak to walk.  He never gives up on us.  Why?  Because He is good.  Goodness is part of His character.  Just as parents want to give good gifts to their children, so God wants to give us good gifts.  In the midst of our suffering, He gives us the gift of His presence.  He pours out on us His gifts of mercy, grace, and peace.

While we don’t feel grateful for our circumstances, we can begin to feel grateful in the midst of them.  Not thankful for our loss but thankful for God’s care and comfort during our difficult circumstances.  When we focus our eyes on the Lord, lifting them way above our situation, then we can see God and His goodness and begin to feel a sense of gratitude.

Can we receive those gifts of mercy, grace, and peace in the midst of our grieving?  Can we claim those gifts for our own?  Perhaps we don’t have the capacity to receive God’s gifts right now.  Maybe our emotions and grief get in the way.  Our lack of capacity to receive God’s help during our time of sorrow is like a drowning man who is so busy flailing his arms and legs in the water that he cannot grasp the life-preserver thrown to him.  Make room for God’s help.  Ask and His gifts will be given to you.  Seek and you will find Him.  Knock and the door will be opened to you.  He is waiting for you.  He is good.

May we, like David as he recalled God’s goodness to him, sing God’s praises even as we cry out in our sorrow, “How long, O Lord?”  Let us turn our wrestling thoughts to the goodness of God, to His great love for us.  May His presence and peace fill our minds as His mercy and grace surround our hearts.  Let us receive His gifts to us with gratitude in our hearts for He is good.

Dear God, I thank You that You are good.  Even in the midst of my sorrow, I remember Your goodness and kindness to me.  I thank You for Your gifts to me - Your very presence, Your mercy, grace, and peace.  May I give up my wrestling thoughts to You as I receive Your good gifts to me.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 
 

Copyright © 2015 by Dawn Dailey.  All rights reserved.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  John 10:10

God’s word contains many promises to us.  He promises us eternal life through belief in His Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16).  Another promise is He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).  One of the most often over-looked promises is found in John 10:10 where Jesus says “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  Some translations say “abundant life.”  If you are a Christ-follower, you believe you have eternal life through Christ.  But do you believe that you have abundant life now?

Jesus promises us abundant living while we’re here on this earth.  We don’t have to wait until we get to heaven!  How great is that?!  But do we really believe that?  You may be asking, so what does abundant living look like?  No, it’s not the abundance of material things.  Neither is abundant living life without problems or difficulties.  Rather, abundant living involves walking closely with Jesus.  The Lord desires more than anything to have a deep, close relationship with us.  We each have a purpose in life designed by God (Jeremiah 29:11.)  He weaves into our lives all our experiences, our talents, and who we are, for His higher purposes.  Think of abundant living as a tool box filled to overflowing with the tools you need right now to navigate your life, through all the ups and downs, the hills and valleys.  Those tools include God’s promises in the Bible and other truths that you can apply to your life.  Walking the whole journey with you is God who is by your side filling you with the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23.)

You see, God really does promise us a rose garden.  But the problem is we expect that garden to be thorn-free.  When we’re scratched by the thorns, too often we lash out at God and blame Him.  We run from Him.  How do we live in the rose garden and deal with those prickly thorns?  When the thorns tear our souls causing us pain, do we run to God Our Healer or do we retreat to our own make-shift bandages?  It’s up to us.  We have a choice.

C.S. Lewis once said, “Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”  Surrounded by jagged thorns, do we hear God shouting His love and mercy to us?  Are we listening? Do we feel His loving presence with us?  Or do we only see the thorns and ignore the beautiful roses?

Life is painful.  For those of us who have experienced loss, our souls ache.  We long for an easier road to travel, a rose garden without thorns.  Psalm 145:17 says “The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made.”* God leads us down the road that will most fulfill His purposes for our life.  The thorns along the trail are teachable moments for us, chances to draw closer to God and opportunities to see His power manifested in us.  Those painful “thorn-filled” moments are the way God shouts His love to us.  He cares for us through both the thorns and the roses of our life journey.  Listen to Him shouting His love and care to you amidst the thorns in your life.  He loves you so.

Heavenly Father, I claim today Your promise for an abundant life.  Teach me Your ways and purposes through the thorns in my life.  Fill me with the sweet fragrance of Your Rose – Your love, peace, and hope.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

 
 

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Copyright © 2015 by Dawn Dailey.  All rights reserved.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

* Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®.  Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.  Used by permission of Zondervan.  All rights reserved.

C.S. Lewis quote from The Problem of Pain.  Copyright © 1962 by MacMillan Publishing Company, Inc. New York

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.  As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.  They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.  Psalm 84:5-7

Have you ever been surprised by grief, loss, or suffering?  I know I have.  I have great expectations that life is supposed to be smooth, comfortable, and problem-free.  Even the least snag can throw me into a tailspin.  Not to mention a life-changing event.

Perhaps my perspective is skewed and my expectations are unrealistic.  Life is a journey, but it is never smooth-sailing all the time.   Walking through the journey of life is often more of a wilderness experience than an oasis.  Yet I expect life to be a huge oasis surrounded by desert.  As long as I stay in the oasis, I’m safe from the pain and desolation of the wastelands.  Or so I think.

The inspired writer of Psalm 84 had it right.  When we are on our pilgrimage of life, we are blessed (or happy) when we find our strength in God.  Even when we walk through the Valley of Baka or Weeping, we can still enjoy oasis there.  In our wasteland experience, we can have times of refreshment as we draw closer to God.  Perhaps the wilderness has a purpose.  In the suffering, when we draw near to God, we discover that He draws near to us.  And more importantly, we realize that God wants more than anything else to have a close, intimate relationship with us.  Oasis living has a way of masking our need for God.  More often than not, desert treks are where we discover Him.  And where we find the strength to go on our journey from oasis to oasis until we come to see God in heaven.

Instead of thinking about life as oasis living with a few wilderness times thrown in, I flip that thought around to be all about a wilderness journey that is dotted with respite oases.  In level-setting my expectations, I will be less surprised and will uncover the strength I need to journey forward.  From strength to strength until I see God face to face.

Thank You, Jesus, that You walk with me in both the oasis and wilderness times.  May I not forget You in the oasis and may I hold tightly to Your hand as I walk the wilderness.  May I have great expectations, not of problem-free living, but of Your very presence with me on my wilderness journey.  May it be so, Lord Jesus.  Amen.

 

 
 

Copyright © 2015 by Dawn Dailey.  All rights reserved.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water… I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.  Psalm 63:1, 8

We all suffer losses.  Sometimes we endure declining health or the loss of a job.  Maybe we experience a divorce or the death of someone we love.  As humans living in a fallen world, we do suffer.  Jesus says in John 16:33 that in this world we WILL have suffering and loss.  Not maybe. Not might have.  But we will.  But also in that same verse, Jesus says in Him we may have peace.  Without the peace and presence of Jesus, hope and healing remain elusive.

February 17, 2009.  I had no idea what the day would hold.  When I received the call that my brother had died suddenly, my whole world turned upside down.  There had been no warning signs.  No chance to say good-bye.  He was 48.  Logan had a massive heart attack and in a split second, he was gone.  He left behind a wife and two daughters, parents, a brother, coworkers, friends.  And me, his sister.  One day I was talking with him on the phone and the next week, I was attending his memorial service.  Words cannot express the depth of my pain.

Grieving is a lonely process.  I spent many hours over the course of the next few weeks and months grieving and pondering the “why’s”.  Thoughts swirled around in my head while my heart ached.  I am thankful for several Christian friends who came alongside me, walking with me, listening to me, and just being there for me.

Oftentimes in our deepest despair, we wonder where God is.  In those times, we feel God has abandoned us.  Like the Psalmist who cries out “God, where are you?” we also cry out.  Only to hear silence in return.  But like the Psalmist, we too can find God in the midst of our pain and loss.  By reading His Word, especially the Psalms, we begin to realize that God shows up, just not as we expect.  It isn’t some sudden happy feeling that lets me know He’s there.  Rather it’s in the silence, in the darkness, where a fleeting glimpse manifests His presence.  That tiny peek into His nearness grows the more I read His Word.  My untrusting heart follows my mind’s leading until I, too, like the Psalmist, can say I trust in You, O Lord.  In You, I find my strength.

Only when I come to the end of myself and realize I can’t heal me on my own strength do I begin to sense His presence and His peace.  When relying on God is the only thing I can do, I come to trust Him more.  When I search for Him in a dry and parched land as David did in Psalm 63, I cling to Him and He upholds me with His righteous right hand.

Suffering strips away all of our props.  When we cling to God for life itself, we find Him.  When our dreams shatter, we realize that trusting God through the pain and loving Him no matter what is what matters most of all.  Even when our circumstances are unbearable, God bears us up.  He sets our feet on higher ground.  Because He loves us most of all.

Allow God to use the pain in your life to draw you closer to Him, into a more intimate walk with the Savior who loves you so much that He suffered loss, too…on a cross for you and for me.

Dear Jesus, I thank You for Your words of comfort and for Your promise of peace in the midst of my pain.  Draw me closer to You in this dry and parched land.  May I cling tightly to You as You uphold me.  Help me trust You more as You lead me to hope and healing.  Amen.

 

 

 

Copyright © 2015 by Dawn Dailey.  All rights reserved.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.  He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.  While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her first-born, a son.  She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.  Luke 2:4-7

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” Or at least that’s the words of the Christmas song I was hearing as it played on my laptop.  Something to get me in the mood for the holidays.  Christmas is the time we celebrate the birth of Jesus and spend time with family and friends.  But does it feel like the most wonderful time of the year to you?

The holidays can be a lonely and depressing time for many.  The well-wishes of “Merry Christmas” can strike sorrow in the hearts of those who grieve.  The contrast of the holiday celebrations and all the hype our culture attaches to it is stark against the sadness in the hearts of those who have lost someone they love.  They know they have to endure the holidays with an empty place at the table.

On the night of Jesus’ birth, Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem after a long and tiring journey.  Plodding through the town, they looked for a place to stay for the night.  Imagine their frustration and sheer exhaustion as they trudged from house to house.  No one had a room for them.  No one seemed to care.  At last, they are offered a room…but in a dirty, smelly stable.  No private room here as they shared it with the innkeeper’s animals.  How tired and weary Mary must have been.

Are you tired and weary, too?  Are you dreading the holidays?  Are you going through the motions just to get to January?  You are not alone.  The holidays are difficult when one we love is not there.  We feel their absence most acutely when everyone else is celebrating.  The happiness of others accentuates our sorrow.

How do you get through this challenging time?  Acknowledge to yourself and even to those closest to you that the holidays are difficult for you.  Try to think ahead to the holiday gatherings and determine what will be most difficult.  What holiday traditions do you hold?  Which ones will be especially painful for you?  What change can you make that will bring you less pain?  For example, if everyone has assigned seats at the Christmas dinner table, then maybe you mix up the seating so you don’t have an empty place setting.  Or conversely, maybe you leave your loved one’s place setting there so they are not forgotten.  Do what works for you.

Every year at Christmas as we gathered at my parents’ house, Mom would hang up our stockings by the fireplace.  These were the stockings of our childhood, ones she had sewn for us.  After my brother passed away, Mom continued to hang up his stocking.  Although it remained empty, his stocking hanging from the mantle was a sweet reminder that he was still a part of our family.

Think about your Christmas traditions.  Tweak them if you need to.  Consider starting new ones.  Spend time with those who understand your grief.  Do what is comforting to you.  Acknowledge that the holidays are difficult but know you will get through them.  Know that the baby Jesus born that holy night grew up to suffer loneliness and sorrow, too.  He came down from heaven to a humble stable so that you might know Him.  Let Him comfort you this holiday season with His Presence and His Peace.  He loves you so.

Dear Jesus, thank You for coming from heaven to be born in a lowly stable that holy night.  Even though there was no room at the inn for You, You always have room for me.  Fill me with Your Presence.  Comfort me with Your Peace.  Amen.

 

 

 

Copyright © 2014 by Dawn Dailey.  All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.  Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.  Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.  We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.   2 Corinthians 4:7-9

My brothers and I were throwing around a Nerf football.  Normally, this would be a good thing, but we were in the living room.  And Mom wasn’t home.  One wrong throw knocked over an antique teacup sitting on the top of the piano.  I’m not sure which one of us threw the calamitous lob, but we knew we were in big trouble for breaking that precious antique!

As teenagers, instead of confessing our sins, we thought we could fix the teacup so Mom would never know.  So I proceeded to glue the pieces back together.  Weeks later, my mother said to us, “Someone broke my teacup.”  Uh oh.  It’s been so long ago that I can’t remember if we confessed to our sins or not, but I do remember Mom was not very happy with us.  Suffice it to say, we never played Nerf football in the living room again!

Our lives are like that teacup.  When we experience loss, we become chipped and cracked.  Broken.  As we struggle towards healing, we may look mended on the outside, but if you look closely, you’ll see the telltale signs of brokenness.  And like teacups that have been mended, we’re more fragile than we once were.  Loss has a tendency to resurrect itself even when you think you’ve surely healed by now.  One curve ball thrown at us and we become unglued again.

Jesus puts our shattered lives back together as we look to Him for wholeness.  His all-surpassing power at work in our lives brings us hope and strength.  While our teacup selves will not be totally healed this side of heaven, we can be glued back together in ways that allow us to move forward.  Healing will come over time and with the grace, mercy, and peace that only our loving Savior can give.  Like the teacup, we’re repaired, but not ruined.  We’re still fragile, but not shattered.  We’re on the mend.  Usable teacups once more in the service of our King.

Dear Jesus, mend my brokenness as only You can.  Help me pick up the pieces of my life.  Restore me to a place of wholeness.  May the cracks and chips in my life remind me of Your great love for me as You walk with me on my journey of grief.  Walk with me still, Lord Jesus.  Use me as a vessel of healing in the lives of others who have experienced loss.  Thank you for your grace, mercy, and peace.  Amen.

 

 

Copyright © 2014 by Dawn Dailey.  All rights reserved.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”  Jeremiah 29:11-12

Thinking about the future often produces anxiety in us, even in the best of times.  After we’ve lost someone close to us, contemplating our future is downright scary.  What is the “new norm”?  How can we even think about next month or next year when we are struggling to put one foot in front of the other, just to get through today?

Does it feel like the world is passing you by?  After the memorial service for my brother Logan, I remember thinking, “Whew, I’m glad that’s over.”  But unfortunately, that was only the beginning.  Coming to terms with the fact that Logan was gone was beyond difficult.  Outside of our family and close friends, everyone else went on with their lives.  Life was back to normal for them.  How could I pick up where I had left off?  My brain couldn’t take in all that had happened.  I walked around in a fog, sometimes searching through the mist to a clearing of sorts; other times, allowing the fog to envelop me.  Sometimes I hoped I would wake up and this pain would have just been a nightmare and life would go on as it had before my brother passed away.

Unfortunately, this chapter of my life was here to stay.  Whether I liked it or not, these painful days would become part of me, part of the fabric of my life that God was weaving for good.  Through these difficult circumstances, God still has a plan for my life.  As His word says, God has a plan that is for my best, not to create more hurt but to give me hope and healing.  A future I can look forward to without fear or anxiety.  A future that is firmly in His grasp, His strong grip.  I don’t need to be afraid.

Amidst the foggy landscape in your head and heart, through all the brain-swirls of thoughts of fear and anxiety, pain and sorrow, do you trust God with your future?  Will you take life one day at a time, one step at a time, as you move toward that future God promises you?  A future of hope and healing?  Move into your future as you trust God to take care of you.  Step out bravely into the new world as you hold on tightly to Jesus’ hand.

Lord God, I know You hold my very future in Your strong hands.  I trust You to have my good at heart.  Help me to walk slowly, but surely, and bravely toward that new future of hope and healing as I cling tightly to Your hand.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 


 

Copyright © 2014 by Dawn Dailey.  All rights reserved.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™