I made this card for a gal that has been diagnosed with cancer for a second time. A friend of hers posted a card request for her on splitcoast & I wanted to send her an encouraging word of hope & comfort. So I was asking God to give me His words that may bring her His peace & comfort & He lead me to Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." This was the first time I had ever really read this scripture & it was like my spirit just knew that was what God wanted to say to her. So I sent her card out & went about my day as usual, little did I know God would be speaking to me that same scripture in just a few short hours...
With out getting in to much detail, since what happened isn't important, its what happens next thats important. Lets just say I found out some emotionally heart breaking news & here is an excerpt from my journal about an hour after, with tears streaming down I wrote, "Wow...so now what. I am so shocked & hurt. I have no idea what to do. I am just so grateful that God has reminded me that He is bigger than this situation & He has already prepared a way to reconcile this relationship. I have to trust Him even though I want to run & hide. I know that God has a plan & He is GOOD & He is FAITHFUL. Romans 8:28 says He will work ALL things together for my good. So even though I can't see it now God is already working on it. I am so thankful that God has promised He will never put more on us than we can bear. I know I can do all thing through Christ who strengthens me (Phil 4:13). After this is over it will stand as a testimony of God's goodness & faithfulness. Then Romans 15:13 came back to me. After I wrote this I immediately felt that "physical" pain of heartbreak subside. I no longer felt like I had been kicked in the chest or like I was going to throw up & if you have ever had a broken heart you know what I am talking about. My heart knew that as long as I put my faith, hope, & trust in Christ He would NEVER fail me. It has taken me many years to come to this place of not just a head understanding of how much God loves me but finally letting it get down deep in my heart. People will disappoint me, satan will try to destroy me but God Loves Me & is always Faithful! He can always use what the enemy means for harm for His good. "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 a future & a hope." Jeremiah 29:11 & one of my most favorite scriptures John 10:10 Jesus says, "The thief comes only to steal ,kill, & destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance to the full, till it overflows." Hallelujah! So with that I pray that you are encouraged today now matter what you're going through if you trust in God He will carry you through. If you need prayer or someone to talk with please feel free to contact me anytime. You can even post your prayer requests as a comment here if you'd like.
Resting & Hoping in God's Abundant Love,
Mercedes
Thanks for sharing and reminding us that God is in control. As usual, beautiful work.
ReplyDeleteKathy T
thank you so much for those encouraging words, I was really blessed by them. I pray that some day I can be so bold to share the love of Christ with others.
ReplyDeleteHillary M.
What a beautiful post. It really ministered to me. My daughter, found out right after Christmas that she is pregnant after giving birth to a stillborn baby in Feb. Of course, we are thrilled, but when she had her first appointment on Thursday the Dr. found a lump in her left breast. Please pray for Ellen. She has an ultrasound at 10 am on Monday. We are believing for a good report! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteSue
Blessing for you. God is amazing indeed. I have been blest to feel his the awe of his love for us for me in times that I thought were to dark to come out of and I was shown the power of his love. If you could pray for a little boy whom I am a Chemo Angel to. His name is Garrett he is only 6 yrs. old and he just has been brought home w/Hospice care. He is such amazing little boy and has touched so many with his special spirt. If you could help me pray for him and especially for his parents and little brother for strength. Thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteMercedes, you are a shining example of Christ's love for us! Thank you for sharing a bit of your personal heartache in order to lift up others. You're in my prayers.
ReplyDeleteMercedes, I clicked on your blog from the wonderful "Love you Much" creations you did on SCS! Your post today really blessed me, as my family & I are going through some hard times, too. Your words are so well put together to explain all about what Jesus promises to do for us. Thank you for creating hope and confirmation in my life again! Bless You!
ReplyDeleteYour Sister in Christ,
Chris in Calgary
Mercedes,
ReplyDeletewhat a heartfelt post! Everyone here will surely be in our thoughts and prayers! Thank you for the inspirational post!
Mercedes,
ReplyDeleteI found your blog because of the scalloped punch butterfly, you are truly amazing, creative and caring.
Thank you for the words in your post about about God taking care of us, I just found out my job has been eliminated, one that I love and was perfect for me and my schedule. Please keep me in your prayers, I don't want to be bitter, I know in my head that there is something better for me but my heart hurts.
Thank you for all your inspiring work and words.
Donna Coffman