In the Quiet
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Y’all, last week was hard.
I spent most of the week sitting bedside in a hospital.Β I sat in the quiet and prayed.
I prayed and waited for God to show up.
I waited in silence and hoped against all odds.
I hoped for the light of God’s love to break through the darkness.
In the silence, God strengthened me and reminded me that He hates death as much as I do.Β One day soon, His glorious light will break forth and death will be no more.
Until then, I will look up and latch on to the Truth that my Triumphant Lord will return soon to rescue and restore His own.
God abides with me in the quiet.Β His hope never runs out even on the hardest of days.
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Itβs a Good Thing to Hope for Help from God
“Iβll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness,
Β Β Β Β the taste of ashes, the poison Iβve swallowed.
I remember it allβoh, how well I rememberβ
Β Β Β Β the feeling of hitting the bottom.
But thereβs one other thing I remember,
Β Β Β Β and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:
Godβs loyal love couldnβt have run out,
Β Β Β His merciful love couldnβt have dried up.
Theyβre created new every morning.
Β Β Β Β How great Your faithfulness!
Iβm sticking with God (I say it over and over).
Β Β Β Β Heβs all Iβve got left.
God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
Β Β Β Β to the woman who diligently seeks.
Itβs a good thing to quietly hope,
Β Β Β Β quietly hope for help from God.
Itβs a good thing when youβre young
Β Β Β Β to stick it out through the hard times.
When life is heavy and hard to take,
Β Β Β Β go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Donβt ask questions:
Β Β Β Β Wait for hope to appear.
Donβt run from trouble. Take it full-face.
Β Β Β Β The βworstβ is never the worst.
Why? Because the Master wonβt ever
Β Β Β Β walk out and fail to return.
If He works severely, He also works tenderly.
Β Β Β Β His stockpiles of loyal love are immense.
He takes no pleasure in making life hard,
Β Β Β Β in throwing roadblocks in the way:
Stomping down hard
Β Β Β Β on luckless prisoners,
Refusing justice to victims
Β Β Β Β in the court of High God,
Tampering with evidenceβ
Β Β Β Β the Master does not approve of such things.”
-Lamentations 3:19-36, MSG
Something to think about…
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Dear Lyli … Lamentations 3 has long been a chapter of consolation in the midst of my own soul’s desolation. May you find its words to impact you deeply, too.
Praying for you even as we speak …
I’m sorry for your hard week. I lift you up in prayer right now asking for God to fill you up with new strength, encouragement and most of all, comfort.
Hugs and prayers
Lyli,
Sorry for your hard week. I spent mine with a loved one in the hospital and in and out of intimidating medical appointments, too, I feel for you! Praying, hugs! Thanks for sharing this wonderful passage -I’ve been clinging to Psalm 131 (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20131&version=MSG) too.
Thanks for writing and hosting, friend.
I am so sorry you gad a tough week. I hope for you better days to come. Thank you for the party β₯
Lyli – I have so loved & found comfort in Lamentations 3. Verse 21 – “Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this …”. I am so grateful we can yet dare to hope in our God. His faithfulness, His mercy, and His love will endure forever. For all of our days. Praying for you.
I love this translation, Lyli! I’m so sorry for your hard week – but what a blessing you are to be bedside bringing the presence of the Holy Spirit into the sick room – what immeasurable blessing!
Praying for comfort and peace for you and your loved one. God sees, God is there.
I’m so sorry you had such a rough week, Lyli. I’ll be thinking of and praying for you in the midst of all that!
I’m so sorry, Lyli. Walking through the valley of the shadow of death is never easy. Praying for your rest and peace.
I’m so sorry that you had a hard week. All you can do is put your trust in Him. “His hope never runs out…” This is so true. Thank you for sharing.
Lyli, thank you for the Elisabeth Elliot quote. She wrote a poem when she was in college on that same theme:
Lord, give me a quiet heart
That does not need to understand,
But, confident, walks forward in the darkness,
Guided by your hand.
My prayer for you today.
Blessings.
Love that, MIchele. Thanks for sharing it. xo
You are in my prayers, sweet Lyli. God is always with you, near to feel and hear all that you think and breathe.
Oh, Lyli! I am SO sorry…is there anything I can do? My heart goes out to you having sat by more dying bedsides than I care to remember. God bless you, sweet friend, and hope you ever close to His heart. You have my email address…if you need to talk or if there is anything at all I can do, I am here for you. Keep looking up…one day, we will all meet where there will be no more death, no more pain, no more good-byes. Until then, “the eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” Deuteronomy 33:27