Opening eyes of faith can occur because eyes have cried tears of sorrow. It is often difficult to see the Hand of God and believe in it when all is well, stable, and seemingly predictable. It is when circumstances change and faith is weak that God can reveal the might of His faith–in you and in me.
If sorrow has been part of your life, and either it has been or it will meet you in the future, then you have a prime opportunity to grow a deeper faith. Oh, yes, life’s losses and difficult transitions do hurt. But nothing–nothing–will keep the Lord from staying near through life’s trials. His love and faithfulness keeps Him anchored to you, even if you do not feel it. Faith is not about what we see; it is about what we do not see yet can trust. May you open your eyes today to see God’s faithfulness to you.
Lord, faith pleases You. It is everything to you. When trials come and losses are painful, faith is weak. But Your faith remains strong. Lord, carry those today who are weak for whatever reason so they develop a deeper and abiding faith through a time of sorrow. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11
The memory of the righteous is blessed. Proverbs 10:7
Memories are made up of various components. Sights, sounds, textures, and aromas are among the fragments of life that can stir emotions when memories with certain people cannot be duplicated. Of course, every day we live is a triumph for life. Every day bears it opportunities and expressions for giving and receiving. But often in the fullness of living, this truth is not foremost in minds and we may think that there will always be another day for expressing. In reality, today—this moment—is our only certainty. Memories remind us of that.
The tenth anniversary of 9/11 is a time for memories. Remembrances and memorials are ways that people can gather together to join with a nation that still feels the pains of sorrow and concurrently the blessings of hope. Life has gone on; it shall continue to move forward. However, special memorials will ignite memories that individuals may not even realize they house. All lives on in the chambers of the heart whether or not we are aware of the existence of certain moments. These memories are triggered at different times and often unexpectedly. The gatherings on the weekend of 9/11 are sure to prompt some of those memories into the forefront of hearts and minds. We can all expect the unexpected that day.
How will you spend 9/11? Will you gather somewhere for a memorial service? Will you stay home and watch television coverage? Will you donate time, talent or treasure to a certain charity? Will you try to ignore the day and get past it because it is too difficult to face? Only you can answer these questions. But a question you cannot answer is what will your memories be on that day? Swirling around inside of you may be the fullness of a moment you did not realize was alive inside of you. God knows it is there. God will be with you as you remember.
God is the giver of life. Jesus is the Redeemer of life. In Him, the value of memories is kept timeless and priceless. Even when recollections are painful, the grace of Christ’s presence can balance all. God never wants us to suffer losses such that we think there is nothing left from what has been. If all trust is placed in Jesus, then through His heart, memories are still meaningful, healing, and life-giving. God’s interest is always in continuing. Sometimes this is done through weakness, sometimes strength. Whatever the condition of our spirit during respective seasons, God is there. God will always be there. Trust His presence with you.
However you spend the 9/11 weekend, may you take time to spend it with the Lord. In prayer, in visits to special places, and in memory, may you share time with Him. Because of His love for you, for me, and for all people, the Lord’s love will cover that day and infuse it with beauty and purpose. God, the Maker and Keeper of memories, can transform that which is painful into something meaningful if we let Him. May we let Him.
Lord of Love, You know the hearts of all people. You know the pains and sorrows that some suffer and the challenges that some still face due to abrupt and tragic endings. Lord, by the might of Your Spirit and the integrity of Your love, integrate yesterday, today, and tomorrow so that Your peace reigns in hearts. In Thy Name, Lord Jesus, Amen.
Has anything in your life experience been spellbinding? Has something happened to you, has someone happened to you, that has made you completely overcome? Most of us can say yes to this question. Most of us know the power of certain moments–and years. And when life changes and such moments have their season, grief can be as powerful as being spellbound for good reasons. This is where Jesus makes all the difference in maintaining balance.
Jesus is the keeper of our lives, in whatever season we are living. Do you believe that? Do you trust that? It is your ounce of faith that makes this truth active. Jesus is willing to walk with us through seasons of departure but we must give to Him that seed of faith so He has something to work from. To be in tandem with Jesus is to give Him our faith, however small, so He can keep it strong through His own massive faith. Reach for Him today. This Lord of lords wants to spellbind you with His love–eternally. Let Him. When you do, He shall make every other special moment one of value, purpose, and fulfillment–in Him.
Lord Jesus, Thank You for being the power of love. You alone, Jesus, make love all that it is, and all that it looks like in every relationship, in every experience. Through the might of Your love, may all who hurt and wonder about their relationships find healing, restoration, and direction in Thy complete and unending love. In Thee Lord Christ, Amen.
When Jesus came into the world, it was for many reasons. First and foremost was to redeem man’s sins and claim souls for God for Eternity so Satan could not. This was accomplished by His finished work on Calvary. In addition, the Lord Jesus came to have vibrant fellowship with us for the course of our lives. That course includes seasons of goodbye and transition. Jesus is there. This is part of why He came.
When we go through times of sadness and grief, Jesus goes through those times, too. We are never in them alone. What hurts our heart hurts Jesus’ heart. This fact gives comfort to know that we are not alone in what we face, and that the Saviour who carries our griefs is with us in love and in constant fellowship.
Lord Jesus, Your heart is vast. It has room for all that hurts. Your love covers and contains all. Today, Lord Jesus, may all who hurt know that You are there, and that You are carrying the lionshare of burden, and that Your love never fails. In Thee, Amen.
It certainty is a test of faith to walk through seasons of life that involve loss of some kind. Until one is actually walking through such a season, it can seem as though such things only happen to other people. When personal loss strikes a heart, loss takes on a new meaning, and a new depth of compassion as well.
Lose, as difficult as it is, serves as a catalyst to allow you and me to plumb deeper depths of Christ’s heart and understand the woes of others because of our pain. To live through a time of loss is to come into contact with a warm measure of sensitivity that we may not even realized we possessed until someone or something of value was no longer there. Not only can personal losses stir deeper compassion, they can make us mindful of all that we have with others today–to share, remember and forgive.
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your steady presence that makes a sensitive heart possible at all. Thank You, Jesus, for staying with each one who grieves to make such seasons meaningful as compassion increases and our relaitonship with You grows deeper and broader. In Thy Name, Lord Christ, Amen.
Why? Why me? How come? Such questions arise for each one of us from time to time. A faith in Jesus Christ does not exempt one from times of difficulty, challenge, and wonder. But faith in Christ assures us that Jesus will be with us in seasons of trials. Still there are times when we want answers. Jesus understands. Times of loss can be one of those times; questions come but answers may not–yet.
Often the Lord will reveal certain aspects of answers to us over time. It may be a long time that passes before He allows us to fill in gaps. He may give details here and there, all of which is to encourage and deepen our faith. Without the unknown there would be no reliance on God and His perfect plans. God knows what He is doing in our lives–and why. Sometimes circumstances reveal less than we would like to know but if we apply our faith to an all-knowing God, He will extend to us revelations that are beneficial, timely, and bring us closer to Him.
Lord God, Thank You for the perfect way that You impart into our knowing the answers to our questions. Especially when loss occurs and grief makes matters cloudy, Your wise way of giving us information is such that it expresses Your love as You give us what we need to know and when we need to know it. Thank You, Father, for the dear and steady presence of Jesus with us. Lord Jesus, You walk through the days of questions with us and remain our answer of love when all else is unclear. You are ever the certainty on which believers can rest and remember that Your love never fails. In Christ alone, Amen.
DISMEMBERMENT
Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. Romans 6:13
Wash, 0 God, our sons and daughters, where your cleansing waters flow Number them among your people, bless as Christ blessed long ago.
Weave them garments bright and sparkling; compass them with love and light. Fill, anoint them; send your Spirit, holy dove and heart’s delight.
Music: The Sacred Harp, Philadelphia, 1844
Text: Ruth Duck, 1947
Recently attention was given to New York by a story that gripped everyone. Leiby Kletzky, age 8, was murdered in a horrific act of evil. The medical examiner concluded he died of acute intoxication as the child was forced to ingest a large dose of drugs, smothered with a towel, and had his feet severed from him and placed in a refrigerator. Levi Aron was arrested for the crime. Spirits have been arrested with grief and guilt as Leiby’s parents, family, and a watching community live with regret thinking that this could have been prevented. Only the Lord knows how devastated his parents are over the loss of their beloved son.
The loss of a child in any manner is an inimitable experience. Time stops. Hope stops. For a time there is emotional paralysis, weariness, and a depth of emptiness that only God fully understands. When children die violently, grief is compounded. Innocence, in every way, is killed and the sense of loss is indescribable and seemingly inescapable. Such pain is only known to those who have borne it. Others look on in compassion and gentleness to offer a word, an act, that may in some small measure soothe and heal. But ultimately, such losses are only for the Lord to cover and comfort.
We are members of the human family. When tragedy of any kind strikes a community, we are all dismembered. Each suffers a loss. A loss of collective hope in what might have been. We are connected to each other, whether or not we are conscious of that connection. What I do for you, I do for the community at large—whatever that community is in size or variety. What you do for me increases my investment in your days as well as those around me. Actions matter. Attention matters. We are linked, not as much by technology or social websites, as by the heart and purposes intended by a holy and remarkable God.
Grief is lessened when we bear it for each other. We bear it with our prayers, our offerings to help with household tasks, with notes, phone calls, and with our silent yet compassionate presence. God wants us—needs us—to bear each other’s burdens. We are incapable of walking through challenging seasons in life without the help of others. When grief strikes a heart and a home, the support of others is essential. We become to others the presence of Jesus. The Holy Spirit ministers to us as to how we can help and then the Holy Spirit supernaturally ministers to those through their season of sorrow.
God’s plan for your life and mine is one of wonder, fulfillment, purpose, and peace. It is a plan conceived out of love and sustained by love. Although that plan can at times seem lacking when suffering occurs, remembering the life of Jesus and what He did for love’s sake insures that our sufferings shall be redeemed as well. God promised. May you trust God’s love and promises for yourself. May you be the one to be a witness to hold them true for someone who grieves that needs to be reminded of the same.
Father, You show us throughout Your Word that sorrow is real, and that it is experienced due to all sorts of endings and challenges. Lord God, because of Jesus, Thy dear Son, and the presence of the Holy Spirit, we have been given the capacity to endure for each other as need requires. We only do so by leaning on You for strength, wisdom, and direction. We do this only because it is Your love that is holding on to us. Thank You, Lord, for holding on to us with Your unfailing love. In the Lord Jesus and His precious Name, Amen.
Making a home is an individual act. As children, homes are made for a child. Later as young adults and adults, opportunities are presented to begin to create home. Whether one is a married or single, creating home becomes part of one’s life and part of one’s need for a place and space that is a personal haven for strength and memory making.
The Lord dwells inside of every believer who calls on Him as Lord. Jesus Himself creates stability, warmth, and purpose to make a shelter. Even if a home as a child or as an adult is not a place of peace or hope, Jesus has the power—He has the love—to override what has been to make home what you and He would have it to be. His supernatural shield is around His own, and because of that, whatever home is, one can be certain they are sheltered in Christ Himself
Lord Jesus, You know that people desire to have a place of peace and comfort for restoration, safety, and joy. We thank You for Your very presence with every believer to create places of hope and calm because of Your strong and loving presence in the heart. Lord, You make home what it is by Your love. May Your love fill the heart. In Thee, Lord Christ, Amen.
Relationships begin in different ways. They can form by planning and by happenstance. For the believer in Jesus Christ, every contact and bond is known before a connection even begins. When Jesus is in the center of relationships, all is exceedingly well.
When you and I have the privilege of forming new relationships with special people, the active work of the Holy Spirit is present. When relationships morph, He remains active – whether or not we see Him. Intimacy with God in prayer and the reading of His Word activate power so that whatever becomes of relationships they remain becoming to Christ.
Lord Jesus, Thank You for every encounter Your brand with Your Spirit and keep in Your heart for all time and place. In Thee, Lord Christ, Amen.
Wisdom is a treasure. It imparts counsel and insight that help one to make decisions that are profitable for oneself and for others as well. While wisdom is valuable, it can seem as though grief has nothing to offer that adds to wisdom. On the contrary. Losses in life increase one’s measure of wisdom beyond expectations, and beyond time.
Grief often seems as though it will go on forever. It will not. It does wane. As it does, it allows a person an opportunity to look at a loss and an experience of grief from a perspective that reveals new wisdom. When that is gained, there is a marvelous opportunity to share that wisdom with others. God speaks frequently about wisdom in His Word. Because losses in life are real and will shape our lives, we are certain that the loving Lord will give us something of benefit from times of sorrow; times that He does turn to joy—if we let Him.
Lord, because of Your love for people, You make the difference between grief being an empty experience and one that eventually fills us with something new and meaningful. Lord God, may we be sensitive to Your love for us so that each one who grieves can trust Your heart to place in ours a new measure of wisdom from a season of grief. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Three Kings Ministries 
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