I believed it was all up to me to make sure life turned out the way I thought it should. Such a burden to bear!
And as I think of the sorrow of these past months, I praise God for the lessons He's teaching me. A dear friend reminded me yesterday that God's taking is still God's giving, and how true this is!
In His taking away, He's loosening my grip on the temporal. He's weaning me from my attachment to the here and now. He's bringing to surface those heart impurities.
We read this beautiful entry from Voices From the Past last night around the dinner table. Just as our lives are transformed by the doctrine of God's sovereignty, so too are we transformed when we wrap our hearts around the truth that this life is not all there is.
We say we believe it, but every day, in how we grieve and even in how we live, we show that we don't. May your heart be encouraged and convicted and inspired...
"Why are we so loath to die and depart from here to possess the everlasting rest promised to the people of God? If I may judge others by my own heart, we are exceedingly guilty at this point. We linger as Lot in Sodom till God is merciful to us and plucks us away against our will...If God enacted a law for the continuance of our life until we are truly willing, heaven might be empty, and our lives on earth would be very long. We pretend that we want to have greater service for God, and we beg one year more, and another, but still our service is just as distant as before.
It is true that death itself is undesirable, but it is the common passage for the soul's rest with God. Consider what unfaithfulness lurks in the heart of this sin. Either we do not believe the promises given in Scripture, or we doubt our interest in them. O if we would believe the promises of glory, we would be impatient of living! Is it possible that we can truly believe that death will remove us from misery to such glory, and yet be loath to die? If a man in despicable poverty today had assurance that he would arise a prince in the morning, would he be afraid to go to bed?
The truth is, though there is faith in our mouths, there is infidelity and paganism in our hearts. The things we delight in --some garden, a walk, or books--we pour over with delight. We love food, clothes, and recreations. Can I love God above these and have no desire to be with Him?"
~Richard Baxter
The Saints' Everlasting Rest
Amen and amen, Trisha!
ReplyDeleteI remember my hand-wringing, stomach-knotting days. It's interesting how God uses our heartaches to to teach us his sovereignty, reveal our idols, and then teach us to long for Christ's return. I used to wish there was another way, but I wouldn't trade where I am now for what I had previously wished for.
Praise God that all who trust Him are in the double grip of the hand of Jesus gripped by the hand of the Father, and that no one can pluck us out of His hand (John 28-29).
ReplyDeleteThanks for the beautiful and inspiring post, and many blessings to you!
"In His taking away, He's loosening my grip on the temporal. He's weaning me from my attachment to the here and now."--I hope when I face loosening my grip on things that grieve my heart, I can remember these words. God's purposes are always for our good, even when we can't always see the good. May God continue to give you insight as He heals your heart.
ReplyDeleteYou are a precious Sister in the LORD and I am thankful for YOU!
ReplyDeleteLove to you across all these miles!
Camille xo
judge others by our own heart...just what i needed to hear! :)
ReplyDeleteSuch good words! Thanks, Trisha!
ReplyDeleteWow, this is so good, so true... and He takes us all there, all via different routes, until we exclaim: "I count it all a loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord!" Not the kind of loss we hanker after but the kind of loss that realizes how pale and worthless all things are (especially those things we think we must have to be happy), compared! What a long road and oft extremely painful travel, until we finally realize--really and truly realize--that what He gives is so much more than that which He must take! Love and hugs!
ReplyDeleteOh wow! I am definitely guilty of the Lot comparison. I have been wringing my hands and wondering, and missing my friend since she passed recently. I haven't been living out my professed belief in God's sovereignty in the even of her death at all. Thank you for this reminder and encouragement!
ReplyDeleteWonderful post, our trials so often reveal what we are clinging so tightly to. Keeping you in prayer Trisha
ReplyDeleteSO good! The more He has sanctified, the more I understand this. I'm not half the control freak I used to be. Praise Him that worry and tight grips no longer dominate like they used to! Beautiful post, Trisha - and thank you so much for sharing it!
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