Drinking from my Jar.
Below, is a precept of an email response I sent to a friend who fell by this blog when he was going through a rough moment....(You'll know yourself - when you read this - this is to thank you for being in my life - words I spoke to you in my day of strength are now here to encourage me in my day of struggle).
This requires no introduction, if you've had a struggle/ are struggling - you should pick up just fine.
--------------------------- I wrote;
".......One thing that stands out from
your story…is resilience and the desire to do God’s will….that, my
friend…is a most noble thing…
….I know what it feels like to burn with
passion for a cause and at the same time, feel chained to the ground on
which you seek to run..2008 was such a year for me…I felt like I had
spent the entire year in the desert….I knew that God was with me…yet He
seemed so far away….prayer was hard…faith was hard…I wondered, if really
I needed to go through such dry times…truth be told…I felt imprisoned by
God…because I couldn’t leave….for where can you hide from God?…He is
everywhere…and leaving has never been a choice for me….so to be honest,
when I couldn’t pray…I just told God, I couldn’t pray…when I didn’t feel
Him, I told Him so…when I couldn’t read the bible…I told Him
I couldn’t….when I felt famished…I told Him so…
What am trying to say…is I have been there…but
greater than being there…I was able to move on from there….and the
secret…you have it …"RESILIENCE”
Habakkuk talks about writing the revelation down….in a
sense to say…write your dream down…that storm which rages in your
heart….put it down….the analogy you’ve written about what you are feeling…journal it…and revisit it
from time to time….. write about what you are going through
now - and who knows one day, it will be you encouraging someone else in
a similar situation. Here is what I think…God has a great purpose for
you to accomplish and these dry and hard times are there to strengthen
you….so that when the storm breaks out…you’ll not be carried off by the
storm…..
Say all resistance to hold the storm within the house gives way….and the door bursts open…..it has the power to rip
off the roof and shatter the windows….and the walls can even come
tumbling down….but if your house is built on a rock….then the storm
will break but your house will remain standing (you remember Jesus
teaching on building a house on the rock and not on sand, right?).
Building a foundation on a rock is no easy task…envision chiseling
through the rock to put up walls….it takes resilience and lots of
patience and truth (this is what you going through…building your house on
the rock – building resilience, patience and truth) – and all this comes
with resistance ( a rock is naturally very
hard – and you are not helped by the fact that this storm seeks to
destroy the devils camp)
I say to you, hang in there….if there is one thing I
learnt while in the desert…is truthfully talking to God and not putting
up a spiritual face…its telling Him as it is….and since you are one that
doesn’t give up…then the only way available to you is forward….run when
you can, walk when you can…crawl when you can….sit when you can’t…there
will be times of refreshing as God promises in Isaiah 40 – that they
who hope in the Lord, He shall renew their strength….and before
long….you will come to the end of this period and you will look back and
be amazed at how far the Lord will have brought you through your
struggles. Jesus also faced the desert for 40 days.
Our spiritual experiences are not always the same…but I
am confident that the God who formed you in your mother’s womb…who knows
you by name….who sees your heart…your desire to use the very gifts He
has given you…..He will guide you through this time in your life….and
loose your chains at His time.
My final encouragement, that helped me through my hard days,
was to subscribe to daily devotionals as they help you read the bible
whilst at the same time, God used these to give me strength…I highly
recommend Joel Osteen’s daily devotions….and also surround yourself with
worship songs…and positive friends…"
Stand Strong.
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This was the content in my jar of encouragement for a friend in a storm, I have found substance in it as I traverse the desert again, for after every so many easy-go happy life miles...we Christians, hit the desert and face the storm again and again.
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