"I am with you..."

"You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,

And called from the its remotest parts

And said to you, 'You are My servant,

I have chosen you and not rejected you.

Do not fear, for I am with you;

Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,

Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

Isaiah 41:9-10

Have you ever had one of those moments where you cry out to God to give you something, anything to hold on to to help you stay afloat? Well this is one of those nuggets God used to remind me of His promise and His faithfulness. I have clung so tightly to it ever since. I thought He was taking away everything that I He ever gave me; every opportunity, every desire, every change of heart.

Recently, I have been struck down with an illness that the doctors cannot understand or fix. It has taken me away from the beautiful mountains and opportunities in Arizona to the green lands and family filled Wisconsin. At first, being bedridden was a blessing, a time to rest and refresh my body from lost sleep. But now, knowing that it may be a long while before I can go back to doing what I love, it is as if my heart has been broken into a million little pieces. I don't understand why. This was definitely not part of my plans.

However, God has graciously turned away those selfish thoughts, and brought closer to my heart His promises. He knows the plans He has for me - He intends them for good, and through them He gives me a future I can't even imagine, and He gives me a stronger hope. He has given me every blessing - I am thankful for every moment of them.

God is able to do far more than I can imagine, and He does it in ways I don't necessarily understand. But He is not distant...He is with me, and that is all I need. He comforts, He loves, He carries.

Though this small portion of my life seems unfair and I don't understand it, God has given me a peace about it and a reason to keep persevering every day. He has turned my focus back on Him, rather than what I was doing. My life was becoming my god rather than the reason that I live.

Because of Him, I can say "The LORD's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness." I pray that as the Body of Christ we would never loose sight of His promises, for they are O so precious!