Thursday, August 25, 2011

Don't Give Up!



"I love the Lord because He hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath."
Psalm 116:1,2

Our hearts are overwhelmed by grace these days. Prayers we have uttered day after day have been answered in ways we could never have imagined. Many times it seemed as if the heavens were brass and our words were ricocheting back to us like hollow echoes. Certainly there were times of doubt and despair. But always there was a knowing that He loves us; that His word is true; that He would surely do what was best. We had learned the hard lesson; He is worthy of our trust - oh so worthy.

So we prayed.

The days, weeks, months, years slipped through our fingers, and we waited. The urgency of one particular need pressed us to our faces. It began to look as though all was lost.

Then the phone call came. A ray of hope was filtering through the darkness, and we began to see Him move in powerful ways. Our hearts were overwhelmed at the magnitude of His goodness, at the wonder of His ways.

I write to give Him praise. I have done nothing to warrant such love and grace. He is good; He is faithful; He is everything we could ever desire and so much more.

I write to encourage anyone who has lost hope. To the one who fears that the deepest cry of their heart has not reached His ears. It can never be so. He hears each voice as though it were the only voice calling out to Him. He answers prayer - in His way and in His time. When things don't seem to be going the way we planned; when the answer is "wait" or even "no," rest assured that He will answer in ways that will bring greater blessing than we could ever have imagined.

I write to give Him thanks. That word seems too small to hold all the things we feel at this moment. My husband quoted the words from one of his favorite songs this morning, "...so unworthy of such mercy.." The depth and the riches of His love and mercy are unfathomable. And we give thanks!

"Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness,
and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"
Psalms 107.8

linking to Emily's imperfect prose today



Blessings,
Linda