|
Pressing Through the Dark of Night
by Taylor Hoisington Psalm 65:8, "The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy." This morning, as I read my Bible, this verse jumped off the page. As I read Psalm 65:8, something was brought to my attention. What was brought to my attention was this: the sorrows of our lives are not the end... they're the beginning of what God wants to do next. As I thought back to some of the sorrows in my own life, I remember the feeling I had in those moments where I felt like my life was so difficult. In those times, it's difficult to think that joy could ever come again. During those moments, sometimes life feels hopeless, and you wonder if hope could ever be restored. What I notice from reading the Bible, though, is that life with God never ends in sorrow. Another part of the Bible I read today was 2 Corinthians 6:9b-10 which says, "...dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything." With God, our story doesn't end in sorrow. With God, our story ends in victory and joy! What comes before morning? Night time. The night is dark. It's cold. In Tehachapi, it's quite windy! And sometimes our lives feel like the dark of night. In the dark of night, it's easy to forget that morning is coming! Recently, God has brought great joy into my life! I can tell that morning has arrived, and I've found myself in the most beautiful place I could've ever imagined! But I remember at the beginning of the year going through a difficult struggle that I was ready to give in to because I couldn't see that morning was going to come. God worked on my heart in many ways and helped me to not give in to settling with the dark of night. That is why I am here writing this devotional today. I'm here to encourage you to not allow your darkest moments to keep you in bondage to them. Keep pressing on with God! You will get through if you will just keep pressing on! A verse that has been coming up often in either my conversations or in quotes that I run across on Pinterest or Facebook is John 10:10 which says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." God didn't come to call us to a life of "just making it". He called us to live a life of abundance! Am I saying that we are to get everything we want in life and be selfish? No. But I'm saying that when we follow God, no matter what the circumstances of our day may look like, God has called us to be victorious! He has called us to live a life that has purpose and meaning and joy! Is your life looking like the nighttime? I encourage you to not give up. Remember Psalm 65:8: "The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy." Joy is coming! Don't get stuck in the dark of night! Dear Heavenly Father, As I look back on my life, I see some moments of the dark of night, while in other areas, I see the brightest parts of the morning! You've placed me in the brightest part of the morning recently! Life has been so beautiful, and I am in awe of Your wonders! However, I remember the dark of night still, and I don't want my friends to get stuck there! I pray God, that just as You helped me to keep pressing on, knowing that morning had to eventually come, help others who are finding themselves in difficult places to keep pressing on! Let them know that the darkest times of their lives don't have to be their life forever! Give them hope once again! Thank You for coming so we could have life and have it to the full! In Jesus' Name. Amen. Taylor desires to use the gift God has given her to write to reach people for Christ. More of her writings can be found on her facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gods-Girl-Devotionals/1438687046349953?ref=hl or in her book God's Girl Devotionals, My Journey Through Life with God by my Side Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |