“no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord. “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh— Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the wilderness in distant places. For all these nations are really uncircumcised, and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.” Jeremiah 9:23-25
And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:7-8
When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.” Luke 7:13
Sometimes it often seems that the life of a sick person is stagnant or on pause—perhaps even non-existent. But those few who know me know I have a pretty hectic schedule to keep. I will admit that our schedule is filled with doctor visits and procedures. This can make it seem we live in an alternate world; at times, it even seems as if everyone’s lives have moved on while yours remains in limbo. You often wonder who cares. This past weekend, after having spent many hours at the treatment center, I was confronted with a personal relational problem. I was mentally conflicted about my faith and for a second, I wondered how I could even pray much less walk into a church. While the very thing that disqualifies us makes us think we ought to run away from God, we ought to do the absolute opposite; for only in running towards God will we find rest. What amazed me the most was that the instant I cried to the Lord, I saw how even the little things that appear to be trivial are all orchestrated by Him. As long as we are in His will, they are a perfect alignment with what we need at the time.
I happened to see my childhood friend who just simply loved and distracted me for a bit. Then, on Sunday night, my closest spiritual friend reached out to just check in. Even as I write, I am moved to tears because of her great compassion and care. Despite her busy schedule, she offered me words of encouragement. One of the things she reminded me of is that weapons would be forged against me but they would not prosper. She also reminded me that there are times when it is okay to remind God of what He has promised us. He is our father. He doesn’t need reminding—the reminding is more for our benefit. When we remind Him of our personal promises to us, we are reminding the enemy that no weapon shall prosper.
I went for a pre-op appointment today and had to take a ride from my non-bio kid, and I was accompanied by my youngest twin. I was touched by the level of care the three of these girls have for me. I heard from my third best friend who was in need of a listening ear, and I was so relieved that because someone had been there for me, I was able to be there for her. I was thinking through all of this about His great love. He cares about me as a mother and friend. I know that although at times it seems He isn’t listening, the truth is that His word will not come back void. I was reminded this weekend of the custody battle I went through for my girls and of His faithfulness through that—and His faithfulness now. I recall my attorney at the time telling me “you treat your girls like princesses, but some day they will treat you like a queen.”
I see how He has provided strength by way of the support. I see how He loves us. I read in Luke about the woman who was a widow whose only son had died and seeing this God tells her “don’t cry.” He resurrects her one son and gives him back to her. He was moved to compassion just upon seeing her tears. It doesn’t say that she asked Him to bring her son back to life. In fact, it doesn’t seem as if he was told anything at all. But He was moved by the scene in front of him. I also see how in Luke 18, he speaks about the widow who kept going before an unjust judge. Her request was finally answered because the judge was tired of her persistence. We are reminded that if this unjust judge granted this woman her request, how much more won’t our Heavenly Father avenge us or grant our requests. What a mighty God we serve but what a caring and gentle God He is.
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