- Oct 2, 2011
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"And though this world, with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God has willed
his truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
for lo! his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him."
- From A Mighty Fortress
Our Lord told us that while in this world we would face troubles, tribulations, struggles. But to take heart, to be courageous, for He has overcome--conquered--the world.
I see lots of my brothers and sisters on this website talk about their struggles, their troubles, their sufferings. And very often they think that they are alone. That their trouble is an indication that they have lost God's favor.
It breaks my heart every time. Because this trouble is not an indication of God's disfavor, it is the reality that we live in a hurting, broken, sin-soaked world. But God has not abandoned them, God has not abandoned you, God is with you. God is with you because Christ is on your side. Christ is on your side because He gave His life for you. Cling to that promise, it is yours. In the name of Jesus Christ I say it again, it is yours, in Christ.
We live in troubling times. We live in complicated times. We live in lonely times.
I've felt it. I experience it. My day-to-day life is one of a constant struggle with my own anxiety, my own depression; a struggle with my sin, with my expectations, with how things don't work out the way I want them to go. I frequently feel alone, I feel dizzy, I feel foggy. I feel down, I feel broken.
But God does not abandon us. His faithfulness is enduring, His word is a promise that can not be broken, it is the promise He has made to us in the precious blood of His only-begotten Son.
So my two cents right now: You are not alone. God is with you. In your darkness God is with you. In your hurt God is with you. In your brokenness and guilt, God is with you.
Because God has declared Himself with us in Christ.
I write these things for myself as much as for others. Because I need to be reminded of these same things. I feel alone. I feel hurt. I feel broken. I need the good news of God's love for us in Jesus, and if I can speak this truth in love to others who need to hear it just as much as I do, then here it is.
God loves you.
Christ died for you.
You belong to Him who gave His life for you.
He will not leave you nor forsake you.
He will not betray your trust.
He will not put you to shame.
If He cares about the sparrow, then He cares about you. If He cares about the grass of the field, then He cares about you.
Though in this world we struggle, we fight, we suffer--He does not abandon us, He does not leave us, He remains faithful even in all of our faithlessness.
Hold firm to this faith you have received.
Hold fast to this hope that is yours.
God is with you. And if we are His, then though we may be beat down, pushed around, and injured--we can never be destroyed. For in Him we have been made more than conquerors. It is in our struggle, in our suffering, in our cross-carrying that we are pressed, but we have the word of Him who says, "Come to Me you who are burden down, for My yoke is easy and burden is light."
Jesus stands at the door.
Jesus stands.
Jesus.
To You alone O Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood has been spilled and which covers us and has redeemed us. O Good Shepherd who has come to us and rescued us, and brought us into the safety of Your pasture. O Jesus, who comforts the broken and who gives strength to the weak by Your grace, Your mercy holds us. Your goodness brings us out of darkest night into the brightness of Your Day. Merciful and Holy Lord, grant us rest in You. Grant us hearts to feel, grant us empathy, grant us kindness, grant us hope, grant us love to one and another. Grant us strength, and the peace, to endure.
In the Name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-CryptoLutheran
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God has willed
his truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
for lo! his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him."
- From A Mighty Fortress
Our Lord told us that while in this world we would face troubles, tribulations, struggles. But to take heart, to be courageous, for He has overcome--conquered--the world.
I see lots of my brothers and sisters on this website talk about their struggles, their troubles, their sufferings. And very often they think that they are alone. That their trouble is an indication that they have lost God's favor.
It breaks my heart every time. Because this trouble is not an indication of God's disfavor, it is the reality that we live in a hurting, broken, sin-soaked world. But God has not abandoned them, God has not abandoned you, God is with you. God is with you because Christ is on your side. Christ is on your side because He gave His life for you. Cling to that promise, it is yours. In the name of Jesus Christ I say it again, it is yours, in Christ.
We live in troubling times. We live in complicated times. We live in lonely times.
I've felt it. I experience it. My day-to-day life is one of a constant struggle with my own anxiety, my own depression; a struggle with my sin, with my expectations, with how things don't work out the way I want them to go. I frequently feel alone, I feel dizzy, I feel foggy. I feel down, I feel broken.
But God does not abandon us. His faithfulness is enduring, His word is a promise that can not be broken, it is the promise He has made to us in the precious blood of His only-begotten Son.
So my two cents right now: You are not alone. God is with you. In your darkness God is with you. In your hurt God is with you. In your brokenness and guilt, God is with you.
Because God has declared Himself with us in Christ.
I write these things for myself as much as for others. Because I need to be reminded of these same things. I feel alone. I feel hurt. I feel broken. I need the good news of God's love for us in Jesus, and if I can speak this truth in love to others who need to hear it just as much as I do, then here it is.
God loves you.
Christ died for you.
You belong to Him who gave His life for you.
He will not leave you nor forsake you.
He will not betray your trust.
He will not put you to shame.
If He cares about the sparrow, then He cares about you. If He cares about the grass of the field, then He cares about you.
Though in this world we struggle, we fight, we suffer--He does not abandon us, He does not leave us, He remains faithful even in all of our faithlessness.
Hold firm to this faith you have received.
Hold fast to this hope that is yours.
God is with you. And if we are His, then though we may be beat down, pushed around, and injured--we can never be destroyed. For in Him we have been made more than conquerors. It is in our struggle, in our suffering, in our cross-carrying that we are pressed, but we have the word of Him who says, "Come to Me you who are burden down, for My yoke is easy and burden is light."
Jesus stands at the door.
Jesus stands.
Jesus.
To You alone O Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood has been spilled and which covers us and has redeemed us. O Good Shepherd who has come to us and rescued us, and brought us into the safety of Your pasture. O Jesus, who comforts the broken and who gives strength to the weak by Your grace, Your mercy holds us. Your goodness brings us out of darkest night into the brightness of Your Day. Merciful and Holy Lord, grant us rest in You. Grant us hearts to feel, grant us empathy, grant us kindness, grant us hope, grant us love to one and another. Grant us strength, and the peace, to endure.
In the Name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
-CryptoLutheran
