God gave me a big test on the Tuesday after Labor Day. It was a trust test, and I can say with full assurance that I trust my Jesus with my whole heart - way down deep in my soul.
Over the Labor Day weekend I developed an infection. I ran a low-grade fever for a few days, was experiencing some severe pain, and by Tuesday morning, I was in Women's Imaging before lunch having a couple of scans done. (Thanks to a very good friend.)
Without going into details, I knew this could result in bad news, but I was not going into this with out having a heart to heart with Jesus. The night before my tests, I crawled slowly into the bed. I picked up my Bible and began praying through Psalm 84. This is the chapter where I was preparing to take a group of ladies in our "Stronger" Bible study on the following Thursday morning. My thought process and prayer went something like this: If I truly trust You, Jesus, like I say I do, then how will I handle good or bad news?
Praying through Scripture helps us to see where our hearts really are and uncover what we truly believe. It's great therapy for the soul. It helps to identify our sins, our strengths and our weaknesses. The words, I trust Jesus, are not just three trite little words that roll off the Christian's tongue in convenient, non-threatening conversations about faith. They are serious, intentional words we hold onto every single day, and especially when our grace journey takes us through a real valley.
As I prayed and anticipated the outcome of the next day, a particular song from a youth musical I sang in back in the 80's kept playing over in my mind. A couple of the lines are:
God tests our faith as we walk through the deep waters, the scorching flames of fire, and everything in between. As we exit the waters or fires, we discover how deep our roots really run. God's trust tests are the evidence that He is refining us, making us stronger in our faith, and deepening our roots as He moves us from strength to strength (Psalm 84:7), and from glory to glory.
My favorite verse became my favorite verse when I had to be on bed rest for 8 weeks during my pregnancy with Madison, our second child. It reads,
On Tuesday, September 3, my scans were normal and my diagnosis was good. Yes, I was relieved to hear the Dr. say, "No masses or malignancies. Antibiotics should do the trick."
You may be thinking, "But what if you had received a different diagnosis?" I had already settled it with Jesus the night before, that no matter what, good news or bad news, I would praise Him all the day long. Can you hear me? I'm still praising my Savior all the day long! Why? Because I trust Him with my whole heart.
Jesus is my Savior, Redeemer, Strong Tower, Protector, Healer, Defender, etc., and there's power in the name of Jesus.
He doesn't become less when life gets hard. He never changes! He's ubiquitous! (One of our "Stronger" Bible study words.) He's our everything every moment of every day.
Are you in the midst of a trust test now? How deep do your trust roots run?
I pray they run all the way to Jesus.
My Pleasure,
Melanie
Over the Labor Day weekend I developed an infection. I ran a low-grade fever for a few days, was experiencing some severe pain, and by Tuesday morning, I was in Women's Imaging before lunch having a couple of scans done. (Thanks to a very good friend.)
Without going into details, I knew this could result in bad news, but I was not going into this with out having a heart to heart with Jesus. The night before my tests, I crawled slowly into the bed. I picked up my Bible and began praying through Psalm 84. This is the chapter where I was preparing to take a group of ladies in our "Stronger" Bible study on the following Thursday morning. My thought process and prayer went something like this: If I truly trust You, Jesus, like I say I do, then how will I handle good or bad news?
Praying through Scripture helps us to see where our hearts really are and uncover what we truly believe. It's great therapy for the soul. It helps to identify our sins, our strengths and our weaknesses. The words, I trust Jesus, are not just three trite little words that roll off the Christian's tongue in convenient, non-threatening conversations about faith. They are serious, intentional words we hold onto every single day, and especially when our grace journey takes us through a real valley.
As I prayed and anticipated the outcome of the next day, a particular song from a youth musical I sang in back in the 80's kept playing over in my mind. A couple of the lines are:
"He didn't bring us this far to leave us.
He didn't teach us to swim to let us drown."
(Not sure who the composer is.)
My favorite verse became my favorite verse when I had to be on bed rest for 8 weeks during my pregnancy with Madison, our second child. It reads,
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God,
(Isaiah 43:2-3a NKJV)
Madison was born via C-section one month early. Not only had she made it to the 5 lbs. we were praying for, but she was the biggest baby in the NIC-U at 6 lb. 14 oz.
On Tuesday, September 3, my scans were normal and my diagnosis was good. Yes, I was relieved to hear the Dr. say, "No masses or malignancies. Antibiotics should do the trick."
You may be thinking, "But what if you had received a different diagnosis?" I had already settled it with Jesus the night before, that no matter what, good news or bad news, I would praise Him all the day long. Can you hear me? I'm still praising my Savior all the day long! Why? Because I trust Him with my whole heart.
Jesus is my Savior, Redeemer, Strong Tower, Protector, Healer, Defender, etc., and there's power in the name of Jesus.
He doesn't become less when life gets hard. He never changes! He's ubiquitous! (One of our "Stronger" Bible study words.) He's our everything every moment of every day.
Are you in the midst of a trust test now? How deep do your trust roots run?
I pray they run all the way to Jesus.
My Pleasure,
Melanie
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