Today I came across a small book in my parent's closet as I was grabbing for the laundry basket. It was entitled "Walking with God in the Quiet Places." So I flipped through some of the pages and immediately became interested. I've been reading it and just wanted to share an excerpt that really spoke to me:
God is not wasting the pain in your life. He never wastes a wound. He's healing you at this very moment and using that pain to show you a dream bigger than you realize. But you need to trust Him. When you trust, you allow room for hope.
When we are in the deep, deep valley, we must hold on to the assurance that God stands firm and strong behind us. Nothing we experience will be wasted. It will all be used for our own good-to make us stronger, to make us walk closer to Him, to give us a more loving heart. In our greatest pain we need to lean heavily on God. He's using our weakness to do His work in and through us, building trust, so that His dream for each of our lives can become a reality.
We rarely understand how God is using pain in our lives to refine us. Sometimes through the tears we can't see anything-much less understand. But just because we don't understand the pain doesn't mean that He's not using it. He is. It's part of His plan and purpose. Trust Him.
Dear God, some days I don't know how I will get through the day with the pain and hurt I have to face. Let me feel Your presence, Lord, so I can trust You and relax. Let me fall into Your everlasting arms, giving You control as I feel your strength.
