A Look Ahead

You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, shall revive me again. Psalms 71:20

Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens, you who have done great things.  Who is like you, God?  Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter,  you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once more.  Psalm 71:19-21 NIV


       I feel like the verses above are my life story right now in action.  I am so excited and thankful to be in the 'revive me again' phase.  I am seeing and living in God's restoration of me in His timing.  He is definitely 'comforting me once more.'  In this process, I want it to be clearly known that Christ is doing all these good things in me, and it's not by my strength at all.
      Don't you think life is so much easier when your will and God's will are in alignment?  Oh, I definitely do!  When our thoughts and actions are only about self and not about 'love one another', then we build fences and don't grow as God intends.  May we always pray for God to lead us and show us His way for our lives.  "Show me your ways, that I may walk with you, show me your ways, I put my hope in you,  the cry of my heart is to love you more, to live with the touch of Your hand, stronger each day, show me your ways."   
     Sometimes when we have been under a cloud of trials, the sun shining in restoration seems all the brighter.  I have felt the small things in life be huge frustrations, but with God's restoration of strength become miraculous milestones.  For examples, being able to drink through a straw again, sit on the side of the bed without being held, going longer without my mask to talk and eat, being able to swallow again my favorite foods, and more.
      My will during my darkest of days was to finish my race of life, but it wasn't God's will.  When I realized God's will was actually my will too, it made my life easier to deal with as I improved.  I had prayed, Lord, if it's your will, let me be active again in this world and let Your light and power shine brightly through me.  This was the will of us both and I am forever grateful.
     "We’re often looking for God’s will—especially when we’re in a difficult situation. We wonder, What will happen to me here? Should I stay or does God want me somewhere else? The only way to know for sure is to do what He asks you to do right now—the duty of the present moment—and wait for God to reveal the next step." [odb.org]

    "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way."  Psalm 37:23