No Good Thing Does He Withhold

Psalm 84:11-12 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!

What a comfort to read and think on those words TODAY. God does not withhold good things from us. Our Father is trustworthy, He is good, He knows us intimately and He doesn't withhold good.

Yet my heart groans and I doubt because I hear the stories of brokenness and hardships my friends, family, co-workers, and patient's face. Things aren't they way they were intended to be. There is a lot of what looks like good being withheld for the time being.

Romans 8:23-28 "And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

While the waiting and the hardships we face now may seem like it's too much to bear, we have hope. Hope that we will be redeemed. That we have the help of the Spirit who speaks words to our Father out of our groans and sighs of pain and longing. We can know that, no matter what, God is working all things for our good, for His glory. This is not it, there's so much more to come.

Lord, I often want what I want, now; I want those hard situations to change. What I want is not always what you desire for me at this time. Give me patience, hope, and trust that you know what is ultimately good for me. Enable me to find rest in knowing that you are not withholding good from me. Thank you that you care even for the very smallest of my hurts and everyday struggles. Amen.



When I am Afraid

As I was laying in my bed the other night, having just purchased my ticket to Haiti, the realization hit me that I am actually going. It's going to happen. All of a sudden my excitement was exchanged for worry and fear. My best friend, my protector, my husband, whom I rarely spend a night away from, will not be with me to share stories from the day, to make me feel safe in a new and unknown place where flexibility and change make their demands. The spiritual warfare that I had been told about and felt in Kenya could be even more intense in Haiti in the real feeling of experiencing spiritual darkness, nightmares, and sickness. I recalled all the things that had been told to me about where things could go wrong. That we may have our medicine confiscated in customs, there may be chaos every day with seeing countless patients, we may see demon possession, we may have parents attempting to leave their children with us, babies handed up at the end of the day just so they can get help. I've never done a medical mission trip and what if I didn't know what I was doing and was a burden on the team? I felt overwhelmed, burdened, afraid, inadequate.

But then I had to speak God's word to myself and to my heart. And over the past 3 days, God has not left me to worry, but has given me encouragement in His word and the knowledge that He will be with me. He is trustworthy, He cares for me and how I am feeling. He will sustain me in the midst of this intense week in Haiti, and He is my helper, holding my life in his hands. What do I have to fear? This is only an ever reminder to me that I need to speak to my Heavenly Father moment by moment and that I need your prayers for God's protection and strength as I go on this adventure He's called me to in Haiti. That I'd remember His word in these Psalms:

Psalm 56:3-4 "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?"
Psalm 55:22 "Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved."
Psalm 54:4 "Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life."

Thank you King Jesus, that you are on the throne, in control. Thank you, Heavenly Father for your caring and encouraging Words your Spirit speaks to my heart, to comfort my fears. Amen.