Grief, Loss

The Gift of Emptiness

1 Comment 16 March 2009

Press the arrow to listen to “Revelation Song” by Gateway Worship and Kari Jobe as you read today’s devotion about losing things.

Scripture
I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD.

Blessed is the man
who makes the LORD his trust,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.

Many, O LORD my God,
are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us
no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare.
Psalm 40:1-5

Observation
When I study the course of my life, I see that losing something is the secret to getting everything. It seems when something is snatched from our lives that this is the very thing that makes it possible for us to receive something better. It is not that what was lost was wrong. It was good, but not right for us.

What the Lord needs most from us are open hands. If we will not open them, he will empty them so that they are ready to receive. The secret is to hold everything with open hands so that it does not hurt when God removes things.

Application
Our life is always moving toward a new song if we will wait patiently for the Lord. A song takes an experience. We must be open to new experiences so that God can sing through us, even when they are experiences we don’t like.

Prayer
Father, I receive emptiness today as happily as fullness. My empty condition is what will give you space to bless. So I’m excited and expectant. Amen.

Death, Desire, Easter, Emotions, Encouragement, Grief, Resurrection, Surrender

Counseled by Angels

No Comments 23 March 2008

Press the arrow to worship while you read today’s entry.

Mercy Me God With Us 

Scripture
“Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Luke 24:5-6

Observation
Angels see life very differently from humans. The heavenly sentry at the tomb blurted out, “Why are you looking for among the dead for someone who is alive?” It’s an obvious question if you are an angel and see human life from heaven’s point of view.

But it is not an obvious question if one is a human. Cemeteries seem very logical places to look for the living when someone has died. It’s hard to understand until someone close to you has be placed into a coffin and dropped into the ground. Not an old aunt or old high school friend, but someone so close it is difficult to imagine life without them. The graveside can feel like the closest place to them.

Of course it doesn’t have to be death, it can be the loss of anything in life. It can be the loss of a friend, children, homes, income, reputation, position, relationships. When we lose something there will be some place of sadness that we connect with the loss. In our minds we think that if we can but return to that place something will change. But in fact we feel even sadder.

Application
There are times we need to be counseled by angels to see our lives from heaven’s point of view. If it is hope we are looking for we cannot find it by going back to the place of loss. Hope will be found among the living and not the dead. When we have a loss and want to retract back, we must force ourselves into the mainstream of life. There we will find the Lord. One thing is clear in the resurrection stories: the more they gathered together the more they found Jesus. If we are to find hope we must stop returning to what has been lost and plunge ourselves into the flow of human life. There we will find the Lord in the land of the living.

Prayer
Father, today I take the counsel of the angels. I want to see my life from heaven’s point of view. Show me where the living are so that there I may find Jesus who is truly alive. Amen.

Anger, Disappointment, Emotions, Grief, Moods, Overcoming, Setbacks, Subumission, Waiting

The Beauty of Sorrow

No Comments 08 June 2007

Listen to music while you read this entry.

Mercy Me So Long Self 

Scripture
“Frustration is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart.” (Ecclesiastes 7:3)

Observation
When I read those words today I had a ‘monback moment” – you know, when the Bible snags your soul like a rosebush and says “come on back here now and study this bloom.” Most translations say “sorrow is better than laughter.” But this translation uses another word that sends me hunting to find the true definition of the word “sorrow” or “frustration”. (By way, here’s an easy way to do word studies on line.)

My dictionary tells me that the word in Hebrew means both “sorrow” and “anger” at the same time. It seems that the word “frustration” is a good compromise between the two. Grief is accepting that something lost is lost. We can feel sorrow and anger about that loss at the same time. That frustrating sadness is a good thing.

Learning to live without something we once depended upon is good heart exercise. It obviously brings us to our knees but it also brings to the surface what laughter will only disguise. Not getting our way is the best way forward.

Application

This scripture leads to a radical new direction in prayer. Instead of praying, Lord change my condition! It calls me to pray, Lord change me!

Prayer

Today, Father, I thank you for the loss of things I’ve depended on. Let the limp I walk with cause me to depend upon you more. Amen.


I'm Phil McCallum, a husband, father and most of all one of the people Jesus loves. I'm privileged to serve Evergreen Community Church in Bothell, Washington as Senior Pastor where people love enough to believe "it's all about relationships." In 1982 I made a vow to read God's word daily and apply it to life. Each day I write out my reflections. Some days I post those on my blog. It's a little personal but it's my hope it will stir you to go deeper still. Learn how I do my devotions. These are my thoughts and not necessarily those of the ministry I serve. By the way check out the computer study Bible Glo. I highly recommend it.

© 2012 Deeper Still by phil mccallum. Powered by Wordpress.

Daily Edition Theme by WooThemes - Premium Wordpress Themes