It hurts....it really hurts

The situation with my family is so sad.

My insides have literally hurt for the last few hours. I usually do so well with controlling my thoughts, (in Christ of course) but sometimes I lose my battle. You would have found me today on the floor begging God to have mercy on my sinful self for my thoughts of despair.

The sermons of the last few months have been life-saving for me. Listen to this:

"I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:8

If I set the Lord continually before my face with scripture and prayer and good books and meditation on the promises of God, I do well. My thoughts are stayed on Christ and in Him there is no despairing. I stand firm trusting that God is fully in control of this situation with my family and will deal with it in his way and timing.

But if I ever let my thoughts on the subject take over I am doomed. Satan takes His opportunity to fill my head with his kind of thinking.

I know now to go straight to my knees to beg for mercy. I cannot wait and give the thoughts time to fester. I, in my own strength, cannot win this battle. God's power in me is what sees me through.

There is a promise in the next verse:

"Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope." (vs. 9)

In the gravest of circumstances we must always have hope. Without hope we shrivel up and die.

If we set the Lord always before us, we will rest in hope. I can lay my head on my pillow tonight and go to sleep with hope that one day all of this will be over. It is a nightmare, but I can sleep with hope.

It may not be over until I get to heaven, but I KNOW then it will be over.

I would ask for prayer tonight for my family.

thanks, cathy