Earlier this year I spent 4 months in a children’s hospital with our daughter. While there we received tons of cards and care packages from our family and our church family. Our “card wall” was a wonderful testimony of the love we share in Christ to all who entered our room.
One care package in particular has been a continued blessing. A sweet lady from church sent me “a month’s worth of Bible verses”. One for each day to hold close to my heart as a reminder of my sweet, good, sovereign Savior. Her 28 verses grew to 80 as I added to them daily from time in the Word. While Moriah was in the PICU I was able to type them all up.
The really cool thing about this gift is the many opportunities I’ve had to share these verses with other brothers and sisters in Christ. (Some of those opportunities came before we even left the hospital!)
How do you respond when a fellow believer shares a struggle with you? I admit sometimes I look a lot like a deer caught in headlights. Especially if their struggle is something I have no personal experience with. I begin to search my brain for something to say, some meaningful way to respond. I don’t want to say something trite or cliché’ just to fill up the silence.
God’s Word is the best thing His children can give each other when they are hurting, need encouragement, shelter, a place of peace. The Bible anchors our thinking in truth amidst our swirling emotions, teaches us to trust Him in all circumstances, reminds us of the faithfulness of the One who has called us, instructs us to cast all our burdens on Him in prayer.
In His Word we are reminded to look on Jesus, our faithful High Priest, who knows exactly what we are going through, exactly how we are feeling, and is everything we truly need. He knows the cries of our hearts before we can even find words to express them. We read about His promise that He’s always with us, all will turn out for good, we’ll be more like Jesus after persevering through, and everything results in His glory.
I’m so thankful to have His Word. I’m so thankful a sweet sister in Christ took the time to select 28 Bible verses and hand write them on pretty scraps of paper to send to me during a time of great need. I’m so thankful those grew to 80 and I have the privilege of sharing them with fellow believers who are encountering various trials.
"How do you respond when a fellow believer shares a struggle with you? I admit sometimes I look a lot like a deer caught in headlights."
ReplyDeleteI can identify with this! You are so right about finding GOD's words to share, and not my own.