Have you ever felt condemned? Have you ever felt sad or a longing for more? Today, on the Fourth of July , we celebrate the birth of the United States and the freedom that comes with it. The freedom God gives, however is far greater than the freedom we celebrate today. God says those he sets free are free indeed.
One thing I constantly have to be set free from is condemnation. Satan, myself and others heap it on so thick that sometimes I feel buried and trapped. Satan whispers that God is not good or that He is withholding. I should expect and want more. My own desires compete at times with God's will. I get unhappy with the mundane. Other times there is a sadness over loss and pain and other people just want to tell me of some sin. God, however is faithful to provide for those in need.
When I wait upon the Lord, He has always given me strength. We are to be honorable in all we do and say. Sometimes we grow weary but God encourages us to not grow weary in well doing for we will reap a harvest if we don't lose heart. Sometimes we want to faint but God says he will uphold us with his righteous right hand.Isaiah 40: 31 says "Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary."
I believe sometimes there is a longing for more not because we are ungrateful or discontent but because God has put eternity in our hearts. This is not our home. We are strangers and pilgrims here on this earth. We are in it but not of it. This last week, I have struggled with thinking I have the sin of ingratitude. I do admit that I do struggle with whining, complaining and ingratitude at times but my God has taken me from whiner to worshipper. I am a praiser of the Lord Jesus. I sing, think upon Him and praise Him throughout the day. However, I have been down and the more down I get on myself the more I am not fulfilling what God has asked me to do. Satan, others or ourself can drain us. I am learning when I have a longing for more that I can praise God that I am not content here with all I have. I long for eternity and then get back to the work he has for me here because our days are short.
We as women lose our connection with others when we feel that we should not mention the hard things. We all face heartache, pain, loss, unfulfilled dreams and expectations. It is not sin to feel grief. We can spur each other on to eternity by saying You are free in Christ.
All three verses below involve a future time as well: She shall rejoice (it does not say she is rejoicing); The Lord will keep your foot from being caught (will - future act) and I shall not want. There are future freedoms we will behold. We don't see all God is doing now. We only see partially now how God is clothing us with His strength, honor, confidence and protection.
Scriptures:
Proverbs 31:25 - Strength and Honor are in her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come.
Proverbs 3:26 - For the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.
Psalm 23:1 - The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.
Observations:
1. If the Proverbs 31 woman is to rejoice in time to come, she may not be rejoicing now or there is a time in the future will rejoicing will be greater or even realized.
2. There are times when we thing we will stumble or we are trapped. We have no confidence in ourselves and feel hopeless. This is good news because the Lord will be our confidence.
3. God provides our needs. He guides us, protects and will lead us to what we need.
Application: I think at times I need to just tell others that God clothes his people with Himself. He is our strength, our honor/dignity, our confidence, our Shepherd. We have all we need in Him and one day our longings that we crave will be realized completely in Him. Right now we have the seal of His Holy Spirit as a promise of the things to come. We have hope which is unseen but we wait with a confident expectation. When I feel I have failed because I don't see everything I read, God reminds me there is no condemnation to those in Christ who walk according to His ways. I can rejoice because the prison walls of false condemnation have been broken down like the walls of Jericho.
Prayer: Jesus thank you that you have set me free. Thank you that I am free to dance. I am free to rejoice. I am free to be sad at times and just cry in your arms. I thank you that you sing and rejoice over me. I pray that I would be counted faithful in following hard after you. When I am weak, you are strong. May I continue to walk in your strength and may you receive all honor and praise. Lord, thank you that you promises that if we wait upon you, you will renew our strength.
