Tag: struggle

I Am Weak but He is Strong

- dannalundstrom

 

There is a misconception that Christians should always feel happy and comfortable, but that is untrue. The Bible illustrates this for us with countless stories of struggle. My truth is that many days I feel more ragged than refreshed.

In my distress I cry out, please, Father let there be purpose in this pain. Allow me to understand your plan so my eyes may see with clarity, my ears may hear without strain and my heart may abide without aching. Then, as an obedient daughter and follower of Jesus, I know I must sum up my plea with; your will not mine be done, Father.

And that is hard, but that is holy.

I think, however, when we get to a place in our lives that we can end our prayers as Jesus did just before His death, that is a great blessing. It means our truest heart’s desire is to be operating within the will of God. It is only in the confines of obedience to Him, not self, that we will experience the steadfast joy of the Lord.

I take great comfort from Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10~ Each time he said, “My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may work through me. Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

As a child I sang it; I am weak, but He is strong. Now as an adult I am accountable to not only understand it but stand under that life-giving truth. That does not mean I am not sad or weary at times. It means I can reflect the character of a loving and faithful Father despite what storms are brewing around me.

Father, thank you for the Bible that shows us time and time again this life is less about happiness and more about holiness. I am grateful for the life of your son, Jesus, who lived a perfect life amidst unimaginable suffering so that we would have a model by which to persevere. You complete us in all the areas we are incomplete. You mend all the places we are broken. You have already written the script of our lives from beginning to end. Every struggle and every success, you know the path and the divine plan. Equip us to rest in your oversight as we sometimes walk very difficult roads. Help us to remember you have adopted us as your children, and we do not have to live as orphans, but as safe, provided for children. Grace, Father. Give us grace for ourselves and grace for all who intersect our lives. Thank you for loving us. Amen.

Living in a Foreign Land

- dannalundstrom 1 Comment


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We were purposed for peace but not permanence in this life.  I don’t know about you, but often I feel like I was not made for this world. 1 Peter 1:1 speaks to that very feeling.  Peter refers to God’s people as chosen and living in a foreign land.  If life is uncomfortable, take heart.  It is as it should be.  We were not created to always feel comfortable on this journey; just confident of our final destination.

It is About Relationship not Religion

- dannalundstrom

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A religion is defined by rules, a relationship by righteousness. Religion focuses on practices; a relationship focuses on purpose. A religion nurtures obligations; a relationship nourishes obedience. Guidelines are the foundations of religion. Grace is the foundation of a relationship. Religion is typically acquired from childhood; relationships tend to be acquiesced from crisis. It was when I met pain that I lost the details of a religion and gained the depth of a relationship. That made all the difference!
1 John 5:20~ And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life.

Rest for the Riddled Today

- dannalundstrom 1 Comment

 

Hey you, hey me, the thirsty, the desperate, the depleted, the exhausted…those barriers, wounds and struggles in our lives are not present by accident.   They are there by assignment.   Things that challenge us to our core either create or crush us.   They are available for our gain and God’s glory.   The difference in destroying us or defining us is our resolve to find the meaning and mission in our messes.

Trials do not always come from God‘s hands, but they come through them.   We can rest in that. He has touched every tragedy and challenge before we endured it.

Our tears are sifted by God before they are shed by us.    He has held them, and He will heal them in His time and according to His purpose.

The new year is sometimes more of the old, the hard and the worn out.   You are not alone.   Let your perspective be colored by God’s purpose, not your pain.   He is working on our behalf.   Believe it, look for it, expect it and never lose hope!   We can give rest to our resolving, riddled souls, because one thing is for sure, relief will come through God’s strength, not our striving.   It will be in His timing not our tweaking. Father, give us all the grace to REST in your sovereign authority today and all days. When we forget, gently turn us away from our struggles and back to your safe shelter.   Amen.

Prayerful Plea

- dannalundstrom

As a newborn baby cries out for their every need of thirst, hunger, pain… We, too, must cry out to our Father, and He will quench, feed and soothe us in our distress. Father, help us to ask you today to meet us in all the areas we are bleeding. Hold the hurting, pacify the painful and bless us in all our brokenness. Thank you for the incarnation that branded your compassion and empathy into the toil of our fallen world. Thank you for the resurrection that affirmed our admittance into a beautiful eternity. Amen.

Exhortation for the Exhausted Today

- dannalundstrom

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Exhortation for the exhausted today:
Pain, fear, worry and sadness are not the absence of a faithful heart. They are the evidence of an alive soul. Faith is not built by the abolishment of feelings but authored amidst the presence of much pain where the determination to choose to trust in the plans of our Savior, not our situation, persevere.

Seekers of Sheep

- dannalundstrom

SHEPHERDESS 2

Father give us a vision for a world where our “to bless list” is longer and more urgent than our “to do list.”  Equip us with a grace that not only enables us to be hearers and doers of your word, but also seekers of your sheep.  In the midst of our schedules, commitments and responsibilities, we often look at your people but do not authentically see them.  We are all broken brothers Father.  Where brokenness is present, pain and struggle pervasively reside in hearts.  We know that you record every hurt and collect every tear from above, but down here, let us be good stewards of Your love and compassion.  May we not only be present with our intentions but persistent with our actions.  Train us to recognize and react to opportunity for blessing in every situation we encounter.  May we love and bless with humble and surrendered hearts, as to minimize us and maximize You.  Amen.