We Win! - Encouragement Café - December 2, 2016
We Win!
By Olivia Barnes
Friday, December 2, 2016
Ah Lord GOD! Behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee. Jeremiah 32:17
Sometimes life just feels as though it is falling apart, one thing after another tumbling down around us, let’s be honest - it can even feel as though satan is winning. But thank God he isn’t.
There’s an old hymn I remember hearing as a child and one line has stuck with me my entire life:
I’ve read the back of the book and we win!
How amazing is that! That no matter what we go through, when all is said and done, as the children of God we are on the winning side! Unfortunately however when we are in the middle of a storm or series of storms this truth can grow foggy.
James 1:2 tells us that we will face trials, ‘when’ we face trials not if.
Trials are one of life’s certainties. We may not always understand why things are happening, we may not see God’s hand at work but He sees us, each step, thought and worry.
I love the analogy given by Corrie ten Boom of a tapestry. We only get to see the back of the tapestry which is a jumbled mess; a tangled, knotted, lose, frayed mess of threads, how can beauty come from such a mess. Yet God is in control and the front of the tapestry is amazingly beautiful.
The Lord is weaving the tapestry of our lives ‘in the pattern He has planned’, full of beauty, rich colors, textures and patterns. Every so often we get glimpses of the beauty that God is weaving which help to remind us that no thread or experience is worthless, they all add to the beautiful picture of our lives.
This beauty however isn’t always evident when your world feels like it is crashing down around you. In these situations we need to remember that nothing is impossible when God is by your side. Our God is the God of miracles, He is the one true God who answers prayer and absolutely nothing is impossible with Him.
In September 2015 there were so many pressures, worries and changes in my life, the future was so unsure and the present aimless. So I started a worry list, to record my worries and then purposefully and deliberately hand them over to God in prayer.
To write the worry down, pray over it and say ‘okay Lord I’m handing it over, I don’t want that worry anymore, it’s yours now’.
By December 2015 only one of my original worries remained, all the rest had been crossed out. What a blessing that was. It meant that while I was continuously adding new worries to the list I was also being reminded of how God had dealt with the old ones I had left at His feet.
Big and small, life changing and insignificant He was handling them all and I found freedom in surrender.
Start your own worry list today and see God cross them off one by one.
Father, thank you that your word is filled with promises of hope, courage and strength. Help me when my view of you becomes fogged with difficulties. When my burden seems so heavy I don’t have the words to pray. I know you are there, I know that you love me, let that knowledge seep into my soul that I may truly rest in you. In Jesus name, Amen.
© 2016 by Olivia Barnes. All rights reserved.
Do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior? Pull up a chair… He’s been waiting for you.
Need a refill? Please join us at the Encouragement Café with Luann and Friends.
The conversation at the Café is always hot and fresh. We invite you to listen inas we gather around the table to discuss everyday life.
Comfort food for your soul is always on our menu, and friends are always close enough to hug. We invite you to join us daily, as our writer’s share how the Lord continues to transform them into His glorious image.
Still craving more…Join us as we grow together in grace and truth through our online bible study.
Stop by Encouragement Café and listen as the girls share life. Find podcasts, videos, Bible studies, prayer, resources and daily helpings of hope, laughter and friendship around our table. We've saved a seat just for you!
