He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. (Psalm 23)
There is nothing more painful than to be on your knees pouring out your heart to God only to watch as your dreams being crushed before your eyes. If you are a true believer, you know by faith that God heard your cries for help. He has said in his word that he would never leave you nor abandon you. Yet despite knowing that God is aware of your struggle, you still feel left with nothing but a broken heart, eyes that can’t stop crying and a question within as to why he would allow you to go through this pain.
It is difficult to understand when you are overwhelmed, but your attitude in times of trouble is an indicator of where your faith lies. When you face a trial in your life, it is a struggle to believe that God will be there to help you through it. You feel alone. Yet, the more serious your problem, the more grace he extends to you. You are never left to fight a battle on your own. We can all trust God when we have some control in the situation. But when the problem is impossible for us or anyone else to help, that is when our faith is put to the test.
Jesus told us in John 16:33, ” In this world you will have trials and tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” It doesn’t matter what we face for all things are under the sovereign authority of Christ. It is his will that prevails in the outcome of every problem we face. If you will try to understand that truth, it will bring you peace when all hope seems gone. Your struggle is actually the transforming power that reveals God’s strength. It is always his purpose to bring you through your heartache and reveal more of himself to you. Your battles are won long before they start because Christ paid the price for your victory. That may seem difficult to comprehend when your heart is breaking – but that is the truth.
You were created for God’s glory and his purpose. He has made ready the royal robes that those who trust in Christ shall wear one day in his kingdom. All things are being orchestrated in God’s magnificent plan for your life. As a sparrow does not fall to the ground apart from the will of the Father, I pray that you also know that every tear you shed is before God and subject to his ultimate authority. Your heart cannot be broken beyond our Creator’s hand to heal. It just can’t happen. There is no situation you face that can ever empty out the future God planned for you. Although you may not feel it now, your life is filled to overflow with God’s unending power and purpose. His angels are surrounding those who belong to him. There is nothing that has been left to chance.
You can enjoy quiet peace in spite of your pain when you stop trying to control the way God deals with your situation and let him work it out his way. You can take rest knowing that whatever God allows in your life, he has planned it long before you were born to use it for your good. His ways will always be higher than ours, but his ways are the only path to victory. Surrender your pain to Christ who will heal you and give you back abundant hope from the ashes of your broken dreams. We read in James 1:12, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”
We are all going through the battle of our life, dear friends. No one is exempt from the sufferings of this world. Whatever you are facing, there is always hope when you belong to Christ. There will be a time for your trial to end; and if you have held out in faith to the end, you will be rewarded in this life and the next. Why does God allow us to go through heartache and pain? It is only in the crucible that we gain an eternal perspective of the power of the God we serve. It is there that we see that Christ does meet us in every trial causing it all to work according to his perfect plan. It is there that we are strengthened as he draws us near to him.
Finally, believers who can praise Christ through the pain and keep their eyes on him no matter what storm surrounds them are proven to be the true sons and daughters of the King. Remember the words of God in Isaiah 26:3, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you.” That is a promise from God.
I am praying for those who need to hear this message. May you know that your tears are not in vain. You still have hope regardless of what you are facing. This world is perishing and yet those who belong to Christ shall never be destroyed. Let him work out your problem and restore your peace. Don’t settle for the lies of the enemy. You were meant for more!
I would also like to remind those who visit to keep Rob Bohning and his family in prayer. Rob is battling a rare, incurable thyroid cancer ( Read article: Tried In The Furnace of Afflction on this site) but he is living each day in the power of Christ. He trusts that Christ is bigger than the cancer he has. He is an inspiration to me and to others who watch his faith in action. And God has gifted him as one the best artistic photographers I have ever seen! ( www.robbohningphotography.com)
In an update, Rob announced that he has to go back to Texas for more testing. He is still thanking God for all that he has done to keep him going. He has a prayer request that he would be grateful if we would pray for him on:
Friends, I have one big prayer request this month..
I go back to Texas the final week of September. September 25th and 26th are days packed with bloodwork, EKGs, CT scans, and 4 hours worth of MRIs.. then on Thursday, the 27th, I meet with Dr Sherman to discuss where I am in the big picture. September 27th is my wife’s birthday. Would you please pray that I return home on that day with good news… for her? Please would you make that your prayer? I would appreciate it SO MUCH.
Matthew 19:26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Rob
Rob knows the power of the God we serve! Please lift him and his family up in a big way. May God bless all who take the time to pray for Rob.
34 comments
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August 20, 2012 at 6:50 pm
susan australia
God Bless you Marianne – this is just what I needed to hear
I start and end each day giving my will over to the Lord, but I spend time every day asking Him why? it has to be like this, immediately followed by handing my will back over to Him and asking for strength and courage instead. One day I pray, I will stop asking the question why? and take refuge in the faith that all things work to the good of those that love God, no matter the trials and tribulations sent to test me and my faith. What was once a battleground of protest has slowly become a soft murmur. I live in hope that one day I will never hear that protest again and just accept that God is guiding me slowly and gently along His chosen path for me. Thank you again Marianne. Praying for Rob and his family. Susan
August 20, 2012 at 9:32 pm
Marianne Lordi
Hi Susan! Amen to what you said. It is hard to not try to direct God in how to help us. I am consistently guilty on that one. I finally decided that I don’t have to see God’s plan or feel God’s plan to know that God has a good plan for my life. That makes my life so much easier. I don’t have to control the situation because Christ has the last word on everything that comes against me so I can rest easy. Thanks for stopping by. It was nice to hear from you. And thanks for your prayers for Rob.
August 20, 2012 at 9:57 pm
cindyhfrench
marianne, when I read what you write, I always wonder why God wants me to publish what I have written. That is by far the most wonderful of any of the posts that you have written that I have read. Oh did it speak to my heart and soul in the deep places!
God’s grace has been so incredible to me in the last few weeks. Every day brings new connections and excitement at what He is doing! I can barely believe it sometimes and am actually often speechless which we all thought was impossible! Thank you for you witness and for your love for others-it certainly shines through.
with your permission I want to reblog it. It’s too wonderful not to share!
August 20, 2012 at 9:59 pm
cindyhfrench
Reblogged this on CindyFrench-stranger than fiction stories and commented:
I think this is one of Marianne’s finest posts. It certainly spoke to my heart and soul tonight. I felt impressed to re-blog so someone out there needs to read this and take it into your heart. Cindy
August 20, 2012 at 10:10 pm
Marianne Lordi
Hi Cindy, I am so glad that you stopped by. It is always so nice when you visit. Thank you for your kind words and encouragement. I am in a trial in my own life and this message came from the pain that I am experiencing. God never leaves us for a minute. His gave me this word to strengthen me as I keep my eyes on him during this time of testing. All things we suffer are filtered first through his hands. That which he allows has a purpose. I keep that in mind always. God bless you, dear sister. I pray you are well.
August 20, 2012 at 10:52 pm
cindyhfrench
it is very interesting I am a follower, but I just get them every now and then. So apparently God is filtering what I am reading He could do some more. I must get 200 emails a day. I am so sorry for your pain and suffering. You know I know exactly how you feel regardless of what the pain is for or about. Somehow our Lord has made sure of that with me. But I can tell you dear one, that for all that I went through last year, to be in this place with Him now, is such joy!! I am overwhelmed with joy and so much peace in spite of all that is going on! I see the signs. I know exactly what they mean. I asked our Father what was I to do about getting my meds when I am 65 in 4 years. He told me not to worry about it. So I am not-but I can guess what that means-I am not at all sure that we get raptured before the trouble starts, before some of us have given our lives for our Savior. Why should American Christians be safe when no other Christian in the world is safe. So I am not at all sure that trouble is not coming out way also. I too know that whatever does come, comes filtered through his fingers, and He has already carried me so long and so far, ohmigoodness! So Jesus said when we see “these things” we should be prepared and we should be looking up. and I do most sincerely hope that means Pre-but I just have this feeling that that is not the way of it. I am used to pain. but am so afraid that I might not stand strong enough. But He knows and will carry me through that too.
love you and praying for you.
August 21, 2012 at 4:50 am
Sowing the Word of God
Hi Marianne,
I don’t know if you remember me or not but last year you helped me out when I was in distress and did not know where to look for answers. Your immediate reply to my mail was truly as if God is speaking through you. I have come a long way in my faith in Christ. Today, after ages I read your blog and I think God directed me towards it, because I have experienced those moments of distress where nothing makes sense. Even today, I am at a crossroad, not knowing where it is heading, but with only the belief and faith that God has all planned out and he’s leading me step by step. Today, I can say Lord is there within me every minute and every moment and even when things don’t make sense, he’s definitely given me peace to simply surrender and be patient. I am sure in the same way, no matter however trials you may have to undergo, you will come out successfully because the spirit of the lord is upon you.
God bless
Sujata
August 21, 2012 at 4:57 am
Matoula
Amen. Perfect timing. Thank you marianne for these words of encouragement .. It means a lot to me what you have written.
August 21, 2012 at 9:12 am
Marianne Lordi
Hi Sujata, I am so glad that you stopped back! I wanted to hear from you. Look how far you have come! God is with you, my sister. He is helping you to grow and to walk in his strength. So many things come against us all and it is hard to understand why. Yet when you know in your heart that Christ is at the center of every struggle we face, then you take peace knowing that he is working it out for the good and for his glory. That makes it all much easier to take even when we don’t understand the reason why. I hope you will stop back again or email me to let me know how you are doing. God bless you, my sister, Sujata. And stay strong knowing that you are not alone!
August 21, 2012 at 9:14 am
Marianne Lordi
Hi Matoula, I am so glad that you were encouraged by this message. Keep in mind that when you give all of your problems to Christ to do with as he sees is good, you will have his peace. He has the plan for your life and he knows where he wants to take you. Trust in him, my friend. I will be praying for you.
August 21, 2012 at 2:47 pm
Becky Morales
Once again another beautiful encouragement. Thank you sis Marianne. I’m sharing this so others can be encouraged.
God bless you
~Becky Morales~
August 21, 2012 at 3:10 pm
Marianne Lordi
Hi Becky, I am happy you stopped by. Thanks for your kind words and for shairng this truth.
August 21, 2012 at 4:17 pm
Anonymous
Thank you for this!
August 21, 2012 at 5:49 pm
Marianne Lordi
You are welcome. God bless you, my friend.
August 21, 2012 at 7:51 pm
Noel
Jesus said “I leave peace with you; I give my peace to you: not as the world gives do I give …” The peace that we need is the peace that Jesus taught, without worries about the future, or regrets about the past. It is the peace that we can find by being present, by letting go of those things we cannot control or change, and rest. It is forgiving those who hurt us, asking for forgiveness with those we hurt. It also means being meek, humble, and having a pure heart. Refraining from ambition, greed, lust, and desire for revenge. It is simply living the Kingdom of Heaven as Jesus taught us.
August 21, 2012 at 10:42 pm
Marianne Lordi
You are so right, Noel. We must let go of all those things which hinder our relationship with Christ. And the only way to do that is to have Christ living in us and working through us to do good. By the way, I believe ambition is good. It is selfish ambition that brings us down. I have heard it said that you are never more like Christ than when you can forgive someone who has truly hurt you. That is hard to do.
August 21, 2012 at 10:52 pm
charles woodruff
Marianne, God has certainly given you some special words for us who read your blog. This one is one of your best. I pray that many hurting people will read it. As a matter of fact, with your permission, I am going to put it on my blog, very likely tomorrow. That will give others an opportunity to read it. You know that i am praying for you. I believe God is strengthening you, and even helping me through you. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1,2)
August 22, 2012 at 1:20 am
Marianne Lordi
Hi Charles, you are a tremendous friend and a brother to me and I truly appreciate your encouragement. I love your teachings on your site and I believe that God is using you in a mighty way. Thanks for your willingness to help me. May God bless you and the work that you do.
August 22, 2012 at 9:10 am
Linden Wolfe
Such strong words of encouragement. Thanks, my friend, for extending hope in such a passionate and truthful way.
August 22, 2012 at 9:12 am
Marianne Lordi
Hi Linden, it is always a brighter day when you visit! You always have an uplifting word to bring me. God bless you, dear brother. And I hope you keep writing and teaching.
August 22, 2012 at 8:58 pm
Jeannie
God bless you for always writing great words of wisdom and comfort for many difficult situations in life. One of my favorite bible verses is Psalm 38:15,”In Thee, O Lord ,do I hope.” We can trust that God will always be our greatest advocate.
August 22, 2012 at 9:18 pm
Marianne Lordi
Thank you, Jeannie, I really appreciate you stopping by and commenting! I am grateful for your kind words.
It gives me comfort in this perishing world to know that in all things, God still has the plan for my life and it can’t be stopped. That is the reason we can continue to stand in faith no matter what our circumstance.
God bless you, dear sister.
August 22, 2012 at 10:05 pm
Mike
When I was reading about Paul’s shipwreck not too long ago, I was puzzled by the fact that when he prayed, his storm got worse; and yet there was no rebuke for his lack of faith. But the disciples, in their storm, was rebuked.
After closely examining the two stories, I realized it was never about their ability to calm their storms; it was about their trust that He would see them through it. The disciples gave up before they started. ‘Oh Lord. We’re going to drown.’ But Paul . . . Paul never quit believing; and because he never quit believing – in spite of the fact the storm kept getting worse – an angel came and ‘stood beside him’.
We can handle a lot when God comes and stands beside us. Paul believed against all odds and because he believed and was encouraged, he in turn was able to encourage the others.
It’s not fun. we hope God will stop things before they reach their worst. But sometimes He doesn’t. One of my guys, in relation to trusting God, wrote, ‘how close to the edge is He going to take me?’ And that’s just it . . . we don’t know. It is gut wrenching as I can tell you know.
You used a word that was used in describing Hudson Taylor. ‘He was thrown into faith’s crucible.’ I’ve never come up with a better word.
August 23, 2012 at 7:34 am
Marianne Lordi
Hi Mike, I am always happy when you show up! Wow, I loved that teaching you just gave! It put even the situation I am going through in a such a different perspective. Why should I care how close to the edge God takes me to or how big the storm is that he allows me to face when in ALL things he is with me and he is working them out for a purpose and a plan that my mind cannot understand now. In Genesis, Joseph was falsely imprisoned and yet as he languished there for 10 years, God was making him ready for royalty. We have no idea what God is up to when he allows troubles of all kind to surround us. All that we know is that he is up to something good!
Thanks agains, Mike. I appreciate your comment and for always being a friend.
August 25, 2012 at 6:35 pm
ronaldwcannon
Great article! I sent copy to my sister who just lost her husband this past Sunday. I feel it will be an encouragement to her.
________________________________
August 25, 2012 at 11:00 pm
cindyhfrench
Ronald,please go to Google and type in GriefShare.org, then your sister’s zip code. That should bring up some meeting close by for her to go to. I was a GriefShare leader for 2 1/2 yr and I loved it. I know what a difference it can make someone really surviving the grief process. I really urge you to get her the info and try and get her to go. It is 13 wks all individual modules, so they don’t build on one another. but it is video and workbook and sharing. lots of tears, sometimes anger, everything comes out there, but the results for people are so wonderful, it made it an easy sacrifice for me…until my health issues took me down. so LOVE YOUR SISTER. GET HER TO
GRIEFSHARE!
August 26, 2012 at 6:37 am
godsfingers
Well said Marianne,
I’m reminded (sometimes too much in my book) of Romans 5 , “but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”
If I hadn’t “suffered” the things I have in my life I wouldn’t have the strength, wisdom, and authority to share what God has for me to share. I’d more than likely have some limp wristed “faith” and probably living with a snooze alarm.
God bless you sister,
Dan
August 26, 2012 at 7:12 am
Marianne Lordi
Hi Ronald, I am so glad you stopped here. I know that it is hard to lose a loved one and I will be praying for your sister. I am so glad that you are sharing this article with her. God bless you, my brother.
August 26, 2012 at 9:40 pm
Marianne Lordi
Hi Dan,
It is our sufferings that give us the perseverance and strengths to continue in our faith. And I agree with you, because of all I have suffered, I can write with a passion and share the truth of God’s faithfulness. He has never failed to help me. I appreciate you stopping by and commenting. Gode bless you, my brother!
August 29, 2012 at 7:07 am
Anonymous
thank you marianne lordi … GOD BLESS YOU …
August 31, 2012 at 11:13 pm
Ken
Hi Marianne,
When I was grieving the passing of my wife, hanging on to Jesus made all the difference in the world. The comfort He provided and the strength He supplied was describable. In the midst of my great pain, there was a peace which surpasses all understanding, only Jesus can supply. Not only that, He led me through to green pastures.
I had been away from blogging for a few months, but I am back now. Your blog is always inspiring.
Blessings,
Ken
August 31, 2012 at 11:24 pm
Marianne Lordi
Hi Ken, I am so glad that you are back to writing. Your messages are always from a surrendered heart and they help all of us as we watch how God has taken you through your pain and loss. I am so glad you stopped by, Ken. I consider you a friend and a brother.
August 31, 2012 at 11:25 pm
Marianne Lordi
Anonymous, I am glad you stopped. God bless you, my friend.
April 12, 2013 at 7:25 am
Sidra Nasir
Hello! I just read a few emails. I had signed up last year for ultimate motivation as i was going through my first heartbreak. im only 16. and Just read about Rob, hes a motivator! and i would also like to share about one of my mom’s friend. She was suffering through breast cancer and she quickly called up my mom asking for one of the very famous priests in here. She is a muslim. and as she got herself prayed upon she could feel something move out of her left hand. and now she lives freely without even needing chemotherapy. faith can surely move mountains! God is GREAT!
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