Dancing in the Light

I John 1:7 "If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin."

Name:
Location: North Platte, Nebraska, United States

I am a christian wife, mother and grandmother. I am a licensed Social worker and a licensed Christian counselor. I am most proud of the relationships I have with God, my family and friends all over the world. I have been blessed beyond my dreams.

Monday, July 30, 2007

"Even Now"

For several months now, Ned and I have been discussing the confidence that comes with faith. We have talked about how God works in our lives, in spite of the messes we make, regardless of the waves of chaos and commotion that often threaten to sweep our feet out from under us and aside from our own helplessness. Personally, we have both been able to see God's blessings many times. And yet, when things are not as we hoped, when our hearts are aching, when our frustrations are high and we don't know what to do, we find ourselves entertaining thoughts of despair and hopelessness.
I am sure these are similar to the thoughts of Mary and Martha at the death of their beloved brother, Lazarus. John chapter eleven tells us they sent for Jesus, the only One they knew could save their sibling. The message said, "Lord, the one you love is sick." I would guess their expectation was that the Messiah would sense their urgency, and moved by His love for them, drop what He was doing and come immediately. But, He did not. Or perhaps, they hoped He would simply speak the words and provide a "long-distance" healing. But, He didn't do that either. The gospel writer tells us that Jesuss stayed where He was two more days and that only after Lazarus had died, did He make plans to go to Bethany. I would imagine as the sisters kept vigil over their brother, they watched out the window, longing to see that familiar figure coming toward them, their brows furrowed with worry as they listened to the ragged, shallow death breathing of their loved one. I would imagine as time passed, they began to pace, wondering whether He even got their message. And that as their beloved brother breathed his last, the tears began to flow, their heart feeling as if it had dropped into their stomachs, breaking into a million sharp little pieces. I would imagine they were filled with great loss and hopelessness as they went about the business of preparing their Lazarus for burial, as they went about the business of saying "good-by".
Interestingly, it is Martha, the worker bee, who notices the arrival of Messiah. She goes out to meet Him, informing Him that He has arrived too late and that the one He loves is gone. And in an amazing statement of confident faith she says, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died, but I know that EVEN NOW God will give you whatever you
ask." (vs 21) Wow! What a statement---a statement without a hint of doubt, without an inkling of reluctance and without a shadow of hesitancy. Sister Martha with confidence and certainty, in spite of the pain in her heart, regardless of her own helplessness, asks her Savior to fix it! And according to the text that is just what He does. He raises Lazarus from the dead. It doesn't matter that he has been in the tomb for four days, it doesn't matter that his body has already started to decompose. Even now, Jesus can and does restore life.
As we go through our daily lives, as we walk (or dance) in the light, we will inevitably face some rough times. There may be days when our spirits will be victimized by those we love, days when our courage wanes and hopelessness threatens to overwhelm us. We will most certainly make mistakes that will have lengthy and costly repercussions. We may be forced to pay the consequences of another's actions.We will likely face times of discouragement, dragged down by our church family, misunderstood by our physical family, unappreciated by friends and co-workers. And yet . . . . we the faithful, we know that if we call Him, He can and will bless us . . . EVEN NOW!!!!

Peace
Neva

20 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Beautiful post--very encouraging, thank you for this today, I needed it!

Love
Pat

9:00 AM  
Blogger Liz Moore said...

God is always so faithful. We sometimes forget that because His time is not our time and we like to see things now. But if we wait on Him, He is always faithful. thanks for the reminder! Blessings!

9:05 AM  
Blogger Larissa said...

That was a really good post, that offers a lot of hope!

9:56 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What a great post, just believing that no matter what God will bless me, even now,


Have a great day!

Carol

11:37 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What a blessing this post is my friend. God is at work in our lives and He does indeed work through every mistake, every trauma and all chaos if we just call on His name.

Great post

Rachel

12:58 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

As I read your post I thought "what great comfort those words are" Thank you for sharing them.

Blessings

Corinne

5:19 PM  
Blogger preacherman said...

Neva,
Great post!

9:58 PM  
Blogger Keith Davis said...

I know too that the Psalmist would express dispair when it came, but he always returns to God. There is the expression of confidence in Him. My daughter made profession of her faith last Sunday to our church family. She did this one her own and in the midst of a breakup with her boy friend. It was a powerful testimony of what the Holy Spirit can do with a willing heart.

Thanks for the post.

10:41 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My dear friend,
I am amazed at the applications you make from simple texts. What inspiration you offer. God is faithful and he does work in his time. He desires to bless us and out of his great love for us continues to do so.
Bless you my friend,
Jeneane

10:57 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

We have every reason to be so confident in our faith. Our God has proven Himself both loving and faithful, again and again.

Dan

11:20 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Howdy neva-
Even Now I know He is with me.

Thanks

Don

1:39 AM  
Blogger The Preacher's Household: said...

Even now and all the while.
love ya,
Kathy

1:19 PM  
Blogger Donna G said...

Without that assurance I don't know how we would get through some days...but it is a blessed assurance indeed!

1:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

There is nothing like the assurance that God will bless us in spite of us. Thank you for reminding us of this.

Georgia

6:16 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks Neva!

Love,
Mark.

9:02 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Even now" I am being blessed. "Even now" He is working in my life. "Even now" I am encouraged and hopeful. Thank you Neva.


Shari

7:24 AM  
Blogger Bob Bliss said...

Although my life seemed in disarray just two years ago, "even now" God is blessing me and making me grow in an place I would not have considered at the time. Thanks for such a great insight. Amazing how words we may consider insignificant can have so much meaning.

9:18 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Amen, Neva - sometimes I think this is all, faith is truly about: staying close to the Lord - not because of how our life is, but despite all circumstances that life brings - he's the one thing that does not change!

You posts are such a blessing, thanks!

11:07 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What a beautiful post full of hope and encouragement.


GJ

5:10 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What a hope-filled post. Good work.

Shari

6:26 AM  

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