“One of the Ways to become hope filled again is to Remember God has never left you in the past”
I remember it clearly- it was the last Sunday of the year and there I was, standing in the middle of the congregation at church. My right arm around my husband and my left arm around my children. It had been an extremely difficult year- the year I got diagnosed with bipolar disorder after a hypomanic episode that almost cost me my marriage. My eyes closed as I heard the voices united in singing the classical hymn:
“Great is Thy faithfulness
O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest not
Thy compassions they fail not
As Thou hast been
Thou forever will be
Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
And all I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness
Lord unto me”
Mixed emotions flowed inside of me. Had it not been because the meds I was taking made it difficult for me to cry, I would have been bathed in tears. Not tears of sorrow but of amazement at God`s faithful character. The year had been a rocky road. Hundreds of images crossed my mind like a movie of the best and the worst moments. One element stood out as the prevailing factor- God`s faithfulness towards me and my family. I could see that he had not forsaken us, not even for a moment. His ear had always been attentive to our prayers and sighs. His sovereign hand had always been our home. He had carried us through both the good and the bad, and no matter how foolish we had been, he had not left our side.
It is true, he had allowed some trials to come our way, but He had set a limit on them. Not even my worst mistakes had convinced him to give up on me. I was reminded of the scene described by the poem called “Footprints in the sand.” Which ends like this-
“He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you
Never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you.”
While it is true that we should not allow ourselves to let our eyes get fixed in the past, it is important that, whenever thoughts from the past flash through our minds, we focus on the right thing- praising the Lord for His faithfulness to us.
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.” – Psalm 136:1
Heavenly Father, Thank you for Your faithfulness. I honestly don`t know where I would be without you. I praise you for both the good and the bad and mostly I thank you because You never change, You are good and You have never left me. This fills me with hope and gratefulness and peace. Help me leave whatever is worrying me today in Your Faithful hands. I love You. In Jesus´ Name, Amen.
