Walking in Peace

Two minutes of silence

Psalm 10:16-18

16 The Lord is King for ever and ever;
the nations will perish from his land.
17 You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that mere earthly mortals
will never again strike terror.

The Psalmist has come a long way from where he began his prayer. He began crying out to God in despair, pounding on his chest, and now he is praising him. He calls him his king who rules over all things. Then he speaks sweet words of faith to the Lord, “You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted, you encourage them and you listen to their cry.” What a change!

Are you there yet? Has the Lord turned your pain into praise? Maybe not. And that’s ok. The wounds of abuse cut deep and they can take a long time to heal. The Lord knows something about time. At the beginning of time the devil brought pain and shame into his beautiful world. It took about 4000 years until the healed that pain through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection on the cross. And he is still taking time until he returns and restores his creation to the way it was always supposed to be.

Your story is not a short story. And as your story continues to unfold I want you to believe what this Psalm says. Look again at the verse above: The Lord hears your deepest desires. He will encourage you. He listens to your cry. He will defend you. And finally it is his will that you would no longer live in fear. May the Savior who has washed you clean, convince you that you are loved, forgiven, and safe.

Prayer

My dear Lord Jesus, I have a very broken past, and a long road ahead of me. Would you carry me down that road? Would you listen to me and encourage me? Would you defend me and love me? Grant me the peace that surpasses all understand to guard my heart, mind, and emotion. Lord Jesus, in your mercy, hear my prayer. Amen.

Two minutes of silence