When You Feel Weak

"He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." - Isaiah 40:29-31

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace." - Numbers 6:24-26

"Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love!" - Psalm 31:16

Dear God, 

I am weak and tired. I am broken and hurt. I am ashamed. And no, that is not necessarily a bad thing, it just means I need You more. I am struggling. Help me.

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen

Shine Like a Star

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." - John 1:5

"Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us." - Psalm 62:8

"Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain."- Philippians 2:14-16

Dear God, 

You are the light that shines in the darkness. The darkness will never overpower Your light. Right now, I am struggling to see Your light. God, I am troubled. I am broken. I am weak. Medical issues. Emotional issues have surfaced. Anxieties because of the republican monsters who are still trying to destroy healthcare I need. Anxieties with regard to physical therapy. Anxieties with regard to social skills stuff. God, I can no longer fake it until I make it. I am broken! Help me! 

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name, 

Amen

The Church as Compared to the Human Body

As long as there are imperfect human beings because of the fall, the church as a body will be as broken as the human body. But when you break your arm or your foot, you don't treat it as though it were not part of your body. You doctor it and baby it. You treat it with tender love and affection. Eventually it heals and you go through therapy to strengthen it. When members of the body hurt and are wounded, you don't ignore them and throw them out with yesterday's bath water. You help them, you teach them, you work with them, you grow them, you shape them. You don't cut them off. I Corinthians 12 talks about the body. Casting Crowns even has a song called "We Are the Body." The body is broken but that is the beauty of it! Because all the broken pieces come together and work with what each has to offer and it eventually heals each other over time until the day comes that everything about the body can be made whole again.