When praying for many who have suffered great loss, I can pray for them that they receive similar comfort from which I was given by God during a time of loss in my life – from a whirlwind of pain to Vision. Oh, but I needed help, (and do every day) – yes, the help of time and assistance to have any Vision at all:
Life happens…suddenly, everything in our own personal world stops but the ocean current of life, just keeps on moving… The splashing and the pushing of the continuing current of life almost feels like it adds bruising to the bruises. Pain is the surrounding theme.
There is no vision, only darkness. And the enemy seems to delight in awakening the past and the future, only to expose failure and fault and fear. Time seems an enemy, when in fact it is a best friend. Love begins to sing somehow, a voice of rescue deep inside speaks, “Be Thou my Vision, Lord of my heart. Not be all else to me save that Thou art. Thou my best thought by day or by night, waking or sleeping Thy presence my light…”
The words to a hymn, “Be Thou my Vision,” come to the rescue with the remedy in the first 4 words. Then some truth offers a hand as well: “A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering (dimly burning) wick He will not quench till He brings justice and a just cause to victory.” (Matthew 12:20). And with the added support of His promise:
“…for He Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will]not, [I will] not, [I will not] in any degree leave you helpless,nor forsake nor let [you] down, [relax My hold on you]. – Assuredly not!” (Hebrews 13:5b, Amplified).
So time and help from the hymns and God’s word, I now had a prayer: “Be Thou my Vision”, (even though my heart was not whole yet, being broken in pieces), my eyes at least had some vision on the words: “…and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]…”( Hebrews 13:5). “No way Lord, I’m not even close,” was the voice of my heart, but God knew that. There is no hiding from God. He could see that I wasn’t ‘even close’ to being ‘content’ with loss that had occurred, ‘satisfied? definitely, not close, no, NOT yet!
Loss HURTS. There will be a remaining scar forever. There was no satisfaction in present circumstances…God knew it, and God knows it when it happens today, but there is some ‘saving grace’: “Be Thou my wisdom, Thou my true word. I ever with Thee, and Thou with me Lord. Thou my Great Father, and I Thy true son. Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee, one.” “So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper, I will not be seized with alarm – I will not fear or dread or be terrified, What can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6).
I don’t write in the past tense only, I write in the present as well…
Loss disrupts vision. The aid of the promises of God are the needed lenses. “When God says that He will be with His servants, He means this, “My wisdom shall be with them to guide them. My love shall be with them to cheer them. My Spirit shall be with them to sanctify them. My power shall be with them to defend them. My everlasting might shall be put forth on their behalf so that they may not fail or be discouraged.” (CH Spurgeon, Beside Still Waters).
“Be Thou my Battle-shield, Sword for my fight. Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight. Thou my soul’s shelter, Thou my high-tower, Raise Thou me heavenward, Thy power of my power!” “To have God with you is better than to have an army of ten thousand. A host of friends is not equal to that one name, Jehovah, for He is a host in Himself. When God is with you, He is not there asleep, negligent, or indifferent. He is there intensely sympathizing, bearing the trouble, helping and sustaining the sufferer.”
“And in good time, His good time, He will deliver you in triumph.” (CH Spurgeon, Beside Still waters, Heb. 13:5).
Searching for Vision, and finding it, of all places, God is amazing, so I never forget it, vision is found in John ’20:20!’ “So saying, He showed them His hands and His side. And when the disciples saw the Lord they were filled with joy (delight, exultation, ecstasy, rapture). (John 20:20, Amplified.)
When wounds are still open and raw, there is no outward emotion, but inside God is moving,… the stone is being rolled away. His scarred hands restore belief in a resurrected life after death. Yes, the scars are still there – there is nothing erased from the story, but ‘He shows us His hands and His side’! He knows. “For the Lord will not cast off forever. Though He causes grief, Yet He will show compassion According tot he multitude of His mercies. For He does not afflict willingly, Nor grieve the children of men.” (Lamentations 3:31,32).
He knows His children live in this broken world. And even more than that, God came down and ‘became flesh and dwelt among us’ (John 1:14). He knows the thorns…they were pressed violently on His head, but He prayed for us, He prays for us still:
“Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are…(John 17:11), “But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves…”(John 17:13)… “I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them…” (John 17:23)…”You have loved them…as You have loved Me.” (John 17:23).
Vision comes with the help of some aid. From darkness to some light, when we think how much God loved His Son. He even spoke audibly in the clouds on occasion, “This is My Son, whom I love, hear Him! ” But He loved US as He LOVED HIS SON? How can that be? “For God so loved the world?” “He gave up His Son? How could that be?
The Light comes flooding into the brokenness and repairs it in miraculous ways! Vision, Vision of His love and the warmth of His glory seem to mend what once was bruised and ripped open.
“Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise. Thou mine inheritance, now and always. Thou and Thou only – First in my heart. High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art! High king of heaven, my victory won! May I reach heaven’s joys, bright heaven’s sun. Heart of my own heart whatever befall – still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.” (Be Thou My Vision).
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,” (Hebrews 12:1),
20:20 Vision, helps us see we’re not alone, we can see the witnesses that surround us, even though we can’t see them at all. And they help us to “… lay aside every weight, and the sin that so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” (Hebrews 12:1)…
There is a Vision Center, unlike any other: “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2).
Yes, in John ’20:20′, Jesus showed the despairing and disbelieving disciples His hands and His side. Today, I am praying that God’s hurting children will receive comfort through time and through the Holy Spirit. That they will come through great loss with courage – because they saw Jesus, and His nail pierced hands, as He revealed them to them, personally, intimately just as He did then! And the reaction will be just as the disciples so long ago, when they were “filled with joy (delight, exultation, ecstasy, and rapture)” even!
He did that for me, even showing me His hands. You may not believe, but I saw Jesus, I did. And, 20:20 Vision on Jesus, no matter what the loss, God restores and recovers the sight that was lost, with the aid of His word and a hymn and some thoughts. “O God, bring Your children through this great trial today, that they may share their comfort with the comfort that You gave. “Be Thou My Vision”, may that be the prayer that helps restore sight to God’s hurting children. And may they see His nail pierced hands comfort them, as only He can…to God be the glory! Forever and Amen!” “Heart of my own heart, Whatever befall…still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.”
There is no vision, only darkness. And the enemy seems to delight in awakening the past and the future, only to expose failure and fault and fear. Time seems an enemy, when in fact it is a best friend. Love begins to sing somehow, a voice of rescue deep inside speaks, “Be Thou my Vision, Lord of my heart. Not be all else to me save that Thou art. Thou my best thought by day or by night, waking or sleeping Thy presence my light…”
The words to a hymn, “Be Thou my Vision,” come to the rescue with the remedy in the first 4 words. Then some truth offers a hand as well: “A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering (dimly burning) wick He will not quench till He brings justice and a just cause to victory.” (Matthew 12:20). And with the added support of His promise:
“…for He Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will]not, [I will] not, [I will not] in any degree leave you helpless,nor forsake nor let [you] down, [relax My hold on you]. – Assuredly not!” (Hebrews 13:5b, Amplified).
So time and help from the hymns and God’s word, I now had a prayer: “Be Thou my Vision”, (even though my heart was not whole yet, being broken in pieces), my eyes at least had some vision on the words: “…and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]…”( Hebrews 13:5). “No way Lord, I’m not even close,” was the voice of my heart, but God knew that. There is no hiding from God. He could see that I wasn’t ‘even close’ to being ‘content’ with loss that had occurred, ‘satisfied? definitely, not close, no, NOT yet!
Loss HURTS. There will be a remaining scar forever. There was no satisfaction in present circumstances…God knew it, and God knows it when it happens today, but there is some ‘saving grace’: “Be Thou my wisdom, Thou my true word. I ever with Thee, and Thou with me Lord. Thou my Great Father, and I Thy true son. Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee, one.” “So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper, I will not be seized with alarm – I will not fear or dread or be terrified, What can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6).
I don’t write in the past tense only, I write in the present as well…
Loss disrupts vision. The aid of the promises of God are the needed lenses. “When God says that He will be with His servants, He means this, “My wisdom shall be with them to guide them. My love shall be with them to cheer them. My Spirit shall be with them to sanctify them. My power shall be with them to defend them. My everlasting might shall be put forth on their behalf so that they may not fail or be discouraged.” (CH Spurgeon, Beside Still Waters).
“Be Thou my Battle-shield, Sword for my fight. Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight. Thou my soul’s shelter, Thou my high-tower, Raise Thou me heavenward, Thy power of my power!” “To have God with you is better than to have an army of ten thousand. A host of friends is not equal to that one name, Jehovah, for He is a host in Himself. When God is with you, He is not there asleep, negligent, or indifferent. He is there intensely sympathizing, bearing the trouble, helping and sustaining the sufferer.”
“And in good time, His good time, He will deliver you in triumph.” (CH Spurgeon, Beside Still waters, Heb. 13:5).
Searching for Vision, and finding it, of all places, God is amazing, so I never forget it, vision is found in John ’20:20!’ “So saying, He showed them His hands and His side. And when the disciples saw the Lord they were filled with joy (delight, exultation, ecstasy, rapture). (John 20:20, Amplified.)
When wounds are still open and raw, there is no outward emotion, but inside God is moving,… the stone is being rolled away. His scarred hands restore belief in a resurrected life after death. Yes, the scars are still there – there is nothing erased from the story, but ‘He shows us His hands and His side’! He knows. “For the Lord will not cast off forever. Though He causes grief, Yet He will show compassion According tot he multitude of His mercies. For He does not afflict willingly, Nor grieve the children of men.” (Lamentations 3:31,32).
He knows His children live in this broken world. And even more than that, God came down and ‘became flesh and dwelt among us’ (John 1:14). He knows the thorns…they were pressed violently on His head, but He prayed for us, He prays for us still:
“Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are…(John 17:11), “But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves…”(John 17:13)… “I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them…” (John 17:23)…”You have loved them…as You have loved Me.” (John 17:23).
Vision comes with the help of some aid. From darkness to some light, when we think how much God loved His Son. He even spoke audibly in the clouds on occasion, “This is My Son, whom I love, hear Him! ” But He loved US as He LOVED HIS SON? How can that be? “For God so loved the world?” “He gave up His Son? How could that be?
The Light comes flooding into the brokenness and repairs it in miraculous ways! Vision, Vision of His love and the warmth of His glory seem to mend what once was bruised and ripped open.
“Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise. Thou mine inheritance, now and always. Thou and Thou only – First in my heart. High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art! High king of heaven, my victory won! May I reach heaven’s joys, bright heaven’s sun. Heart of my own heart whatever befall – still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.” (Be Thou My Vision).
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,” (Hebrews 12:1),
20:20 Vision, helps us see we’re not alone, we can see the witnesses that surround us, even though we can’t see them at all. And they help us to “… lay aside every weight, and the sin that so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” (Hebrews 12:1)…
There is a Vision Center, unlike any other: “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2).
Yes, in John ’20:20′, Jesus showed the despairing and disbelieving disciples His hands and His side. Today, I am praying that God’s hurting children will receive comfort through time and through the Holy Spirit. That they will come through great loss with courage – because they saw Jesus, and His nail pierced hands, as He revealed them to them, personally, intimately just as He did then! And the reaction will be just as the disciples so long ago, when they were “filled with joy (delight, exultation, ecstasy, and rapture)” even!
He did that for me, even showing me His hands. You may not believe, but I saw Jesus, I did. And, 20:20 Vision on Jesus, no matter what the loss, God restores and recovers the sight that was lost, with the aid of His word and a hymn and some thoughts. “O God, bring Your children through this great trial today, that they may share their comfort with the comfort that You gave. “Be Thou My Vision”, may that be the prayer that helps restore sight to God’s hurting children. And may they see His nail pierced hands comfort them, as only He can…to God be the glory! Forever and Amen!” “Heart of my own heart, Whatever befall…still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.”