11/11/2019
Have you ever been in a situation where praising the Lord was difficult? How about being so encumbered that you had to struggle for the words? Or, perhaps that it became impossible? Probably not, but In such a situation we would find out just how important our God is to us, and exactly how much we would miss being able to speak with Him. Can you imagine living through such a situation, or place?
“"For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations, and sing praises to your name.”
2 Samuel 22:50 ESV
It was a frightening morning when I received a phone call from my mother, and she informed me that if I wanted to see my father alive again I needed to come right away. So I dropped everything and rushed straightway to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington D.C.. when I arrived, I was told that he had suffered a major stroke, and when I went to his bedside he looked up at me and said, “Who are you?”
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”
1 John 3:1 ESV
He had lost his memory of me, but I knew him, and now I was like anyone else in the world when he looked at me. Can you imagine such a moment? I felt it was the worst moment of my life, and I wept. Imagine if this were to happen in our faith, and we lost that same recognition from our Heavenly Father, or the eyes of Jesus!
“And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'”
Matthew 7:23 ESV
I experienced this feeling in my father’s eyes, but thankfully it came back to me over time. Later I watched my wife and her brothers see that same look in the eyes of their mother as she was taken away from them by dementia. It was the same except that it occurred gradually rather than instantly, and she never came back. Thankfully, our God never leaves us...
“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed."”
Deuteronomy 31:8 ESV
But what if we were to leave Him? What if we were unable to recognize Him, pray to him, praise Him, and worship Him? I spoke of my earthly father not knowing me, but what if it were me, and I didn’t know my own family... my children, my Lord? Today I am laying in a hospital bed while doctors try to find the cause of a couple of mini-strokes that I experienced over the past couple of days. I still know my family, and my God, but during those episodes my words were briefly jumbled, and I was unable to speak clearly. I had difficulty in prayer, but in the midst of this personal fright I realized what my father and mother-in-law already know... that we can reach a place in life where we can lose the ability to not only speak, but think correctly about those we love. In my two brief periods I realized that we can lose our most precious possession... the realization of love, and I thank God that He never does. God’s love remains fixed upon us in our darkest hour, and even when that darkness has cast its shadow over our view of Him.
“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8 ESV
So today I am using these personal stories to challenge you to think about what you would feel like spiritually if life were to take away those precious things of faith, and of this world, from your conscious mind, and to reassure you that God will not abandon you. He will come straightway to stand by your bed, and to love you in your most dire times... even when calamity has taken His memory from you. He remembers you, and a day is coming when you will be reunited with all your loves once more in His house.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Psalms 23:4-6 ESV
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for your eternal love, and for all of the loves I have been given in my lifetime. I thank you for the love of my children, families, friends, and for the memories they have left me with. Help me to remember you always Holy Father, and I thank you for the memories of all the loves you have given me. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God whose love is everlasting, and from whom I receive every love in my life. Praised be your name in my soul, and blessed are those times when I can voice my praise aloud. Great are you Holy Father who wields love in eternal fashion, and whose grace brings you glory forevermore. Hear my words of love, feel the love emanating from my soul, and know I love you always... even in my darkest hours.
Rich Forbes