Please do me a huge favor and read this in its entirety.
Do you remember the scripture from yesterday's blog?
Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed,
for His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23
Here's the story of how God placed His word in my heart to reach out to someone.
As I opened the Word late Sunday night, it flipped to this passage. I always read something, even if just a few verses of where ever it opens (just to keep myself from reading only in my favorite books)
You can imagine my groan when it was Lamentations. I was hoping to read something uplifting, but knew this was the wrong book for that. However to my surprise, the Lord illuminated this passage as bright as an evening blessed with a full moon. And even though it was only a few words nestled into many filled with sorrow, I was encouraged. Throughout the week, the words still echoed in my mind and held captive my thoughts. I even told my prayer partner about it and wondered why in the world the Lord is banging this scripture in my head?
Well, as God would have it, I found out Wednesday night, Dec 3rd @ 6:10 pm as I stood in a line waiting to get my daughter some dinner. As buffet lines go, it took awhile, so I was saying hello to folks I hadn't seen in sometime. While the line was progressing, which again was ever so slow, I happened to turn around. My eyes met an older gentleman's I had known for some years. With a polite hello I patted his back and asked, "how are you?" His reply, the opposite of the man I remember, was simply "barely making it". Time stopped at that moment. The food line was nonexistent. My feet were planted and my heart was breaking for this sweet man who had lost his wife not much over a year ago. As tears welled up in his eyes, he told me... and I quote, "these are hard times. hard times."
Normally I would be at a loss for words, but I grabbed his shoulder... Looked him boldly in the face and told him about how Jeremiah saw through the pain and knew God's faithfulness would never let him down. How His mercy's are new every morning. Then time resumed again and we went our own way.
Folks, why should you read the Bible? So you'll have the Word inside your heart, ready to share it with someone. If you were going through a crisis, wouldn't you, as a Christian, want to hear encouragement from God's word... our thoughts and opinions aren't always right, but the word of God is. Be ready to share that Truth that is sharped than any two-edged sword! The truth that will turn darkness to light.
Read your Bible. You never know when you'll meet someone in the oddest of places, like a buffet line, that needs to hear a word from the Lord.
Great is Thy faithfulness, oh God my father.
There is no shadow of turning with Thee.
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not.
As Thou has been, Thou forever will be.
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