I woke up to a sound I didn’t like, turns out it was my poor husband throwing up in the bathroom. Zechariah has just gotten over the flu, and now Michael has it. He was so uncomfortable, he said the floor was better for his stomach than sleeping in our bed! But this morning I found out, Lily has the flu too!
Michael never complained, but made his way slowly downstairs. Lily has thrown up too many times for me to count. There has been fussing, but no real complaining. As in miserable sounds, but Lily has been a good girl.
She wakes up, grimacing and fussing, her hand over her mouth and I take her to the bathroom. She empties the contents of her stomach into the toilet, I wipe her mouth, and check for splatters. Then I walk her back to bed and cover her again. Then I prayed and asked God for strength, help, and wisdom.
And He gave it to me! It was rough, but God gave me the strength that I needed to minister to my family and to get through it. The peace to know everything was going to be okay. Michael was tough and he didn’t need too much from me. Lily had a harder time, but I tried to make her as comfortable as I could, and kept an eye on our precious Zechariah. I leaned on God and He provided for me. The day passed.
The day always passes. Another day, I couldn’t sleep well the night before because I kept having Braxton Hicks contractions. I kept thinking, this is it! Our 3rd baby is finally coming! And then morning came and the baby still wasn’t born yet. I complained a bit, annoyed with myself for not getting enough sleep. I took two naps that day, but when I asked God for help, He got me through it. The day passed.
These days feel more stressful, because I’m 38 weeks pregnant. I’m lacking in energy, the baby is heavy and stretching my skin, and some people make unhelpful comments about my baby bump, but each day brings me closer to having the baby. Each day is another chance to get closer to God, show my family I love them, and to learn to control my temper.
This too shall pass. But God is faithful. So who are we trusting?
Jeremiah 17:5
Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.
Who are we going to first? God or man? Sometimes I’m very good at turning to God first, but not always. Who are we leaning on for help? Where are we looking for strength to sustain us? What is our heart turned toward?
Jeremiah 17:6
He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.
You won’t grow spiritually if you aren’t looking to God for your strength.
Jeremiah 17:7
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.
Happy is the man who trusts in the Lord to sustain him. God is good and He keeps His promises.
Jeremiah 17:8
He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
Dry times will come, that is the human life. But where you have made the habit of turning is still what you will be turning towards. If you have been trusting in man, when struggles come you are going to have a hard time changing that. Better make sure you are looking to God now rather than later.
Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
Don’t just tell yourself that you are trusting in God and get on with your day, self-deception is easy. I want you to pray about it and to ask God Himself if you have been leaning on Him or on man.
Jeremiah 17:10
“I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”
God already knows everything about us, the only question is, what do we need to know about ourselves?
Jeremiah 17:13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you shall be put to shame; those who turn away from you will be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the fountain of living water.
Nothing sustains like the Lord, looking to anything else first is like leaning on a broken reed.
Jeremiah 17:14
Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.
Jeremiah 18:11-12
Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.’“But they say, ‘That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.’
It always seems to come back to obeying God. If you aren’t obeying God, then chances are, you aren’t trusting in Him. And if you aren’t trusting Him, then you’re not obeying Him.
Jeremiah 22:21
I spoke to you in your prosperity, but you said, ‘I will not listen.’ This has been your way from your youth, that you have not obeyed my voice.
Dear friend, listen to God’s voice! Seek Him and study your Bible! If you try to drown out His voice, you will succeed. But you will regret it.
Psalm 52:8
But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.
This is what I want for you, my dear friend. Peace and security in the Living God. The only solid rock.
The Christian Thinker 