“The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” – Job 1:21

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A few months back, some friends of mine announced the great news that they were going to be parents!
How exciting it must be to be blessed with an opportunity to raise a child in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Children are, as the Bible says, gifts from the Lord!

But, a few days ago, our church received the saddening news that a miscarriage had occurred. This is such a tragic event…what a heartbreak?!

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My life, as of the last few months, has been filled with stress, busy schedules, disappointment, fear, lack of sleep, and occasional sickness. This is not far from the average person’s life, I guess, but all of these factors combined has changed the way I think.

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Both stories mentioned above, (although my life not being half as trying as the first story,) can take two possible directions – reliance upon self… or reliance upon a holy, loving, righteous, sovereign Creator & Savior God! I am most definitely praying for the couple mentioned in the first story. I cannot fathom the emotions they must be feeling right now. My love goes out to them!!

I choose, solely on the basis of the strength I have in Christ, to rely on my Savior! I have often fallen prey to self-reliance over the last several months, and I’ll be honest – what a tragic mistake on my part! I can no more change my circumstances or trials than I can the weather outside! God NEVER promised green grass…(at least on this earth!) I don’t deserve anything good from Him! (Remember that whole “enemy” thing?) But, in His grace and love, I have eternal hope – in Christ Jesus my Lord!

My prayer for my friends (above) and myself is that we will put our trust/reliance/peace/hope solely in the finished work of Jesus Christ!

One of my favorite New Testament verses is Philippians 1:6, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”