Lynn Cowell
"..Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure, in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders." Deuteronomy 33:12 (NIV)
I thought I lost it!
I thought I lost one of the only things on this planet that is important to me: a delicate necklace that my husband gave me for our twentieth wedding anniversary. I looked on my necktie-turned-necklace rack. Not there. I unpacked my makeshift jewelry bag from my last trip. Not there. Was it stolen from our hotel room? I pulled out all my earrings. Not there. My heart was trying so hard to panic, but I knew I didn't want to go there. Still, I could never replace this necklace. I prayed. Even though it is an earthly possession, I knew Jesus would care about me.
I had the thought...go back and check again. There, hidden behind a bulky set of baubles, I caught a twinkle. My small jewel.
Some days, I feel like I have lost things much greater to me than my pendant. I miss my father who went to be home with Jesus. I miss dear friendships from my old town that just aren't the same on FaceBook. I miss times when life was simpler - little children laughing and playing. I miss my old body and energy level!
Do you have days when you mourn the loss of something important to you? A marriage that is no longer? A friend who moved away? A child gone astray? A parent who passed?
The writer of Psalm 73 certainly felt loss. Starting in verse 2 he says, "But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold." He goes on speaking of the struggle he feels as he looks at those around him who seemed to have it all together. Then in verse 23 his heart comes back around to the truth about God: "Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
The writer says, "I almost lost it! But then I remembered who I am; like a child with his father, you take my hand. I remembered who You are. You are all that I need." He laid aside his pain as God's strength came in with comfort and strength. Fear and frustration became faith.
Sometimes, pain or uncomfortable circumstances try to block us from seeing our treasured thing. It is hard to see God at work. We may think that we won't experience love again or that a relationship we treasured can never be restored. That is when we need our faith to help us to keep believing that God is in our situation and He will help us to find His treasures again.
Maybe you have experienced a loss, or maybe like my delicate necklace behind the hefty beads, you just can't see the good because of the bigger-than-life things that surround you. Breathe deep and take a moment to pray. Deuteronomy 33:12 says we are to rest between his shoulders. You know what is right between his shoulders? His heart! That is a place of peace, warmth and love. He wants to pull you into His lap so you can find the rest and peace you need for today.
Dear Lord, sometimes my sense of loss is a dull ache, other days it threatens to engulf me and I feel like I can hardly breathe. Today, Lord, I choose to climb in Your lap and lean against Your heart and find comfort in You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
Do You Know Him?
Through a Season of Grief: Devotions for Your Journey from Mourning to Joy by Bill Dunn and Kathy Leonard
Treat yourself or a friend to a year’s worth of the P31 Woman magazine
Visit Lynn’s blog
Application Steps:
Write out Deuteronomy 33:12 and carry it with you today. When you feel sadness trying to overtake you, pull out the verse and read it. Then shut your eyes and picture yourself crawling up into your Father God's lap. I like to even picture Him stroking my hair, whispering His words of love to me.
Reflections:
Is the loss that you feel a real loss or is it a perceived loss?
In your grieving, is there a joy that you are missing? If you are grieving the loss of your child as they prepare to leave home, are you missing the joys of those still at home? If you miss a loved one who has gone on to heaven, have you spent time thinking of the great reunion that you will one day have?
Power Verses:
Psalm 27:13, "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." (NKJV)
© 2010 by Lynn Cowell. All rights reserved.
"..Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure, in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders." Deuteronomy 33:12 (NIV)
I thought I lost it!
I thought I lost one of the only things on this planet that is important to me: a delicate necklace that my husband gave me for our twentieth wedding anniversary. I looked on my necktie-turned-necklace rack. Not there. I unpacked my makeshift jewelry bag from my last trip. Not there. Was it stolen from our hotel room? I pulled out all my earrings. Not there. My heart was trying so hard to panic, but I knew I didn't want to go there. Still, I could never replace this necklace. I prayed. Even though it is an earthly possession, I knew Jesus would care about me.
I had the thought...go back and check again. There, hidden behind a bulky set of baubles, I caught a twinkle. My small jewel.
Some days, I feel like I have lost things much greater to me than my pendant. I miss my father who went to be home with Jesus. I miss dear friendships from my old town that just aren't the same on FaceBook. I miss times when life was simpler - little children laughing and playing. I miss my old body and energy level!
Do you have days when you mourn the loss of something important to you? A marriage that is no longer? A friend who moved away? A child gone astray? A parent who passed?
The writer of Psalm 73 certainly felt loss. Starting in verse 2 he says, "But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold." He goes on speaking of the struggle he feels as he looks at those around him who seemed to have it all together. Then in verse 23 his heart comes back around to the truth about God: "Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
The writer says, "I almost lost it! But then I remembered who I am; like a child with his father, you take my hand. I remembered who You are. You are all that I need." He laid aside his pain as God's strength came in with comfort and strength. Fear and frustration became faith.
Sometimes, pain or uncomfortable circumstances try to block us from seeing our treasured thing. It is hard to see God at work. We may think that we won't experience love again or that a relationship we treasured can never be restored. That is when we need our faith to help us to keep believing that God is in our situation and He will help us to find His treasures again.
Maybe you have experienced a loss, or maybe like my delicate necklace behind the hefty beads, you just can't see the good because of the bigger-than-life things that surround you. Breathe deep and take a moment to pray. Deuteronomy 33:12 says we are to rest between his shoulders. You know what is right between his shoulders? His heart! That is a place of peace, warmth and love. He wants to pull you into His lap so you can find the rest and peace you need for today.
Dear Lord, sometimes my sense of loss is a dull ache, other days it threatens to engulf me and I feel like I can hardly breathe. Today, Lord, I choose to climb in Your lap and lean against Your heart and find comfort in You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
Do You Know Him?
Through a Season of Grief: Devotions for Your Journey from Mourning to Joy by Bill Dunn and Kathy Leonard
Treat yourself or a friend to a year’s worth of the P31 Woman magazine
Visit Lynn’s blog
Application Steps:
Write out Deuteronomy 33:12 and carry it with you today. When you feel sadness trying to overtake you, pull out the verse and read it. Then shut your eyes and picture yourself crawling up into your Father God's lap. I like to even picture Him stroking my hair, whispering His words of love to me.
Reflections:
Is the loss that you feel a real loss or is it a perceived loss?
In your grieving, is there a joy that you are missing? If you are grieving the loss of your child as they prepare to leave home, are you missing the joys of those still at home? If you miss a loved one who has gone on to heaven, have you spent time thinking of the great reunion that you will one day have?
Power Verses:
Psalm 27:13, "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." (NKJV)
© 2010 by Lynn Cowell. All rights reserved.
Labels: Contentment, God's Perspective, Identity in Christ, Overcoming, Time with God, Trusting God
12 Comments:
Thank you so much for a beautiful devotional today! It is so comforting to think of being near Gods own heart! Thank you!
Karen
Beautiful it is. I am glad I found the Lord and will never stray. Thanks to a very true friend, I am forever greatful in the signs and feelings I get in knowing the Lord! Kim
Thank you for this message. I struggled as I prayed today to surrender to God those things which I cannot control, and those things over which I grieve. One child's battle with cancer and one child's search for his path. I asked God to fill my spirit today. This helped remind me that there will be better times and better days, and that I need to turn loose my angst and hold on to Him.
When I was a little girl one of my favorite things was climbing into my mom's lap, leaning my head on her chest, drifting off to sleep. I felt so secure hearing her heart beat and listening to her voice vibrating quietly in her chest. I felt all was well. It's something I'll never forget. Now I think of climbing into my Father's lap, placing my head between his shoulders..hearing His heart beat...listening to His voice, knowing that I'm secure and can rest in His arms.
Isn't it so wonderful that His lap is big enough for ALL of us...for ALL of the entire world!
Lynn
Hi;
Thanks so much for today's devotional.
I am very blessed, in a happy and peaceful marriage and have 5 wonderful children (2 are mine 3 are his) , BUT REALLY THEY ARE ALL OURS!
I have always believed that the Lord is waiting on each of us to realize that His arms are open 24/7. We do not have to bear any burdens alone!
Lynn, This was powerful for me today. Thank you to the Lord for inspiring you to write it. Today for the first time I realized that by missing those times when I was growing up to be able to crawl onto my earthly Dad's lap - that the Lord was longing for me to crawl into His. I always struggled with that vision until today - it was like a light bulb went on - I knew in my mind that I could, but my heart did not feel it as I had not experienced it with my Dad. Hope this makes sense. All is well as He brushes through my hair and assures me of His love!
Just this morning I had a dream my best friend was alive for a few minutes and I had the opportunity to share with her some really big - and good - things that are going on in my life right now. It was so vivid and when I woke up I was heartbroken. I miss her so much (it has been 9 months) and I cannot wait for our reunion someday. Your devotion really spoke to me today and brought much needed comfort. Thank you so much! Cindy
Thank you so much for sharing your pain and these verses that have meant so much to you. This verse is such a beautiful picture of God's love for me, for all of us. This is a place of peacefulness that I can revisit continually all day long. The place by God's heart that sustains me.
As I was reading this, my tears were stinging my eyes. What a beautiful reminder of the love that God has for us. And just like my kids climb up and lay on my chest for comfort, I need to do that with my Daddy in heaven. Life gets so hard and I forget at times that all it takes is just the decision to stop and climb up in His Lap. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
What a beautiful analogy! God want to hide us in the shadow of His wings. He wants to love on us like we have never known!! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Lynn,
Thank you so much for this post. I read it last May and you described perfectly how I felt. My father passed away a year ago and I never got all hysterical crying but the phrase "dull ache" describes my feeling in the most precise way.
I was thinking about it again today and thanks to your great Search feature, all I put in was, dull ache, and your post came right up.
Anyway, thank you again. Perfect words.
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