Cherished by God

After years of service you may find yourself still being trained by the Lord. We never stop learning about following his clear direction, especially when he leads us into hard places. I am still learning not to say, “That’s it, God. I’ve had enough.” Instead, I’m teaching myself to say, “Lord, I don’t see the way ahead; I don’t know where I’ll find the grace to get through this. But you promised to be my strength.”

This is the place of true faith. It is also where we find our rest — by fully trusting in the Lord’s love for us. As Paul states, what else do we have to present to him but our faith? Not works or performance (see Ephesians 2:8-9). We have only our belief in him and our reliance on him to provide all we need.

Dear one, he is going to bring you through and he wants to take you to a place of incredible blessing. You may have to be willing to do seemingly insignificant things — although they are not insignificant to him! You will face tests and trials that will be hard, some even seemingly beyond your ability to endure. Yet that is the training ground God has set apart for multitudes of his most beloved, chosen ones. It is where you will learn his nature, his character, his blessing, and his goodness.

It may be hard to comprehend and understand that in spite of your failures, you are cherished by a holy God. But you are loved with the same love he has shown his Son. And he has a holy purpose for you, just as he did for Jesus. Therefore, accept the peace that passes all understanding and rest, knowing that his blessing lies ahead of you.

At the end of the day, you will be able to bow your head and say, “Lord, you did it again. You brought me through in victory!”