"..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 ear thly 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 yourse lf 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.
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