"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to help those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too."
This past week God has been reminding me of his mercies and his comfort in new ways. I am trying to learn how to rejoice always, how to dwell on the mercies of our God and Father, and how to trust by faith what I can't see by sight. I'm so prone to complain about my struggles and ask God "Why am I this way?" Rather than ask Him, "God how can you be glorified through my struggle? How can your joy be completed through my struggles?"
This Scripture is such a comfort to every struggling child of God. We live in a fallen world, our bodies, our relationships, everything around us has been marred by the sinfulness of humanity. But praise God, His mercy abounds and His mercy is over all that He has made (Ps 145). He is good to all, and He does not treat us as our sins deserve, but He sent Jesus the Christ as a suffering servant, who gave His life as a ransom for many. And praise God, He is not dead, but He lives now. And because He lives, we have hope and we will overcome because if we have died with Christ, we will also be raised with Him.
My struggle with depression is new in many ways and it is easy to feel burdened by the weight of it and knowing that there is fullness of joy in God's presence, yet still the heavy burden of depression...Fighting to cling to His promises because He never breaks a purpose...And he will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering flax...Jesus said our Father is kind to the ungrateful and the evil...That's you and me...He is not kind to those that deserve his kindness, no one does! But praise God we can not be discouraged because He is kind to the ungrateful and the evil!
Delighting in the tender mercies of our God with you,
Emily
