The One To Whom I Belong... (And an added prayer request/update)

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How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart daily?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
Consider and hear me, O Lord my God;
Enlighten my eyes,
Lest I sleep the sleep of death;
Lest my enemy say,
"I have prevailed against him";
Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.
But I have trusted in Your mercy;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.
~Psalm 13

Have you ever asked the Lord "How long...?" How long will my sorrow last? How long before I am rescued? How long will I feel forsaken, forgotten, broken? How long will I carry "sorrow in my heart daily"?

Do you know what amazes me the most about those "How long" questions? I am amazed that we are allowed to ask them of the God of the Universe. Not only are we allowed, but we are welcomed to pour out our hearts to Him...our fears, our doubts, our sorrows, our failings, our brokenness. Not only are we welcomed into His very throne room with open arms, He longs for us to come to Him...longs for us to lay each burden, each ugly broken piece of our lives, even our most hideous sin at His feet. And He will lift each burden from our weary shoulders, make something beautiful out of the ugly, broken pieces of our lives, and wash us clean as He forgives us for our most hideous sins.

My feeble mind cannot wrap itself around such promises. And yet, I have seen Him do these very things more than once in my life. I have asked Him in my deepest sorrow, "How long, O Lord?" And I have seen His answers. I have been carried through the "How longs"...comforted through the daily sorrow of my heart. I have seen the "joy that comes in the morning", after a long night of weeping.

Once, I looked around at church, each Sunday morning and asked, "How long..." as I prayed that we would be a complete family sitting in the pew together. He whispered to my heart, one day "It won't be long, dear one. I have heard your prayers...the cry of your heart. And, soon you will sit here together. You will worship together as a family, and it will be as if it has always been this way." And so it happened years ago. Today, we share in ministry together.

Once, we stood broken beside the graves of our children...Faith, Grace, and Thomas and I asked "How long...". How long will this grief and sorrow dwell in our hearts, tearing at our family? How long, O Lord? When will joy come to our house...when will morning come to stay? He whispered to my heart, "I will carry you, dear one. I will hold you and comfort you. My grace is sufficient for you." And so it was. He carried me and comforted me. His grace was sufficient for me. Morning came to stay...love and beauty grew out of the pain and ashes. Joy was restored. And miracles were born.

Many more times in my life, I have cried "How long...". And many more times, He has sustained me. For, I have trusted in His mercy...My heart rejoices in His salvation...I sing to the Lord because He has dealt bountifully with me. He is the One who holds my tears in a bottle. The One who formed me and knew me when I was yet in my mother's womb. He is the One who hears all my "How longs".

And He is the God to whom I belong and whom I serve. (see Acts 27:23)
Thank you, dear Jesus, for Your great faithfulness, your endless mercy, and Your perfect...abundant...sufficient grace that covers me every day. I will sing of Your mercy and grace, rejoicing in Your salvation...for you have dealt bountifully with me.
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UPDATED PRAYER NEED: We have been praying for Jennifer, and she needs our prayers again. She is expecting and has been bleeding and clotting in her uterus. Doctors thought she was miscarrying the baby on March 7. She never passed a clot, and when she went to the doctor today, there was a strong heartbeat. THE BABY IS ALIVE! Mother and baby's lives still remain in danger as long as she continues to bleed...so MUCH prayer is needed. This is a miracle! Praise the Lord...and please join me in asking for more miracles for sweet Jennifer...who has already lost her precious Isaiah and another little one from this condition. Please tell every prayer warrior you know and get on your knees on behalf of this precious mother and her family. Please visit her here, and let her know you're praying.