Sorrow With Hope

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 1 Thessalonians 4:13.
To the afflicted ones I would say, be of good comfort in the hope of the resurrection morning. The waters of which you have been drinking are as bitter to your taste as were the waters of Marah to the children of Israel in the wilderness, but Jesus can make them so sweet with His love….
God has provided a balm for every wound. There is a balm in Gilead, there is a Physician there. Will you not now as never before study the Scriptures? Seek the Lord for wisdom in every emergency. In every trial plead with Jesus to show you a way out of your troubles, then your eyes will be opened to behold the remedy and to apply to your case the healing promises that have been recorded in His Word. In this way the enemy will find no place to lead you into mourning and unbelief, but instead you will have faith and hope and courage in the Lord. The Holy Spirit will give you clear discernment that you may see and appropriate every blessing that will act as an antidote to grief, as a branch of healing to every draught of bitterness that is placed to your lips. Every draught of bitterness will be mingled with the love of Jesus, and in place of complaining of the bitterness, you will realize that Jesus’ love and grace are so mingled with sorrow that it has been turned into subdued, holy, sanctified joy.
When Henry White, our eldest son, lay dying, he said, “A bed of pain is a precious place when we have the presence of Jesus.” When we are obliged to drink of the bitter waters, turn away from the bitter to the precious and the bright. In trial grace can give the human soul assurance, and when we stand at the deathbed and see how the Christian can bear suffering and go through the valley of death, we gather strength … and we fail not, neither are we discouraged in leading souls to Jesus.
The Faith I Live By p. 186
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for my wife, she’s going for some test. Pray that everything will turn out good. Sixto
—-Yesterday after being in town all day I came home and found my doggie all bloody and beat up with large puncture wounds all over her. She can barely walk and it is just pitiful. I found out it was the neighbors pitbull that did this. She is now on medication but please pray for her I love her so much. I don’t want to lose her. Thank you for your prayers. Connie
—-my mom said her toenails had come off for some reason …so she had been wrapping her toes!. . . . I suggested stopping in to maybe see the dr and get antibiotics for her toes as we were close by anyway…so glad we did!! Turns out moms big toe isn’t just infected ..she has a open fracture & her toes broken!! She has neuropathy in her feet and can’t really feel it So they admitted her to the hospital last night. . . . we are waiting for a orthopedic surgeon to come in & try to fix her toe & praying that they won’t want to amputate her toe. Lissa
—-Please pray for David, Micheal and Hadassah to find their first love for Jesus again. Rosemary
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Dear Friends
I was looking at some photos taken in 2004 of a family reunion we went to in Michigan. We had a very good time catching up on family events and meeting new members. We got to see some of the places where Ron’s ancestors had lived. As I was thinking of this lovely reunion and how some of those present at that time are no longer living, it reminded me of a far better reunion that is soon to take place. ” For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1Thes 4:16,17 “Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 1Cor 15:51-54
What a glorious reunion that will be! We will see our loved ones again! We will see those about whom we have read in the Bible! Jesus promised, “And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.” Matt 8:11 Think of it! We will be able to hear from Abraham’s own lips the story of His experience. We will be able to listen as Joseph tells of his slavery in Egypt and how God turned his captivity into a blessing for the world. We will hear from Daniel details of his life in the courts of Babylon and of his faithfulness to God through it all. We will have fellowship with the beloved disciple, John, who was changed from a “son of thunder” to the disciple who was the most loving and kind.
Better still, we will see our Creator, our Redeemer, our Dearest Friend. We will dwell with Him face to face. Our hearts will thrill as we worship Him Who died to save us. “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Rev 21:1-4 Jesus says, “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Rev 22:12-14
May that day come soon is my prayer!
Rose