Trust Him
Scripture Joel 2:13, 3:16
Joel 2:13 “And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.” (KJV)
Joel 3:16 “ The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.” (KJV)
The month of May was supposed to be a happy month for me. Out of all of the months this year, I expected that one month to be, if not great, good. It wasn’t. Instead, I spent about 3.5 weeks out of 5, crying; some days and nights, back to back. And if you don’t know…I hate crying. It’s not something I do. I don’t cry when I am hurt, emotionally or physically. I only cry when my soul and spirit have been cut and even then, I try to hide it. I lost something I cherished in May. The devil hit me in a place I thought I had mended years before, a long time ago. The devil is so sneaky and instead of coming at me face forward, he attacked me from the rear. As I near graduation, he has tried to break me on so many levels (because if God uses me to help one person form a relationship with Him, then that is victory).
This last month, I questioned my calling to minister to others. I questioned if I heard God speak to me in 2003 when I started school. I felt that I was empty and had given my all to everyone and everything else. Although I was being filled from various places, I wasn’t being filled up. I was always pouring it out to other people, things, and situations. (I am not the only one, so who else has felt that?) But through it all, God remained faithful to me, because it was a struggle to remain faithful to Him. He kept whispering to me. He kept holding me.
The very place someone tore me down in is the very place God sent a new someone to build me back up. So, as I was reading Joel, it struck me (once again) that God will allow circumstances to break your heart/spirit, so that He can replace what is torn, with the mending of His grace, mercy, and love. All the things God did for me, He will and wants to do for you.
Some one you know what I am talking about. You too have been there or are currently there. God is asking you to turn to Him. He will be your strength when you don’t have any. He has you. You think your momma got you, or your daddy can save you, or your friends will be there in your time of need. They won’t, not because they don’t care or won’t try, but because they are only human. God never fails. He never lets you down. God has many names all through how He has revealed Himself to us. He is our Rock (Zur), He is our shield (Magen), He is with us (Jehovah-Shammah), He heals, (Jehovah-Rophe), He is our Lord and Savior (Jesus Christ). So from these two verses of Joel, we learn something else about God. Our hearts/minds/spirits/souls will be broken, but God wants us to turn to Him during those times, to trust Him. And when the “lion” roars and the foundation of your “world” is shaken, He will continue to be a refuge for you. He will hold you up, when you don’t think you can face another battle.