“Record my misery; list my tears on your scroll— are they not in your record?” A famous poet and musician wrote that line centuries ago. Another not so famous poem by FWH Meyers “What are these miserable, hideos years for? Hast Thou not heard Thy whole creation groaning sighs? Did not the woman’s tears of mourning wake Thee? The answer is not obvious, so we must look deeply into our pain – there must be an explanation.” When we examine our pain, many do NOT find an explanation, but a determined few find a Person. The world we live in now is not a bed or roses for any human or nation. Our Father placed thorns on the stems of His most beautiful creations – and the Creator of all that is, also gave His most precious effective armor to use when we come against those who seek to destroy our faith in God. The enemy uses fear and lies like: “you are worthless and nobody cares about you!” Remembering that we are God’s prized possession is hard when we suffer. If God is love, why is there so much suffering? The suffering of Jesus had a divine purpose, what is mine? Are we not beautiful in His sight? Christians are a target, and the Liar is screaming at us. Our Father calls us to fight the good fight. The Believer’s handbook records only the truth and in it we find much suffering and lamentations. Even courageous people of God, doubt and sink into depression. ❤️ The angel in first Kings 19:5 did not give Elijah a vision, or explain the Scriptures to him. The heavenly being did not do anything remarkable. He simply told Elijah to do a very ordinary thing; “ARISE AND EAT. Without the lows, we would not experience the height of joy or any exalted state. When the Spirit of God comes to us, He does not give us glorious visions, but He tells us to do the next obvious thing in front of us. Eat, sleep, get up, repeat. Depression tends to turn us inward to self-pity. When we cry out, God steps in, and as His word comforts, we are also moved to do simple things— “do the dishes, sweep the porch, take a nap” Such urges may NOT seem to be inspired by God, but as we obey, we commingle with His Spirit. Trusting God, we know that we are never alone, and when we effort to ‘walk this way’ the depression, the burden is lifted. Respond to His whisper, and enter into His beautiful, renewing presence. When we ask “WHY Lord must I suffer?” May we be still and listen carefully to His reply “Trust Me” and be satisfied. For His glory we choose to suffer well, without always knowing why. Elizabeth Elliot, a woman whose first husband was killed by indians on a missions trip, and her 2nd husband died of cancer, speaks to us from personal experience. Elisabeth talks frankly about suffering as she leads us to find a divine purpose within our own tragedies. Trust that zero tears go unnoticed, or wasted by God Almighty.

Keep an attitude of gratitude and be blessed. ❤️ Hebrews 12:28-29 “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” Remember your passionate love of Jesus and count your blessings. Thank You Lord for the gift of faith. Thank You for shedding Your blood to cover my sins. Thank You God for my salvation. Thank You for preparing a place for me and for Your promise that You will take me to be with You eternally. Thank You God for Your patience with me, and for Your generous mercy, provision and grace. Thank You Jesus for my friends and family. Thank You for equipping me with the Holy Spirit. Thank You for choosing me and keeping me as Your precious possession. 💕 Thank You for giving me opportunities to trust You, to rely on You as my Lord, and Provider. Your absolute sufficiency enables me to boldly share the Gospel. Lord Jesus, Thank You for choosing me for such a time as this. AMEN

Romans 8:37-39 “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ❤️ In Christ alone we depend, we trust, we hope, we rely, we run to, we treasure, we surrender all. For Jesus is able, He is all sufficient and magnificent to save, provide and forgive those who believe. Hallelujah and AMEN Psalm 84:4-12 “Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they are ever praising You. Blessed are those whose strength is in You…as they pass through the Valley of Baka, (weeping) they make it a place of springs…They go from strength to strength.” Through our suffering, our tears, we choose to draw closer to God, or we deny His blessing. “Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty; listen to me… O God; look with favor on your anointed one. Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere…Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in You.” AMEN

Romans 10:9-10 “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” ❤️ Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” ❤️ 1 Timothy 6:12 “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” Colossians 2:7,9-10 “Rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.” ❤️ This supernatural fullness comes from Jesus when we completely surrender our thinking, our goals, our selfish preferences —for His enduring love, and His Way. Jesus is the head, the Power and Supreme Authority over all – why would we choose to hang on to our human desires over what the Creator of all, our King offers? Pride and stubbornness keeps us leaning on our own understanding and self-sufficiency. Our most hesitant confession is met with His great compassion, mercy and forgiveness. Oh Lord, thank You for Your patience. I ask You to forgive my self reliance and I turn to You for comfort, rest and healing. AMEN

Be encouraged, renew your mind in Romans chapter 8 and think on these lovely things ❤️ “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit who lives in you. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, “Abba, Father.”….The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” Amen

“May you begin to see with Spirit eyes all the ways God is moving because of your prayers. May you begin to hear with heavenly ears the song heaven sings over you. May you begin to know—on a deeper level—how important and precious your faith is to God. And may you grow to know and believe (down to your toes) that God’s Promises are absolutely true. And, may you live accordingly. What changes might God initiate in you, through you, and all around you because He finds faith in you? Try to imagine—picture it, if you can—a renewed and empowered “you” walking forward with boldness, courage, conviction, and faith. You know who you are because you know who God is. Dare to pray bold prayers. Dare to ask God to transform you from the inside out. Dare to ask Him to move mountains, part waters, and transform lives. That’s who He is. That’s what He does. And He does His best work through surrendered, faith-filled saints. Have a bold and courageous day today!” Susie Larson –