“What are you thankful for?” Have you heard this question lately?

November is the month it seems everyone insists on tackling this topic. We make lists, we try to journal, we blog, we go around the table at Thanksgiving dinner and try to get our children to say that they are thankful for something (and hopefully something that doesn’t require batteries!)

But what if you are not feeling particularly thankful right now? Sure, we are told to give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18), but don’t we also serve a God who understands what we are going through and who won’t anger when our well of thankfulness starts to runs dry?

Yes, we do. God does understand. And yet He also knows the incredible joy that we can find–even in the worst of situations–when we make an effort to choose thankfulness for the blessings that we have been given. Being thankful is not for God’s benefit, but for our own.

But let’s put the perspective of thankfulness aside for now. Instead, let us focus on God’s faithfulness.

God is faithful

What does that mean exactly? It means His promises are never broken. He doesn’t change His mind about you being a priority. His love is not based on how you feel. It is unconditional. God is faithful in good times and bad. He promises that He will provide for us (Isaiah 41:10). He promises to protect us (Genesis 15:1). He is with us (Hebrews 13:5), He will lead us (John 10:4), and He promises to guide each of our steps (Psalm 25:9).

God gives us many promises to cling to

2 Peter 1:4 says, “Because of His glory and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share His divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”

In what ways has God been faithful to you?

According to 2 Peter, God’s promises enable us to share in His divine nature. You know when we mess up and we say, “Well, that is just human nature”? Divine nature is being more like Jesus and less like . . . well, us!

When has God shown you His faithfulness? What promises have you seen come alive in your life?

One of my favorite verses is about God’s promises specifically: “My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promises preserve my life,” (Psalm 119:50). God’s promises preserve my life– despite the pain and suffering.

How to find examples of God’s faithfulness in your life

Look through the scriptures of things that God promises to us, and start writing down a sentence or two that reflects that promise in your life. You can search through your Bible and find some of God’s promises to jot down or you can find long lists of God’s promises online at websites such as In Touch Ministries.
What would you put on your list? It may look something like this:

Proverbs 15:15: “All the days of the afflicted are bad, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast.”
Even though I am in constant pain, God has shown me that by doing one thing a day that brings me a little joy can make all the difference in my perspective on life and how I relate with my family.

Psalm 147:3: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
God does heal. He doesn’t always heal me the way I would like, but I know that He is binding up my wounds in His own way. There are days when I feel such despair, but surrendering it all over to Him and not stressing out about it all is a way of Him binding me up each day.

Romans 8:6: “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.”
When I was in the hospital I was so afraid that I may not live. But when my friend came and prayed with me it gave me a new perspective and I had peace beyond anything I would have imagined. My friend helped me put my mind set on the ‘Spirit.’

How can this help me?

Writing down these things can be comforting, because they are based on fact. They show God in action. They are not based on your perspective or on how volatile your emotions are today because of your pain. If you wake up tomorrow and do not feel thankful for anything, read through some of the things on your list. They have not changed. And God never changes. If He was faithful yesterday, He will remain faithful today . . . and tomorrow.

Your record can be a keepsake for generations to come

Psalm 89:1,2 says, “I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make Your faithfulness known, through all generations. I will declare that Your love stands firm forever, that You have established Your faithfulness in heaven itself.” So not only are you recording the promises God has fulfilled in your life for yourself and your own comfort and joy, but it will also be a record of His guiding your life for you to pass on to further generations.

Lisa Copen is the founder of Rest Ministries and she lives in San Diego with her husband and son. She is gradually learning how to balance motherhood, family, illness, and ministry, but she still knows it will be a lifetime lesson. You can see the books she has written, including, Why Can’t I Make People Understand? at the Rest Ministries shop.

She is currently writing a book for Christian moms who live with chronic illness. If you are interested in sharing your stories, feedback and confessions for the book, visit her Facebook page at http://MomWithIllness.com .

PRODUCT LINKS: How to Live Right When Your Life Goes Wrong | Finding Hope When Life is Not Fair | Have You Felt Like Giving Up Lately?

46 million people are on food stamps, 15 percent of Americans.

July saw the highest level of layoffs in 16 months, the steepest jump since the recession.

The president promises that the next few months will be about jobs. The reporters says it’s all about. . .

Jobs.

Jobs.

Jobs.

But talking about jobs doesn’t make them materialize.

People are still hungry.

I read Jeremiah 33:2-3. “‘This is what the Lord says, He who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it-—the Lord is His name: ‘Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’”

Life is messy.

But God is still on the throne.

He says to call to Him and He will answer and He will tell me great and unsearchable things that I do not know.

Who needs Google?

We cannot fathom what God has to tell us. I cannot even search for it, because I don’t even know what words to search for.

He made the earth. How can I doubt that He will take care of me?

Because you have seen people suffer, my heart whispers. Where was God then?

I struggle to reconcile why I see faithful servants of Christ still suffer. I see women with cancer who are abused by their husbands. I see men who can no longer provide for their families because of their illness, and their wives cheat on them. I see those with medical debt now living in campgrounds because they have lost their homes.

Where is the justice?

If the Lord loves justice (Psalm 11:7), then why does He seem to withhold justice (Job 34:5)?

The Psalmist says, “I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.” (Psalm 140:12) How does he know?

What are our options when all seems unfair?

To wait. Oh, how I hate waiting!

To believe that God is the source of justice.

“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore He will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him!” (Isaiah 30:18)

Blessed are those who wait! So. . . I should not hate waiting. I should embrace it.

So I will wait. I will search for the ways I can see His hidden graciousness. I will expect His compassion, for He is love.

I will wait.

And in the wait, I will find His blessings.

And when I am saturated with His blessings, embraced by His compassion, I will be less concerned about justice.

Just give me Jesus.

Lisa Copen is the founder of Rest Ministries and she lives in San Diego with her husband and son. She is gradually learning how to balance motherhood, family, illness, and ministry, but she still knows it will be a lifetime lesson. You can see the books she has written, including, Why Can’t I Make People Understand? at the Rest Ministries shop.

Through my conversations with Angela Dugi, author of What I Learned Lying Down: Hope for the Chronically Ill, I saw that God did indeed meet her needs during her times of devastation. She struggles with chronic fatigue, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, and asthma, and yet God has provided for her in miraculous ways. God has used her illnesses to teach her five life lessons:

First, we must gain an eternal perspective

“God used my weekly trips to the cancer center to teach me that, and much more.” Because she is chronically ill, she could empathize with others who were hurting. She knows firsthand (after fourteen years) how encouraging words helped her to survive when she thought she could not make it another day. She wants to make sure others have the Hope in Christ she experiences.

Second, we need to learn to appreciate the little things

Like rain! As with many who suffer with Lupus, Angie is UV Light Sensitive and cannot be out in the sun longer than a few minutes otherwise she faces life-threatening consequences. She was saddened that she could no longer be outside during daylight hours. But, she soon began to appreciate the rainy days as those days she was free to be outside!

Since my life is at a standstill, I appreciate the little things.

Thirdly, we need to discover that it really is okay to be still

One thing about being ill is that you don’t always have a choice of whether you want to rest and be still or not. Angie has had her share of guilt over not being able to do all she planned to do. It was (and continues to be) at those times when God reminds her of Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you who are wary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (NIV)

The Psalms remind us to be still (cease striving) and know that He is God. Angie states that when God asks us to be still, it’s because “He has set you aside for a very special purpose and assignment.”

“One of the treasures I have found is in hearing His quiet voice because
of the many hours I spent lying down.” -Angela Dugi

Fourthly, we need to believe that we can be fruitful in affliction

His power is made perfect in weakness. (2 Corinthians 12) Angie reminds us that, “Jesus doesn’t waste our sorrows or pain. You are of much value to the Lord and He can use you even if you are in bed reading this flat on your back.” We can share the love of Christ in the midst of our pain, finding joy and purpose.

Lastly, we need to rejoice in God’s goodness as he creatively ministers to us

In her book, Angie talks about the many different ways God has encouraged her: from seeing her favorite bird to having neighbors pop in to help. One of the biggest ways God strengthens her is through Scripture. “These scriptures are God breathed words that the Holy Spirit uses to strengthen me so I can make it through another day.”

“I take it [God's Holy Word] like medicine.” -Angela Dugi

Angie is so transparent in how God has used her health struggles to help mold her character and deepen her faith. She is a great example of letting God work in her life. For more on Angie or to get a copy of her book, go to www.be-encouragedonline.com

Bridget Gazlay is a freelance writer and artist (and is also chronically ill). She resides in West Michigan. www.pfccreations.com . ** Watch for more articles in coming weeks from Bridget as she shares the highlights of what she has learned through her conversations with Angela!

Note: The following article is an excerpt from Beyond Pain: Job, Jesus, and Joy, reprinted with permission of author, Maureen Pratt. Many of you know Maureen as you have read her previous book, Peace in the Storm and watched Rest Ministries founder, Lisa Copen, on Maureen’s TV show of the same name.

This book is available at Amazon (where you can read Lisa Copen’s review) among other places.

JESUS: Our Light and Our Hope

. . .but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us. For Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly. . . God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Romans 5:3-6,8

In the Old Testament, those suffering illness, deformity and pain are often considered social pariahs, and people for whom good fortune and God’s approval seem to have cast aside. The lessons of Job (humility, gratitude and outreach to others) are valuable to us today. But even more inspirational for us are the lessons imparted to us by Jesus Christ, especially his message of love, respect, and salvation available to all people.

Through His ministry, example and ultimate sacrifice of death on the cross, Jesus brings those who suffer hope to do more than merely endure their lives–He breathes new energy and life into those who are faltering. His Sermon on the Mount offers food for those whose lives are torn by grief, poverty, despair and pain. His abiding love embraces all, regardless of their station in life.

Jesus was the Son of God, divine in every way. But He also walked upon the earth and among the people of the day, and in this, He, too, suffered much long before His excruciating trek to Calvary. He experienced very human emotions, becoming enraged, weeping, and, one has to imagine, laughing, too.

In a time when transportation was on foot or, for the very fortunate, by [donkey], our Lord traveled roads choked by dust, peppered with stones, abuzz with biting flies, and baked by scorching sun–a far cry from our air-conditioned automobiles and buses!

Jesus was not a wealthy man when He set out on His journey, nor did He acquire wealth along the way. He did not even have a steady income, savings account, health insurance, or government assistance–things that many of us take for granted today.

Yet for all of these discomforting obstacles, our Lord was not deterred from carrying out His mission. Rather, He set forth in His ministry enduring much physical and emotional pain, and did not stop when the pain worsened–even unto death.

What can we learn from this?

Jesus shows us by His example that we need not have millions of dollars or be pain free before doing God’s work. Rather, we need to take who we are, all that we are, and set forth, just as He did.

Jesus also reminds us that, if God could send His only Son to die for us, we should understand that our lives will be a mixture of good and pain. Job learned this. But what is so very different here, and what sheds warm, bright light upon our lives, is that God is not only greater than we are in our suffering, He is also all-loving.

Illness is not a punishment, nor is it an indication of moral failings or poor character. From Job’s “woe is me. . .” Jesus brings us to “blessed are we. . .”
How wonderful is the Lord!

The Joy Despite Suffering

The joy that Job experiences at the end of his story is very much an earthly joy–his prosperity is restored, he feels better, he is accepting of who he is and who God is. Job’s joy comes from his trials and his ability to develop strength, courage, and self-awareness.

The joy that Jesus brings is far beyond any that we experience on earth. It is a divine joy that culminates in the reality of the Resurrection, the Lord’s promise fulfilled.

We still need strength, courage, and self-awareness to build our faith and ministry. But we have Jesus’ light to guide us, and His example to emulate. This is a tall order, especially if we are physically and emotionally frail! But, as we know, nothing is impossible with God. . . And if we have glimmers of this truth in the Old Testament, in the New Testament, we meet the full reality of this truth from the very beginning of Christ’s remarkable life.

PRAYER
Oh, Lord, so very often
My pain makes me feel old.
Help me in the coming days and nights
renew my energy and youth of spirit.
Light my life with your grace
and fill me with your hope.
Help my faith
overcome the pain that weighs me down.

Amen

Maureen Pratt is an award-winning playwright, journalist and author, as well as a sought-after speaker and patient advocate. Her biweekly column, “Living Well,” is in distribution through Catholic News Service and has appeared in publications in the United States and abroad. Her articles have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Arthritis Today Magazine, Lupus Now Magazine, National Employment Business Weekly, and other national and regional publications. Her play, “In Good Faith,” won the Best Play, State of Maryland Award, and her manuscript, “Dream Come True,” won the 1999 Molly Best Inspirational Award.

By Bridget Gazlay

This is a 3-part article series.
Part 1: Reflections On Job
Part 2: When We Question God

Yesterday’s article was about how we naturally question God, but we need to always remember that God is in control of all of our circumstances and situations and has our best interest at heart at all times.

Today, we will look at what we can learn from Job’s story? How can we apply this to our own suffering?

• Your situation might not be directly caused by sin (although there certainly could be consequences of sin).
• God is with you and sees everything you are going through, and even allows it. We don’t like to think that God actually allows trials and suffering, but He does. Sometimes God gives the world over to its sinful nature. But He will always provide a way out for those who trust in Him–whether it’s true peace, deliverance, provision, physical healing, or physical death.
• God always has a purpose behind what happens. We might not find out what that is until we see Jesus again but there is a purpose. If God does give us a glimpse of the big picture–count yourself blessed!
• God can use any situation to bring himself glory and honor. When the darkness hits, ask God to show you what you can learn from that situation. Ask Him to show you how He can use it for good.
• God will rescue us but the timing of that rescue is of course, in God’s hands.
  - If we continue to trust in Him during the hard times, He will rescue us. The timing of that rescue is of course, in God’s hands.
• There is more going on than just what we see in front of us. Job had no idea the angels were at work around him. But, we can have faith in the God who does see everything.
• God uses hardships to remind the world of His authority. When Christians persevere under trials, the world sees God’s power in their lives.
• God sometimes uses our struggles to help mold our character. After his time of suffering, Job had the privilege of having a more intimate relationship with God. His faith and trust in God grew from that experience.

I see so many people who instead of turning to God during the hard times, blame God and hate Him for allowing the evil to persist. God is just as hurt and saddened by our state of humanity these days as we are. But, He still wants to have people love him willingly and to know Him in a personal way.

The only way to know God in that way is to experience Him at work in our lives. If everything was perfect and great, we would never have a reason to look to God, for anything. It’s those hard times that make us appreciate the good times.

Someday this world will be gone and those who believe in Jesus’ sacrificial death will be with God, for all eternity. There will be no evil, tribulation, or sadness. Only love for our Savior. I know I can’t wait for that day.

Until then, I will rejoice in my sufferings because I know God’s glory will be revealed through them. . . somehow. I definitely don’t have all the answers and certainly some things are hard to believe. Then again, that’s what faith is all about–believing in the impossible. . . believing in God!

What are some of the ways that you have seen the suffering in your own life be a blessing? Do you ever wish for just a simple life, instead of one that requires struggling to produce perseverance?

Bridget Gazlay resides in the beautiful West Michigan. She struggles with Fibromyalgia, Endometriosis, IBS, arthritis and migraines. She works full time but writes and designs fabric cards as she is able. Bridget’s prayer is for readers who come across her writing or fabric cards to see that she allows, “God’s creation to be my inspiration.” You can reach Bridget at: quiltforhim@yahoo.com or www.pfccreations.com. Make sure to check out her new blog: www.pfccreations.com/blog.