“Consider it pure joy my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perserverance." James 1:2-3
I often wonder why the Lord leads me to write so many devotionals on being overwhelmed, weary or constantly challenged in one way or another. It’s not like I live in constant tribulation, but I do feel the ramifications from the trials and testing of my faith.
Often times when I feel inundated or bombarded with problems, I have found ways to actually file away my feelings and emotions and deal with them at a later time.
Maybe you have found that you are able to do that as well. Sometimes it’s a good thing to be able to file away emotions and deal with them when we are alone and can think clearly as to what needs to be done, or how we should respond to a certain situation. Our prayer life is our best defense against the back-draft that trials can bring.
It becomes a buckler to help shield us as our prayers sift through what we are up against. However, many of those times, I found that the simple release of tears produce an overwhelming and refreshing outlet that can bring a sweet release from the pain or sadness that may come from the emotion that has been filed away.
The Lord has many ways of bringing us to deal with the emotions that we have stored away and sometimes it may be through tears along with our prayers.
Yet, many times the Lord brings us to emotion by arousing us to tears through something that we may read or a song that hits that right spot, only to bring the emotion that needs to spill out of us.
Many times it is the release from what we carry day after day that builds up in us and we do not know how to properly empty ourselves from them. I have found myself in this situation more times than I can remember.
Where I simply needed to express how I was feeling to the One who best understands me and my expression comes through the form of a song. When I pour out my heart to the Lord my sadness turns into worship as I sit at the alter of the Lord praying and singing.
I fill a wonderful release to all the sadness that I have been storing in my heart over situations that I have been filing away and not dealt with. It is at these point that I realized that James 1:2-3 is at work in my heart developing perseverance in me, and if allowed, could become pure joy as I reckoned my situation to be to my advantage.
Wow, what a wonderful thing to be in the presence of the Living God, my God and my Father!
Romans chapter 8 tells us that God the Holy Spirit takes our feeble and frail prayer requests and brings them before God the Father, translating them into that which is acceptable to God and in harmony with His will.
Romans 8:26-27 even says that in the same way the Holy Spirit helps our weakness: for we do not know how to pray as we should: but the Holy Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words and He who searches the hearts, knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Just imagine that, the Holy Spirit intercedes with just the right words that we are feeling but can not express ourselves!
Oh the times I have felt that way and I know that you have felt that way as well. You want to pray over a certain thing and as you begin to pray, the words just do not seem to be there to say.
The scripture say’s…”with groanings too deep for words”. That’s when the Holy Spirit steps up to the plate and begins intersession for us, on our behalf.
God’s Spirit in us His Children, talks to Himself and explains what we need to say and while some find it hard to understand the experience of the Holy Spirit’s expression on the behalf of the saints is so wonderfully awesome and is acceptable to God.
May I encourage you today, to step into His presence real soon and find the comfort and release that you may need from a storm that may be brewing over you right now; or even something that you have filed away to deal with at a later time. Even if He chooses for you to stay in the storm a while, that’s okay!
Just reckon with yourself that you will not waste the suffering that you are having to endure for this present time and begin to consider it joy. The peace will come as you release it to God and realize that you are not alone. He has not neglected you, but you must go to Him. He is waiting for you now!
Hold Fast,
-Bren
