Sweet little Magdalena's imminent birth has certainly challenged Julie and me. We know that every day that passes brings her closer to us holding her in our hands which we eagerly look forward to, but we also are keenly aware of what may come shortly after. Julie and I acknowledged to each other a few days ago that we are scared. Are we strong enough to deal with this uncertainty and the pain and grief that are likely on the road ahead? I am not sure, but I am so thankful that we don't have to be. We are not left alone in a meaningless universe with no hope. We have an amazing God that we can trust to take care of us and meet our needs just when we need them.
"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)
I love this verse and the promise it contains! The last few words could be translated, "...and find grace for a well-timed help." God's grace comes to us just when we need it, not before and never too late. That is why Jesus says not to worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow has enough trouble of its own, but God is already there and His mercies are new every morning, just when we need them. So how do we look into an utterly unpredictable future with, most likely, a great deal of grief and loss in it without becoming morose, self-centered, and depressed? How do we go on loving other people when we are scared and our hearts are grieving over what is to come? We preach Hebrews 4:16 to ourselves every day and fight the fight of faith in God's goodness and love for us. We approach the throne of grace with confidence! His grace will be sufficient and we can even rejoice in our sufferings because we have such and amazing God who will meet our needs at exactly the best moments.
My prayer for Julie and me is that our faith, while being challenged every day, will grow deeper and stronger. We love our little Magdalena and we want to spend as much time with her as we can before her true Father takes her home, but we know that His plan is best and we can rest peacefully in that.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the wonderful life of our little girl. Her life has already changed us and drawn us closer to you. Thank you for your amazing promises that we can bank on. Teach us to trust you more every day.
"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)
I love this verse and the promise it contains! The last few words could be translated, "...and find grace for a well-timed help." God's grace comes to us just when we need it, not before and never too late. That is why Jesus says not to worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow has enough trouble of its own, but God is already there and His mercies are new every morning, just when we need them. So how do we look into an utterly unpredictable future with, most likely, a great deal of grief and loss in it without becoming morose, self-centered, and depressed? How do we go on loving other people when we are scared and our hearts are grieving over what is to come? We preach Hebrews 4:16 to ourselves every day and fight the fight of faith in God's goodness and love for us. We approach the throne of grace with confidence! His grace will be sufficient and we can even rejoice in our sufferings because we have such and amazing God who will meet our needs at exactly the best moments.
My prayer for Julie and me is that our faith, while being challenged every day, will grow deeper and stronger. We love our little Magdalena and we want to spend as much time with her as we can before her true Father takes her home, but we know that His plan is best and we can rest peacefully in that.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the wonderful life of our little girl. Her life has already changed us and drawn us closer to you. Thank you for your amazing promises that we can bank on. Teach us to trust you more every day.
As scared as I am about the grieving of her, I cannot imagine it for the two of you. We love all three of you so much and we are so thankful that God has blessed us with whatever time we have with Magdalena! Thank you for sharing her with us and letting us be a part of this.
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