He Replenishes the Sorrowful Soul…

GOD CARES ENOUGH TO EVEN STORE YOUR TEARS, COUNT THE HAIRS ON YOUR HEAD

God is for you. Cry out to Him, put your trust in Him. 

You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book? When I cry out to You, Then my enemies will turn back; This I know, because God is for me. In God (I will praise His word), In the LORD (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me?  Psalm 56:8-11

I love the Lord, because He has heard My voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live. For You have delivered my soul from death, My eyes from tears, And my feet from falling.  I will walk before the Lord In the land of the living. Psalm 116:1-2,8-9

WHETHER UNFORETOLD CIRCUMSTANCES, OR EVEN CIRCUMSTANCES OF OUR MAKING, HE IS ALWAYS THERE WITH US.

Often in grief He reminds us — there He is…

Thus my heart was grieved, And I was vexed in my mind. I was so foolish and ignorant; I was like a beast before You. Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with Your counsel, And afterward receive me to glory.

Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.  My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  

Psalm 73:21-26

If I make my bed in hell — there He is…

You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.  Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.  If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me.

Psalm 139:5-10

If you died today are you certain you would go to heaven?

God’s Mercy will hold you up

Unless the Lord had been my help, My soul would soon have settled in silence.
If I say, “My foot slips,” Your mercy, O Lord, will hold me up.
In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul. Psalm 94:17-19

It will get better eventually, praying for that new song in your mouth

I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.  He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the Lord. Psalm 40:1-3

GOD IS GOOD NO MATTER WHAT WE SEE

Some may question God (that’s O.K.), but we need to remember, He is always good. He has no ill intentions towards us. This is life, and we will all suffer sorrow in it, some more than others. But He is there for you, being the man of sorrows acquainted with grief, He understands (Isaiah 53:3).

For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul. Jeremiah 31:25

Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.  Psalm 107:8-9

Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, Streaming to the goodness of the LORD— For wheat and new wine and oil, For the young of the flock and the herd; Their souls shall be like a well-watered garden, And they shall sorrow no more at all. “Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, And the young men and the old, together; For I will turn their mourning to joy, Will comfort them, And make them rejoice rather than sorrow. I will satiate the soul of the priests with abundance, And My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the LORD.”  Jer 31:12-14

And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, And come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Is 35:10

OH GOD, YOU ARE MY GOD . . . MY SOUL CLINGS TO YOU

This is the passage I believe God gave to me the day before my husband and best friend died. It came to mind outside the hospital as I waited, and was all I was able to pray, but was everything I needed.

O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.

My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.  Psalm 63:1, 8

As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?  My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, “Where is your God?”  When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me.  For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.

Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.   Psalm 42:1-5

MOVE IN CLOSE TO THE ALTAR OF THE LORD OF HOSTS!

The Lord of Hosts (the Angel Armies). He is our hope, the only Living God, our King and our God.

How lovely is Your tabernacle, O LORD of hosts!  My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Even the sparrow has found a home, And the swallow a nest for herself, Where she may lay her young—Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts, My King and my God.  Psalm 84:1-3

AS OUR EYES POUR OUT TEARS, WE HAVE AN ADVOCATE IN HEAVEN

Surely even now my witness is in heaven, And my evidence is on high. My friends scorn me; My eyes pour out tears to God. Oh, that one might plead for a man with God, As a man pleads for his neighbor!  Job 16:19-21

CRY OUT TO GOD…

I cried out to God with my voice— To God with my voice; And He gave ear to me. Psalm 77:1

The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.  He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them. Ps 145:18-19

In the day of prosperity be joyful, But in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, So that man can find out nothing that will come after him.  Ecclesiastes 7:14

I will love You, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.  I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.   Psalm 18:1-3

Are you Brokenhearted?

He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.  Psalm 147:3-5

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.  Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all. Ps 34:17-19

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written,  The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!  If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.  Psalm 139:16-18

I LOVE THE THOUGHT OF THE LORD SINGING OVER ME 

(This is spoken to Israel, but I believe this shows His nature towards those who are His).

The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save;

He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.”  Zephaniah 3:17

Especially at night, His song is with us — the God of my life!

Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls;

All Your waves and billows have gone over me.

The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime,

And in the night His song shall be with me—

A prayer to the God of my life.   Psalm 42:7-8

And tender new mercies in the morning…

This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “ Therefore I hope in Him!”

Lamentations 3:21-24

EVENTUALLY, WE’RE ABLE TO COMFORT OTHERS.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,  who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.  2 Cor 1:3-4

WHEN WE ARE WEAK, HE IS STRONG

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Cor 12:9-10

I sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4

This used to be a hard verse for me from Job 1, but then if I started to look at how the Lord gave me my husband, a man who loved me and was good to me. And my husband belonged to the Lord, so when he died, the Lord took him away when it was His time, the angels carried him to the Lord.  So I see it differently now. It’s sad, but I can be thankful for the bigger picture:

The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. 

And I remember our great hope:  

But as it is written:

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,

Nor have entered into the heart of man

The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.

For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.  I Corinthians 2:9-10

LEARNING TO COUNT IT ALL JOY.

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.  James 1:2-4

LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT DAY

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.  1 Pet 1:6-9

Sharing the Gospel with Others

HOPE DOES NOT DISAPPOINT

And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation >produces perseverance;

and perseverance,>character;

and character, >hope.

Now >hope does not disappoint,

because the >love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Romans 5:3-5

MAY GOD BE GLORIFIED

To God be the glory, great things He has done!

Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.  If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.  On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.  I Pet 4:12-14

Never alone… He will quiet you with His love.