Monday, October 29, 2007

Tired? Discouraged?

The following thoughts were posted on Pilgrim Scribblings this afternoon. It's been a difficult day but the Creator and Sustainer of life has been my strength. Rest in Him, Pilgrim Pals!

Fellow pilgrim, where are you today? What circumstances have caused you to wonder, to question, to stumble? Have the trials along the road stolen some of your joy? Has the sense of wonder and amazement disappeared? Has the God of heaven who launched you on this earthly pilgrimage suddenly become distant and detached?

Perhaps you're having one of those welcomed days when the sun is shining in the midst of the storm. Maybe the situations you're facing today seem inconsequential when lined up against the awesomeness of the all-sufficient One. Do you feel like you and God could handle anything today? If so, praise His name! There are many other pilgrims who'd like to be in your shoes today.

Truthfully speaking we are all are differing stages of the journey. Some have just left home. Others have criss-crossed the landscape and have discovered that God is who He said He is and have found Him to be faithful. Others, perhaps, have disembarked temporarily with a sense that God has forsaken you. Be assured, no matter how convinced you may be that He has...He hasn't! Get back on board!

Today as you struggle to put one foot in front of the other, allow the Great Shepherd of the Sheep, Christ Himself, to come alongside. Walk with Him! Draw from His limitless resources! Cross the valley with the Divine Deliverer! Drink at His well if you are tired and thirsty! Rest awhile before journeying on!

Together let's keep our eyes on Jesus. In our deepest despair He is there! Allow Him to lift you above the crashing storm and take you to your place of quiet rest.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:1,2 (NIV)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Pilgrim...Very encouraging.
God bless you!

Julie (Little Missionary) said...

Pilgrim, I jumped ship or disembarked as you said - for the first time in my almost 16 years walking with the Lord, I abandoned ship thinking He actually abandoned me! I was wrong - He was always there - waiting and watching for my return.

I'm slowly recovering from a tumble in the darkness.....slowly learning to walk again...slowly learning to trust in the Lord again.

Julie (LM)

Felisol said...

Dear Pilgrim,
I found comfort and courage in your cermon of today.
When I heard the word discouraged I came to think of an LP my father got in 1960 from a Norwegian /American aunt. I do not remember the name of the singer, but the song goes like this:

Words: Civilla D. Martin, 1905; Music: Charles H. Gabriel, 1905

Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (Matthew 6:26)

Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Refrain
I sing because I'm happy,
I sing because I'm free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

"Let not your heart be troubled," His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Refrain

Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Refrain

About This Hymn

In the spring of 1905, Civilla D. Martin and her husband visited Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle of Elmira, New York. The wife had been bedridden for almost 20 years and the husband used a wheel chair for mobility. Both lived happy Christian lives that brought inspiration and comfort to all who knew them. One day Mr. Martin asked them the secret of their hopefulness. Mrs. Doolittle replied, "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me." Her statement inspired Civilla D. Martin to write a poem which she mailed the next day to Charles Gabriel, who supplied the music.

The words and midi music to this song are in the public domain. Thanks for Cyber Hymnal for the midi file. If you use the midi file on your web site please credit Cyber Hymnal and link to http://www.cyberhymnal.org.
Resources

From yours Felisol