I look forward to going to the house of the Lord and as soon as I walk through the door I am surrounded by the warmth of the Holy Spirit. I could be sick, or sad or tired or moody but I can still feel the warmth of the Spirit.
I walk through the double doors of the vestibule and see the usual suspects. I see them scattered about and it is always a mystery to me why we never sit close to each other. Why are there so many empty spaces around us? Is that telling? I digress. I see the altar and sometimes I just want to throw myself on it and sob mercilessly and at other times I want to get on my knees and reconnect with my friend and sometimes I want to crawl into a ball and surrender everything to Him.
I choose to sit on the second or third chair in the second row on the right side of the church.
I settle in . I take off my coat or jacket . I put my purse down and do one last perusal of the sanctuary. Some are talking, some are reading , some are getting the equipment ready, prepping the service and some are rocking their babies.
I kneel pleading for the Lord to allow me some quiet time with Him and no interruptions.
"Father God,
I come to You in the name of Jesus Christ"
(It's seems mechanical at first)
Then I reflect.
I reflect on the blessings I have. I reflect on the needs of others.
I reflect on my needs and I reflect on my past.
We all have our thorns on our sides and our crosses to bear. Mine is a horrid past.
A past I give to the Lord every time I get down on my knees. A past that He has freed me from but the results of it physically, are still with me and are both a reminder of how far I've come and Where He will take me.
To say that a Child of the Lord is free of any burdens or sorrows, to say that a child of the Lord doesn't mourn or suffer hideously. To say that a Child of the Lord will never have a bad day is wrong.
To say that there is hope, to say that there is someone to hold your hand through your most frightening memories , the ones that wake you up in the middle of the night, to say that there is joy in the midst of the mourning, To say there are tears of happiness because at the lowest and deepest hurt you can still feel He has never left your side is not wrong.
I don't have much to give but what I have , what God has given to me, What God has EQUIPPED me with in spite of all the downs in life, What God has shown me, What God has provided me with I will share with you.
A word of encouragement and not a false hope.
Life is tough and it might get tougher but God is real and He is stronger and although you might not see the results quickly, Believe me they are coming!!!! Hold on!
Hold on dear one because joy comes in the morning, the sound of your laughter will drown out your tears . Hold on.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and praise. Enter His gates ready to surrender.
Enter His gates prepared to lay all your burdens down and giving it to God.
Enter His gates and ask for strength for what's coming
Enter His gates and receive that blessing
Enter His gates and receive a fresh annointing to help you carry on in this dreary and horrid world.
Hold on Dear one
Be Blessed
Pastora Debbie
