He's Holding My Hand

This week has been beyond trying and when I woke up this morning, I seriously thought things couldn't get much worse. Funny how the human brain works. Comparing problems of yesterday to the better times and never thinking about the fact that things could get worse. 
Well, I made a post on Facebook this morning saying something along the lines of "When you lose everything and everyone, you learn quickly that Jesus is all you need. Take the world and give me Jesus."
I wrote that and never thought another thing about it, Until I got a bad phone call and spent literally an hour weeping. And it hit me how blessed I am. How far God has brought me since 2015.
In 2015 had I gotten that call, or gone through what we are going through now, I would have grabbed the closest knife, box cutter or anything and sliced my arms. I would have popped a pain pill to numb the pain and downed a 6 pack of alcohol all in one setting. 
You see, I didn't have Christ by my side through anything in 2015. Not because He didn't want to be there. But, because I had done a fine job of pushing Him away and letting Him know that my plans and ways of handling stress was far better than His ways.
Today, After getting that phone call, I pulled out my Bible and poured over Gods word instead of harming myself. Instead of trying to fix my problems my way.  I don't have any new scars to show for the pain I feel. Instead I feel a strange since of peace in my heart, knowing that I am not the one in control. God is.

While I was reading my Bible and weeping like I have never done before. God showed me a verse in Isaiah 41:13

"For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee."

How powerful is that?  Instead of weeping, I am now thanking God. Because in the face of adversity. In the face of pain and heartache, God still has my hand. He's not going anywhere even tho so many others have left.
I am so thankful that God doesn't hold my past mistakes over my head like others seem to do. But, instead God uses these times to hold me and pull me closer to Him.
I could get angry and bitter at God or, I can draw closer to God as He draws closer to me.
I can say as king Hezekiah said when he found out that the Babylonians were about to take all that he had in Isaiah 39.

"Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken...."  ISAIAH 39:8

I will choose to hold that hand that is outstretched and waiting for me to take it.  He alone gives me strength to face today AND tomorrow and the days' after that as well.

HE IS MY ABBA FATHER.

"Now therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. "2 Tim 2:3

Bre Shafer