I was reading my devotions this morning and was really encouraged by this scripture in Psalm 40:1-2 which says, "I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand". I read that verse and I think of all the bad in my life, past and present, that God has lifted me out of! I don't know why but my heart feels led to speak directly to birth families that have been held down by addiction. My prayer is that this falls into the lap of someone God is calling and has been calling. My prayer is that God would use me to reach the heart of a birth mom or dad who needs to hear these words. God is for you. Your life matters. God brings restoration. Stay with me because I know that you may feel like the whole world is against you. I know you may think, "You have no idea what I have done in my life." You may think you are worthless and that nobody could care about you. And you may also think your life is not worth living. want you to hold onto these 3 things!
1. God is for you!
Psalm 56:8-11 says, "You have kept count of my tossing; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? This I know, that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, I shall not be afraid." I love this! I love this because it reminds us that God cares for us so much that he keeps track of our tears, he sees our pain and he doesn't dismiss our pain. Friend, let that sink in! There is not a drop of water that falls from your eyes that God has not seen. He is for you! He cares for you! No matter what your life looks like today or tomorrow! His love does not waver! Maybe you are "getting geared up" right this minute or maybe you are coming off of the best "high"! Can I just tell you that there is NOTHING you can do to make God not be FOR YOU! 2. Your Life Matters 1 Peter 2:9 says, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." Friend, you are chosen! Your life matters! You may not "feel" like you are chosen and you may not "feel" like your life matters, but YOU ARE and IT DOES! The way we feel can so often lead us astray! Our feelings do not equal facts! God is calling you out of the darkness into his wonderful light! You are His!
3. God brings restoration. 1 Peter 5:10 tells us, "And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." And John 3:16 reminds us that God so loved the world that He gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. I truly cannot imagine the pain and hurt that you feel on a daily basis, even an hourly basis. I cannot imagine not having my children and feeling like I had failed them. I have talked with birth moms and sat and cried with birth moms who feel they have failed their children. But God brings restoration no matter what! All we have to do to receive that restoration is chose Jesus. We simply have to accept the FREE gift God gives! We believe that God sent his son, his one and only son, to earth to live a life FREE of sin (unlike us) and died a criminals death on the cross, ALL FOR US! He died so that we could live! So that families could be restored! So that we could walk in freedom! I know walking in freedom and restoration seems like a hopeless task for you right now but my prayer for you is that you would know that God is for you, that you would know that your life matters and that God does bring restoration. You may need see your family restored right now but choosing to live your life for Jesus and praying your children do the same is the ONE SURE WAY we can KNOW that families WILL be restored! You can still fight for your children! You can choose life! You can choose Jesus!
Can I pray for you? God, I don't know what my friends reading this are dealing with, feeling or even going through because I haven't gone through it. However, I know your love for them and I have experienced your forgiveness and grace in my life! I ask that you would cover them with your love today! Overwhelm them with your love in such a mighty way that they would never question it again! Make yourself known to them! Restore their families! Restore their health! Free them from addiction as I truly believe you can! Help them know that in a world that pushes addicts away, you draw them closer! You are not afraid of their mistakes and you don't expect them to be perfect! You simply desire for them to come as they are, to accept you and to do their best to live their lives for you, and not for themselves. Break down walls Lord that need to be broken down! Thank you for allowing me to know these people. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to love them! Amen.