{{item.title | uppercase}}

{{item.authdes}}

Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her!
Luke 1:45 NIV

August 8

On that evening, the life I had known for nearly fourteen years came to an end.

I had no warning, no hints it was about to happen, and no time to prepare.

One minute I was living a normal and predictable life, and the next minute I was thrust into the unknown.

I was so scared those first few days, weeks, and months. I couldn’t see beyond the present moment. I was consumed by the loss my children and I faced. I was scared about my finances, since raising three kids is expensive. I worried about how I would function as an only parent. I feared my children would not grow up to be normal functioning adults without a father in their lives. I was convinced I would be alone for the rest of my life, never to be loved again.

These thoughts were so overwhelming that I begged God to give me some sort of assurance about the future. I just needed to know that it would be alright. I didn’t need or even want the details right then. That wasn’t what I was asking. I just needed Him to show me that I wasn’t going to drown, even if I felt like I was.

So I asked, and God spoke.

He spoke to my heart and told me that, just as He had in the past, He would provide for my family’s financial needs. He reminded me that I can do all things in Christ…even single parenting. He comforted me with assurances that my children would be normal, well-adjusted adults. He soothed my fears by promising me that I would be loved again and have a good marriage if I just followed His lead.

Widowhood has worn me down. I watch the small life insurance policy get smaller, and I wonder if I will be able to stretch it until the kids are grown. I see that my kids still have so much growing up to do, and I succumb sometimes to that voice that says “You can’t do this”. I sit by myself at night after the kids go to bed, and the loneliness feels suffocating.

I find myself doubting. Wondering if I really heard God whisper those promises to my heart. Satan asks me time and time again, “Did God really say…?” On my weak days I fall into the trap and I question if God did say it. I lose faith in the promises.

But then I found Luke 1:45.

“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord will fulfill His promises to her!” This verse is in the story of Mary sharing with her cousin Elizabeth what the angel told her. I have read this story many, many times, but that verse never stuck out to me. Until I needed to hear it! God’s voice was so loud in my heart that He might as well have been speaking audibly. When I read that verse I knew that He was speaking to me. He was reminding me that I only have to believe.

When I focus on the promises, when I truly believe even when there is no reason to…I am blessed.

Dear friends, if you have been traveling this road, you probably feel weary. If you haven’t done so already, ask God to give you some promises for your future. And when He does, believe them Our God does not lie. He always follows through. It may not be in your timing and it may not look like you expected, but He will not fail you.

Be blessed in the believing and trust Him.

It’s not always easy, and Satan will try to make you doubt, but I encourage you to stay strong and fight the lies with God’s own words.

Father, we wrestle with weariness and doubt. Encourage us, reminding us of the promises You have given. Give us strength and power when Satan tries to make us question You. Help us to have patience and courage to wait for Your timing and to know that You always come through for us. Thank You, Lord, that You are the God of Truth and the God of Love. Thank You that we can count on whatever You have promised us. Amen