"THE END... and the Beginning"
by Doris


Hi, dear ones -

Many (if not most) of us seem to be going through heavy trials these days, of greater or lesser duration and intensity but always demanding every ounce of our being if we are to keep on keeping on. And some days it seems we no sooner get a handle on one trial than six more come thundering down around us, hemming us in on every side. It is NOT fun. In fact, it is frequently terribly depressing. Even when we know the Lord as our precious Saviour and powerful Friend, we still feel overwhelmed at times - at least, I have, particularly for the past few years. There have been bright patches, but there have been other spells of absolute misery, with no hope in sight...

... that is, until a week ago this past Wednesday.

On Wednesday, November 7th, my prayer journal contained just one entry:  "THE END". I had had it. There was no way out. Even the Scripture verse in one of the daily readings for that day was signally appropriate:  "She has done all that she could do." Yep, that was me. I had had it. I was at the end of my resources. I drove in to town to pick up the mail, hoping desperately for an unexpected windfall that wasn't there. I couldn't go on. For the next hour or more I sat in a friend's store crying my eyes out and chain-drinking coffee. (Can you chain-drink coffee? They say you chain-smoke; why not chain-drink? <G>) Anyway, eventually I got a grip on myself and headed back home.

The rest of the day was less turbulently emotional, praise God. A friend came down for supper and we sat in the living room watching the fire in the little air-tight woodstove. Didn't talk about anything earth-shattering, just enjoyed good home-cooked food and quiet fellowship over a couple of cups of peppermint tea after dinner.

It was late when she left, or maybe just late when I rallied from a reverie I'd fallen into. By the time I hit the sack it was nearing midnight. The Lord led me to read ONE page - the next one - in a book He'd brought into my possession some days before. On that page was the story of a little boy who was fussing and fretting and striving without avail to accomplish some task he'd set his mind to doing. He was getting more and more frustrated. Finally his father, who had been standing by watching the whole time, asked gently, "Have you exhausted all your resources, Son?"

"Y-y-y-ye-yes," sobbed the little boy, broken-heartedly. "(Sniffle) I have."

"No," his father corrected him kindly. "You haven't asked Me yet."

Wellllllllll, <sigh>, I didn't need to read any further, did I? The Lord had made Himself TOTALLY plain on that one. Here I had thought I'd turned everything over to Him ages ago... asked Him for help in a million different ways... prayed believing, sought His cleansing touch, read His Word, STOOD on His Word (His promises), etc., etc., etc. -

- but if He said I hadn't, then in His eyes I hadn't, so once again I asked Him, "Okay, Lord, would You please take over and get me out of this mess? I thought I'd handed it to you ages ago, but if You say I haven't, then I haven't. Soooo, HELP, please? In Jesus' Name, Amen."

Ten minutes later - it was just after midnight on November 8th - the Lord gave me the most WONDERFUL brief vision, and OHHH how I'm longing to share it with you, cuz it lifted my heart to the highest heaven and has had me dancing on the clouds almost ever since. Be blessed, dear hearts, and picture this:

A *host* of us were in the Throne Room of God, all gathered around Jesus, Who was standing in the middle of us. I noted particularly our eyes, for they were sparkling with joy and glistening with happy tears. We were crowding around Him and shouting happily for attention LIKE A BUNCH OF LITTLE SCHOOL-CHILDREN AROUND A MUCH-BELOVED TEACHER! Our hands were waving in the air like "Me! Me! Me!" petitions in a grade-school classroom, as we presented requests for our loved ones who weren't there at the moment, or for needs of every kind, large and small.

The most MAGNIFICENT thing about it was that we *knew* that Jesus was "tickled pink" (abundantly happy) that we were there doing exactly what we were doing,

and He was just BUBBLING OVER WITH JOY at the prospect of filling and OVER-filling every one of our requests. We had a RIGHT to be there; we were exactly where He wanted us to be; He had *bought* us with His blood, and we were HIS - not because of anything we had done, but because of who He is. BUT notice this!! We who were crowding around Him had ACCEPTED His free gift of Salvation. It is FREE, but we must RECEIVE it - and Him - in faith, with a grateful heart.

We had surrendered our wills to His ("Thy kingdom come, THY will be done..." was our prayer from our hearts). We loved and honoured Him in our daily lives, and sought the leading of His Holy Spirit every day. We loved Him because He first loved us; and we took Him at His Word, and obeyed His commandments. We had asked Him to show us any areas in our lives that needed His healing touch, and we had been purified in the Refiner's Fire of fiery trials.

We had come to the end of our ropes, and found...  HIM.

Hallelujah!

Dear, dear friends, if your prayers and your life are not radiating the love of God... If you're lonely, bitter, depressed, overwhelmed, suffering, grieving, angry, resentful or whatever...  If your heart is breaking and you don't know which way to turn, REACH UP and touch the Face of God. Drop that heavy load of trouble at the foot of His Cross, LEAVE it with Him, and FOLLOW HIM Home to heaven with all your heart. You're certainly more than welcome there, and there's room at the cross for you - right next to me. :-) Thank You, Jesus!

Love you all muchly, dear hearts..

(((HUGS))) and blessings,
Doris <><





Doris H. <><
http://www.ohzone.net - Enter the OHzone - Where Christ is KING!!
http://www.ohzone.net/widowswalk/ - A Widow's Walk - Alone, and yet not ALONE
http://www.ohzone.net/signs.htm - Signs of the End of the Age
http://www.ohzone.net/salvation.htm - What must I do to be saved? SALVATION

"And the Spirit and the Bride say, COME..."