“There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:42 (NLT) The heart of this ministry is to inspire a love for God’s Word and encourage the discipline of daily Bible reading and SOAP journaling. These are a few of our SOAP notes from today’s reading. We encourage you to read and journal on your own first, then join us in conversation about what God revealed to YOU today. Click HERE to go directly to the daily reading if you wish.
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Grief Turned to Joy | Kelley Deases
S~ A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. John 16:21 (NIV)
O~ Jesus is speaking to his disciples about how the pain and anguish they will feel at Jesus’ death will turn to joy when they see Him again. “And no one will take away your joy.” (v. 22)
A~ Because of His cryptic language, the disciples were quite confused by what they were hearing from Jesus. But since I have the benefit of knowing “the rest of the story” of how Jesus’ life, death and resurrection play out, I can appreciate His analogy to childbirth. When I was pregnant with my firstborn (23 years ago!) my nausea and morning sickness was not restricted to the morning nor the first trimester, as is typical. I had trouble keeping anything more than crackers down, but yet somehow managed to gain 40 pounds! My face broke out with a terrible case of acne, which I have not had before or since. My joints were swollen and sore. I was generally a miserable mess. When I did go into the hospital and my water broke, my labor progressed so slowly I had to get a second epidural after the first one had worn off. But then, at long last, my new baby arrived and he was perfect and amazing and the previous nine months of hard pregnancy and seemingly endless labor faded to a distant memory in an instant. New life had come!
In much the same way, when my first husband left our family, I experienced the darkest days of my entire life. But God eventually turned my grief into joy as He carried me through this season and onto a new and brighter season. He revealed His presence to both me and my son and our fervor for the abundant life He offers has not waned. I can testify that my God is in the business of turning things around and replacing sorrow with unspeakable joy!
P~ Father, You are a God who brings beauty from ashes and joy out of mourning. Help me not to lose sight of what You might be doing, even in time of trial, which is ultimately for my good.
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