For anyone lost in the middle of sadness and pain: this is for you. You know, somewhere in the recesses of your mind, that one day, there will be no mist, and even the brightness of the sun will be surplus to requirements because the beautiful, rainbow-glory of God will be shining, iridescent and glorious. You know that what you see now is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal
I’ve learnt that while God is sometimes silent, He is never absent. He chose to remain silent over our prayers for a child, but He was always present with us—even when we couldn’t feel it. And I’ve learnt that a greater tragedy than a broken dream is a life forever defined by one.
How do you respond when the reality of your life is so different from your hope? Miller argues that Christians are to be different – it is possible to thrive in the desert, in the tension, pain and mystery, because God is with us. We see the huge chasm between hope and reality, and somehow walk in the middle. Prayer is the key to survival when you are in the desert.
The darkness that threatens to overtake me? The clouds that seem to suffocate? I am getting close to him. Over and over I am told that God is near to the brokenhearted, He saves the crushed in spirit.
“After the king burned the scroll containing the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah’s dictation, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “Take another scroll and write on it all the words that were on the first scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah burned up.”” Jeremiah 36:27-28 Sometimes I read the newspapers […]
John Blase is a rarity on the Internet: a thoughtful, Christian poet. I was introduced to him via his Advent meditation book, Touching Wonder, which retells the Christmas story vividly through the eyes of the various personae. (In a non-cheesy way). It should definitely be on your Advent wishlist. It is an honour to have […]
Cat Caird has one of those rare and beautiful combinations of a burning passion for Jesus together with a gentle and generous spirit. I have the privilege of knowing her as a good friend locally, and I can vouch for the fact that she likes her coffee strong, her chocolate dark, and her books in […]
Something a little different for today’s God and Suffering story: a friend from church sent me a ‘stream of consciousness’ post, very journal-like, written in a time of depression a few months ago. He described it as both a prayer and: “articulate crying, with the same therapeutic value as actually weeping.” It is so raw […]
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Tanya Marlow blogs on the Bible, suffering and the messy edges of life [read more]