Take heart!

We are frail and fragile. Weak and worn down. Grasping for hope and hanging by a thread.

All of us.

This is the nature with which we were born, with which we will all die. And I hate to be the one to break it to you, but even if you've staked your claim on the cross of Christ, if you've taken the free gift of salvation that was ushered in on the morning of his resurrection - in short, if you are a Christian - you are still susceptible to feeling beaten down and tossed about by life's storms. Hang with me here, because here comes a...

But... (aren't you glad there's a "but"?!)

even if there are times when you feel like you're floating over an abyss, barely hanging on to a crumbling lifeboat by your shaky little pinky finger...

you will not drown.

As a believer, whether you feel like it or not, you are always safe in the hands of your Redeemer. You will not be overcome by life's trials.

Not because of your ability to "dig deep" and "tough it out," but because the Spirit of Christ who lives in you is the great Overcomer. He said in John 16: 33, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

And as he promises in Isaiah 54, he will not allow the floodwaters of life's troubles to sweep us away:

⁹ “To me this is like the days of Noah,
when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.
So now I have sworn not to be angry with you,
never to rebuke you again.
¹⁰ Though the mountains be shaken
and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
nor my covenant of peace be removed,”
says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

Even if the very bedrock of what we cling to in our lives, our own personal mountain ranges that we tell ourselves are impenetrable, even if these were to crumble into dust and be washed away into the sea...we would not be ruined. Because although we would inevitably feel for a moment that we were completely abandoned and hopeless, we would soon find that our feet were still standing on the solid foundation of Christ's immovable, unfailing love.

No amount of life's twists and turns and tragedies can separate us from his love (Romans 8:38-39).

From birth, we prove ourselves to be such good little builders. As our toddler years slip into our teenage years, it doesn't take long for our cities made of legos or lincoln logs to eventually morph themselves into our own personal cities of what we think we need to thrive in this life: relationships, acceptance, success, pleasure...the list is endless.

And if in God's great, fathomless love, he allows our "cities" that we have erected to be torn down, he will not leave us in the rubble, rummaging about, trying to rebuild on our own.

Instead, if we turn to his Son, he promises:

¹¹ “Afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted,
I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise,
   your foundations with lapis lazuli.
¹² I will make your battlements of rubies,
your gates of sparkling jewels,
and all your walls of precious stones.
¹³ All your children will be taught by the LORD,
and great will be their peace.

 
Although when life brings pain we may feel poor, even totally bankrupt of soul, God promises that he is the great Rebuilder of frail human lives. He, and he alone, is able to make a person truly rich - rich in peace, hope, and an ever-abiding sense of his love

(which is what our efforts at "city building" is all about, whether we realize it or not).

And when we allow him to rebuild the wrecked state of our souls, he promises that the peace that we have in our own hearts can be passed on to the children with which he has blessed us.

Oh, how I cling to this promise - that the things I have allowed to wreak havoc in my life will not be passed on to my precious little ones. I seek to make every effort to teach my children about my great God, knowing that he will bless that and that "great will be their peace." I am fully aware that every individual has his or her own free will, but I also believe that God will bless the lives of children whose parents seek, albeit imperfectly and in God's strength alone, to teach them what it means to walk authentically with his Son. 

And finally, the Lord continues with his promises to his servants that:

¹⁴ In righteousness you will be established:
Tyranny will be far from you;
you will have nothing to fear.
Terror will be far removed;
it will not come near you.
¹⁵ If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing;
whoever attacks you will surrender to you.
¹⁶ “See, it is I who created the blacksmith
who fans the coals into flame
and forges a weapon fit for its work.
And it is I who have created the destroyer to wreak havoc;
¹⁷ no weapon forged against you will prevail,
and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,
and this is their vindication from me,”
declares the LORD.

As Christ so openly told us, life this side of heaven would bring troubles. This is not news to anyone. There will be attacks by the weapons of the evil one. I have found this especially true in times of exhaustion, times when I feel dull of heart, or when God just seems silent in my life. Then the attacks come, often in the forms of discouragement, doubt, and disillusionment.

But...(yay! another "but"!)

because I have been established in righteousness (Christ's righteousness, not my own feeble attempts at it), none of these weapons can ultimately stand a chance. God has allowed them in my life to refine my faith - he may even allow them to wound me for the sake of a greater good that I cannot yet comprehend,

but he will never let them prevail over me!

This is the great heritage of the servants of the Lord:

hope of his forgiveness when we feel abandoned, ashamed, and afraid;

his unfailing, restoring love when all of life comes crashing down;

and a firm foundation of his protection when we are inevitably attacked by life's troubles.

When we give our lives to the King of all and are adopted into his family, it only stands to reason that our inheritance be one of endless wonder and riches beyond all comprehension. We may catch glimpses of it on this earth, but they are just shadows of the fathomless joy we will walk in moment by moment when we enter eternity.

Come, Lord Jesus!