Forget Not

There has been so much bad news lately that sometimes I find myself feeling very anxious and unsafe.
Psalm 103:19 reminds me that God truly is in control of all things no matter what is going on in the world.

“The Lord hath prepared His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom ruleth over all.” ~ Psalms 103:19 KJV

The Psalmist tells us, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits:”
Psalms 103:2 KJV

The word he used for “forget” means “to forget, ignore, cease to care…”

He then goes over all of the wonderful things the Lord does for us:
“Who forgiveth all thine iniquities;
Who healeth all thy diseases;
Who redeemeth thy life from destruction;
Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” ~Psalms 103:3-5 KJV

Imagine spending a night in an agony that affects every fiber of your body, unable to feel Christ’s loving presence, certain that you’re the chief of sinners, unforgiven, forever condemned to this abyss of torment.

Whenever there is a bad storm or rainy weather, I get violent migraines that rupture my mind with as severe emotional pain as the physical and neurological symptoms they cause.

Suddenly it seems I’ve fallen into a bottomless pit and that no one loves me—not even Jesus. I feel as if I’m the most despised of souls by everyone, even my family. I’m completely cut off, isolated in an abyss of pain.
The burden of all the sins in the world are fastened around my aching head in a crown of thorns as sharp as daggers. My legs will not be still and seem like a thousand snakes are crawling inside of them. “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?”

I see Jesus on the cross crying to His Father and I cry out in tears for the Lord to come rescue me from this horrible torment. But I neither see nor feel Him. I’m a condemned sinner screaming and weeping in the darkness for I can’t bear to look at any light.

There in the Abyss I weep tears of remorse.
Surely I must have been unkind to my husband, been the worst of mothers and grandmothers, daughters, siblings, friends, and citizens.
I’m certain that I must have failed God and everyone else.
And the most tormenting of all—-I must have committed the unpardonable sin— why else would I keep having these wretched migraines? Why else would God keep letting this happen to me?

In that pit of Sheol showers of condemnation pour mercilessly upon my soul like the rain drumming endlessly upon our windows and roof as the pain and neurological symptoms torture me.

My precious husband comes and prays for me, while I weep and pray unable to feel either Christ’s presence or love, nor even Mark’s, until at last I fall asleep, exhausted.

The next morning my symptoms are gone. I awake as if resurrected to new life. I’m filled with wondrous joy and peace, How grateful I am that Jesus went to the cross for me; that He has washed my sins away as far as the east is from the west. “Bless the Lord oh my soul. Forget not all His benefits. Who forgives all our sins, who heals all our diseases…”
The beautiful sense of Christ’s love and presence enfold me in His arms.

I know then that He has held me throughout the night. He had not really abandoned me.
Yet the dark storm of pain from my fierce migraine made me feel hidden from Christ’s presence and forsaken by Him who had promised to never fail or forsake me.

The Psalmist once experienced something like this.
“Will the Lord cast off for ever?
And will He be favourable no more?
Is His mercy clean gone for ever?
Doth His promise fail for evermore?
Hath God forgotten to be gracious?
Hath He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah.

And I said, This is my infirmity:
but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High.” Psalms 77:7-10 KJV

He goes through the bad things he suffers but then he says, “Ok, this is happening because of my afflictions. But I won’t dwell on the suffering. I will remember the good things God has done for me.”

In other words, “Bless the Lord oh my soul! Forget not all His benefits!”

Nationally we are experiencing a stormy path of darkness.
Severe pain and troubling circumstances can make us feel isolated from the loving presence of God and cut off from all His promises.

God’s word promises that He heals all our diseases, He forgives all our sins.
God is watching over all of us. He is still on His throne.
He has not hidden His face from us.
He hears all our prayers.
Just as He eventually heals me from my migraines, I believe that the Lord will ultimately heal our nation from our current plague of troubles.

The definition for the word the Psalmist used for healing is interesting: (BDB Bible Dictionary Definition of original translation~ rapha~Strong’s H7495)
To be healed of national hurts (figuratively)
Of personal distress (figuratively)
Of national defects of hurts (figuratively)
To heal (literally)
Of hurts of nations (Involving restored favor)

“The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
He will not always chide: neither will He keep His anger forever.
He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us
according to our iniquities.

For as the heaven is high above the earth,
so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.”
Psalms 103:8-12 KJV

Not one of us deserves the grace that has been given us by the Lord through the cross of Christ, for the Bible declares that all of us are sinners.

The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men,
to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy:
there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”
Psalms 14:2-3 KJV

I guess our world reflects what the Bible declares we are.
A mess.
Jesus, the Son of God, came to die for us all to make us holy and to clean our souls up~to forgive our sins and heal us spiritually~to make us one with Him.
This is very good news and fills me with such joy and peace!

Peace I Leave with You

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you,
my peace I give unto you:
not as the world giveth,
give I unto you.
Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid.”
John 14:27 KJV

I appreciate Christ’s gift of salvation and forgiveness more than I can ever say because of my chronic migraine affliction.
Therefore I pray that I will never forget, mislay, or cease to care about this wondrous benefit from God, this gift and treasure of everlasting life and peace with God that my Lord Jesus suffered and died on the cross to give me and everyone in the whole world who will receive it.

“Bless the Lord,
O my soul:
and all that is within me,
bless His holy name.
Bless the Lord,
O my soul,
and forget not
all His benefits…”
Psalms 103:1-2 KJV
In Jesus’ name, Amen and amen.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Your Gift of Salvation in Christ,
the forgiveness of sins
As far as the east is from the west,
Your measureless love for us,
Oh thank You and may we never forget
Or mislay, or cease to care about all You do for us every day
For Thy mercies are new every morning,
In Jesus name.
Amen and amen.