SUNDAY MATINEE – When All Hope Seems Lost

Bad things happen and that is putting it lightly. Horrible things, things so awful that the magnitude of it just keeps you mute and you can’t even bare to confide in anyone. You can’t eat but when you do, the food just hangs somewhere between your throat and your stomach. You are constantly crying and you can hardly get any sleep.

It could be brought on by the death of a loved one, a health condition, an inability to have children etc You will think you have it bad till you hear the stories of other people.

Sometimes you may find yourself in a situation for so long that it defines you to people, They address you by it. “that jobless guy” “the couple without any kids” “that unmarried lady” etc

When you are in a situation that makes you uncomfortable, being defined by it makes it so much worse, it makes it hard to put it aside and to just live.
 In the cases of Bartimaeus and the Lame man, their problems ultimately became their salvation and their names changed instantly. They weren’t healed because they “hollered” at Jesus or at the disciples. They were healed because they hoped and they believed.

Why do you lose sleep over something you have little or no control over?
As a woman I have been in sticky situations that have made me want to pack up, run to mars, find a hole there and call it home. But I had to wake up, smell the coffee and borrow myself some sense fast because crying, fretting and worrying have never solved any problems.
Courage is not a gift that people are blessed with, it is something you have to take and become. Stop thinking of the negatives and focus on the positives. It can’t be all bad. God is not unfair. There is ALWAYS something to be thankful for.
                                                                     

IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW LONG 
The lady with the issue of blood was sick for 12 years. 12 years of constant mensuration. The thought alone makes me cringe. I’m sure at some point she had already resigned herself to fate and stacked up on a lifetime supply of Always Ultra. But when she heard Jesus was coming to town, she got up and went to touch his robe because she was desperate, she was hopeful and she believed.
12 years!!! But by her faith, she was healed.
There are cases of couples who were childless for 20something years and were suddenly blessed with triplets. God is NOT unfair or unjust. Miracles do happen.

It doesn’t matter how long you have been dealing with your problem or situation. There has never been a problem too difficult for God to solve. Never.

The strongest people don’t win battles, the ones who never give up do.

Forget the friends who have deserted you because of the problems you’re facing, Bartimaeus was abandoned by the river side. At least the lame man still had people who looked out for him. Bartimaeus was completely alone.

You don’t need anybody to help you solve your problems. The only person you should cry to is God. A teacher wont give a KG2 student questions meant for grade 6. In the same vein, God won’t give you problems beyond your control. Find strength in yourself and in God because when God wants to touch your situation and intervene in your life, He will push people out.


“Can anything good come out of Nazareth” John 1:46 ,

Nazareth was a remote and desolate place. Nothing exciting ever happened there. So how could the Messiah have come from such a place? Which is why Nathaniel scoffed and asked Philip “can anything good come out of Nazareth”?
He was answered with a simple “come and see”

I’m sure there are people that have given up on you, people that assumed you wouldn’t amount to anything. Aren’t you ready to disappoint them? Trust and believe. God has given you a voice above your problems. Don’t put your head down in shame, you need to hold your head up. Your situation, your problems, your past or your mistakes DO NOT define you. Hardships are meant to be experienced and be overcome, so be prepared for your breakthrough because when God sets it upon you, your story will have a major turn around.

Take on this week with gusto and know your miracle will come eventually. Let that be the tiny ray of sunshine you look up to, because just like Nazareth that was underrated and scorned, something good will come out of you.
There is beauty in ashes.