"3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." -2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Last night I had a bad dream. You might consider it a nightmare, but I'll just call it a bad dream. It wasn't frightening as much as it was stressful and intense.
I somehow found myself in a house where some evil men were trying to spy on the owner of the house in order to do that owner harm. I knew I wasn't the owner, but simply a visitor. At the moment I spied these men and their hi-tech equipment I knew they were up to no good and I went to run them off from the house. Instead of being fearful of my presence it became a confrontation. I crashed the equipment they were using and they tried to injure me. I ran but only to be confronted time after time around town. Every time I grew more fearful and dreaded their presence. Every time I tried calling for help, but my voice would only choke up and no sound would come out. Every time I tried calling the police, but every phone I tried failed and there was even a time when I couldn't remember the number for 9-1-1. By the the time I remembered the number they were there to stop me. Every time I did my best to get away and running ended up being my best option. Unfortunately, I was not overcome with an instant martial arts ability or a large gun (don't judge I'm from Texas and now live in Arkansas). There were some encounters where I defended myself, but only long enough to get away and run. I felt fear, paranoia, and helplessness. No one could help. Toward the end of the dream I had a final encounter (although I didn't know it would be the final encounter). I fought hard during that encounter and even managed to break off a broom stick for my weapon. One of my adversaries, jumped on my back with his arms around my neck and his feet around my waist, like a child taking a piggy-back ride. The dream then fast-forwarded to several hours into that same day. All of the other adversaries had given up chase once again, but there I was with this monkey on my back and a broom stick in my hand. However the man on my back had become extremely calm almost asleep and the broom stick had lost its flavor as a weapon and become a help for walking upright. The now walking stick had come in extremely handy with such a load on my back. My mind shifted from fear to exhaustion and all of the sudden I had a great epiphany. I had become extremely comfortable with this burden on my back and for unknown reasons I remained strong enough to carry it along my continued search for peace.
I woke up! I woke up in a cold sweat and once I realized it had all been a dream I began to breathe extremely heavily. I got up out of bed, walked around, and got a drink of water and as I laid down again, I fell asleep pondering the meaning of it all. I'm not sure what it all means, but my takeaway from the dream was that sometimes a burden that has caused great anxiety and fear becomes a friend on our journey. I'm not sure that is what God wants for our burdens. What was remarkable in this dream is that God or any other source ever saved me from the attack or vanquished my burden. What God did do was give me the strength to carry it. In the midst of that journey he made the burden impotent. God turned my broom stick intended for violence and battle into a staff for my journey.
God never promises peace or perfection in this life. In fact, He actually promises the opposite.
"16 I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Fatherspeaking through you. 21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parentsand have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved." -Matthew 10:16-22
He does promise that He will be with us to the very end.
"18 Then Jesus came to them and said,“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” -Matthew 28:18-20
I'm still a little troubled with the comfort I felt with my burden at the end of my dream. Was that because I trust in the Lord to give me what I need? or Was I comfortable because I have grown attached to my burden and quit fighting to be rid of it? I'll keep pondering that, but one thing I know is that I love the fact that while I carry my burdens and while I minister to others carrying burdens, Jesus has took care of all those things on the cross and chooses continually to be with us all to the very end. It doesn't mean every burden will go away, but it does mean that those burdens do not have to keep us from His kingdom work and His final glory.
Is there a burden you need to bring to the cross?
Have you become too comfortable with a burden that is separating you from God's blessings?
How has God carried you along in desperate times?
Message me and I will commit to praying for you and the burden you carry every day for a week or longer if you want: mercerprays@gmail.com (***ALL PRAYER REQUEST KEPT CONFIDENTIAL***)
I somehow found myself in a house where some evil men were trying to spy on the owner of the house in order to do that owner harm. I knew I wasn't the owner, but simply a visitor. At the moment I spied these men and their hi-tech equipment I knew they were up to no good and I went to run them off from the house. Instead of being fearful of my presence it became a confrontation. I crashed the equipment they were using and they tried to injure me. I ran but only to be confronted time after time around town. Every time I grew more fearful and dreaded their presence. Every time I tried calling for help, but my voice would only choke up and no sound would come out. Every time I tried calling the police, but every phone I tried failed and there was even a time when I couldn't remember the number for 9-1-1. By the the time I remembered the number they were there to stop me. Every time I did my best to get away and running ended up being my best option. Unfortunately, I was not overcome with an instant martial arts ability or a large gun (don't judge I'm from Texas and now live in Arkansas). There were some encounters where I defended myself, but only long enough to get away and run. I felt fear, paranoia, and helplessness. No one could help. Toward the end of the dream I had a final encounter (although I didn't know it would be the final encounter). I fought hard during that encounter and even managed to break off a broom stick for my weapon. One of my adversaries, jumped on my back with his arms around my neck and his feet around my waist, like a child taking a piggy-back ride. The dream then fast-forwarded to several hours into that same day. All of the other adversaries had given up chase once again, but there I was with this monkey on my back and a broom stick in my hand. However the man on my back had become extremely calm almost asleep and the broom stick had lost its flavor as a weapon and become a help for walking upright. The now walking stick had come in extremely handy with such a load on my back. My mind shifted from fear to exhaustion and all of the sudden I had a great epiphany. I had become extremely comfortable with this burden on my back and for unknown reasons I remained strong enough to carry it along my continued search for peace.
I woke up! I woke up in a cold sweat and once I realized it had all been a dream I began to breathe extremely heavily. I got up out of bed, walked around, and got a drink of water and as I laid down again, I fell asleep pondering the meaning of it all. I'm not sure what it all means, but my takeaway from the dream was that sometimes a burden that has caused great anxiety and fear becomes a friend on our journey. I'm not sure that is what God wants for our burdens. What was remarkable in this dream is that God or any other source ever saved me from the attack or vanquished my burden. What God did do was give me the strength to carry it. In the midst of that journey he made the burden impotent. God turned my broom stick intended for violence and battle into a staff for my journey.
God never promises peace or perfection in this life. In fact, He actually promises the opposite.
"16 I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Fatherspeaking through you. 21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parentsand have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved." -Matthew 10:16-22
He does promise that He will be with us to the very end.
"18 Then Jesus came to them and said,“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” -Matthew 28:18-20
I'm still a little troubled with the comfort I felt with my burden at the end of my dream. Was that because I trust in the Lord to give me what I need? or Was I comfortable because I have grown attached to my burden and quit fighting to be rid of it? I'll keep pondering that, but one thing I know is that I love the fact that while I carry my burdens and while I minister to others carrying burdens, Jesus has took care of all those things on the cross and chooses continually to be with us all to the very end. It doesn't mean every burden will go away, but it does mean that those burdens do not have to keep us from His kingdom work and His final glory.
Is there a burden you need to bring to the cross?
Have you become too comfortable with a burden that is separating you from God's blessings?
How has God carried you along in desperate times?
Message me and I will commit to praying for you and the burden you carry every day for a week or longer if you want: mercerprays@gmail.com (***ALL PRAYER REQUEST KEPT CONFIDENTIAL***)
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