Friday, April 29, 2016

Words of Faith: How the Love of God breaks through darkness

A Song in the Darkness
A Words of Faith story written by Dineen Miller

Pain ripped through my shoulder in the darkness of night. And the pain medication my doctor had prescribed barely touched it. Weeks had past since my bone spur removal, I'd stopped progressing, and the pain had grown worse. I even dreaded saying the word…pain… but it had become my way of life. My world had shrunk from fullness to survival.

And fear joined the party and brought questions like, why wasn't I getting my range of movement back? Had something gone wrong? Would I be in this kind of pain for the rest of my life? How would I survive?

I sat on the edge of the bed, the room still dark and hours stretched before me until daybreak. I tried to keep my sobs from waking my husband. Weariness had given into fear and desperation, and the enemy used it to full advantage. Worst-case scenarios played through my mind.

Then the bigger questions came. Where was God? Why had this happened? I'd never imagine myself in such a place, suffering such intense pain with no progress. I'd noticed the concerned looks of my family and physical therapists. Even my doctor seemed surprised by what had happened, saying he’s never seen anything like it before. The words I'd feared, "frozen shoulder" had now become part of this challenging equation.

In the darkness of night, the diagnosis only brought more pain and fear. Lord, where are You? Please take this pain away. I didn't know how much more I could take.

Then I heard it. The words broke through the pain as clear as if they played from an external source, yet I knew I was the only one who could hear it. The song I'd sung everyday to my daughter on our hour-long drive home from her daily radiation treatments several years ago.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine...

As she laid in the passenger seat, exhausted and weary—two brain surgeries, pain, steroids, radiation—I'd sung the words to her from a mother's heart desperate for her daughter to be whole and happy again. I don't know where the song had come from. Only that I sang it to lift her spirits, to encourage her, to let her know I was there and that I loved her.

That I’d never leaver her…

I'd trusted God then for her future without doubts or fears. Why couldn't I do that now for myself?

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine...

The words pushed my focus upward, away from the pain. Now the words were for me. From my Abba, Papa God, telling He was with me in the pain. I wasn't alone. I wanted so much to be free of the pain, but I wanted...needed to know He was with me even more. The song continued to wash over me and God’s presence reminded me of a verse I had recently memorized.

“The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” ~Psalm 37:23-24 (NLT)

He delights in every detail...every detail... Even pain? I investigated that word "delight" more and found a plethora of meanings including "to move" and "to bend down."

My God saw my pain, heard my pleas and moved to bend down in song to comfort my heart and body. He sang over me in the darkness of night and my life to show His presence and His love. It wasn't what I'd expected but very much what I needed, the reassurance that nothing would keep Him from me.

“No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”~Romans 8:39 (NLT)

Relief from the pain didn't come but relief came to my soul and spirit. I wasn't alone. I didn't need to be afraid. The enemy's lies lost their foothold. Even in this place I never imagined I could be, God was already there, holding His child by the hand.

He would lead me to my healing and He did. He never let go of me and He never will. For He is with us always, singing His love whether we hear it or not.

“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” ~Zephaniah 3:17 (NLT)

~*~
Author bio: 

Dineen Miller's favorite stories are the ones about our Great God and BIG faith, which fuel her desire to ignite the souls of others through words of truth and God's transforming love.

She is a mutli-published, award-winning author who has been featured on the Moody Radio Network, Focus on the Family Radio, Dr. James Dobson’s FamilyTalk, FamilyLife Today and INSIGHT on Miracle Channel.

For the last ten years, she's had the privilege of writing and ministering to the spiritually mismatched at SpirituallyUnequalMarriage.com, an amazing online community full of the light and love of Jesus. She is blessed every day to love her husband of 28 years, her two grown daughters and son-in-love, and two very energetic furry rescues.

4 comments:

  1. A beautifully written picture of the God who cares and carries us through our outward circumstances. Having just posted a blog on this same general topic, this spoke to me powerfully and with elegance. My blog, if you have time/interest, : http://www.eleanorgustafson.com/all-chewed-up/

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    Replies
    1. Love the analogy of the printer, Ellie. So true. Thank you!

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  2. That's sweet, indeed, Dineen! The Lord comes to us as a song in the night.

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