Thankful… In The Storms

A few months ago a young man came in with his grandfather to speak with me. The grandfather has raised this nineteen-year-old the very best he could, but the young man struggled with feelings of despair, loneliness, and rejection. Many years prior to coming to live with his grandfather there had been severe physical and sexual abuse. As I listened to this boy’s story, my  heart went out to him. We cried together and we eventually prayed together. The young man asked Jesus to help him, cleanse him, and come into his life. Since that time, he has continued to struggle, but I saw him often at church… and even at the gym.

Yesterday… he ended his own life with a gun.

Shock. Questions. Shame.

Thankfulness?

Psalm 55:22 declares, “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.” The circumstances that we find ourselves in… can be incredibly difficult.

Recently, my oldest son, Conor, was in a severe snowboarding accident. We were called from a hospital three hours away that he had lost a lot of blood and was being ‘worked on’. It was a scary time for his mother and I. Picking up God’s Word and turning to Isaiah 40:10-11, I was incredibly encouraged… especially in the last line; “See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and His arm rules for Him. See, His reward is with Him, and His recompense accompanies Him. He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and He carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young.” As a parent, it encourages me greatly to know that God is gently leading those of us who have young! I have found, with each of my children, that I am woefully inadequate to be their dad. I am desperately in need of help!

There is comfort in knowing that God’s Spirit resides within me. He is gently leading me. That should give me peace. We don’t have to be anxious about making certain ‘calls’… when we are blessed with the Spirit of the God of all the universe living inside of us – “Who leads us into all truth”.

Today, I’m thankful for my children. I’m thankful for their walks with Jesus. I’m thankful that as I’m raising them… I’m not on my own. I’m thankful that God sees me as “righteous”, simply because He sees me through the eyes of His Son’s shed blood. I’m thankful that, “He will never let the righteous fall” and that I can “Cast my cares on Him and He will sustain me”.