A Prayer to Embrace New Blessings for the Future - Your Daily Prayer - September 5
A Prayer to Embrace New Blessings for the Future
By Keri Eichberger
Bible Reading:
“Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.” - Lamentations 3:32
Listen or Read Below:
Empty and lost. Sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. That’s been my emotional state ever since that day. When my husband and I drove away from that small town campus in a car freshly devoid of loads of stuff, and most noticeably, our son, it was the dreaded day we would say “farewell for now” to our oldest as he started his first year of college. I always wondered how this milestone and moment would hit me, and here and now, I find myself up against gigantic feelings I’ve never faced before. And there’s heaviness—a strange sense of incompletion. I’ve clung closely to God, thanked him immensely for the gift of mothering such a blessing of a child, but have held the hurt of loss all the while. Like a collision of joy and grief, as the comfortable conditions of a life I once knew and absolutely adored, are coming to a close. Though I know, this is life. Love and loss, the new becomes old, people age and change. The time clock of life keeps on ticking. And though transition can carry its fair share of sadness, it definitely isn’t all bad. Thankfully, God’s blessings are still and always mixed in and awaiting our notice. And honestly, who really wants to hang out too long in their sadness anyway?
Have you faced something in the recent past that’s weighed you down? Or possibly you’re walking through a degree of grief right now. Feelings of emptiness, sorrow, and a sense of surrealness that somehow seem completely out of your control. And maybe even if you’re well aware of God’s good gifts surrounding you, your comfortable space has felt wrestled with rigorously by a sudden shift in circumstances. The disruption seems to cloud and cast shadows over your current setup and sight. Yep, I feel that. But there comes a time when we become desperately thirsty for a refresher. When what we truly need is to refocus on the truth of God’s joy still around us and the much more of it to come. For a temporary period, we may reflect back on the blessings already bestowed, but in such seasons, it will likely serve us better to spend the majority of our time looking forward to the truth of the good that lies ahead.
In the book of Lamentations, we see the desperation and despair of the people after the destruction of their beloved Jerusalem. We see God share in their deep sorrow. And we see his people look forward and place their faith in God’s faithfulness and goodness. In Chapter Two, it says that his compassions never fail—they are new each and every morning. We need to remember this. It says God is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him. We need to remember this, too. It says that though he brings grief, he will show compassion. Finishing with, so great is his unfailing love. So great. We need to remember that through our grief and struggles, God’s love is so great that he will never stop faithfully showering our lives with blessings upon blessings, mercies upon mercies, gifts upon gifts.
Yes, there are seasons of suffering and sorrow surrounding us, behind us, or upon us. But we have hope because his compassion will continue to flow in abundance at the dawn of each day. Yes, we may cherish things of the past, but if we place our future hope in our faithful, good God, we will find peace in our pain as we expectantly embrace with wide open arms and hearts the new promised blessings awaiting us and unfolding before us.
In the midst of the dimmed days that have followed my son’s departure from home, I, too, need to redirect my hope and attention to the fresh future our good God has ahead. I can peer back and praise him for all the joy from precious past blessings. But now I can look forward to a full future with more time to invest in my other cherished children still at home. I can joyfully fix my focus on fresh space ahead for fun adventures and intentional investments in my marriage. And you can walk gratefully toward all sorts of brand new blessings in your life, too. Blessings God has been holding onto for such a time as this. Beautiful blessings for each new season. Gracious gifts that will be so, so good because he loves us so much.
Let’s pray:
Lord Jesus, You have been so good to me. The blessings you have unleashed all over my life are too many to count. But as life on earth goes, sometimes the very gifts you give fade away. And sometimes it hurts. There is suffering, sadness, and at times, immense grief. Lord, help me be thankful for everything you’ve offered, even if it doesn’t last and linger as long as I’d like. Help me remember that your compassion, your mercy, your goodness, and love will never relent to be released every new day. I want to focus on your unfailing goodness. I want to embrace the new blessings you promised to keep pouring out. I praise you for your promises. In your precious name, Jesus, Amen.
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