Perplexed, Persecuted, Struck Down...but not destroyed

As I prayed about what to write for this post...God made it pretty clear that II Corinthians 4 was what He was speaking to my heart. Not only was it one of my daily journal readings, but it was also (after specifically praying for a sign), the very next scripture passage to look up in my Beth Moore Esther homework.
"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." II Cor 4:8-12

For those of you following my most precious friend Kim's blog, http://bevinsfamily.blogspot.com/, you know that this has been quite an emotional week. It has been a time of questioning and a time of confusion. As my friend Debbie put it, our reality is not lining up with our theology.

However, even when that is the case, we are not to turn our backs on God. I tried to really wrap my mind around that very idea...the idea of abandoning my faith, and let me tell you, it was frightening! It only lasted, well...about one minute.

Even in the toughest and most trying of times, I simply cannot imagine going through them without the Lord. He is truly my Rock and my Redeemer.

Now, that being said...I can still question what has happened, I can be angry about what happened, I can even throw a "holy fit" as Beth Moore has termed it. And, I believe I have probably done just that.

Betryal has taken place...however, we have to keep in mind, it was not God who has betrayed...it was fallen man. The situation actually reveals even more clearly of why we need God. He is truly THE one and only source of faithfulness in this world. Everything, and everyone else, will eventually let us down.

So my prayer is for all of us to not "lose heart" as the scripture states, but to instead try with all our might to focus on the eternal...the what's to come...the forever.

As Job said after literally losing everything...his family, his land, his health..."I know that my Redeemer lives." (Job 19:25)

May we take in those words and breathe a sigh of relief. No matter what, He is who He says He is.