Psalm 16 Reflections {Not Abandoned}
Welcome to our Psalm 16 Reflections Link-Up. Were so glad you joined us!
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To participate in this link-up, all you have to do is write on the word or phrase of the week, post your words on your own blog, and link up the post here (via the InLinkz button at the bottom of the post). Be sure to add the actual permalink to your specific post, and not your blogs homepage (e.g. https://hopemommies.org/psalm-16-reflections and not just hopemommies.org).
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This is meant to be a space for you to write whats on your heart as we study this rich Psalm together! Dont worry about making sure you have perfect grammar, dont over-think your work, dont compare your work with others. Just write.
Be sure to visit the blog of the person who linked up before you and give them some encouragement!
This weeks Psalm 16 Reflection prompt is: NOT ABANDONED
For you will not leave my soul among the dead
or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
-Psalm 16:10
A cool breeze blew this morning as I sat on my back porch with a friend and listened to her pour her heart out about her adult children and the trials they are experiencing. Our mama hearts hurt together but we encouraged each other to keep trusting the Lord and talked about His faithfulness even in the trials.
As a Hope Mommy, I have often been told to rejoice because my child is in heaven.
And I do.
And I hurt because my child is not with me here on earth. I didnt get to rock him to sleep, to teach him to tie his shoes, to take his prom pictures, or to drive him to college. But those earthly things pale in comparison to knowing that my son is walking with Jesus. Hes not in the grave where I left his physical body. He is with Jesus.
The Lord doesnt leave us in death. He meets us. He was waiting for our babies and He waits for us in eternity with our babies!
Jesus is the best babysitter we can have. Just think about Jesus rocking your baby and singing a sweet lullaby, teaching your son to skateboard on streets of gold, picking flowers with your daughter in limitless fields of daisies and tulips, pushing your twins on a swing, or exploring the ends of eternity with your child for eternity.
John 14:1-6 says: Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me. My Fathers house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.
Thomas said to Him, Lord, we dont know where You are going, so how can we know the way?
Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
When we accept the Lord as our savior and acknowledge He is the way to eternal life, we can rejoice about one day seeing our children again. Death will not have the final word. Jesus made sure of that by His sacrifice on the cross.
Dear grieving mommy, I know it hurts that we have to wait a lifetime to be with our babies, but be encouragedwe will one day meet them face to face. What an awesome day that will be when our children run to greet us in heaven! And in the meantime, know they are having a marvelous time with Jesus. By trusting the Father, we can be okay here on earth. We can be better than okay. We can be victorious, overcomers, full of joy and peace.
Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed
into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:
Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting
-1 Corinthians 15:54-55
Dear Lord, help me to be strong and courageous in the midst of my pain and sorrow. Let me know Your peace and comfort to the very depths of my soul, as I stand firm and proclaim, Death is swallowed up in victory. Thank You that I am not abandoned. Thank You for Your Son who made it possible to be with You ~ and my child again someday. Amen.
Come write with us! How have you felt God’s presence in your life in the midst of your grief?
Just click on the In-Links button below to add your post to our link-up, or post it in the comments!
Each link-up will be open until the following Wednesday evening.
Krisann Watson
July 13, 2017 (1:25 pm)
“The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.”
This verse stirs up different emotions in me. I remember lying on the sonogram table at 39 weeks pregnant and receiving the worst news of my life. We lost our daughter and delivered her on September 16, 2016. Throughout that day, I remember asking God, “How can this be my life? Why did I have to lose my daughter? Why are you doing this to us?” When I read this verse in Psalm 16, I want to ask God, “How can this be my chosen portion? This is not a beautiful inheritance.”
The great thing about God is that he takes all of my questions with love. He is grieving with me and is begging me to bring my whole broken self to him. As I have connected with my Father in my heart these last 10 months, he has given me these truths that I cling to.
-This is my life. Losing Julianne is now my reality. Even so, he has never left me and he has made his presence even more evident in my life. Even on my absolute worst days.
-When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, the world was given over to sin and death. Because of that, we experience death on this Earth in ways we never thought we would. God has shown me that losing Julianne was not something HE did to us…it’s something death did to us.
-Death is not my chosen portion. God is my portion. He gives life and all good things come from him. The minute death took Julianne from us, he rescued her and gave her a place to live eternally. Do I wish everyday that he had saved her to stay with us here on Earth…yes. But I have the promise that she is safe in the arms of Jesus.
-I do have a beautiful inheritance. That doesn’t mean my life on Earth will be peachy. Jesus promised us that we would have trials, we would have suffering. He knew the ways that evil would work in our lives. Because of that, He promised that he would never leave us or forsake us. I get to live a life here on Earth experiencing the goodness of God everyday and one day I will get to join him in heaven. I will get to look my daughter in the eyes for the 1st time. I will get to hold her again.
-God works all things for the good of those who love him. He can make good even out of the worst thing that has ever happened to us. We are already seeing the fruits of that promise.
Because of these truths, I can move on to the verse 9 of Psalm 16 and truly say that my heart is glad and my whole being rejoices, my flesh dwells secure. I have days where I hurt so badly for my daughter, but because of God’s presence in my life, I can experience hurt and joy at the same time. He speaks into my hurt and encourages me daily. He is such a good Father.
Sweet Hope Mom, or Dad, or Grandma, or Sister, or Brother. Whoever you are reading this post. I pray that you experience God’s presence in your life in ways you never have before. I thank Julianne constantly for teaching me more about who God is. I pray you can do the same with your Hope loved one.
Love, Krisann
Hope Mom to Julianne Rachel Watson