HELD IN THE EVERLASTING

ARMS OF JESUS

I am sitting here in my sunny window with my laptop and recalling all the events in my life in the last couple of weeks, and reading and hearing about sorrow and grief and pain in the lives of others, I think what it would be like to go through these storms of life without the love, comfort and peace of our Precious Lord.  He is the only one we can turn to in these times of pain, sorrow and tears.  My heart breaks for those who have lost loved ones, as we have lost our dear mother during the last couple of weeks, and the tears come, but God is our comfort, Praise the Lord!  Now we are facing Mother’s Day as I write this, and I want to honor her memory, my first Mother’s Day without a mother.  My mother has finished her journey, and reached the prize of her heavenly home. I will honor the old custom that I just came to know, I will wear a white rose on Sunday, instead of the red one I had thought I would wear.  If you don’t know that tradition that was part of Mother’s Day, a white one for a Mother who is gone to Jesus, and a red one if your mother was still living.

“The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” Deuteronomy 33:27.

Think of that, my dear friends, He is our refuge and strength in our times of sorrow, and He holds us underneath in His everlasting arms.  I picture Him holding me up, lifting me, as His arms uphold me.  And I am so glad that I serve a God who is Everlasting!  He always has been and always will be there for all time and eternity, always holding His children secure in His precious arms, whatever the storms and trials that may fall our way.  As I always do, the Lord brings a song to my mind to remind me of His precious promises.  We all are familiar with this old hymn written by Elisha A. Hoffman.

LEANING ON THE EVERLASTING ARMS

“What a fellowship, what a joy divine, leaning on the everlasting arms; what a blessedness, what a peace is mine, leaning on the everlasting arms.

Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms; leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.

Oh, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way, leaning on the everlasting arms; oh, how bright the path grows from day to day, leaning on the everlasting arms.

What have I to dread, what have I to fear, leaning on the everlasting arms?  I have blessed peace with my Lord so near leaning on the everlasting arms”.

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” John 16:33.

Yes, we will have trials and tribulations in this world as we struggle onward towards our heavenly home, but Jesus says to remember, that He has overcome.  He has been there before us, He knows our suffering and pain.  In going to the cross, suffering the pain and agony there for our sins, he then was gloriously resurrected, for our peace, our joy and our eternal life with Him.  Praise the Lord!

In the beautiful “faith chapter” of Hebrews 11:13, we see that all those great people of faith were
“pilgrims” looking for a city.  We see Abraham and Sarah and others who traveled this road before us, and they were looking for a city, an eternal city, a heavenly country. And we, too, are traveling to our heavenly home, just pilgrims traveling on, with Jesus lighting our pathway as we travel onward and upward, around another bend or two in the road, and over that next mountain we may have to climb is our heavenly home shining there in the distance, where Jesus waits to welcome His weary travelers home.

That last verse says “what have I to fear, what have I to dread?” There is much fear and dread in this world of ours. We hear it on the news every day, and some of that news could fill us with panic and terror, if we were not leaning on the everlasting arms, and those arms were not holding us up, so we are safe and secure there.  Oh, yes, we will go through these things, but just think of the reward that is waiting for us when these days of living in this lost and dying world are over, and we reach our goal, and tread that last mile and enter into glory.  Oh, Praise the Lord!

Oh, precious friends, we have so much to look forward too!  I know from experiencing grief in the last couple of weeks, that sometimes it is hard to see when the tears are falling, and you stand by a coffin and have to tell your precious one “goodbye.” Oh, I know that I will see her smiling face again, I have that confidence, but our loved ones leaving us leaves a void in our hearts, that only the peace and love of our Wonderful Lord can fill.  I know that over time, the pain will lighten, and I will be left with precious memories.  But I am told that I will always have that special place in my heart that misses her, and will miss her smiling face until I see her again over there, in that great reunion, when Jesus gathers us all home.

And that is such a comforting thought and brings me great joy, as I lean on His everlasting arms.  So, my friend, if you, too, are experiencing those tears of grief of losing a loved one to this life here, just be reminded, that they are not lost, we know where they are, just over the hill and around the next bend, there they are waiting with that “Great Cloud of Witnesses,” waiting for these weary pilgrims to travel the last mile of the journey home.

Peace in Jesus’ Name,

Pastor Sharon