Double Rainbow
“Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
and everlasting joy will be yours.”
Isaiah 61:7
“… I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing;
and I will cause the shower to come down in his season;
there shall be
Showers of Blessing.”
Ezekiel 34:26
“Valentine’s Day is almost here, so here’s a “Post from the Past” just for you!”
I met the man who was to become my husband when I was nineteen years old. At first no one took me seriously, because I had never been serious about anyone before. My closest friends teased me and joked that this new relationship would probably only last for about two weeks and then it would be over, because that’s how it had been for me up until then. But this time was different.
My friends soon became aware of the difference in me as I lit up whenever I talked about him, and talked about him constantly. I began spending less and less time with them, and wanted to spend more and more time with him. When we left campus, for our hometowns in different cities during holiday breaks , I would miss him terribly and couldn’t wait to be with him again. While at home on break, I would curl up in bed with my mother, like two girls at a slumber party, and tell her all about him, talking all night long…
In Revelation 2:4-5, Jesus says to the church at Ephesus, “
... You have left your first love…repent and do the first works…”
I think about the first works or actions of a person experiencing a first love, and I ask myself,
“Am I still doing the first works?” Do I still light up whenever I talk about my Savior? Do I still speak of Him constantly? Am I spending more time with Him than I do with less important activities? If I haven’t read my Bible in a while, do I miss it? Could I stay up all night, talking and sharing about His love and His faithfulness? Asking these questions stirs the heart, generates enthusiasm, and awakens a fresh start.
“May the Lord reignite the spark that fueled our first works, and may we continue
to rekindle our love for Him Who first loved us.”♥
Sometimes when we’ve been praying for something for a very long time, we begin to lose heart, and wonder if the answer will ever come. I know exactly how that feels. I remember praying and praying for God to work a miracle in my life, and sometimes, I felt that God had forgotten about me and my situation. Of course we know that God sees us always, and knows everything about our lives, but still, it is true of us as humans, that we sometimes think that our situation may not be as urgent to God as we would like for it to be.
This is so not true!
At one of my lowest points, the LORD gave me a verse which comforted me and reassured me, and to this day, this verse is very near and dear to my heart. In Isaiah 49:15-16, the Lord says, “Can a mother forget her nursing child?… Yes, she might, but I have not forgotten you… I have you engraved on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.” This is how I understood what He was saying to me through this verse:
1. “Can a mother forget her nursing child?” – Naturally, the answer to this question would be a resounding, “No.” We all know how attached a mother is to her newborn baby, and so we understand the significance of this question. But…
2. “Yes, she might,” – Although it would seem impossible for a mother to forget or abandon her newborn child, it has happened, as unbelievable as it would seem, sadly, it has been the case for some mothers. But…
3. “I have not forgotten you” – God is saying that His love and care for us is even greater than a mother’s love. Infinitely greater. How so?…
4. “I have you engraved on the palms of my hands” – Here, I pictured the palms of my Savior’s Hands, which still bear the nail scars, pierced for me… And then…
5. “Your walls are continually before me.” – My situation and the circumstances that surround me, are continually before Him!… Oh, Glory to God!!
Here it is in a nutshell…
God loves you, more than you can imagine, He has not forgotten you, and your situation is continually, always, before Him.
Hold on. :)
“Let all that I am
wait quietly before God,
for my expectation
is from Him.”
Psalm 62:5
“You are beautiful beyond description
Too marvelous for words
Too wonderful for comprehension
Like nothing seen or heard
Who can grasp Your infinite wisdom
Who can fathom the depth of Your love
You are beautiful beyond description
Majesty enthroned above
And I stand, I stand in awe of You
I stand, I stand in awe of You
Holy God to whom all praise is due
I stand, I stand in awe of You.”
-Hillsong
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
John 3:16
