Both Resurrection Power and Real-life Pain 5-14-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I worship You, Lord God, in spirit, soul, and body. And now I listen for Your leading in the silence of my surrender before You in these first moments of my morning. … “Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped His feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill” (John 11:2). Mary was a worshipper. She loved You deeply with all her heart. And You loved her and her sister and her brother (v. 11:5). Yet all her love, all her worship, all her intimate times of her personal relationship with You did not shelter her from encountering real-life suffering, pain, and disappointment at times in her life. There are battles we will face with sickness, sin, and death in this broken, fallen world in the process of being redeemed and transformed by the coming of the Kingdom of God. And even though there would come a day when Mary’s brother Lazarus would soon overcome the very power of death in the name of the One who is the very power of life, her worshipping heart still had to endure a time of grief and sorrow (v. 11:31). But in those times, You gave her room to ask her questions and express her grief and disappointment (v. 11:32). And her pain moved Your heart. “When Jesus saw her weeping … He was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved…. Jesus began to weep” (v. 11:33-35). All the resurrection power of God to come, all the certainty of faith even in the heart of the Son of God and Son of Man, did not take away those moments of pain for both You and for Mary. The power of God and the coming of the Kingdom of God do not exempt us with some kind of magical immunity from the brokenness and pain we often encounter in our broken, fallen world. But You are the God who is always with us through our brokenness and in our pain. You are the God who’s there to hear our questions and comfort us in our doubts and encourage us in our faith. And though we face suffering, sin, and death in so many ways so much of the time until Your Kingdom fully comes and Your will is completely done here on earth as it is in heaven, we never have to face it alone. So Your Spirit lifts our eyes to the hills from where our help comes from and opens our hearts to the One who is “the resurrection and the life.” With our hope and faith in You, as we continue to seek You and worship You through it all, even though we may suffer or sin or die, yet shall we live (v. 11:25). This is one of the ways You cause all things to work together for our good and for “God’s glory” (v. 11:4). And this is the hope and assurance we have through everything we encounter and endure in our journey through this world with You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays My friend, I pray you'll always know the Lord's deep compassion, tender mercies, and mighty strength with you always through anything you endure. Thank you so much for all your prayer for me through those times I've encountered. The best of all, God is with us through it all. And God redeems it all as we entrust it all to Him. God bless you! Welsh Revival at The Fountain this month! Friday Night May 21 at 7 pm our good friend Heather Butler from Wales, a greatly anointed prophetic psalmist will share her ministry and a word for Kentucky with us, A Leap of Faith. Please come join us and spread the word. The Fountain is our Messiah Ministries' monthly citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship, as we come together from the various streams and traditions of the Body of Christ in our city to experience and encounter the Presence of the Lord together to worship God freely in spirit and truth. Come drink deeply from The Fountain of His Living Waters and be refreshed and renewed in the His Living Presence. Hosted by Messiah Ministries in the chapel of Centenary Church in Lexington, Kentucky, where our ministry home is located, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. Contact Marilyn Walker, our Director of Ministries for details: DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591 All are Welcome! Come and Spread the Word! Please share these morning prayers with anyone who may be interested. Subscribe by email to Tommy Hays at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!