Daily Grace and Mercy

  

 

In recent years muscle pain has become an increasingly bothersome symptom. This winter it was my constant companion. Most often it was just annoying and uncomfortable. Sometimes it was an intense ache that sent me to bed to lay motionless until the pain subsided.

This month I had a week without muscle pain. Oh, it was so nice! Relief from pain! I could rest and be comfortable, not bothered by waves of pain washing through my muscles. Without the daily ache it was easy to forget just how sick I am. I’m used to being tired, so it was easy to become comfortable with my slow pace of life.

On Saturday the pain came back. It is not at its worst. It is mild, and I'm thankful for that. But with the pain comes an unsettling feeling, a constant reminder that something is very wrong inside my body. It’s a reminder that we can’t fix what is wrong and that only God completely understands what is happening with my health.

When I am feeling well, it is easy to think that I am going about life with my own strength. When a setback comes, I realize how little control I have over my health, energy, and strength. Even if I were in perfect health, I would still need the Lord every day, but I think it would be easy to forget how much I need Him. The pain doesn't let me forget. Therefore, I am learning to see this pain as a daily grace and mercy. How merciful of God to remind me each day of my need for, and dependence upon, Him. What a grace to be reminded that my life is in His hands and that He is in control!

God is the One who holds all things together (Colossians 1:15-17). Apart from Him I cannot take a breath (Acts 17:24-25, Isaiah 42:5). My life is for His glory, and He will give me the measure of health which He chooses.

Can it really be that these daily muscle pains are a grace and mercy in disguise? Yes! God can take this pain and use it for my good. He does as He knows best, and I can rest securely in God’s plan for my life. Muscle pains are a reminder that God is in control, that I need Him, and that my life is in His hands.

Thank you, Lord, for your daily grace and mercy.

Reflections on A Mother’s Prayer

I am thrilled to have Kristyn Getty here today to share with us her thoughts on motherhood and their new song, A Mother's Prayer. The Getty's music has been a blessing to me. It is lovely, deep, and rich, and it has brought encouragement and refreshment to my soul. I hope that you enjoy this new song and music video they have created. If you are reading this in an email, you will want to click over to watch the video. Here is Kristyn to share her heart.

In the spring of 2008 I first prayed for a baby, and in the spring of 2011 God answered that prayer with the birth of our beautiful daughter.  My joy was full but so were the fears I wrestled.  In some ways I felt like a baby Christian again, caught in a whirlwind of emotions, learning and applying what I have known and trusted into a completely new life - I know I'm definitely not the first to feel that! 

Friends of ours had given us a card when their first son was born; it was full of prayer requests for his little life, a prayer for every day of the month. My prayers were not quite as coherent as those, especially at first, but the urgency of the moment drove me to my knees.  “Help her, help me” baby prayers at 3am; prayers as I heard the baby monitor light up in the morning; prayers when I thought of her safety, her soul, her future; prayers with my husband; prayers while Eliza listened in.

When people found out that I was pregnant one of the most frequent comments I received was how my creativity would discover a whole new vista of inspiration as I became a mother.  So, when Eliza came I was anticipating a fresh flow of profound poetic thought, but instead I was swept up in the constant flow of changes and feedings and “Old MacDonald had a farm!” I was expecting full sentences, but I was blubbering looking at my beautiful girl! I actually wondered if I'd ever be able to write again.  I just about tucked some thoughts away to ponder later when my brain would start to fit itself back together again (still nowhere near a completed process!). As I continued to learn the wonderful balancing act and privilege of mothering, homemaking, writing, traveling and singing, Keith and I began to write a song for Eliza choosing this theme of praying for her, and the end result was “A Mother's Prayer.”

My parents have faithfully prayed for me my whole life, and I remember when I was younger my mum met with other mums to pray for all their children – a “Moms in Touch” group in Belfast. Even just the knowledge of that helped me, and I want Eliza to know we are praying for her and trying to guide her in this context that reaches to the call and purpose of her whole life and an understanding of the Lord's grace and faithfulness. We're now in the toddler stage and some of the prayer needs are shifting.  We wanted the song to reflect the different seasons - ones we had discovered and then those still to come.  We also wrote it to remind us of our promise to pray for her through all the years we're given.  We hope this song for her – and even more our praying for her – might catch her ear and help guide her heart as she grows up.

Thank you, Kristyn, for sharing your words and your song here today.

If you would like to connect with the Gettys, you can find them on Facebook, Twitter, and their website, GettyMusic.com.

The song, A Mother's Prayer, is on the Getty's new album, Hymns for the Christian Life. It can be purchased on their website and from Amazon.

Mercy House Shop Giveaway Winner

Thank you to everyone who has shopped at Mercy House and/or entered the giveaway! I am pleased to announce that Kristin has won the $25 gift certificate. Congratulations, Kristin, and have fun shopping!

I did some shopping of my own last week, and the items arrived on Monday. I bought some earrings to use for gifts, Mother's Day cards, and one of Violet's t-shirts. I like all of them, and I love supporting such an incredible ministry.

The Mercy House has some happy news this week. One of their new girls, Maureen, gave birth to a baby boy on Tuesday! In the past she had tried to abort twice out of desperation. But God, in His mercy, had a different plan for this little family.