This has been a year! Not even to consider that it is going by quickly,
Looking at the road ahead, I shutter at the path behind me and look forward to what is ahead. There were times when I thought I would not make it. The road was stoney, deep cracks covered parched dry ground. Sometimes the water was to my head, other times I was beaten my coldness which caused me to shake it off and hug myself to receive warmth. Sometimes scared, at other times courageous; sometimes proud and at other times humbled, it has been one of those years of walking through the valley of the shadow of death. The death of things that I was holding on to that were not good for me. The death of old dreams which were going nowhere, the death of relationships that were not healthy, the death of misplaced faith in people and things that needed to lose their god status in my life. And through this all, GOD has been there.
The Psalmist cried out "Let thy mercies come upon me O LORD, even thy salvation, according to thy word". This year, I have been there. There were times when only by the mercy of GOD, I came through. Standing on the edge of the clift with the deepness about to swallow me up and strangled me, GOD stood me up and kept me standing.
The Psalmist cried out " Deal bountifully with me O LORD so that I may live and keep thy word" This year, I have been there. There were times when I despaired, sickness attacked my body, and fear came at me like the outburst of a volcano. Living was a struggle and yet GOD dealt bountifully with me. HE blessed me with the faith and trust that I did not know I had, and the willpower and motivation to keep going.
The Psalmist cried out " With my whole heart, have I sought thee, O let me not wander from thy commandments". This year, I have been there. I sought GOD and discovered HIS beautiful river of mercy. This river of mercy that looked at my failures and turned them into successes; that removed the hardness of my heart and replaced it with love and understanding, that stripped away my covetousness and gave me a spirit of rejoicing for others; that took away my confusion and turned it into hope for a better day.
The Psalmist cried out, "Thy testimonies are my delight and my counsellors. This year, I have been there. There were moments of desperation, when I did not know what to do. There were setbacks that took place because of circumstances beyond my control. There were disappointments because others did not keep their word. At those moments of intense darkness, I turned to the testimonies of Daniel, Joseph, Moses, Abraham and many others and found the comfort and delight that lifted the haze surrounding me.
The Psalmist cried out, "Make me to go in the path of thy commandments for therein do I delight". This year, I have been there. There have been times when I was tempted to do things a different way; to follow the way of the world and get the trophy before working for the prize. Judgement calls or decisions which would have made the difference between having much or losing it all stared me in the face and made me questioned my ethics. At those times I called out unto the LORD, 'make me to go in the path of thy commandments' and I went HIS Way, knowing within my heart, that HIS way is the only way for me.
Yes this has been a year!!! And yet, I rejoice and look forward to what is ahead. Like Habakkuk, I am standing watch. I have stationed myself to see what the LORD will say to me.
The Psalmist cried out, "Establish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear".
This year I am there!
May the LORD who is near to all who call on HIM, Keep you in HIS everlasting Arms.
Shalom,
Pat Garcia
*All Scriptures come from Psalm 119, The King James Version
