The Lord my husband

 

I found another lovely writing for widows by Octavius Winslow, 1870

THE LORD MY HUSBAND

"The Lord is my portion, says my soul"

"For your Maker is your husband--the Lord Almighty is his name--the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth." Isaiah 54:5

How many--appropriate to our circumstances, and endearing to our hearts--are the titles and relations of God! Is there one more sacred or precious to the Christian widow than this--"Your Maker is your HUSBAND." The Lord brings us into a gracious and experimental acquaintance with Himself by the circumstances in which He places us. Just as we learn certain lessons in certain schools, so we learn the relationships which the Lord sustains to us in the positions in life to which those divine relations are the most appropriate. Thus, He may have written you a widow, a "widow indeed," that He might stand to you in a new and more endeared relation--even as you stand to Him in a new and more dependent character--the relation of a HUSBAND--the character of a widow. As such He is your portion. Your bereavement is so crushing, your grief so profound, your desolation so vast, your loss so irreparable, the pen shrinks from even the attempt to describe it. The strong and beautiful staff is broken, the earthly counselor is perished, the tongue is mute that blessed you, the bosom cold that pillowed you, the eye dim that smiled upon you, and the whole landscape of life is draped in wintry coldness and gloom.

But the Lord is your Portion. "For your Maker is your husband--the Lord Almighty is his name." Divorced by death from an earthly husband, you are united more especially and closely to a Divine and heavenly Husband--even to God in Christ, who stands now in a new and more endeared relation to you, as you have now a new and more sacred claim upon Him. The widow is an object of His especial regard. No being has He more closely fenced, none for whom He has discovered more tender care. Listen to some of His touching injunctions respecting you. "You shall not afflict the WIDOW." "Plead for the WIDOW." "He will establish the border of the WIDOW." "He relieves the fatherless and the WIDOW." Such is the divine Portion, under whose sheltering wing you have now come to rest. "Your Maker is your HUSBAND." All, and infinitely more, that the fondest, most powerful, and faithful husband ever was, the Lord is to you. Let Him, as none other can, fill the vacant place. He can make even your solitary and desolate heart sing for joy. Espouse Christ afresh. Renew your 'first love' to Him, the love of your earliest union.

Trace nothing but love in the removal of a human object so dear; and know that love--divine, tender, unchangeable love--will guard, guide, and comfort you until wedded hearts, sundered by death, shall meet to renew a fellowship of love in the glorified presence of Jesus never to be sundered more.

Blessed Jesus! heavenly Husband! let me now be united only and forever to You! Give me Your Spirit to seal the sacred union. Enable me, as enjoined in the word, "to trust in God, and to continue in supplication and prayer night and day, to lodge strangers, to wash the saints' feet, to relieve the afflicted, and diligently to follow every good work" (1 Tim. 5:5, 10). And thus striving by Your grace to glorify You in the solemn character of a God-fearing, God-trusting widow, enable me to rejoice in You as my portion--my Husband--believing that You will shield me in temptation, supply me in need, comfort me in sorrow, be with me in death, and give me a place at the marriage-supper of the Lamb.

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I’ve ordered two more books, one is Widow Directed to the Widows’ God by John Angell James, written in the 1800’s. The other is Postcards from the Widows’ Path by Ferree Hardy.

I read today that we are to look at widowhood as a ‘gift’ from God.

My heart has been lightened by things I’ve read in the past couple of days, after going through two days of breaking down into sobbing several times.

The Lord is my strength, He is my shield, He is my protector, He is my Savior. With Him I can do all things.

FlowerLady

Grief is like a roller coaster ride . . .

with highs and lows, but unlike a roller coaster, you cannot predict or see when the next up or down will be, you just have to go with the flow.

This morning I felt the heaviness coming over me, building up until it overflowed. I went out and sat on the bench under the bedroom window looking out into the main garden, taking in the birdsong and the gentle breezes and talking to Jesus, letting the tears flow and thanking him for his blessings and asking him again to be my strength and comfort. Every day is a day to be lived and gotten through as best one can. With God all things are possible, and He is our comfort and our strength.

When I was getting ready for work I stuck the little book ‘Come Away My Beloved’ by Frances J. Roberts into my bag. After I settled in here at work, I pulled it out to see what might speak to my heart at this time.  Here it is below.

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One Day at a Time

O My child, hast thou known the way of the Lord, and canst thou trust Him now? Nothing shall befall thee but such as cometh from His hand. None shall set upon thee to hurt thee, for thy God hath built about thee a wall of fire.

Be content with what each day bringeth, rejoicing in thy God, for surely He it is who shall deliver thee and He it is who hath brought thee thither.

His way is discernable to the eye of faith. His heart is surely thy strong tower.  In His affection thou has security. In His love is thy hope and thy peace.

Do not question and do not doubt.  Each day holdeth some small joy that shall escape thee if thou art preoccupied with tomorrow.

Nothing daunts thy Father. Nothing can restore the past and nothing can bind the future, but today thou mayest live in the full blessing of the Father's smile. Hold to His Words, for they are as a nail driven in a sure place.  All else may seem shifting and non-permanent, but His Word is firm. It is a rock that shall not be moved.  It is a firm place to stand.

Do not walk in the path of human reason, and resist the pressures that would project thee into conjectures of the future. Live one day at a time! Suffice it to keep thee occupied simply striving to bring joy to the Father's heart. For ye know that He loveth  thee, and ye shall fine thy peace as thou resteth in Him. 

From ~ Come Away My Beloved by Frances J. Roberts. Published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission.

One day at a time

Another first

It was my first Valentine’s day without my dear husband. I actually did ok during the day, but got a couple of cards from girlfriends in the mail, and another friend had left me a wonderful little devotional tied in a plastic bag,  hanging on the iron gate. I saw it there when I came home from work and wondered what on earth it could be. It is just what I need at this time and the way the book is written is just as if Jesus were talking to you directly. The name of the book is ‘Jesus Calling – Enjoying Peace in His Presence’ by Sarah Young. Reading the bit for yesterday and reading the cards from my friends brought on the tears.

I had made myself a lovely dinner, just as I always did for us for holidays, raised my glass of wine in a toast to my dear husband and to Jesus the author and finisher of my faith. I am so thankful for His many blessings, for the many ways he shows me that he cares deeply for me.

This is a whole new way of living life. It’s rough at times, normal others, but always there is the ‘missing’ of someone who had a huge impact on my life. He is the one from whom I learned what love is all about. He added so much sparkle to my life. I miss sharing so many things with him.  There was a joy in living that has slipped away, and has to be restored bit by bit and only Jesus can do that.  I am learning to trust in him more, loving him more, being strengthened by him.

I will close with these verses from Isaiah 41:10 & 13.

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Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed;

for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee;

yea, I will help thee;

yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand,

saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

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Just think of that,

God holding our right hand. 

He will never let go,

He is always with us, forever and ever.

FlowerLady Lorraine

This is the worst thing

 

that I’ve ever been through. If it wasn’t for God, I would be a total basket case. As it is, I have my moments where I feel ~ what is the use of doing anything anymore. My love who I shared everything with is gone, G O N E. There is not much joy here by myself.

I do thank God though, all day long for my tears, for my blessings, and for drawing me closer to Him. He has brought me to where I am today. He knows every facet of my life. He loves me dearly as He does all of us. This is where I am meant to be, at this moment in my life. God is working in me, strengthening my faith in Him. I am grateful, and wish to be full of grace.

This morning I worked on cutting back jasmine that is in the front hedgerow. It was about 3’ higher than the 6’ wire fencing that we have there. I then cut it all up smaller which filled 3 bags for the county to pick up and turn into mulch, which is then free to residents.

I’ve more jasmine on the west end and that will be another day’s project. I talked to God all morning as things are on my heart, and only He can sort it all out and heal my broken heart.

When I came in later, I thought I’ve got to get a grip here, God be thou my strength. The living room was a wreck, the kitchen needed cleaning up, I had cried several times and then I remembered a verse that was just what I needed, and what I need to remember daily. I just looked it up in my E-sword program and here it is.

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; 

Colossians 3:23

Here’s another:

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Col 3:17

I am reading the book ‘1000 Gifts ~ A Dare to LIVE FULLY Right Where You are’ by Ann Voskamp. This is about finding joy in our every day lives, in ordinary things. Being thankful for everything, as God works all things out for each of us. Being thankful is trusting God.

Here is an excerpt: “Everything is eucharisteo. Because eucharisteo is how Jesus, at the Last Supper, showed us to transfigure all things – take the pain that is given, give thanks for it, and transform it into a joy that fulfills all emptiness.”

Eucharisteo means 

to be grateful, feel thankful

give thanks

the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. Job 1:21

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;  Ephesians 5:20

With that I will close this post.

Thank you all once again for your prayers. They are lifting me up to where I want to be, and that is trusting in Jesus more fully as I live each day.

FlowerLady Lorraine

Verses of comfort for today

 

Peace I leave with you,

my peace I give unto you:

not as the world giveth,

give I unto you.

Let not your heart be troubled,

neither let it be afraid.

John 14:27 KJV Bible

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 Be strong and of a good courage,

fear not, nor be afraid of them:

for the LORD thy God,

he it is that doth go with thee;

he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Deu_31:6  KJV Bible

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Be strong and of a good courage;

be not afraid,

neither be thou dismayed:

for the LORD thy God is with thee

whithersoever thou goest.

Jos_1:9 KJV Bible

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Wait on the LORD:

be of good courage,

and he shall strengthen thine heart:

wait, I say, on the LORD.

Psa_27:14 KJV Bible