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And Still I Wait

I didn't get past the olive tree - and the oil that comes when the crucible of life presses us in yesterday's devotion. But I did spend just about as much time in the final verse of Psalm 52 as I did in verse 8.

In verse 9, the phrase that captured my attention is this: I will wait for your mercies. I thought about that for a while. What's it like to wait - for His mercies? I immediately thought about the scripture that says, His mercies are new every morning. The funny thing to me about that is that there is no "morning" to God- it's always today. The sun doesn't set - there's no darkness in Him.

So I looked up the scripture. Of course, it's in Lamentations 3:22-23. The New Living Translation worded it this way: the unfailing love of the Lord never ends! By His mercies, we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each day. 

 There's a lot to think about in these two verses. I already mentioned His mercies must begin afresh for us each day. He doesn't have a new day - but we do and boy do we as caregivers need His mercy to be fresh and ready to go for us! Even though this is the part of the verse I was looking for, it was the other part that caught my attention. It's by His mercies we have been kept from complete destruction.  Maybe it's just me - but caregiving and all that goes with it is strenuous - mentally, physically, emotionally, financially.... I need Him to protect me from destruction. the writer even mentioned a verse earlier feeling of grief and loss. Those are so familiar to the caregiver!

It's God's mercies that He keeps fresh for us each day that keeps the crucible of life from utterly destroying us. Yesterday, we talked about that. The crucible is designed perfectly so it doesn't do any more than squeezing the oil out of us so others are ministered to. Wait!! I'm the caregiver - I need the ministry! (That's my thoughts anyway...) But isn't it really about being able to lift each other up? Isn't it really about letting our little lights shine in the midst of dark circumstances? Isn't it about keeping faith in the furnace? It's about a shared hope - even though some days we can barely make it through. I get that. But as we make it through each day trusting Him - our lives are pointing the way for others to seek and find hope in Him too.

Today, I'll just be thankful the crucible doesn't destroy us - it just squeezes out what is shareable. My thoughts will be on the freshness of His mercies no matter what time of day we need it. I'll meditate on His closeness when I need Him most - and when I think I need Him the least. And I will trust Him for one more day - will you join me?

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