God is restoring the secret places
Some of our young neighbors called our home “The Candy House.” I didn’t find that out until years later, however, when one of my adult friends told me.
“My friends and I always saw candy on your front porch,” they said.
“Wow, you remember that?” I laughed, with a surprised look.
“Yep, we always had sweet treats on our front porch, but we couldn’t eat them because all those boxes of our favorite candies could only be sold to raise money for the church,” I explained.
Although neighborhood kids thought it was super cool to have plenty of gumdrops and lollipops daily, it wasn’t nearly as cool as it seemed. Being near all that candy (and sometimes donuts too) that none of us could eat, felt like pure torture. It was no fun at all. Most days, nobody inside The Candy House was getting any candy. It was a real bummer.
This shocked my friend. All those years they thought we were living the good life. But it wasn’t at all what it looked like.
That’s why you cannot judge what’s going on with a person by what you see outside. Sometimes, someone looks so happy, but they are not. They can appear to have it all together, but really be broken. It can seem like everything is going great for a person, but it’s not. There is no way of knowing the full story if you are not actually walking in their shoes. As the saying goes, “The grass always looks greener on the other side.”
Newsflash: it isn’t.
This makes me think about Naaman in the Bible. In 2 Kings 5, we learn that he was a strong and respected commander of the Aramean army, but he had a terrible skin disease known as leprosy. People who had leprosy were outcasts. They were believed to be cursed.
As you can see, the fact that Naaman had such a big, important job didn’t mean his life was perfect. How awful it must have been for him to be powerful while feeling pitiful.
Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever been dealing with a secret battle? Have you ever been going through something that made you say, if people only knew my real struggle!
I have.
“God is about to make Himself known right in the middle of your struggle. He’s moving mountains out of your way and proving that He alone is God!”
When I got very sick, before I told everyone, I felt pitiful. I was in constant pain. I was crying. I didn't understand why all this was happening. Others on the outside didn't know how messed up I was. They thought everything was great before the news got out.
But God had mercy on me, just as He had on Naaman. He’ll have mercy on you, too!
The Lord used the Prophet Elisha to help Naaman get his healing. He told Naaman to dip himself in the Jordan River seven times. When Naaman did it, his skin was healed. No more leprosy!
Friend, everyone needs God’s grace and mercy. At some point in life, we all come face to face with our own secret struggles and hidden pain. Everybody has moments in life when they look like they’re doing a whole lot better than they actually are. If you’re there right now, you are not alone.
The good news is, God is able to heal you, renew you, lift you up and build you up. He has a plan to restore the secret places. He loves working things out and turning them around. Just trust Him.
If your soul is longing for God to do something fresh and exciting, and help rebuild your life, I’m stirring part of an encouraging promise into your cup of inspiration. It’s found in Isaiah 43:19a NKJV, which says, “Behold, I will do a new thing…”
As you drink down the contents of your cup, give every private struggle to the Lord. Put a smile on your face and know that He is restoring the secret places. As you wait, He will strengthen you. Just continue to believe that He will make a way and make things so much better for you.
He has done it for me. That's why I can say, truly, it is His will to take the ugly, broken, torn down areas, and make them into something glorious and beautiful. He is the God of miracles. And He has one with your name on it.
As Isaiah 61:3 promises, "He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair..."
Now let’s pray.
God, You know the real me. You see my private pain. You know what’s going on inside. You are aware that I need Your help. Today, I cry out to You. I give my issues to You and ask that You work miracles, restore and make things new again. I say by faith, it is done. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, encourage, and empower you!
If you need prayer, don't hesitate to request it. I would be honored to stand in faith with You. I know that prayer works. CLICK HERE to learn how to submit your prayer request.
