Encouragement

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CRUSHED HOPES AND DREAMS

Jeremiah 29 verse 11 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."

I have been serving the Lord for over 18 years. I am not just a Sunday church goer; I have a daily relationship with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I remember the day the Lord called me aside, and said "I want you to work for me. I will be with you and I will use you in great ways." I said, "Lord, why don't you choose someone else, someone with more theological background and experience?" He replied, "I have chosen you and I will be with you." The next morning I awoke at 5:00 AM, and the Lord spoke to me and said, "Turn on the TV." I did, and there was Gomer , of the Gomer Pyle TV show saying, "Don't choose me, choose someone more experienced." They chose him to be on a recruiting poster, and on the corner of the recruiting picture of Gomer was an eye, Sergeant Carter's eye overlooking him. The Lord spoke to me through this and said, "Just like Sergeant Carter overlooking Gomer, my all seeing eye will be overlooking you."

Since that 1987 experience, the Lord has used me in many ways. During this time, I have experienced many crushed hopes and dreams. Often, plans that I thought would work out, didn't. I've experienced the hopelessness of poverty, the stigma of rejection, the burden of being a single parent, the pain of loneliness, and more. I've had my share of sickness, and heartbreak of losing loved ones. I've been wounded beside the road, bruised, knocked down, shot at, cursed out, and falsely accused. I would have some mountaintop experiences and then things happened that brought me crashing to the ground. I've had my seasons with the darkness of depression. I've stood silently by and watched others prosper and gain recognition while I floundered in hopeless circumstances. All of these trials caused me to turn to my Lord in prayer, search the scriptures, and humbled me down to recognize without Him, I am nothing. I know that my Redeemer lives, and that he loves and cares for me.

Many times I would read about the Apostle Paul and some of the things he had suffered. I read how the Lord delivered him and was with him. One of my favorite scriptures is Acts Chapter 27 verse 20 "And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away." During some of my deepest trials, I would feel this way. Then I read verse 25, "Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told to me." Paul had prayed, and the Lord promised deliverance, and it came to pass.

The Lord has graciously given me a gift of writing so I could share with others the great things he has done in my life. Jesus suffered many things, Paul suffered many things, and others have too. These sufferings draw us closer to our Savior, and makes us realize that God is in control of the affairs of men. The Lord has delivered me from many trials, rescued me when I was about to sink, provided for me in miraculous ways, and answered many, many prayers. He allowed me to write a book, My Walk with the Lord, that records testimonies of how he has worked in my life. I have learned, beyond a shadow of doubt, even if I did not understand, that the Lord has a time and a purpose for everything under heaven.

Are your hopes crushed? Is your world falling apart? Are you in circumstances beyond your control? Look to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. He will never leave you nor forsake you.

Jeremiah 29 verses 12 and 13 "Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye search for me with all your heart."

Copyright 2005 Irvin L. Rozier

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