Where I work I deal with
loads of mail generated from our office. From soil samples to manure samples to
water samples. There are fact sheets and information brochures along with
flyers and newsletters and reports. Lots of
mail. We even have our own postage meter to deal with the large volume of
mail.
The fact that we generate
lots of mail means that eventually and occasionally something we send out gets
lost in the mail. It happened recently. A water sample mailed at the end of
last month never showed up at the appropriate lab. Thankfully the check that was mailed with it
wasn’t cashed, but still no sample and therefore no results available.
Work gets stressful when
people don't understand that these things happen. I checked and double checked the address (it
was new) and the information I had made copies of and called the lab. After reassuring myself that I had done
everything right, I went on to reassure others that it was simply lost in the
system. You want to blame someone, to
get to the root of it – so it doesn’t happen again, but it’s impossible to
ensure this because the system itself is fragile and while no one at my end, at
the postal service end or the laboratory end wants something lost, it’s going
to happen sometimes.
Life gets stressful and we
don’t always understand why things happen. Things get lost. People get lost.
Lives are lost. Hopes are lost. It’s
bound to happen – the loss of friends, spouses, children, jobs, money,
treasures, and more. Admittedly, some things are more treasured than others,
but a loss is a loss. Try as we might to get something we considered quite
valuable back, it’s out of our hands. We
often wring our hands and cry out that we just want it back. If we’re not
careful we’ll spend the rest of our days in mourning for the loss of something
we can do nothing about.
People can get stressed,
angry, unforgiving and suspicious when they don’t get their wants- but life in
Christ never causes stress for His promises are never lost!
Are you mourning the loss
of someone or something you know you’ll never get back in this lifetime? Are you wringing your hands and worrying
about what you’re going to do without that treasured object or a treasured
loved one? It’s hard to go it alone, it’s hard to move on, it’s difficult to
smile and not let stress overtake you. But life in Christ will never leave you
stressing for His promises are never lost! Even when things look bleak, when you’re
awake in the wee hours of the morning or you’re in the middle of the day and
you remember, God’s promises are right on time. They are ready for you every
time you need them! Unlike the mail system, that might lose something in the
mail, you never lose God’s promises for they are right with you always!
Oh beloved, run to the mailbox
of God’s love - the Word-this morning and let Him show you the treasures of
your life from His Word. Everything you need to live is written by the hand of
the Lord just for you! Before the foundation of the world God Himself set up
His richest storehouse of treasures to give liberally to His beloved ones! You
don’t have to travel, you don’t need postage and you don’t have to wait until
you are good enough to enjoy it all. Lean on the Lord! He knows your heart is
broken, He knows you may be angry or agitated that things got lost, but your
relationship with Him is solid. He is for you and His Word is hope for your
heart in a day when all may look lost – look into the treasures God gave to you
and rejoice. His love and care are yours no matter what.
2 Samuel 22:31 God’s way
is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look
to Him for protection.
Numbers 23:19 God is not a
man, so He does not lie. He is not human, so He does not change His mind. Has He
ever spoken and failed to act? Has He ever promised and not carried it through?
Psalm 12:6 The Lord’s
promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over.
Psalm 119:140 Your
promises have been thoroughly tested; that is why I love them so much.
Psalm 138:2 I bow before
your holy Temple as I worship. I praise Your name for Your unfailing love and
faithfulness; for Your promises are backed by all the honor of Your name.
Psalm 119:89 Your eternal
word, O LORD, stands firm in heaven.
Isaiah 40:8 The grass
withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.
