A Song in the Night

I could not remember the last day without pain. A week of small trials, following a prolonged period of physical pain and sleeplessness made me feel trapped, as if the sun would never shine again.

When a painful condition is unseen, others doubt and are quick to accuse. It is all too frequent for people to condemn the sufferer rather than console. The widow receives comfort for a while, and then life is expected to move on. Too often, the innocent spouse receives as much judgment as the guilty. The surgical patient receives more sympathy than the sufferer of an invisible disability.

A bird perched upon a dead tree outside my window, singing as a blanket of fog wrapped me in the silence of unrelenting hurt created a powerful picture. God is as close in the throes of misery and sorrow, as in the sunshine, but it is more difficult to run to Him when surrounded by blackness and thorns.

God spoke to Job in the midst of the storm and to Elijah in a still small voice after the tumult had passed. God answers when I call to Him. He does not leave me alone in the dark, hopeless, and afraid. When it appears He has abandoned, God whispers the comfort of His presence. I only have to sit still to hear. God rarely shouts His answers. He prefers the quiet solitude of our hearts to speak His most gracious words of comfort and peace. He desires me to lean my head on His chest, leaving my burdens at His feet.

It is not chance that Jesus was called the “Man of Sorrows.” He knows my own unique pain. He will not leave me desolate. He will bring balm for my aching soul as He sent the ravens to feed Elijah at Cherith, and angels to Jesus in the wilderness. When the times of pain and darkness come, I must remember the times God has given me songs in the night, adopted children in the midst of infertility, certainty of heaven in the midst of crushing grief.

Look for Him in the darkness. Call to Him from the fog of pain. He may not take away the circumstances, but He is faithful to provide healing balm and restore singing to an aching heart.

© Copyright Norma Gail Thurston Holtman

May 21, 2015

About the author:

Norma Gail’s debut contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams, set in Scotland and New Mexico released in April 2014. She has led weekly women’s Bible studies for 19 years. Her devotionals, poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, FaithWriters, Romance Writers of America, and the New Mexico Christian Novelists. She is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 39 years. They have two adult children.

Connect with Norma:

Website: www.normagail.org

Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQbZIoC_JSE

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorNormaGail

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+NormaGailwrites

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/normagailth/boards/  

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7874459

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Norma_Gail

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/norma-gail-thurston-holtman/42/71a/3b2

Book Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Land-My-Dreams-Norma-Gail/dp/1941103170

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/land-of-my-dreams-norma-gail/1119606864?ean=9781941103173

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas Bookstore: http://store.lpcbooks.com/product/land-of-my-dreams/

Don't Watch the Waves! A Devotional by Norma Gail

Don’t Watch the Waves

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Matthew 14:29-30

Waves, crashing and rolling around him, Peter climbed out of the pitching and yawing boat and set off across the waves toward Jesus. The disciples weren’t timid men. Most were fishermen, hardened to the toil of fishing boats, and the rough, unpredictable waters of the Sea of Galilee. Storms were nothing new, but the ferocity of the crashing thunder, forked lightning, and tumultuous waves frightened them.

As I navigated the waters of infertility, illness, my dad’s sudden death, and my husband losing his job, God proved Himself unfailing in His faithfulness. However, when the outcome is uncertain, my mind strays to all the things that can go wrong and fear begins to dominate my thoughts. I know in my heart that God is in control, but I lose my nerve.

Positive critiques at my first Writer’s Conference encouraged me and I tried again. The smooth sailing of a contract turned to whitecaps of fear, threatening to drag me under. It might not be as good as other books, and the safe harbor of my library at home turned to the choppy waters of doubt, threatening to drag me under. 

Peter stepped out of the boat, striding confidently across the thrashing sea when his eyes on were fixed on Jesus’ face. But the sight of the churning water beneath his feet caused him to grow fearful and begin to sink.

We have a great and powerful God, who promises to never let go. In J.B. Phillips’ translation of the New Testament, he calls God “the blessed controller of all things, the king over all kings and the master of all masters, the only source of immortality, the one who lives in unapproachable light, the one whom no mortal eye has ever seen or ever can see. To him be acknowledged all honor and power for ever, amen!”

Don’t let the waves and storms of life overwhelm you. Remember who it is who has saved you. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, and He will never let you sink.

Norma's debut contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams is available for -on Amazon.com. Scotland, two broken hearts, and a mighty God. www.normagail.com. 

© Copyright by Norma Gail Thurston Holtman, March 2014

www.normagail.com