Welcome to the Land Between, by Jeff Manion, where life is not as it once was, where the future is in question. A loss (and the grief it brings) can come suddenly or it can come gradually. With a major loss you realize your life will never be the same again.
Highlights from “The Land Between: Finding God In Difficult Transitions” by Jeff Manion
As You Go Through This Time Of Grieving Remember
– God cares deeply for you
– Nothing can separate you from God’s love
– God sees, knows and is concerned about you and what you are going through
(and that’s the truth of God’s love)
Who Will You Become?
• Decisions of the heart made during this period will effect your life for years to come.
• You will walk through various stages of emotion and grief as you work through your loss and grief.
• We don’t always get to choose what happens to us, but we do have control over our reactions and emotions – and we will choose.
• How you response to your loss and grief can end up having a greater effect on your life than the cause itself.
• Whether you age with grace or become bitter and resentful is largely determined by your response(s).
The Question Before You Is?
• Will you endure this trial and still possess a faith that is alive and well?
• Will you still believe that God is good, wise and loving?
• Will you trust God? Or will you faith in God evaporate?
You will battle discouragement – Sometimes deep discouragement. There will be times when you will have to resist feelings of emptiness and despair.
At The End Of Your Emotional Resources (End Of Your Rope)?
• What burdens are you carrying?
– Grief
– Responsibilities – financial, family, job,?
– anxiety, worry, stress
You can feel like you are carrying the weight of your burdens all by yourself.
Have You / Do You
• Do you find yourself relying on God as never before?
• Pour(ed) out your pain to God?
Pour Out Your Heart To God
• The very act of talking to God about your trouble will open you up to his care, mercy and provision
• In opening your hands to release your frustration, anxiety, fear, anger, hurt, you also open your hands to receive God’s provision
• Pour out your heart to God (tell God how you feel)
– His shoulders are strong enough
– Speak to Him about your pain and grief
Read The Book Of Psalms
• In the Psalms pain and chaos are not ignored, but trust gets the final word
• Read the Psalms – on your own
– Pause when you find words that describe how you feel and put those words in prayer to God.
God Will Provide
• While you are traveling through the Land Between, God will provide exactly what you need at exactly the right time
– Peace
– Money
– Joy
– Laughter
– A word of encouragement
– Sermon
– Strength
– A break
A Heart Of
• Critical to your journey through the L.B. is the understanding that
– A heart of bitter complaint is anchored in the suspicion that God is stingy, that He will hold out on you
– A heart of trust is anchored in the belief that God is good and will provide for you out of an inexhaustible reservoir of generosity
Expectation and Trust
• Your expectation of God’s provision will prove a determining factor in whether the L.B. results in spiritual life or spiritual death
• Your trust in God’s future goodness keeps hope alive as you journey through this desert.
God Allows Us To Suffer Need
• There are times when God allows us to suffer need
– Physical
– Emotional
– Spiritual
– Material
– Relational
• Such needs can either discourage and debilitate us or drive us into God’s presence, where we ask for His guidance and provision.
• Often God chooses to meet us with His blessing(s) in a place we do not choose to be.
– Joseph – Genesis 37, 39-45
• Note that God’s faithfulness doesn’t manifest itself as a rescue mission to extract Joseph from his detour (L.B.)
• God is faithful on the detour and through the detour, but He doesn’t remove Joseph from the detour.
• Joseph is also faithful. He doesn’t shut down.
Grief Is What We Feel Mourning Is What We Do About It