Is God Enough for Us?

One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven." Luke 5:17-20

Saturday would have been my 39th wedding anniversary.


I realized it as I was returning home from a relaxing, rejuvenating trip north with a group of my high school girlfriends, 4 of my closest friends.


I posted earlier of these friends I like to call my "burden bearers".


Well this weekend it was my turn to do some of the bearing, because two in the group are suffering from broken hearts caused by broken marriages.

Both marriages were second marriages and I have lived vicariously thru both of these women since my husband died.

I was hoping that one day I too would meet a second love and walk off into the sunset locked in each others embrace. But lately I've been wondering if it really is possible to live happily ever, and if it isn't............... will God be enough?

I once read that God sometimes removes people and things that stand in the way of our committment to Him. It didn't seem very fair to think that God might have removed my childrens father from their life just to bring us all to a fuller understanding of Himself.

But, I know that if my husband was alive today or if God had allowed a special man to become a part of my life, that I wouldn't know my God the way I do. Why would I need God when I had created a god of my own. I worshipped my man and trusted him to love and care for me.

But in the blink of an eye, it was all gone.

But God has promised "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you" Hebrews 13:5

I would never have believed it was possible to carry on a two way conversation with God or that I could feel his presence thru the touch of a stranger if I hadn't experienced it for myself.

There's so much I've learned that I want to share with my hurting friends, like letting Jesus be the one to fill the hole in their heart.

But right now they are not too receptive... but then again... neither was I when my heart was raw and oozing in pain.


I want so much to teach them how to fill the void in their hearts with love for God.
I want them to know that God is the only one that they can truly trust to never walk away.

But I recognize that glazed look in their eyes, the one that is daring me to try and take away their hurt. I recognize it because of all the times that same glaze stared back at me in the mirror.

This morning in my quiet time with God I laid my frustrations before him. "Lord, how can I get through to them, how can I make them see how much they need you."

"Luanne, they already know about me", God whispered. "Let me show them what I can do for them, just like I showed you. Let me do my job and you do yours.

Your job is to be the same friend they have been to you. Let them see how much you love them and how much you can feel their pain.

Dress their wounds by making them smile and help them forget their sadness for a time. Send them little notes that say you care, share your hugs and take them to dinner and let them talk.

Carry them up to the roof top with your prayers and lower them to me on a stretcher of kindess. Then step back Luanne and let me do what I need to do to make them well."

It would mean so much if you would join me tonight and help me pray for their hurting hearts.