Battle Fatigue

//May 3, 2022 // Battle Fatigue //

Chemo # 5 is about to begin. Kristi has had such a good couple of weeks. She told me Friday that she said she didn’t feel like she has cancer. God has been good and our stronghold through each battle in this war. He has been our strength and source of joy. We have smiled, laughed, enjoyed life, and celebrated being together.

Number 5 is a hard place – it’s not starting and it’s not quite over. We want to be done, but have several battles to go. The war is winnable and yet we still have to fight. We can’t give up now! Kristi has experienced a great week and this has almost weakened her resolve to get back into the battle. I say almost because she will not quit or give up. She is a fighter and is getting back into the fight. The last couple of weeks of rest have given her hope for a full recovery, but has also made it harder to stand up and fight again.

Psalm 73 walks us through the mindset of Asaph as he served as King David’s worship director. He starts the chapter saying God is good. As he continues, he says that even though his mind knew God was good, his eyes saw the proud and evil people around him were prospering and not even experiencing the consequences of their actions. It was such a distraction that he almost slipped and fell. He almost sat and stopped moving forward. He experienced a crisis in his faith. He was tired of fighting.

I encourage you to read the whole chapter. It is raw and relatable. He goes from positive to negative and self-pity to awareness. God is good. There are problems in the world. God is still good. To think otherwise is foolish.

He asks serious questions like:

“Did I keep my heart pure for nothing? Did I keep myself innocent for no reason? I get nothing but trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain.” Psalms 73:13-14

Then he says:

“So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. But what a difficult task it is!” Psalms 73:16

His heart had a pity party and he began to question the goodness of God. Guess what? God could handle his doubts. Why? Here’s the answer:

“Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand.” Psalms 73:23

We are His! He does as He pleases. He is still Good! No matter what we experience and no matter what we see, He is good. Our strength may slip away. We may get tired and fatigued. We may not fully understand. But He is remains our strength. He remains ours. He has never left us for a moment.

“My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.” Psalms 73:26

Pray for #5

Pray for continued strength.

Pray for energy and resolve.

Pray for opportunities to share our hope with those around us.

“But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.” Psalms 73:28

We want to stay close. We want to hide in His shelter. We are His. He is good!

Ray Rhoton

#warriorqueen

#jointhefight

#kristiswar