"In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, 'Please come at once!' Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them. Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, 'Tabitha, get up.' She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord." (Acts 9:36-42 NIV)
You've probably heard the expression, "It ain't over till it's over." That would pretty much be my summation of Tabitha's story, with one significant revision: it ain't over till God says it's over.
For a while, it sure did look over for Tabitha. Like, really over.
The girl was dead. Really dead. Not asleep, not unconscious, not in a trance.
Dead.
But God....
Doesn't Tabitha's story give us hope for the dead areas of our lives? Maybe you're feeling as dead as she was right now, except that you're still breathing and trying to go through the motions of life. How my heart breaks for those of you who know exactly what this feels like.
Maybe a dream is dead. Maybe hope is dead. Maybe a relationship is dead. Maybe plans for the future are dead. Or maybe, at the very least, they look dead as far as you can possibly strain to see with human eyes.
But God....
Discernment is required at this point, of course. Sometimes, we try to hang onto dead things when what we really need to do is loosen our grip and let them go so we can take hold of something newly alive. So we pray and ask God, "Is this really dead? Is it time to let it go? Or is it time to hang on and hope?"
It's not over until God says it's over, my friends. If it's not over, hang on and hope. And if God does say it's over, it's because He's starting a new thing, and that's something to hang on and hope for, too.
* * * * * *
Oh, God...You Who are the Beginning and the End...You alone make the call on when something is over and when it's just waiting for Your power to bring it back to life. Help me to wait for you and be listening to hear Your voice when You say, "Get up."
Doesn't Tabitha's story give us hope for the dead areas of our lives? Maybe you're feeling as dead as she was right now, except that you're still breathing and trying to go through the motions of life. How my heart breaks for those of you who know exactly what this feels like.
Maybe a dream is dead. Maybe hope is dead. Maybe a relationship is dead. Maybe plans for the future are dead. Or maybe, at the very least, they look dead as far as you can possibly strain to see with human eyes.
But God....
Discernment is required at this point, of course. Sometimes, we try to hang onto dead things when what we really need to do is loosen our grip and let them go so we can take hold of something newly alive. So we pray and ask God, "Is this really dead? Is it time to let it go? Or is it time to hang on and hope?"
It's not over until God says it's over, my friends. If it's not over, hang on and hope. And if God does say it's over, it's because He's starting a new thing, and that's something to hang on and hope for, too.
* * * * * *
Oh, God...You Who are the Beginning and the End...You alone make the call on when something is over and when it's just waiting for Your power to bring it back to life. Help me to wait for you and be listening to hear Your voice when You say, "Get up."
No comments:
Post a Comment
I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to tell me what you really think. Years ago, I explained to my then-two-year-old that my appointment with a counselor was "sort of like going to a doctor who will help me be a better mommy." Without blinking, she replied, "You'd better go every day." All of which is just to say I've spent some time in the school of brutal honesty!