Flashback Friday Devotion #25

Hi, Everyone.
Today's devotion, at first, may seem not to be connected with weight loss, but hang in there, please. Let me know what God is doing in your life.
From my personal journal dated May 3, 2007:

     Have you ever had one of those days when the stresses of life and family relationships have you two inches off the floor? Today was like that, for me. I began looking at the list of "Current Life Cir****tances," and it was so large that it loomed over me. I felt I couldn't breathe. I finally whispered, "Father, it's too much. I can't do this." What I wanted to do was some major emotional eating.
     The Lord led me to Joel 2:21, that says, "Don't be afraid, my people. Be glad now and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things." I sure haven't seen God do "great things" yet, in regard to the current difficult cir****tances of my life, though.
     The word "great" from Joel 2:21 seemed to glow on the page of my Bible. I began to focus on the greatness of God. One of my favorite passages is David's song of praise, in I Chronicles 16:8-36. It begins with "Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim His greatness" (v. 8) and ends with "Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever"(v. 34) and "Praise the LORD, the God of Israel, who lives from everlasting to everlasting!" (v. 36).
     I thought of one of my favorite songs called How Great Is Our God. I played the CD and soaked in the words, "The splendor of a King, clothed in majesty... Let all the earth rejoice... He wraps Himself in light, and darkness tries to hide and trembles at His voice... How Great is our God, sing with me 'How Great is our God!' and all will see how Great, how Great is our God. Age to age He stands, and time is in His hands, beginning and the end... The Godhead Three in One, Father, Spirit, Son, the Lion and the Lamb... How Great is our God, sing with me 'How Great is our God!' and all will see how Great, how Great is our God. Name above all names, worthy of all praise, my heart will sing 'How Great is our God!'"
     I was so overwhelmed with the greatness of God. "Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and marked off the heavens by the span, and calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, and weighed the mountains in a balance and the hills in a pair of scales?" (Isaiah 40:12). The answer is God.
     At that moment, I embraced the greatness of God. He had become so BIG in my eyes that my problems paled in comparison. Overwhelmed by His Presence, I could not even consider giving in to the cir****tances, overeating before Him, because it would have meant that He was not enough for me.
     Somehow I know that He truly "has done great things." [God worked mightily in every one of the difficult cir****tances. It took some time, but He worked everything out. I praise Him for it.]

Today, even (or especially) if you're going through something difficult, focus on God instead of your problem(s). Meditate on His Greatness, and thank Him for what He's going to do in your life.

     I hope you have the time to enjoy the video song of How Great is Our God, by clicking on 
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=222ae9cdf71b55 a02193.

Blessings,
Mary

Good Morning, Mary.

I thought this seemed quite related to weight loss.  I've certainly been known to wallow in some chocolate when things in life were stressful or disappointing.  It is amazing though how much better prayer and praise are as coping mechanisms. =)  Our God is great.

Thank you for the wonderful video link.  Very nice song.

Vickie

Hi, Vickie.
Thanks for reading and replying! Yes, prayer and praise are much better coping mechanisms than any food could ever be. I'm so glad you listened to the song. It's one of my favorites by Chris Tomlin. :)
Have a great day, and keep trusting in God's Word.
Blessings,
Mary