Revelation 7: 9, 10 After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

What an incalculable host of people standing and giving praise to our God before His throne . . . in eternity.  Can you see your family members in that crowd?  Can you see your friends?  What about you?  Can you see yourself in that crowd with the people of God . . . with your white robe on, that God has given you?  Can you?  Yes . . . I know you can!

This promise is for you.  Let the Holy Spirit embed this “pattern” deep in your soul.  This is your finish line.  The race of life is over.  You made it.  Now, you stand rejoicing with multiplied millions of God’s people praising Him.  This “pattern” as an act of your will, by faith, that you placed within your “core” has come to pass just as you and God planned it.  Let the Holy Spirit help you see yourself there.  Can you?  I know you can because I can see you there!

Wow!

What a journey we’ve been on.  We started by learning how to overcome grief and now you know the importance of focusing on your soul . . . inner man . . . core . . . heart.

You’ve learned how to get rid of any dark debris in you and replace it with God’s promises.  You have come so far in your “God Discovery” and in your self-discovery.  Be pleased with yourself.  It’s okay.  I know I am so proud of what you have accomplished.  Now, use your understanding of patterns; soul, core, inner man, heart; to help your family and friends to start their journey towards their true “God Discovery” and the discovery of who they really are and the “blue print” inside them.

Since this is our last “planned” devotional on Overcoming Grief I want to share with you the story of a believer, of whom, my admiration for has no bounds.

Horatio G. Spafford (1828-1888)

Horatio G. Spafford (1828-1888) was a Christian from Chicago.  One of his closest friends was the famous evangelist, Dwight L. Moody, also from Chicago.  Married, with one son and four daughters, he had achieved great financial success by time he was thirty by establishing himself as a quality attorney and investor.  He had already acquired large real estate holdings on Lake Michigan’s shoreline.

The historic Chicago Fire of 1871 destroyed most of the city.  Overnight his properties were destroyed.  He lost everything in his real estate investments.  Then in 1873 his only son died from scarlet fever. He decided that he and his wife, and four daughters, needed to rest and recover from all that had happened.  They planned a European trip together in November of 1873.  A last-minute business development caused him not to go.  His wife and daughters went ahead, and he was to follow in a few days.

November 22

On November 22, while crossing the Atlantic, the ship his family had boarded for their journey, the S.S. Ville du Havre, was struck by the Lochearn, an English vessel, and the ship his family was on sank in 12 minutes.  For several days he knew nothing about the fate of his family.  Finally, the rescue ship arrived in Cardiff, Wales with the survivors.  He got an immediate cable from his wife, with just two words . . . Saved Alone.

How heart broken and emotionally devastated he must have been.  His son had died.  He had lost his real estate fortune.  Now, all four of his daughters had been tragically killed.  He immediately set sail to go to his wife.  As he approached the spot the captain told him the accident took place, he knew the bodies of his daughters lay at the bottom of the ocean.   Instinctively, he leaned over the side rail of the ship and peered into the dark ocean as he thought about them.  Life’s heavy boot was crushing him.  No doubt, he felt like everything inside of him was being squeezed out.  As he sailed by the watery graves of his children, he grabbed paper and pen and wrote these words:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way

When sorrows, like sea billows roll

Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

 From his words came one of the most loved of all historic hymns . . . “It Is Well with My Soul”.

Embedded in his blue print, before tragedy struck his family, was a view of our eternal life with Christ.  He knew he would see them again and be among the millions and millions of God’s people standing before His throne singing praises to God.  When he got crushed, what came from his core . . . his soul . . .  was the confession of his faith in Christ, for now and eternity.

What’s in your blue print really matters.  It determines your future now and in eternity.  Your blue print of this kind of faith survives beyond your physical life.  Soon after those tragedies Mr. and Mrs. Spafford, along with their newborn son and daughter moved to Jerusalem to help provide for needy people.  They established a ministry which eventually became the American Colony in 1881.  Almost 100 years later the first meeting between Palestine and Israel was held on the property established by Mr. and Mrs. Spafford. This meeting eventually let to the 1983 Oslo Peace Accords. If you fill your blue print . . . soul . . . with the right Godly patterns, your influence in this world will stretch beyond your physical life.  What a legacy his blue print left for his family, friends and others.

If we never meet physically in this world . . .  look for me in that great crowd of witnesses.  I’ll be there. . . and I’m absolutely sure you’ll be there too!

May….

…His promises abide in you.

…the Holy Spirit lead you to discover the oneness with God that He wants you to find and experience.

…you find the “more” that you’ve been looking for.

…you fulfill God’s destiny for you.

Be forever blessed by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as you embrace the power of Jesus’ name.

Amen and Amen.

 

As the Holy Spirit leads me to share the numerous biblical “patterns” that every believer needs to fulfill their mandate and destiny, I want you to be among the first to receive them.  They are free.  Join the team, just subscribe with your name and email address and we’ll notify you every time we post something new.  Join with thousands of others as we pursue God from the depths of our hearts . . . . .  together.

 

*Please begin with “Devotion 1” because they are progressive.

Author Profile

Lee Gilliam
Lee Gilliam
Lee is the co-founding designer of Overcoming Grief and author of 2 books and numerous articles. He has been in the ministry for over 40 years. He has traveled to over 80 countries and every state in the USA. His ministerial work involves both teaching and business. He is a mentor to pastors and business leaders alike. He is currently working on his upcoming international conference schedule and we will post it when it's ready. We hope you can attend one that will be close to you!! Please contact me at: leeg@overcominggrief.org