Holding It In?
This very night some of you may be suffering from trying to carry your burdens all by yourself. "I couldn't possibly tell anyone about this," you think. "It's too terrible; no one would understand."
One man I know hid the secret of his unwed daughter's pregnancy until after the child was born. Another couldn't tell anyone he was going bankrupt. A married woman had insomnia for months because she'd fallen in love with another man and was afraid to tell another soul. "They'd only condemn me" were the thoughts they all had.
If some such "secret" is eating at you tonight, I can understand how hard it is to share it, but here's the problem. If you don't share the struggles, you might not share the victories, and God desires that you share them both. He wants us to "rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep." He then wants us to declare the victories in public as a tool for building up His Body in encouragement, faith and hope.
He says, "Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! Let them exalt Him also in the congregation of the people, and praise Him in the assembly of the elders" (Psalm 107:31-32, NKJV).
Take a brave step tonight, and share your burden. Give a brother or a sister the privilege of standing with you in prayer, both in the battle and in the victories ahead!
God loves you and wants to answer your prayer. Say this prayer with me:
Heavenly Father, I know You are uniting Your Body in these end times, and knitting it together through shared experiences, burdens and hopes. Lead me to one person I can trust and confide in, and when the victory is won, may I declare it boldly in the congregation so that all Your saints may rejoice in You! In Jesus' Name, Amen.