I woke up yesterday morning feeling very defeated and depressed and that is not like me.

I felt like my Christian life has been a failure.

I felt like something was wrong with me and I have failed our Lord and Saviour.

I felt like, even though my prayer life was better than ever, for some reason, our Lord just wasn't using me at all to affect anyone spiritually, permanently.

Do you know what I mean?

And pain. No, not anywhere as bad as some of my brothers and sisters are enduring but for the last six months or so both my DW and I have had to take alot of aspirin for aches and pains and back aches and sinus.

Then out of the blue (like our Lord does! ) He spoke to my spirit this scripture (the bolded is what He spoke, then I looked up the passage):

Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD.

We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.

Thy dead men shall live, [together with] my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.

Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.

For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. (Isaiah 26:17-21)

On Easter, 1984 the Lord impressed upon me that we would go the way of the cross, as He did.

In the 80's, under the Presidentcy of Ronald Regan, it was popular to be a Christian and we had great favour with people, especially here in the USA.

That would be like it was when Jesus came into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey and the people saying, "Hosannah, Hosannah, blessed is He that's comes in the Name of the Lord".

Under Clinton it began to change and we began to be persecuted. Can you remember Kenneth Starr (a Christian) and their battle over all of the Clinton's gates (Whitewatergate, filegate, travelgate, Chinagate, etc.) and the Impeachment? It seems Clinton has prevaled, like the a/c will prevail over God's people during the Tribulation (Revelation 20:4)

Now we are here:
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46)

We are in pain, as He was in pain. We are wondering when deliverence will come, as Jesus wondered when it would come.

We feel forsaken and so far from being helped (see Psalm 22 for the whole "forsaken" process). It is so revealing and so good!!

Next Jesus gave up the Ghost, the graves were opened and the dead walked into Jerusalem!

There is where we are!

Praise His Name!!