Streams in the Desert

Streams in the Desert

When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. John 11:6

In the forefront of this marvelous chapter stands the affirmation, "Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus," as if to teach us that at the very heart and foundation of all God's dealings with us, however dark and mysterious they may be, we must dare to believe in and assert the infinite, unmerited, and unchanging love of God. Love permits pain.

The sisters never doubted that He would speed at all hazards and stay their brother from death, but, "When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was."

What a startling "therefore"! He abstained from going, not because He did not love them, but because He did love them. His love alone kept Him back from hasting at once to the dear and stricken home. Anything less than infinite love must have rushed instantly to the relief of those loved and troubled hearts, to stay their grief and to have the luxury of wiping and stanching their tears and causing sorrow and sighing to flee away. Divine love could alone hold back the impetuosity of the Savior's tender-heartedness until the Angel of Pain had done her work.

Who can estimate how much we owe to suffering and pain? But for them we should have little scope for many of the chief virtues of the Christian life. Where were faith, without trial to test it; or patience, with nothing to bear; or experience, without tribulation to develop it?
--Selected

Loved! then the way will not be drear;
For One we know is ever near,
Proving it to our hearts so clear
That we are loved.
Loved when our sky is clouded o'er,
And days of sorrow press us sore;
Still we will trust Him evermore,
For we are loved.
Time, that affects all things below,
Can never change the love He'll show;
The heart of Christ with love will flow,
And we are loved.

Handling Difficult Circumstances..... Dr. Charles Stanley

Handling Difficult Circumstances

Dr. Charles Stanley

Philippians 3:8-11

The apostle Paul understood how to handle tough circumstances. Even while he was confined in a prison cell, he kept his eyes on Christ and trusted firmly in the Savior. Therefore, despite being in chains, he was able to celebrate the Lord’s work in his life. In fact, the epistle he wrote from jail to the Philippians was filled with rejoicing (1:18; 2:18; 3:1).

Focusing on Christ is neither a natural reaction nor an easy one. Our instinct is to dwell on the situation at hand, searching for solutions or stewing over the pain and difficulty. As a result, troubles look scary and overwhelm us with a sense of defeat.

However, fear and defeat cannot live long in a heart that trusts the Lord. I’m not saying you’ll forget what you’re going through, but you can choose to dwell on His provision and care instead. He is the Deliverer (2 Cor. 1:10). He is the Healer (Deut. 32:39). He is the Guide (Prov. 3:6).  The believer who lays claim to divine promises discovers that God pushes back negative emotions. In their place, hope, confidence, and contentment take up residence (Phil. 4:11). You aren’t going to be happy about a difficult situation, but you can be satisfied that God is in control and up to something good in the midst of trouble.

The Lord’s principles and promises don’t change, no matter how severe or painful the situation is. Focus on Christ instead of the circumstances—God will comfort your heart and bring you safely through the trial. Then you can answer Paul’s call to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil. 4:4).

Hanging on When It Feels Like God is Holding Out....... ALICIA BRUXVOORT

Hanging on When It Feels Like God is Holding Out
ALICIA BRUXVOORT

“But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” Romans 8:25 (ESV)

I heard the clanking crash and mournful wail before I reached the kitchen. I didn’t need to see my daughter’s forlorn face or the fragments of shattered porcelain scattered across my dirty tile floor to guess what had happened.

Fifteen minutes earlier, my daughter had raced into the laundry room dressed in a shiny purple princess gown. Her plan spilled out in a rush of words and excited squeals. She’d prepared a tea party for her sisters, complete with homemade placemats and their favorite snacks. She’d adorned her teddy bear with poppy-bead pearls and had turned her snuggly pink blanket into an opulent tablecloth. “All I need now is the special tea set, Mom,” she’d said. “Could you come help me?”

The special tea set was a vintage ceramic teapot with four dainty cups and matching saucers. Housed on the highest shelf in the kitchen cupboard, it added a touch of “fancy fun” to ordinary childhood play.

“I’ll get the tea set for you when I’m finished with the laundry,” I’d promised.

“OK!” my girl had said with a grateful curtsy. “I’ll be in the kitchen …”

Sure enough, it was in the kitchen where I found my daughter sobbing over the wreckage at her feet.

“I’m sorry, Mom,” she cried. “I got tired of waiting, and I wondered if you were gonna keep your promise.” She dropped her head into her palms as she surveyed the shards all around her. “I wish I’d just been patient,” she murmured.

I handed my daughter a tissue and reached for the broom. We would discuss her impatience when the tears were dry, but for now, the Lord was using fragments of a fancy tea set to remind me of a lesson I desperately needed: Faith without patience falls short.

My little girl wanted to trust my word, but without patience, she didn’t have the fortitude to wait for its fulfillment.

As I swept the slivers of shattered porcelain into a pile, I recognized myself in the impetuous tea-party planner.

At first, I too am prone to trust God’s Word. I believe if He says it, He will do it, as Hebrews 10:23 says: “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise” (NLT). But trusting God to keep His promises requires more than just confidence; it demands endurance as well.

Maybe that’s why God’s Word reminds us over and over again that faith and patience are partners. One without the other can leave us dangling in discouragement.

Faith gives us the moxie to trust God’s Word, and patience gives us the mettle to trust His timing.

In today’s key verse, the Apostle Paul writes, “But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (Romans 8:25).

The original word in this verse for “patience” is hypomone. It paints the picture of a person holding on, persevering and refusing to give up. I once heard a pastor describe this particular kind of patience as “hang-in-there power.”

Patience is what keeps us holding on when it seems like God is holding out.

Patience is what keeps God’s mysterious timing from becoming our faith’s undermining.

Waiting on God isn’t easy, but with patience, it is possible.

I don’t know what you’re waiting on today, but I know God’s Word can be trusted. So, hang in there, dear friend. Keep believing! On the other side of your wait is a promise fulfilled. And when your eyes see what your faith has believed, there will be reason to celebrate.

Dear Jesus, I’m growing weary in the wait. Please increase my patience and grow my faith. Give me courage to keep trusting You and tenacity to cling to Your promises. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Psalm 27:14, “Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” (ESV)

Hebrews 6:12, “… so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (ESV)

Will They Know Us by Our Love?..... by Debbie Holloway

Will They Know Us by Our Love?
by Debbie Holloway

"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35).

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and it not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

These two passages are arguably the most famous Bible verses about love. Love is a concept promoted by Christians, Jews, Buddhists and Muslims. It is a thing acknowledged by atheists and agnostics. Something every man, woman, and child strives to obtain every day. Love is something we all know about and all desire. But so often it seems to be the most difficult thing for us to practice.

As Christians, we have no excuse for not knowing what love is. First Corinthians chapter 13 tells us in no uncertain terms. And Christ tells us in John 13 that the world will know that we belong to Jesus if we practice this love. But how often do we truly think of those two scriptures as one command? How often do we piece together the “how?” and the “what?” of love in our own lives?

The ramifications of doing so present a clearly defined, but difficult life. If we combine 1st Corinthians 13 and John 13, what would our lives look like? How would people come to recognize Christians?

Well, they would know us by our patience. They would know that we are Christians by our contentment, modesty, and humility. They would recognize us, for we would not be rude. We would seek the best for others, be difficult to make angry, and refuse to keep count of how many times we've been hurt. They would know us because evil makes us sad, and truth makes us happy. They would know us because we protect the defenseless and we do not live in suspicion of others.

They would know us by our hope. They would know us by our perseverance.

That is what love looks like. Those should be the marks of Christ’s disciples.

Oftentimes when the world hears “Christian” – they do not think of this love. They think Patriotic. They think of rules. They think of stingy, bad-tippers, who blindly vote Republican and will judge you if you drink beer or use four-letter words. And that might not be fair. That might not be you. But it’s still your responsibility to change what the world thinks of Christians. It’s still your responsibility to demonstrate that radical love Paul described to the Corinthians.

Because then, one by one, people might start to know Jesus a little better. Because then, one by one, we could really reach the world with this radical, biblical, Christ-like love.

Intersecting Faith and Life: Find one relationship or duty in your life that lacks love. And change it.

Further reading:

1 John 1:5
Romans 13:8

What It Really Means to Be Happy..... By Jennifer Waddle

What It Really Means to Be Happy
By Jennifer Waddle

To be considered blessed or prosperous in our culture, is to be affluent in wealth, success, or notoriety. In Psalm 1, however, the Hebrew word for blessed is esher, which means internal happiness and contentment. It has nothing to do with worldly achievements, but rather peace and joy that is rooted in God alone.

The promise of blessedness comes for those who find delight in the Word of the Lord, who meditate on it day and night. Of course, we can’t spend every minute reading the Bible, but we can hide the Word in our hearts and carry the Scriptures with us through every season. It’s not about head-knowledge, but rather heart-knowledge, filling our souls with words of life.

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

As people everywhere strive to find happiness, we can look to the Scriptures and know what it really means to be happy.

1. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

Delighting in God simply means that we spend time with Him through prayer, Bible study, and worship. For in His presence is fulness of joy. (Psalm 16:11) Not only do we find unexplainable joy when communing with God, we are attuned to His good, pleasing, and perfect will. The desires of our hearts align with His purpose, which produces in us the genuine happiness we long for.

2. Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. Isaiah 12:3

There is absolutely no greater joy than that which is found in the salvation of Jesus Christ. Delivered by the blood of the Lamb and set apart for His glory, we are liberated from sin and shame. No amount of the world’s “happy” can outshine that!

Jesus is a life-giving well, offering Living Water, that we might never thirst again. True happiness is found only in the Savior of the world.

3. He who heeds the word wisely will find good, and whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he. Proverbs 16:20

The old hymn, Trust and Obey, reminds us that there is no other way to be happy, than to put our trust in the Lord and walk in obedience. Unwavering trust leads to peace in every circumstance. Wind or rain, drought or storm, happy is he who trusts in the Lord. (Psalm 40:4)

“Happy” is promised when we plant ourselves firmly on the foundation of God’s Word. Like flourishing trees, planted by streams of water, we will be fruitful and fulfilled, rooted in the best kind of happiness there is.

A Prayer for Direction..... Dr. Charles Stanley

A Prayer for Direction
 Dr. Charles Stanley

He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God? – Micah 6:8

We naturally want to determine our own course in life. It seems like the only logical way to get where we want to go. But being wise in our own eyes is pride. To combat this tendency, the Lord instructs us to fear Him and turn away from evil (v. 7). This “fear” is not a horrified dread of the Father, but an attitude of respect that motivates us to obey Him for both our good and His glory.

We naturally want to keep our money for ourselves. A desire for a better lifestyle or fear of not having enough leads us to hang onto everything we get. But our compass directs us to honor God by giving Him the first part of all we have, trusting Him to provide for our needs (vv. 9-10).

We naturally hate God’s discipline. His painful reproofs seem to prove that He doesn’t care about us. But our heavenly Father says His discipline is the evidence that confirms His love and delight in us as His children (vv. 11-12).

Sometimes in our desire to follow the Lord, we focus on obedient actions—doing what He says—but miss His directions concerning our attitudes and thought patterns. To stay on God’s path for our lives, we must make course corrections not only in our behavior but also in our hearts and minds.

Lord, I confess that I often ignore or don't care to follow the path you've laid out for me. I often try to make my own path with disasterous results. Help me follow you with not only my actions, but my thoughts and attitudes. Thank you for knowing the best path for my life and for never abandoning me to my own ways. Help me remember this truth as I live out my days, and help me make necessary course corrections as I walk along the way. In Jesus' Name, Amen.