Streams in the Desert

In waiting, I waited, for the Lord (Psalms 40:1-6, margin).

Waiting is much more difficult than walking. Waiting requires patience, and patience is a rare virtue. It is fine to know that God builds hedges around His people--when the hedge is looked at from the viewpoint of protection. But when the hedge is kept around one until it grows so high that he cannot see over the top, and wonders whether he is ever to get out of the little sphere of influence and service in which he is pent up, it is hard for him sometimes to understand why he may not have a larger environment--hard for him to "brighten the corner" where he is. But God has a purpose in all HIS holdups. "The steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord," reads Psalm 37:23.

On the margin of his Bible at this verse George Mueller had a notation, "And the stops also." It is a sad mistake for men to break through God's hedges. It is a vital principle of guidance for a Christian never to move out of the place in which he is sure God has placed him, until the Pillar of Cloud moves.
--Sunday School Times

When we learn to wait for our Lord's lead in everything, we shall know the strength that finds its climax in an even, steady walk. Many of us are lacking in the strength we so covet. But God gives full power for every task He appoints. Waiting, holding oneself true to His lead--this is the secret of strength. And anything that falls out of the line of obedience is a waste of time and strength. Watch for His leading.
--S. D. Gordon

Must life be a failure for one compelled to stand still in enforced inaction and see the great throbbing tides of life go by? No; victory is then to be gotten by standing still, by quiet waiting. It is a thousand times harder to do this than it was in the active days to rush on in the columns of stirring life. It requires a grander heroism to stand and wait and not lose heart and not lose hope, to submit to the will of God, to give up work and honors to others, to be quiet, confident and rejoicing, while the happy, busy multitude go on and away.

It is the grandest life "having done all, to stand."
--J. R. Miller

Patient Words (and Actions)..... by Debbie Holloway

Patient Words (and Actions)
by Debbie Holloway

“But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” – Psalms 86:15

I have a small wooden square (modeled after a scrabble tile) inscribed with the mantra “Patient Words.” But before I tell you about that, let me tell you a story about someone who probably doesn’t have one.

One morning a few weeks back I was driving to work on the ever-bustling 95 South. At one particular point I found myself in the middle lane behind a big truck about the size of a fed-ex truck. The driver was going a little slow, as large trucks tend to. However, enter the sedan in the left lane, which was driving around the same speed . About five over the limit, but decidedly too slow for the bustling left lane during morning rush hour.

Enter second sedan in the left lane, who found himself stuck behind the slower car. I watched with disappointment (but interest, nonetheless) as this driver made the conscious decision to tailgate the slower car, and it was almost a little surreal. He zoomed up behind the slower car, getting so close that he had to apply his brakes two separate times.

I often forget to pay attention to things. “Noticing” is not a strong point of mine. I know tailgating is something that happens, especially in big cities full of impatient drivers. But this was the first time I’d ever noticed it happen. It was kind of appalling.

Meanwhile, back to the story. The big truck in the middle lane was watching too, and he eventually got the drift: people were unable to pass. So he decided to move over to another lane, allowing the tailgating car to pass into the middle lane and race ahead. Through his patience, observance, and understanding, this truck driver made allowances for both the aggression of the tailgater and the carelessness of the slow-moving car.

It was an odd exchange to watch. It made me think about a few things. Mostly about how impatient we are all of the time.

“But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” – Psalms 86:15

It can be hard to assume the compassion and grace of God. They are intrinsic aspects of his nature. But sin has made our patience a much more difficult thing to master!

I was recently in a play with a small group made up of young adults. Most of us have been together for a long time; we’ve grown to learn patience with each other’s quirks. It’s not always easy, though, especially during the harrowing “Tech” experience, which happens the week before Friday night’s opening performance.

During this particular Tech week I kept my small wooden tile with me which I had picked up at church. It has “Patient Words” written on it with sharpie. I made the tile for myself in an exercise during the sermon because I wanted patient words for my life. Little did I know how handy of a reminder it would be for me during Tech! I often found myself running to grab the tile out of my bag to clutch it in my more frustrated, weary moments. Sometimes we even passed it around, recognizing that we all desperately need reminders for patience and grace.

Intersecting Faith and Life

Are you more like that speeding, tailgating car? Or have you found a way to remind yourself to have patience? If you are prone to impatience with others, find a way today to make a reminder for yourself. Patience is not something which magically develops because we pray for it. It must be practiced.

For Further Reading

1 Corinthians 13

Galatians 5:22-23

Overcoming Your Past..... By Jason K. Allen

Overcoming Your Past
By Jason K. Allen

Did you know God can actually get greater glory when he uses people with a checkered past?

That is the story of the greatest Christian who ever lived, the apostle Paul. He may well have had the worst past ever to overcome.

He wrote thirteen New Testament letters and traversed the Mediterranean region on three major missionary journeys. This mighty man of the faith planted numerous churches, won multitudes to faith in Christ, and laid the doctrinal foundation on which the church has ministered for nearly two millennia. The apostle Paul was a missionary-theologian unlike any other the world has ever known.  

In Acts 9, Paul, then known as Saul, met the risen Christ, was gloriously converted, and was commissioned as an apostle. But before he encountered Christ in Acts 9, he appeared in Acts 7. This passage records one of the most diabolical scenes in all the Bible—the stoning of Stephen, the first martyr of the early church. In that setting, we find Saul, holding the coats of the stone throwers, rooting them on.

Then, in Acts 9, overflowing with hatred and rage, Saul goes to Damascus to persecute other or even more Christians. On that roadway, the resurrected Christ appeared to Saul, confronted him, and subsequently called Saul to himself and commissioned him into ministry.

What was Paul’s secret to overcoming his past? Why was his past not a weight but a springboard? The key is that he looked forward to Christian service, not backward in guilt, shame, or regret. Paul testified, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13–14).

There is a difference—a massive difference— between overlooking your past and forgetting about it. Paul never overlooked his past. He wrote extensively about man’s sinfulness, including his own.

The more he matured in Christ, the more self-aware he grew of his own sinfulness. In his first New Testament letter, written about AD 55, Paul referred to himself as “the least of the apostles” (1 Cor. 15:9). A few years later, in Ephesians 3:8, Paul referred to himself as “the least of all the saints.” A few years later still, in 1 Timothy 1:15, Paul declared that he was “the worst of [sinners].”

Do you see the progression? The more Paul matured in Christ, the more he reflected on his life before Christ. The more theologically he thought about sin, repentance, conversion, and grace, the lower his view of himself became, and the more his view of the gospel increased.

The same redemption can be yours by applying the gospel to your past.

A Prayer to Parent with Wisdom..... By Betsy de Cruz

A Prayer to Parent with Wisdom
By Betsy de Cruz

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” Deuteronomy 6:5-7

Before my kids were born, I read every parenting book I could get my hands on, but they left me totally unprepared. What I read on paper never seemed to match my real life situation.

While parenting methods gave me some ideas to try out, God’s Word gave me the strength, wisdom, and encouragement I needed to survive as a parent. Scripture reminded me I was called to love and serve my children. Parenting strategies fall short, but God’s Word provides timeless wisdom.

1. Love and serve your kids. We can reflect God’s unconditional love to our kids when we love them no matter what. Even when they act downright unlovable and drive us crazy, God calls us to love and serve them. Ephesians 5:1-2 reminds us: “Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

2. Teach them to love God. Of course we want to train our kids to obey and become responsible adults, but it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that ultimately our biggest goal is to teach our children to love God first. We can model love for God by seeking to live out His Word ourselves. Taking our kids to church, reading Scripture, praying together, and discussing faith issues build a family culture of loving Him.

3. Lead by example. If I want to teach self-control, loving behavior, and respect for others, I have to model them so my kids can learn them too. If I want to show my kids what it means to love God, I need to live that out myself with behavior, attitudes and words that honor Him. “Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity” ( Titus 2:7).

4. Train them diligently. To learn how to act like a civilized, considerate, and responsible human being, every child needs consistent limits, and consequences for misbehavior. Some children learn more easily than others, but God’s Word reminds us that diligence plays a key role: “He who loves [his son] is diligent to discipline him” ( Proverbs 13:24).

5. Pray for them. Perhaps the most effective parenting strategy the books don’t mention is to pray for our children. Parenting isn’t a formula where you put in certain variables and get sure outcomes. We depend on God to show His grace and intervene in our kids’ lives, so we need to pray for them.

Parenting strategies may not work, but God’s Word offers wisdom and life principles for families.

Will you pray with me?

Lord, I need You. Give me grace each day to love my children and see them with your eyes. Help me to find in Your Word the wisdom I need to lead my kids well and to train them diligently. I am so thankful I don't have to rely on my own wisdom to parent my children. Thank you for the guidance, discernment and truth your Spirit provides. Help me live in utter dependence on you in all things, particularly today in my parenting. In Jesus’ name, Amen.