Streams in the Desert

"The ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them" (Num. 10:33).

God does give us impressions, but not that we should act on them as impressions. If the impression be from God, He will Himself give sufficient evidence to establish it beyond the possibility of a doubt.

How beautiful is the story of Jeremiah, of the impression that came to him respecting the purchase of the field of Anathoth. But Jeremiah did not act upon this impression until after the following day, when his uncle's son came to him and brought him external evidence by making a proposal for the purchase. Then Jeremiah said: "I knew this was the word of the Lord."

He waited until God seconded the impression by a providence, and then he acted in full view of the open facts, which could bring conviction unto others as well as to himself. God wants us to act according to His mind. We are not to ignore the Shepherd's personal voice but, like Paul and his companions at Troas, we are to listen to all the voices that speak and "gather" from all the circumstances, as they did, the full mind of the Lord.
--Dr. Simpson

"Where God's finger points, there God's hand will make the way."

Do not say in thine heart what thou wilt or wilt not do, but wait upon God until He makes known His way. So long as that way is hidden it is clear that there is no need of action, and that He accounts Himself responsible for all the results of keeping thee where thou art.
--Selected

"For God through ways we have not known,
Will lead His own."

The Wisdom of Right Relationships..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 The Wisdom of Right Relationships

Dr. Charles Stanley

Hebrews 10:23-24

The subject of positive relationships is near to my heart because God has provided me with such good friends. These are the people who challenge me to do more for the Lord. My friends love me, but they certainly aren’t content to let me stay as I am! If they spot a sin in my life or see something I could do better, they say so.

Paul gave relationships a high priority too. The apostle surrounded himself with people who could help him achieve two things: fulfillment of his God-given mission and conformity to Christlikeness. While Paul was pouring himself into the lives of others, he was being built up and strengthened by his fellow believers. That, in brief, is the Lord’s plan for every one of His children.

What about you? Do you have certain relationships that motivate you to pursue God more fervently? It does matter whom we allow to influence our lives. The Father equips your brothers and sisters to invest in you—to encourage you, to pray for you, and to prod you toward a more complete faith—so that you are prepared to devote yourself to serving others. Good relationships with people who build each other up can help believers fulfill God’s plan for their lives.

The finest relationships are between people who want to see each other succeed in faith and therefore “spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Heb. 10:24, niv). In other words, our best friends are those who love us as we are but never cease to challenge us to be better for the Lord.

The Reason I Pray, Even When It’s a Struggle..... ANNE GRAHAM LOTZ

 The Reason I Pray, Even When It’s a Struggle

ANNE GRAHAM LOTZ

“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:14-19 (NIV, 1984) 

Prayer has been one of the greatest challenges of my Christian life. While I know I’m commanded, encouraged, invited and often compelled to pray, I have still struggled with prayer. My struggle has centered primarily on three areas.

First, I have struggled with concentration. Why is it that as soon as I bow my head to pray, my thoughts start to scatter? Instead of truly communicating with God, I think about what I need to fix for supper, or what I’m going to wear to a special event, or when I can schedule coffee with a friend. Or I’m so tired that I simply doze in the quietness of the hour.

The second area I have struggled with is consistency — making time daily to meet with the Lord in prayer. How often I have been distracted by my chirping phone, or interrupted by my dog, or so busy I jump out of bed at the last minute and into my day without any real prayer at all?

And I have struggled with content — just knowing what to say and how to say it.

As I have sought victory in these three areas, I have asked God to give me solutions. And He has! Setting my alarm for an earlier time, allowing me to meet with the Lord before I begin my day, has helped with consistency. Writing down my prayers has helped not only with content but also with concentration. I find it helpful to include four elements in my written prayers: worship, confession, thanksgiving and intercession.

I begin my prayers by worshipping God for who He is, because as I focus on Him, it’s amazing how my own needs and problems are reduced in size compared with who He is. Then I look at myself and confess the sin that now seems obvious, revealed by the light of His holiness and glory.

I do not beat myself up over my sin, but instead, once I have named it for what it is, I move into thanksgiving to the One who has forgiven and cleansed me. At this point, I am ready to present my requests and intercede for others.

The Apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesian followers of Jesus, and I pray these words for us as we seek to draw closer to God:

“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:14-19).

Remember, the purpose of prayer is not just to get answers. The purpose is to develop an intimate, personal relationship with the One who loves you, gave Himself for you and longs for you to live in the light of His presence. Achieving the purpose makes the struggle more than worthwhile.

Abba, Father, thank You for the privilege of coming into Your presence. Thank You for helping me overcome my struggle with concentration, consistency and content as I choose to persevere in prayer. I love You! The reward of drawing nearer to Your heart makes the work of prayer worthwhile a hundred times over. Please, as I turn to You, even though my prayers may be feeble and halting, turn to me. Help me stay focused on my relationship with You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Romans 8:26, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” (NIV)

Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (NIV)

Stop Doubting Your Worth..... Gwen Smith

 Stop Doubting Your Worth

Gwen Smith

Today’s Truth 
"Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Luke 12:7).

Friend to Friend
It’s common for us to doubt our value and significance. Yet, in Psalm 144 David is struck by the mind-blowing reality that the God of all creation, the One who bids billions of stars to shine in the heavens and commands the powerful waves of the oceans to stop at waters’ edge, cares for wee-little humans like you and me.

The very thought of it leaves me breathing deep, shaking my head in wonder with the psalmist. “O Lord, what is a human that you care for him, a son of man that you would think of him?” (Psalm 144:3, CSB)

Jesus had a lot to say about this topic. When it comes to knowing the value God places on us, the way He cares for us, let’s turn to Jesus’s comments about sparrows. Do you know much about these little birds? They’re a dime a dozen. Highly common. Highly overlookable. The way many of us women might feel on any given day. Look at what Jesus had to say in reference to both ordinary little sparrows (and you):

“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:6–7)

For context, Luke 12:1 tells us that Jesus was addressing “a crowd of many thousands” when He spoke of the value God sees in each person. Many thousands. The rich. The poor. The average. The misfits. The bland. The spicy. The employed. The unemployed. The talented. The crippled. The lonely. The well. The sick. The married. The widowed. The single. The stressed-out. The curious. The masses! This wasn’t just a pep talk to encourage His besties! He was talking to the gamut of humanity. This is important because it makes those words He spoke that much more amazing.

Think about what He said! You know those sparrows that are sold in the marketplace for next to nothing? Those overpopulated little flyers? My Father doesn’t forget even one of them! He remembers them all.

You know what this means, don’t you? God remembers and sees you too.

You. Have. Value.

You are not forgotten by God.

God sees everything about you—even your screw-ups, failings, fears and doubts—and He finds value. I don’t love my children any more or less because of the way they dress or because of how well they can sing, throw a football, play chess, or pray publicly.

God doesn’t love you and me any more or less because of what we can or cannot do, or because of how good or bad we are either. He loves us because we are His. Made in His image. Fashioned by His heart.

Believe it. Even if your life wasn’t planned in the heart of your parents, it was planned in the heart of God. You are His, and He remembers you. By name. You, me, and the stars. He knows us all by name: “He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names” (Ps. 147:4 ESV).

God cares for and knows all about you.

He knows how you like your coffee or tea. He knows your weaknesses and insecurities. He knows all of the things that make you unique, even if you’re an identical twin! He knows the things that make you tick, the quirky things, the things that cause you to beat yourself up, and the things that put a fire in your belly. And He knows how many hairs are on your head. Incredible!

And Jesus didn’t stop there. He looked those people eyeball to eyeball and told them, You ... and you ... and you ... and you ... and you ... and you ... are worth more than a whole mess of sparrows!

God really is that into you. Because you are His. Handcrafted with divine devotion.

I can’t help but notice that before Jesus told the people how valuable they were to God, He said, “Don’t be afraid” (Luke 12:7). Don’t be afraid? Why would Jesus say that? I wonder if it was because He knows that many of us are afraid that our lives don’t matter. We fear insignificance. We worry that our contributions are dumb, weak, and worthless.

I wonder if it was because Jesus sees beyond the prodigal to the potential, and He wants us to stop listening to those other voices and let Him—our Creator—tell us our value.

And I wonder if some of us might be afraid of God’s love. Afraid to be defined by His grace. Afraid to be refined by His holiness ... to be set free, because those old chains that bind and hinder are our normal.

Jesus made it clear: In God’s eyes, you are valued. You are loved, cherished, seen, and adored. Don't doubt it for a second.

Let’s Pray
Dear Lord, Thank You for always remembering me and for loving me for who I am, where I am. Thank You for caring for me. Please help me accept this as truth when I doubt my value.

In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

Turn with Me to Your Next Prayer..... by John UpChurch

 Turn with Me to Your Next Prayer

by John UpChurch

According to Hollywood, most funerals should include the pastor intoning the morbid notes of the twenty-third Psalm. All the black around the pastor makes it seem that much more depressing. Usually, there’s rain.

But there are two things about this that strike me as odd. First, Psalm 23 isn’t depressing. Yes, it mentions the “shadow of death,” but it’s chock full of hope and paths of righteousness ... and oil pouring over heads. You can’t be depressed when oil’s dripping down your nose … at least in biblical terms.

Second, I don’t really hear people pray from the Bible. Sure, they toss in a verse or two about being “more than conquerors” or “God working all things for our good.” But I’ve never seen a pastor reach for Psalm 23 or any Psalm for that matter when praying in public.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’ve heard plenty of great prayers from pastors and other believers. Some of them have hit home hard. But it seems as if Evangelicals especially are averse to anything that isn’t somehow unique when it comes to praying. It’s as if we think that just praying from the Bible isn’t quite spiritual enough. We have to say something original.

Honestly, that’s too bad. Because the Bible is crammed with better prayers than I could ever come up with—ones that fit almost every situation. And, really, that makes sense. After all, God inspired Scripture. These are His prayers to us; they’re gifts of His grace.

In the Psalms alone, there are prayers for depression, loss, fear, moments when you just gotta praise … it’s like an encyclopedia of prayers. Just dial up a Psalm, and you’ve got a template for expressing what may have seemed inexpressible a few moments earlier.

Now, I’m not saying we should reject all original prayer-making. I’m just saying that there’s no reason to ignore the Bible as a source for some pretty great prayers. We don’t always have to come up with something original when God gave us His own Word to pray from. These prayers are creative for you creative types; passionate for those who like passion; and orderly for those of you who like things with three main points.

Just make sure that you aren’t praying the Psalms like those pastors in the movies. Put some heart behind it.

Intersecting Faith & Life: God’s interest in our prayer is that we spend time giving Him everything we’ve got. It’s easy to think that we have to have the right words—or that prayer is a test of our creativity. But it’s really a test of our hearts.

There are no original words… nothing new under the sun. Using the Bible as a prayer manual isn’t a cop out; it’s brilliant. Who better to teach us how to pray than God? Start there and see how well God’s Word fits the problems you face. Then, if you still need to wax poetic, you can do that, too.

Why Is There Only One Way to Heaven?..... by Jennifer Waddle

 Why Is There Only One Way to Heaven?

by Jennifer Waddle

Why did God provide only one way to heaven? Wouldn’t it have been more “user-friendly” to create many paths leading to eternity with Him?

In an attempt to illustrate God’s perfect plan, I picture a kingdom on a mountain. There is one road to the summit, leading right to the kingdom’s gates. A free map is offered to anyone who asks.

Yet, most people do not follow the map. For the road to the kingdom is narrow and not always easy to navigate. Instead, the travelers choose other roads. Wide and easy, with beautiful scenery on the way, they convince themselves that the road they’re on must lead to the kingdom! However, those paths never reach the summit. At some point, they either take a detour or simply dead end.

As people continue to trek up the mountain, I picture the Savior calling to all travelers, “Come, this is the way. Follow Me.” Yet, many go their own way, forging other paths and avoiding the One True Road at all cost.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. His way is sure and His path is open to all.

What a divine blessing to be given the exact directions to eternity! There is no guess-work!There is no “re-calculating” the journey. Jesus paved the way once and for all without mistake.

God didn’t provide only one way to heaven out of a sense of arrogance or control, as some might believe. He lovingly and painfully carved out the only path that would reach.

Across the chasm of man’s sin and up the mountain of life’s journey, God gave His Son—the perfect Way. Every other road that man travels will fall short of His glory. It will dead-end. But, there is One who calls… “Come and follow Me.”

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2

A Prayer for Your Aging Parent..... By Dawn Wilson

 A Prayer for Your Aging Parent

By Dawn Wilson

“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.” - (Psalm 92:12-15)

One of the greatest privileges of my adult life has been to pray for my elderly mom. Although we are separated by many miles and the burden of physical caring for her falls mostly on my precious sister, I do what I can and I love to pray for Mom.

Here are some of the things I’ve found useful to pray over the years. Perhaps they will be a template for prayers for your parent. 

Father God... I pray for PROTECTION.

I pray my parent will keep on leaning on You, the Rock of strength and righteousness ( Psalm 71:3a; 73:26; 92:12-15). Spread your protection over my parent, because You are the ultimate Refuge ( Psalm 5:11; 46:1).

I ask you to protect my parent from the evil one, and show the way out in moments of temptation (2 Thessalonians 3:3; 1 Corinthians 10:13). May wisdom, discretion and understanding protect and guide every day (Proverbs 4:6; 2:11; 138:7).

I pray my parent will be courageous, confident in Your presence, help and deliverance ( Psalm 121:1-8; Deuteronomy 31:6; Isaiah 41:10; Psalm 34:19; Psalm 91).

I pray for PROVISION—that you will meet my loved one’s needs.

Show me how to meet my parent’s needs in ways that will please You, Lord. Equip me to be a good steward in my loved one’s care (1 Timothy 4:5; 5:1-2).

There is much I can do, but You are the Great Provider. Thank you for your willingness to supply my parent’s needs for Your glory and my loved one’s joy (Romans 8:32; Matthew 6:31-32; 7:11; Philippians 4:19; John 14:13-14; 16:23-24). I pray my parent will be made holy through Your grace and receive Your good favor (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; Psalm 84:11).

I pray for continuing PURPOSE.

I ask you to help my parent flourish with an eternal perspective ( Psalm 92:12-15). Work in my loved one’s life for Your glory (2 Corinthians 4:16). Open appropriate opportunities for ministry and influence.

Help my parent live as a holy and faithful role model, Father, for as long as you allow (Titus 2:2-5). I pray my parent, from a wealth of experience, will share important life lessons You still want me to learn.

Father, I thank you for Jesus, who makes possible our God-honoring transition from this world to everlasting glory. As I pray these things for my parent, I pray them for myself as well. I pray we all will someday hear Your “well done.” Amen!