In Shadow..... Streams in the Desert

 In Shadow

Streams in the Desert

In the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft: in his quiver hath he hid me. Isaiah 49:2

“In the shadow.” We must all go there sometimes. The glare of the daylight is too brilliant; our eyes become injured, and unable to discern the delicate shades of colour, or appreciate neutral tints – the shadowed chamber of sickness, the shadowed house of mourning, the shadowed life from which the sunlight has gone.

But fear not! It is the shadow of God’s hand. He is leading thee. There are lessons that can be learned only there.

The photograph of His face can only be fixed in the dark chamber. But do not suppose that He has cast thee aside. Thou art still in His quiver; He has not flung thee away as a worthless thing.

He is only keeping thee close till the moment comes when He can send thee most swiftly and surely on some errand in which He will be glorified. Oh, shadowed, solitary ones, remember how closely the quiver is bound to the warrior, within easy reach of the hand, and guarded jealously.
--Christ in Isaiah, by Meyer

In some spheres the shadow condition is the condition of greatest growth. The beautiful Indian corn never grows more rapidly than in the shadow of a warm summer night. The sun curls the leaves in the sultry noon light, but they quickly unfold, if a cloud slips over the sky. There is a service in the shadow that is not in the shine. The world of stellar beauty is never seen at its best till the shadows of night slip over the sky. There are beauties that bloom in the shade that will not bloom in the sun. There is much greenery in lands of fog and clouds and shadow. The florist has “evening glories” now, as well as “morning glories.” The “evening glory” will not shine in the noon’s splendour, but comes to its best as the shadows of evening deepen.

If all of life were sunshine,
Our faces would be fain
To feel once more upon them
The cooling plash of rain.
--Henry Van Dyke

Finding Clear Guidance..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 Finding Clear Guidance

Dr. Charles Stanley

Psalms 25:12

How can you be sure you’re making the right decision? Sometimes it may seem as if God plays hide and seek when we’re trying to know His will, but that’s not the way He operates. He wants to give us clear direction. The real question is, What do you need to do to hear His voice?

Clear the pathway. We have two main obstacles that hinder our discernment: sin in our life, and our own strong desires about the situation. To receive the Lord’s guidance, we must repent of all known sin and make our desires secondary to His.

Exercise patience. Sometimes it takes a great deal of strength to stand still when everything within you is shouting, “Hurry! Time is running out!” But if you rush ahead of God, you may miss His will.

Persist in prayer. The Bible clearly instructs us to keep coming to the Lord with our concerns. As we continue to pray, He will gradually weed out anything confusing until we come to His conclusion about the matter.

Search the Scriptures. The Word of God has an answer for every need, and the Holy Spirit knows just how to point us in the right direction. I remember times while I was reading the Bible that a verse jumped off the page and supplied the exact answer I needed to make an important decision.

So often when we’re faced with a critical choice, all we want from the Lord is a quick answer. But He delights to meet with us in order to deepen our relationship with Him. Don’t let the urgency of your need keep you from enjoying the intimacy of His presence as you seek His will.

Learning From Both Suffering and Fun..... ANNIE F. DOWNS

 Learning From Both Suffering and Fun

ANNIE F. DOWNS

“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.” Hebrews 5:7-9 (NIV)

I knew my smoke detectors worked because I had just tested them and changed out the batteries a few months before. But I REALLY knew they worked when I woke up at 3 a.m. to the sound of four smoke detectors going bananas in my house.

Every light was off, every appliance was off, and I didn’t see smoke or flames. But I smelled plastic burning. That 3 a.m. adrenaline rush and my barely awake fog combined to make for random running from room to room, panicked praying, and some yelling.

Firetrucks came. Firemen stormed through my house. I did not fall in love with any of them. (This has been a frequent question since I’m not married yet, and eight men were in my house that morning, but to date, no Hallmark movie will be written around this story.) They found nothing askew and nothing on fire, but they smelled it too. The next day, the heater repair company sent a specialist out, and he found the problem and fixed it.

It’s hard to really know what you’d do in an emergency until you are in one. Just like it’s hard to believe your smoke detectors will work until there is smoke in your house. The same is true for you and me — it’s actually when things go wrong that you learn what you are made of and made for.

That was true of Jesus, too. As Hebrews 5:7-9 records, Jesus suffered, and that’s how He learned trusting-obedience:

“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.”

We want to learn through the best days, at the parties, and when we are having fun. We want the lessons that change us to come around a dinner table with our best friends, laughing and sharing cheese. (I love sharing cheese.) But that’s just not how it happens.

The smoke detector doesn’t go off at the sound of laughter; it goes off when there is smoke. Who we really are, what we are really made for and made of, is revealed when there is smoke, when there is struggle, and when there is suffering.

I love talking about fun. I deeply believe that one of the ways we survive the worst this life has to offer is by finding a slice of fun in each day. But we have to balance the things — the joys and the suffering.

The moments of suffering teach us and strengthen us; the fun moments remind us to be vulnerable, human, open, and whole. The balance is required — we need both. We need to laugh around a table, but we need to obey when it hurts too.

To be fully human is to hold on to both suffering and fun, appreciating ALL the moments. We must allow the fun to flourish and the suffering to do its work. This is how we become who we’ve always wanted to be … this is how we grow, and this is how we learn.

Heavenly Father, suffering is not our preferred method of learning, but we know it is powerful. Jesus modeled that for us so well, and we walk in His footsteps. Remind us today, when a trial or pain shows itself, to lean on You, learn from You and choose trusting-obedience over fear. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (NIV)

2 Corinthians 4:8-10, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” (NIV)

Comparison Is a Trap (Hebrews 12:1)..... By: Betsy St. Amant Haddox

Comparison Is a Trap (Hebrews 12:1)
By: Betsy St. Amant Haddox

Hebrews 12:1 (ESV) Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us… 

Comparison is an ugly manipulator, destined to destroy—and it goes hand in hand with envy. No good comes from comparing yourself to someone else. It’s easy to do, of course—maybe you’re hyper aware of your neighbor’s manicured lawn while your own front yard is covered in brown spots. Or maybe your best friend got the new SUV you’d been eyeing but couldn’t afford, or your co-worker got chosen for the big promotion. You look at them and think, why not me?

You immediately began creating a list in your mind of all the ways you’re superior and should have gotten it. Or perhaps you instead began to beat yourself up, charting the ways you’ve messed up and that’s surely why you were passed over.

Thoughts like that are only an endless, dark pit of the mind - one into which the devil loves nudging Christians. If he can’t have our security and eternal souls, he sure enough tries to steal our joy and tempt us into as much sin as possible in the meantime.

Think about this- if we’re so busy comparing ourselves to others around us, if we’re so consumed with seeing if we measure up or somehow condemning them if we don’t, we’re sure not focused on telling those people about the Gospel. If our hearts are eaten up with “less than” and discontent, we’re not thinking about anything holy or eternal or Kingdom-minded. Yikes! I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be guilty about that. I don’t want the devil to win that battle.

Here’s what the Bible says about being content:

Philippians 4:12-13 (ESV) I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

1 Timothy 6:6 (ESV) But godliness with contentment is great gain.

Here’s the thing about comparison - you’ll never come out pride-free. Either you’ll fancy yourself better in some way and therefore entertain pride, or you’ll consider yourself lacking and invite pride to dwell in the form of a self-obsessed pity-party. (and trust me, no one RSVP's to those events!) There’s nothing attractive or edifying about either of those paths.

Consider the words of Paul in Galatians 5:7 (ESV) You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? When we look away from our path - when we cast our eyes away from the Lord and from Truth - we run out of our lane. We sway and swerve and stumble over the lies of the enemy.

We would do well to heed the warning in these Scriptures instead and turn our eyes toward Christ, the only Source of trust contentment - and the only true escape from the comparison trap.

The Bow & The Arrow..... by Shawn McEvoy

 The Bow & The Arrow

by Shawn McEvoy

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Wisdom, suggests the book of Proverbs, is prized above all things. And wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord. Therefore, the wisest thing one can do is to trust and honor God.

And trusting and honoring God, according to Proverbs 3:1-12, "not only delivers one from evil, but promises certain rewards," according to my Ryrie Study Bible notes. Among those rewards are:

• Longevity and peace (vv. 1-2)
• Favor with God and man (vv. 3-4)
• Health (vv. 7-8)
• Prosperity (vv. 9-10)

Pretty good stuff. Stuff we all like, and seek hard after. Barns filled with plenty, length of days, refreshment to your bones. And yet...

The section of Proverbs 3 that we know, love, cherish, cling to, and quote most often is the part that promises not peace, not health, not abundance. It is the part that promises guidance. "In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths."

Let's not miss that. In this promise-rich portion of Scripture, the part we people recite more often than the others is the part about trusting God more than ourselves so that in our "ways" and "paths," we will know which way to go. We will know what to do. We will get there directly. We will be able to read the signposts planted by the Almighty. The child of God receives many additional gifts when he or she receives wisdom. Is it possible that the most highly prized among them is a highly-tuned sense of spiritual direction?

If you've ever listened to peers ponder or authors write about the subject of seeking / finding / learning / doing "God's will," then I think you might agree that the answer could just be yes. We long to serve, to offer ourselves worshipfully. To walk so closely with God that "in him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28). Symbolically, what might this sense of direction, guidance, straight paths, and complete trust look like?

Perhaps... an arrow? Consider:

• Arrows point the way to other destinations
• Arrows indicate which way it is okay to turn
• Arrows are straight and narrow
• Arrows are colorful, sleek and efficient
• Arrows attempt to hit the target, but sometimes "miss the mark"
• Arrows can not be projected forward well by anything but the bow, they were made to fit into it ("Trust in the Lord with all your heart")
• Arrows are completely dependent upon the bow, and they were made to go out from it ("lean not on your own understanding")
• Arrows discussing how they got somewhere without crediting the bow would sound ridiculous ("In all your ways acknowledge him")
• Arrows, if properly knocked, fly true ("he will make your paths straight")

Today's verse appeared on the program for our wedding, because it has always been one of my wife's life verses. It is even more meaningful to me as I re-study it today because of something else I had written for Valerie long before she became my wife. I wrote the following thoughts about arrows for her after we had been dating for two months, just before she moved several states away from me:

I used to teach archery at camp in Texas. It’s the kind of sport where it’s not hard to find a few life metaphors – hitting the target, nailing the bull’s-eye, missing the mark... But in the arrow itself, I found a wealth of lessons. It’s such a simple, effective, and elegant weapon, with its sleek shaft and colorful feathers, but it can’t function without help. It needs the bow in order to reach its potential, to drive it forward, or it is worthless.

The arrow also has been prevalent in my doodles for as long as I can remember, probably due to its symbolic significance in direction and guidance. But take another look at the feathers – do you notice how one, the one facing outward, is a different color? That’s called the cock feather. It’s unique in that it must face away from the bow, or outward, in order to fly straight when shot. As Christians, too often we cover up what’s different about ourselves, and we wind up missing the mark, or sinning. But when our unique side faces outward for the world to see, we fly straight and true, exploding towards the target in a glorious burst of color.

 What is unique and different about you? Your faith, poise, depth, and grace, to name a few. Keep those true colors facing boldly outward; trust the Lord’s aim as He pulls back the string; fly straight. Let Him choose the targets, and you can’t miss.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Wisdom is often called the greatest gift, and no wonder, because it brings with it so many other gifts, not least among them the sense of guidance and direction that flying forth from God's Great Bow brings. What gift of wisdom do you prize above others? Remember the example of the arrow when you wonder what it looks like to trust in the Lord with all your heart, and to acknowledge him in all your ways. A true straight arrow can do no other! It is nothing but ineffective flash apart from the bow!

Further Reading

Proverbs 1:7
Acts 17:28

A Prayer for a Thankful Heart..... By Debbie Przybylski

 A Prayer for a Thankful Heart

By Debbie Przybylski

“I will give thanks to the LORD because of His righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens” (Psalm 7:17-8:1)

It is not easy to give thanks in every circumstance. But when we choose to thank God in the midst of difficulty, it defeats the forces of darkness in the spiritual realm. When we thank God for every gift He has given us even when things are hard, the enemy loses the battle against us. He is stopped in his tracks when we come to God with a thankful heart.

Learn to be thankful for every blessing from God in your life. It is of great significance to Him if in the midst of great trials, we can be thankful. There is a way of looking at life from the standpoint of eternity. The reality of eternal life and eternal glory that far exceeds this life is a priceless treasure. Our afflictions are working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

A Prayer for a Thankful Heart

Lord, teach me to offer you a heart of thanksgiving and praise in all my daily experiences of life. Teach me to be joyful always, to pray continually and to give thanks in all my circumstances. I accept them as Your will for my life (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). I long to bring pleasure to Your heart daily. Break the power of the enemy in my life. Defeat Him through my sacrifice of praise. Change my outlook and attitude into one of joyful contentment with my present circumstances. I thank You for… [Name a difficult circumstance in your life presently and thank God for it.]

Jesus, I want to be like You who obeyed the Father without complaint. You embraced the chains of humanity when You walked this earth. Convict me whenever I complain or compare myself with others. Give me Your attitude of humility and thankful acceptance. I want to be like the Apostle Paul who learned contentment in every circumstance. I choose to continually offer You a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that give praise to Your name (Hebrews 13:15). I long to bring a smile to Your face. Teach me the power of a thankful heart. I know that Your truth dwells in a thankful heart.