Your heavenly Father knoweth.....Streams in the Desert

 Your heavenly Father knoweth

Streams in the Desert

Your heavenly Father knoweth (Matthew 6:32).

A visitor at a school for the deaf and dumb was writing questions on the blackboard for the children. By and by he wrote this sentence: "Why has God made me to hear and speak, and made you deaf and dumb?"

The awful sentence fell upon the little ones like a fierce blow in the face. They sat palsied before that dreadful "Why?" And then a little girl arose.

Her lip was trembling. Her eyes were swimming with tears. Straight to the board she walked, and, picking up the crayon, wrote with firm hand these precious words: "Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight!" What a reply! It reaches up and lays hold of an eternal truth upon which the maturest believer as well as the youngest child of God may alike securely rest -- the truth that God is your Father.

Do you mean that? Do you really and fully believe that? When you do, then your dove of faith will no longer wander in weary unrest, but will settle down forever in its eternal resting place of peace. "Your Father!"

I can still believe that a day comes for all of us, however far off it may be, when we shall understand; when these tragedies, that now blacken and darken the very air of heaven for us, will sink into their places in a scheme so august, so magnificent, so joyful, that we shall laugh for wonder and delight.
--Arthur Christopher Bacon

No chance hath brought this ill to me;
'Tis God's own hand, so let it be,
He seeth what I cannot see.
There is a need-be for each pain,
And He one day will make it plain
That earthly loss is heavenly gain.
Like as a piece of tapestry
Viewed from the back appears to be
Naught but threads tangled hopelessly;
But in the front a picture fair
Rewards the worker for his care,
Proving his skill and patience rare.
Thou art the Workman, I the frame.
Lord, for the glory of Thy Name,
Perfect Thine image on the same.
--Selected

Our Heavenly Father's Unconditional Love..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 Our Heavenly Father's Unconditional Love

Dr. Charles Stanley

Romans 5:6-11

Scripture tells us that love is the very essence of who God is (1 John 4:7). So if you don't believe that He loves you unconditionally, you'll never really know Him or have genuine peace about your relationship with Him.

How do you define "love"? It is Jesus unselfishly reaching out to mankind, giving Himself to us and bringing good into our life regardless of whether or not we accept Him. Romans 5:8 tells us that His care and concern are so immeasurable that He laid down His life for us while we were still His enemies. In fact, the Bible says that He first began to express His love toward us before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:3-5). That means your actions had absolutely nothing to do with His love for you!

God's commitment to us has absolutely no conditions or restrictions and isn't based on whether we love Him back. Nor does He have more love for "good" people who may strike us as more worthy. He loves us even in our sin, even when we don't repent. Does that give us license to disobey? No. It gives us power to live holy lives, walk obediently with Him, and learn to love Him the way He deserves. To follow Him is to receive the love He has been offering all along.

Every single moment, whether awake or asleep, we all live under the canopy of the Lord's wondrous, absolute love for us. But to fully experience that love, you must receive it. Say yes to this amazing gift that God wants to pour out on you. Bask in it, and let it overflow to those around you.

Dear Burdened: Just Come...... SHALA W. GRAHAM

 Dear Burdened: Just Come.

SHALA W. GRAHAM

“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’” Matthew 11:28 (NLT)

There is a noticeable trend in my prayer journal lately. For months, I’ve been asking God for clarity and His exact direction as I navigate some major life transitions, involving everything from career path to family dynamics.

Can I just get a burning bush, Jesus? I promise I won’t fight You on what You are calling me to do. I just need You to spell it out, so there is no way I get it wrong.

What often trips me up is the tension and fear between what my heart deeply desires to do, and what I think I’m supposed to do. Though neither is wrong or sinful, I want to know the most proper path for a good Christian. I deeply desire to obey God, but I don’t want to leave anything out. I’m a perfectionist who wants everything to be right and better.

The enemy is good at attacking me with thoughts and expectations rooted in legalism. I can quickly muddy a pure-hearted devotion to God, which motivates me to love and serve well, with ideas that tell me I have to execute all the things in a prescribed way. I’m left feeling as though I need to work harder and accomplish everything commanded of all Christ-followers in equal and consistent order. And at the end of the day, that feels like a very heavy, failure-filled burden.

But Jesus interrupts my exhausting, condemning thoughts with a simple invitation to come to Him.

In Matthew 11, Jesus addresses the crowds. He is disappointed by how the Pharisees and religious leaders have burdened God’s people with human-made legal requirements and stipulations. So He offers the people — and you and me — this invitation:

“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light’” (Matthew 11:28-30, NLT).

Yes, please! I am weary and burdened. My soul needs Your rest, Jesus!

Notice the three gentle action steps Jesus asks of us: “Come to me … Take my yoke … Let me teach you …”

Now look at what He promises us: “I will give you rest … you will find rest for your souls.” 

When I rest and learn from the humble and gentle heart of Jesus, the “burden” He puts on my heart is light. In Him, there is freedom from legalistic hoops and expectations. I can simply lean into His voice and follow like one of His sheep, as John 10:27 says: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (NLT).

Friend, listen to the voice of Jesus and come to Him. He’s already given you everything you need to accomplish what He designed you to do. Nothing more. Nothing less. But the most important thing He gives you? Himself.

Father, I thank You for inviting me into this saving relationship with Jesus. I trust that when I am yoked with Him, I will fulfill my unique calling because He is helping me every step of the way. Help me receive Your freedom and rest daily. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
2 Peter 1:3, “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.” (NLT)

Stop Worrying and Put Your Trust in God..... By: Cindi McMenamin

 Stop Worrying and Put Your Trust in God

By: Cindi McMenamin

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.” - 1 John 4:18

I’m sure you and I would never worry at all if we could be assured that our children would be happy, healthy, and safe all their days. But life comes with no such assurances. And while I personally can’t promise the well-being of your children, I can offer you some ways to eliminate worry, experience peace, and enjoy the task of parenting no matter how young or old your children are and no matter how much damage they might have done already. It’s all about leaning on the One who can do far more for and with your child than you ever could.

Scripture says God has not given us the spirit of worry or fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). And a mom can have a tremendously positive influence on her child when she is exercising not worry or fear, but God’s power, love, and a sound mind.

Trusting God with your children is not just wishful thinking and hoping God agrees with your prayers. It’s a lifestyle of leaning on the Living God who can accomplish all that we cannot, and who can determine what is best for your child when you and I only think we can. And it starts with letting go of the worry.

Worry says to our children and others: "God can't work this out." Therefore, worry is the sin of having no confidence in God. I know that you, like me, aren’t consciously thinking those words when you worry. But I also know you don’t want to display that type of mistrust to your children.

How we live will, to a great degree, impact how our children live. What we worry about, they will tend to worry about. On the flip side, where we put our trust will greatly impact how they will choose to handle situations in life, too. Even if they don't imitate your faith or degree of trust, they will know on Whom you rely (or don’t rely) and it speaks louder to them than any lecture.  The choices we make – including whether we decide to worry or trust God – will no doubt influence our children's choices well into their adulthood.

God gave us a formula in His Word to help us stop the worry:

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7, NLT).

The very next verse tells us how to stop the worrying, so we can experience that kind of peace that comes through praying about everything:

…Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise (verse 8).

As you focus on God’s goodness, God’s love, and God’s ability to control all that you cannot, there is no room in your mind for fear or worry.

Trust Him. He can control all you think you must and all you are convinced you can’t. And He knows exactly what He’s doing in your child’s life – and yours.

A Prayer for When You are Battle Weary..... By Bobbie Schaeperkoetter

 A Prayer for When You are Battle Weary

By Bobbie Schaeperkoetter

Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you. - 2 Chronicles 20:17

Do you feel the tension that seems to permeate the air of this world lately? Things just feel heavy. Hearts are hurting. People are discouraged and dissatisfied. It seems as if this whole world is worn down from struggles and it would be so very easy to just give in to the pull of weariness and discontent.

In the middle of the strife and struggles, we can start to feel overwhelmed, worn, and just plain weary. When these feelings come, and they linger far past their welcome, what can we do to keep our heads up? How do we remain hopeful when things just seem so difficult?

Maybe a good place to start is to look at someone else who was weary in the battle and see how they overcame it. In 2 Chronicles 20, Jehoshaphat is facing a multitude that has come against him. He’s going to have to fight his enemies. However, when he seeks God’s battle plan, he sees that it is a little different than the one he might have been considering.

Maybe like Jehoshaphat, God’s plan to overcome our battles looks a little different than ours.

Battle weary friend, we do not need to be overcome by the strife and the difficulties that surround us. Let’s give up our battle plan with all of the fear, worry, discouragement, wobbliness, and struggling that it brings and follow God’s plan instead. We can embrace the peace, hope, and assurance He offers. After all, His record for victory is pretty solid.

Let’s Pray:

Lord, I admit, I am weary. Life is going a million miles an hour and I am just trying to hang on. I am tired and I am afraid when I look to the future and think about all that is coming. Lord, I know You want me to trust You through this. I know You want me to surrender this weariness to You. I surrender now. Fill me with Your strength. Fill me with Your presence. Help me find moments today of rest and rejuvenation. Thank You that You never abandon us in the midst of the battle. Thank you for your everlasting faithfulness.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.