Streams in the Desert.....

 Streams in the Desert

Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more (Nahum 1:12).

There is a limit to affliction. God sends it, and removes it. Do you sigh and say, "When will the end be?" Let us quietly wait and patiently endure the will of the Lord till He cometh. Our Father takes away the rod when His design in using it is fully served.

If the affliction is sent for testing us, that our graces may glorify God, it will end when the Lord has made us bear witness to His praise.

We would not wish the affliction to depart until God has gotten out of us all the honor which we can possibly yield Him. There may be today " a great calm." Who knows how soon those raging billows will give place to a sea of glass and the sea birds sit on the gentle waves?

After long tribulation, the flail is hung up, and the wheat rests in the garner. We may, before many hours are past, be just as happy as now we are sorrowful.

It is not hard for the Lord to turn night into day. He that sends the clouds can as easily clear the skies. Let us be of good cheer. It is better farther on. Let us sing Hallelujah by anticipation.
--C.H. Spurgeon

The great Husbandman is not always threshing. Trial is only for a season. The showers soon pass. Weeping may tarry only for the few hours of the short summer night; it must be gone at day break. Our light affliction is but for a moment. Trial is for a purpose, "If needs be."

The very fact of trial proves that there is something in us very precious to our Lord; else He would not spend so much pains and time on us. Christ would not test us if He did not see the precious ore of faith mingled in the rocky matrix of our nature; and it is to bring this out into purity and beauty that He forces us through the fiery ordeal.

Be patient, O sufferer!  The result will more than compensate for all our trials, when we see how they wrought out the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. To have one word of God's commendation; to be honored before the holy angels; to be glorified in Christ, so as to be better able to flash His glory on Himself-ah! that will more than repay for all.
--Tried by Fire

As the wights of the clock, or the ballast in the vessel, are necessary for their right orderings, so is trouble in the soul-life. The sweetest scents are only obtained by tremendous pressure; the fairest flowers grow amid Alpine snow-solitudes; the fairest gems have suffered longest from the lapidary's wheel; the noblest statues have borne most blows of the chisel. All, however, are under law. Nothing happens that has not been appointed with consummate care and foresight.
--Daily Devotional Commentary

The Power of the Holy Spirit..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 The Power of the Holy Spirit

Dr. Charles Stanley

Luke 24:44-53

The principle we will explore today is basic but so powerful that it determines whether we experience victory in our lives.

You are probably familiar with the book The Little Engine That Could, in which a small engine keeps repeating the words "I think I can." By using sheer willpower, she pulls an entire train over the mountain. That's a nice children's story, but the truth of the Christian life is very different. In the real world, our efforts and determination often fall short. Only by walking in the power of the Holy Spirit can the godly life be achieved.

Throughout the Old Testament, God's Spirit would temporarily come upon saints for a particular work. However, after Jesus ascended to heaven, He sent the Spirit to dwell permanently within each believer. Consider what this means: If you're a Christian, God is living inside of you, available to help all through life by providing guidance, comfort, and empowerment.

Obedience to Christ is too difficult for anyone relying on his own strength. And discerning what to do in every situation is far too complicated for a fleshly mind. For some reason, though, Christians often try to live life by depending on their own energy and reasoning. Defeat and failure are unavoidable without His power in our lives.

Do you recognize your need for the Lord? Begin each day confessing your dependence upon Him. Ask to be filled with His Spirit so that all you think, do, and say will be an overflow from Him. Then trust Him to work in mighty ways through you. Watch what almighty God can do.

The Other Side of Why..... SHARON JAYNES

 The Other Side of Why

SHARON JAYNES

“My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.” Job 42:5 (NIV)

My son, Steven, and I sat on the floor in his room, playing a card game. This summer was proving to be the best ever. Our golden retriever, Ginger, had just delivered seven adorable puppies; Steven was enjoying his sixth summer of life, and after four years of negative pregnancy tests, God had surprised us with a new life growing inside my womb.

But as Steven and I sat cross-legged on the carpet, I sensed something was wrong. A trip to the bathroom confirmed my greatest fears. Later that afternoon, the doctor voiced the weighty words, “There is no heartbeat.”

What do you do when heartbreak slams into joy? When your soul cracks open and there just aren’t enough tears? When hurt steals your hope, and you want to give up on life? When deep soul lesions make a mockery of your faith?

I wish I could tell you I left the doctor’s office quoting Romans 8:28a about how “ … all things work together for good …” (ESV). I wish I could tell you that I calmly accepted the loss of my baby with faith, trusting that even this was somehow part of God’s plan. I wish I could tell you I spent the rest of the day singing “It is Well with My Soul.” But I didn’t do any of those things.

I went home, crawled in bed and pulled the covers up over my empty womb and broken heart. I didn’t want to talk to anyone, especially God. And what I did say to Him wasn’t very nice.

How could You do this to me? If this is how you treat those You love, then just forget it! You answered my prayer only to take it back! Why me? Why this? Why now?

Job was a man in the Bible who also had a lot of questions for God. In one day, his enemies killed all but a handful of his servants and stole all 11,000 heads of livestock. Then a strong wind collapsed his son’s house and killed all 10 of Job’s children. If we’re familiar with the story, though, we know how it all ends: The Lord not only restored what Job had lost, but “gave him twice as much as he had before” (Job 42:10b, NIV).

But can you imagine what it was like to live through it in real time? Job was stuck in a bad story, and he saw no end in sight. He had no idea why it was happening. He didn’t know God would give him twice as much as he had before. All he knew was loss, disappointment and pain. That might be where you are right now, stuck in a story you don’t like. But hang on! God’s pen has not slipped. He’s still in control. There’s more to come.

My favorite line in Job’s story comes at the very end. Job says to God, “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you” (Job 42:5). That is my prayer in every difficult circumstance of life. I don’t want to simply hear about God; I want to see God and have communion with Him in the midst of it.

Sometimes we have to let go of our plans to take hold of God’s purpose … and it’s always good. A house full of children was not how my chapter of infertility and the loss of a child ended, but I can still say it had a good ending. God has made me fertile in so many other areas, and I wouldn’t change a thing. When women come to me trying to make sense of the disappointments in their lives, I can say, “Come, sit with me. Let me tell you a story.”

And I know He can do that for you.

Lord, there are some parts of my story that still ache, and perhaps that ache will never go away completely. However, I know that you can use every tear to water the seeds of hope in someone else’s life. I release my pain to You, and wait open-handed for Your purpose on how to use my story to help someone else. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Deuteronomy 32:4, “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.” (NIV)

Do You Have to Pray Just Right for God to Listen?..... By Betsy de Cruz

 Do You Have to Pray Just Right for God to Listen?

By Betsy de Cruz

 “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” (Jeremiah 29:12)

Do you ever feel like you have to pray just right, or it won’t work? Have you felt like your prayer wasn’t answered because you didn’t have enough faith or pray long enough? I’ve felt that way too. Maybe that’s because we make prayer too hard. So often, we make it all about us finding the perfect words and approach. We think we have to pray just right for God to hear and respond.

Yet Jesus reassured his disciples with these words: “When you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:7-8).

Prayer isn’t a formula you have to get right.

God’s hearing our prayers doesn’t depend on our praying long enough or hitting upon the right phrases. Prayer is an invitation to come before our Heavenly Father who knows our needs and longs to hear our voices. God hears and responds to us because He is faithful and has compassion on His children.

My prayer life grows deeper when I take a few focused minutes to pray each morning like Jesus did (Mark 1:35). This gets me in the right frame of mind to keep praying later in the day. I’m learning that prayer can be simple and natural as breathing.

Prayer isn’t a ritual that depends on closing our eyes and putting on holy faces. We don’t have to kneel or sit. We can pray while walking, driving, or working. God responds to a two word cry for help in the middle of a busy afternoon, just like He does to a focused prayer time after reading Scripture in the morning. Praying doesn’t have to be complicated. God delights in any simple words we offer Him.

Prayer gives us the opportunity to relate to God.

As believers in Christ, we have an amazing privilege; our Heavenly Father invites us to talk to Him! We can read God’s Word and talk to Him in the morning to align our hearts with His at the start of the day, and we can also talk to Him as we go about our daily routines.

We may think we have to pray with fancy words, but prayer is just talking to God. Throughout the day, God longs to hear our simple prayers:

Thank you for this breakfast, Lord.

Help me stay calm in this traffic jam.

Lord, help me love this person right now.

God, will you show me what to do?

Lord, I love you. Be with me.

Goodnight, Lord.

So whatever your need today, friend, look to God. Don’t wait for the perfect time to sit down and pray. Don’t wait until you have the perfect words. Let’s lift our voices to God in the morning quiet, on the way to work, and while we walk the dog, make dinner, or go shopping. All it takes is a few words. Let’s turn our hearts towards God in prayer today. He longs to hear us.

Should I Fight or be Still?..... by Debbie Holloway

Should I Fight or be Still?
by Debbie Holloway

You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! (Psalms 119:4)

Do you often find yourself confused, unsure of how to best live according to God’s will? This is a struggle for me. Should I speak or stay silent? Will this action offend or edify? Is this a time for action or inaction? Should I fight? Or should I stay still?

Though every situation is different and every person unique, the Bible paints both stillness and action as pleasing to the LORD, depending on the variables at hand.

One example is when the Israelites were fleeing from Pharaoh and the Egyptians. The LORD had fought for them in Egypt by displaying horrors and miracles through Aaron and Moses. Finally their oppressors relented and the Israelites were free – but not for long. Pharaoh changed his mind, and Exodus tells the account of their suspenseful chase after the newly freed slaves. “What have you done to us?” the people cried to Moses (Exodus 14:11). They knew there was nothing they could do to protect themselves from the mighty King of Egypt.

But then God made his will known through Moses. No, the Israelites would not be able to defeat Pharaoh.

But the LORD did not ask them to.

“The LORD will fight for you,” Moses proclaimed. “You need only to be still.”

But there are other times, are there not? Times when we have the choice to stretch out our hands to either right or wrong, and there is no in-between.  Paul writes to Timothy,

“But you, man of God…pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith” (1 Timothy 6:11-12).

Sometimes we must fight. And make no mistake; this is not a direct call to fist-fights or military service. It is a direct command to use the Ephesians 6:10. We must fight to keep righteousness in our own lives, refusing choices which lead to sin and death. We must fight for love, which means making really hard choices and overcoming our natural selfish inclinations. We must fight for endurance, keeping promises, covenants, and our integrity in a way worthy of Christ Jesus.

Sometimes God calls us to fight, and sometimes he tells us to be still. How can we decipher it?

Sometimes it will be hard. But from these passages, I would risk saying that God knows when we are facing a foe that’s too big for us. Sometimes we ache and long to fight, but we know the battle is beyond us, out of our hands. It is those times we must remember that God is a God of the weak, the poor, and the broken. The LORD will fight for you. You need only to be still.

Other times we can and must fight. When we are faced with injustice, and we have some measure of control, we must fight for the small ones. When we are faced with personal crises, we must fight for our children, parents, marriages, relationships, churches – not against them. We must use every weapon in our spiritual arsenals to build the Kingdom of God and protect it from the ever-watchful forces of darkness. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance. Fight the good fight.

Intersecting Faith and Life: What are you struggling with now in your life, or your walk with the LORD? Spend some time in prayer to see whether God wants you to fight, or lay down your weapons and give the battle to him.

Further Reading:

Ephesians 6:10

Exodus 14:1

Hebrews 12:3

A Prayer for When You Struggle to Fit In..... By Mallory Redmond

 A Prayer for When You Struggle to Fit In

By Mallory Redmond

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. – John 14:18

Struggling to fit in or make friends in the place or season of life you find yourself? Here are just a few simple things that have helped me through a similar season of life, along with a prayer I regularly prayed for God’s closeness.

Know your identity

When we know our identity is in Christ, we can experience freedom from trying to be the person we think other people want us to be. Trying so hard to fit in with a group is a way of bringing glory to our self and the people we’re looking to for acceptance. Knowing and embracing our identity in Christ brings God the glory.

Explore your interests

Do you know the music, writers, artists, and hobbies that you most enjoy? Or, like me in my adolescence, did your own interests get lost while trying to fit in with others’ interests? Spend some time peeling back the layers of who you are and discovering your own passions.

Find a group or club founded on similar interests

What passions of yours have you discovered? Now that you’re embracing them, find others who will embrace them with you! You’d be surprised how many groups or clubs exist in your area, though it shouldn’t come as a shock to us—we’re all looking for a place to belong.

Volunteer your time

If you’re having a hard time finding the hobby or interests you most enjoy, try volunteering at a church, recreation center, or club in your area. You can serve your community while meeting great new friends!

Reach out

Feeling that we don’t fit in is painful and lonely. The worst thing we can do when we feel weighed down by the ache of not fitting in is keeping it all to ourselves. Finding a counselor or contacting your pastor is a fantastic resource; these people will join you, help you to process your feelings, and might even have some great ideas of how you can get connected to people with similar hobbies.

We want to fit in—all of us do. God created us to be in community with others, sharing our passions and gifts with one another. It is so hard when we cannot find people who share or appreciate our interests. This, however, does not mean that you or your interests do not matter.

As we continue to discover more of who we are, may we never forget whose we are. You are His—a perfect fit for the God of the Universe.

Let’s pray:

Lord, I am just so lonely. My heart longs for friendships, for even one good friend nearby. Lord, I know you wouldn’t let me go through this loneliness without having a good reason for it. Help me long for you and my relationship with you before all other things. I know that if I have you I have everything I need. Help me find satisfaction in you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.