(Written previously)
Can I be honest? We all have our moments, those days when we wonder why we even got out of bed. When all the news seem bad, at worst, and less than what we hoped for, at best. What do we do with those moments? Usually I have a good cry (I said I was being honest). My day was like that today. Not the whole day, but enough to get the tears flowing. Then when I got home and walked into my kitchen, there was a big piece of paper on my fridge that said:
” But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises Hebrew 6:9-12.”
A message right from the Comforter! Sure, I am the one who printed it off and stuck it on my fridge, but I had originally printed it off for a friend who is facing a challenge this year, but decided “what the heck” and printed an extra copy for myself. God knew I would need it today.
Then my Spurgeon Devotional said, “”Trust in Him at all times.”Psalm 62:8 Faith is as much the rule of temporal as of spiritual life; we ought to have faith in God for our earthly affairs as well as for our heavenly business. It is only as we learn to trust in God for the supply of all our daily need that we shall live above the world. We are not to be idle, that would show we did not trust in God, who worketh hitherto, but in the devil, who is the father of idleness. We are not to be imprudent or rash; that were to trust chance, and not the living God, who is a God of economy and order. Acting in all prudence and uprightness, we are to rely simply and entirely upon the Lord at all times. Let me commend to you a life of trust in God in temporal things. Trusting in God, you will not be compelled to mourn because you have used sinful means to grow rich. Serve God with integrity, and if you achieve no success, at least no sin will lie upon your conscience. Trusting God, you will not be guilty of self-contradiction. He who trusts in craft, sails this way to-day, and that way the next, like a vessel tossed about by the fickle wind; but he that trusteth in the Lord is like a vessel propelled by steam, she cuts through the waves, defies the wind, and makes one bright silvery straightforward track to her destined haven. Be you a man with living principles within; never bow to the varying customs of worldly wisdom. Walk in your path of integrity with steadfast steps, and show that you are invincibly strong in the strength which confidence in God alone can confer. Thus you will be delivered from carking care, you will not be troubled with evil tidings, your heart will be fixed, trusting in the Lord. How pleasant to float along the stream of providence! There is no more blessed way of living than a life of dependence upon a covenant-keeping God. We have no care, for He careth for us; we have no troubles, because we cast our burdens upon the Lord.”
We can’t change some things. Period. But we can change how we react, and how we see things. I’ve had my cry, a short one this time, now I am choosing to see things through the eyes of my loving Father. I choose to accept the comfort of the Holy Spirit, who does His job well. I choose to “rely simply and entirely upon the Lord at all times”, especially those moments that are hard. Amen
Tag Archives: Religion and Spirituality
Yes, No, Wait
God answers prayer. Always. But not always the way we want or in the time we want. When we ask God and He gives a “YES” we get real excited! When we get a “NO” it is a little harder to hear, but we know we can change our plans and count on His Faithfulness to carry us through. (As long as we trust His answer and don’t run to ten people to get their advice, really looking for a pretend “yes” from our fellow human beings). Now on the other hand, none of us like hearing “WAIT” or in my case, silence, no “yes”, no “no”, just silence. After several mistakes I have learned that silence in these situations for me, usually means “wait”. I have lost patience, jumped the gun, and even gave up on getting an answer. I have begged for the yes, then even begged for a no, only to seemingly, not get an answer, or to be told to “wait.” Waiting wasn’t easy for me most of the time, and I still struggle now and again. But God gave us free will, and he allowed me to go my own way. It doesn’t take long to figure out when you are not in his perfect will! That is called the school of hard knocks, or a “wandering in the desert experience”. Ever had one of those? Sometimes God says “yes” but we never totally trust Him. Like those other ones who wandered for forty years in their desert experience. Sometimes we ask God the wrong questions, we ask for the plan of our whole lives, and He just wants to give us our next step. Ask Him a question that can be answered by a “yes”, “no”, or “wait”. Now, due to the fact that I have been told to “wait” several times, I do it much better. I am more confident in God. He knows what’s best for me. I’ve screwed it up enough on my own to know that His way is always better, no matter how hard it may seem, or how long it takes to see the fruit.