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How Can God Be in Control When Life is Out of Control?

4/22/2022

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Over the years I have been especially comforted by the words and devotional thoughts of Christians, some who have gone before and others who continue to live the life of faith and have something to say to me about that life. I thought I would use this post to include a few favorite reflections.
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Hannah Whitall Smith: The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life  
~ Is God in Everything? ~
     "The question here confronts us at once, 'But is God in everything, and have we any warrant from the Scripture for receiving everything from His hands without regarding the second causes that may have been instrumental in bringing them about?'... Second causes must all be under the control of our Father, and not one of them can touch us except with His knowledge and by His permission... By the time it reaches us it has become God's will for us, and must be accepted as directly from His hands.... He, who counts the very hairs of our heads, and suffers not a sparrow to fall without Him, takes note of the minutest matters that can affect the lives of His children, and regulates them all according to His own perfect will, let their origin be what they may... If our Father permits a trial to come, it must be because the trial is the sweetest and best thing that could happen to us, and we must accept it with thanks from His dear hand. This does not mean, however, that we must like or enjoy the trial itself, but that we must like God's will in the trial; and it is not hard to do this when we have learned to know that His will is the will of love, and is therefore always lovely."

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J.C. Ryle: Practical Religion   
~ Makes No Mistakes ~
     "The Lord Jesus makes no mistakes in managing His friends' affairs. He orders all their concerns with perfect wisdom: all things happen to them at the right time, and in the right way. He gives them as much sickness and as much health, as much poverty and as much riches, as much sorrow and as much joy as He sees their souls require. He leads them by the right way to bring them to the city that will be their eternal home. He mixes their bitterest cups like a wise physician, and takes care that they do not have a drop too little or a drop too much. His people often misunderstand His dealings; they are silly enough to imagine that their course of life might have been better ordered: but in the resurrection day they will thank God that not their will but Christ's will was done."



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Trenton Black   Singer/Songwriter
When the Rain Falls Hard
​
When the sun shines it face on the meadows
And it warms all the lands that you roam
And it grows up the trees like tall towers
Round the place that you’ve always called home.

When the stream flowing by fills with laughter
And the bend in its path is a smile
And it asks you to sit down beside it
And to rest from your work for a while

You’ll be singing the song of the happy
You’ll be singing the praise of the kind
You’ll be singing the song of the peaceful
As you rest and you strengthen your mind

* * * * * * *
​
When the cold bitter waves crash around you 
And they howl as if showing their teeth,
But you stand on a Rock with the light on your face
While the darkness goes howling beneath

When the winds blow in every direction
But they never can cut you adrift
And the cable strains hard at the anchor
But the anchor refuses to lift

You’ll be singing the song of the battered
You’ll be singing the song of the strong
You’ll be singing the song of the hopeful
As you stand all the day and night long

* * * * * * *

When the clouds fly to unwanted places
And they flood out the back ways and roads
And they drown out your glad expectations
As they bring to you heavy new loads

When in days and in nights you are restless
And the pain stabs so deep to your heart
And gray forecasts arise all around you
And it seems they will never depart

You’ll be singing the song of the broken
You’ll be singing the song full of tears
You’ll be singing the song of the burdened
As you fight through the sorrows and fears

* * * * * * *

When you look up ahead for a pathway
But you find that the journey is done
And you look all around for a shadow
But you stand in the light of the Son

When the mist that has shrouded your footsteps
Blows away and is ever no more
And you lay down your bundle of troubles
On that bright and long sought after shore

You’ll be singing the song of contentment
As you sit and you rest by that sea 
You’ll be singing the anthem of victory
When at last from life’s pain you’re set free




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Mr. Standfast

2/4/2022

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I recently ran across some reflections I wrote in a journal in the days preceding my father-in-law's home going to heaven (in November 2013).

"I have been attending daily at the bedside of my father-in-law who is dying. His 5' 7" 135 pound frame has shrunk down to less than 90 pounds. He is no longer able to move his legs and can barely move his arms. Understandably, he is completely bed bound and needs help moving from side to side to prevent bed sores. We have been given the blessing of toiling with him, as it were to the rivers edge, that great, wide, deep river that Bunyan describes. There is yet a work to be done, a daily surrendering to the Father's will and timing. Watching my father-in-law "walk" this path has been a teaching time for my soul…his patience in suffering, his thankfulness and gentleness. God has given us times of sweet conversations… recollections of childhood memories, prayers and hopes for those whom he loves, yes, all mixed in with times of confusion, worry about his glasses, waking up at 3:00 in the morning and thinking it's midday..."

We did toil to the river's edge with Anthony, "Abuelito", and watched as he passed over to the other side. These words describing Mr. Standfast (from Pilgrim's Progress) seemed written just for him…

"When Mr. Standfast had thus set things in order, and the time being come for Him to haste him away, he also went down to the River. Now there was a great calm at that time in the River; wherefore Mr. Standfast, when he was about halfway in, stood a while, and talked to his companions that had waited upon him thither: And he said, 

"This River has been terror to many, yea, the thoughts of it also have often frighted me; but now methinks I stand easy… The waters indeed are to the palate bitter, and to the stomach cold; yet the thoughts of what I am going to, and of the conduct that waits for me on the other side, doth lie as a glowing coal at my heart. 

"I see myself now at the end of my Journey; my toilsome days are ended. I am going now to see that Head that was crowned with thorns, and that Face that was spit upon for me. I have formerly lived by hear-say and Faith; but now I go where I shall live by Sight, and shall be with Him in whose company I delight myself. I have loved to hear my Lord spoked of; and wherever I have seen the print of His shoe in the earth, there I have coveted to set my foot too. 

"His Name has been to me as a civet-box; yea, sweeter than all perfumes. His Voice to me has been most sweet; and His Countenance I have more desired than they that have most desired the light of the Sun. His Word I did use to gather for my food, and for antidotes against my faintings. He has held me, and... kept me from mine iniquities; yea, my steps hath He strengthened in His Way."

It has been 3 years and 3 months and today, February 4th, is Anthony's birthday. We still feel his absence, yet, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord and so we draw comfort and joy from his reality, though a part of us is missing. While we await that grand reunion around the throne of Christ, we remember that...

"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main: if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind: and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." (John Donne)

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A Great Story

8/21/2021

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Who doesn't enjoy a great story? When you crack the cover of a new book, you begin a marvelous journey of discovery... You meet friends and foes, you discover new lands, whether real or the fanciful imaginings of the author... Any tale worth the read will take you to that "nail biting" place where you wonder how its all going to work out. The human heart loves to wrap itself up in an engaging tale. Why is it so many people frequent the movies? You might answer, 'People love to be entertained.' Perhaps so, but I think at the root of it people love a great story. 


Recently, my 16 year old son said something quite profound about storytelling. It actually prompted this post. First, you have to know a little bit about my son. He is one of the most imaginative individuals I've ever known. When he was a little boy, rather than getting on the floor in the midst of his toys, driving cars across the carpet or building a lego empire, he would often sit in a chair with eyes a million miles away. I used to think, 'What's wrong with this child?' Look at all the toys at his fingertips. Why doesn't he play with them? I came to realize that the world of his imagination and the stories developing in his brain were much more captivating than the plastic blocks on the floor. To this day, his writing and prolific illustrating continue to reflect this creative bent (yes, the picture above is one of his first efforts with watercolor). 


"So what did he say that was so profound?" Glad you asked... He and I were talking about the trials of life ~ which may seem like a strange topic for a teenage boy and his mom. What can a 17 year old know about suffering? But this is a young man who has lived with and amongst the suffering. He was 8 when I had cancer and when his grandmother died in our home; he witnessed the daily decline of his 91 year old grandfather and stood at his bedside when he took his last breath, and for the past four years he has watched his brother struggle daily with a serious and chronic illness. It was this young man who said to me, "Mom, our lives are like a story, and what makes any story compelling is the conflict. Without conflict that needs resolving, a story wouldn't be worth reading." He went on to say that we know Who is writing our story and we know that the ultimate end will be a "happily ever after" like no other.


His musings were pure gold to me and came at such a time when the reality of the day-to-day made it difficult to see beyond the pain. The Lord used his words to remind me of the Author and Perfecter of faith who is indeed in the midst of writing a great tale, our tale. My son enabled me to see the distress of our circumstances as an essential part of our life story - the conflict that once resolved is going to resound to the praise and glory of the Author (and can even resound to His glory before the resolution).


One other musing... I recently started listening, with my chronically ill son, to some messages on the book of Job preached in 1964 by Francis Schaeffer. In the introduction, Francis Schaeffer mentioned that scholars agree that the book of Job is likely the oldest book in the Bible, written before Genesis. It made me wonder, 'Why did God choose to write the book of Job first?' Could it be that the problem of pain and suffering and our need to understand it in the context of the seen and unseen world and a personal Creator is in the forefront of the mind of God? Could it be that the LORD wants us to know first and foremost that He is engaged in our suffering and is at work in the midst of it to purify our faith, to make Himself known to us in a more intimate way, and to put on display before the heavenly host and a lost world His love and care for His own? Job, the first of all of the 66 books of the Bible to be written... Something to think about...


"Therefore we do not lose heart, but though the outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."                                         (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

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The Lovingkindness of the Lord Extends to the Heavens

7/30/2021

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We live in a world where things wear out. Our “stuff” wears out ~ our cars, houses, clothes (Okay, maybe not the old 70’s polyester :-)... Our bodies wear out... I don’t know about you, but many times my patience wears out... and sadly, even some of our relationships seem to wear out. But, I found something the other day that doesn’t wear out!

“Your lovingkindness, O LORD, is everlasting” (Psalm 138:8)

Think of it; the affection of God toward you NEVER becomes thin nor threadbare. I know some of us may feel like we have made a good go of wearing out God’s lovingkindness with our sin, our ingratitude, our lack of trust, our own self-focused hearts. Others of us may feel, in the midst of trials, as though we wake up each day locked outside of God’s storehouse of lovingkindness, looking in at the windows but with no access.

If you’ve ever read John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, then perhaps you remember Christian’s run in with Giant Despair and his imprisonment in Doubting Castle. He was locked in the dungeon, feeling helpless and hopeless, but in that place he managed to pray. Suddenly in amazement, Christian realized and exclaimed, “What a fool am I, thus to lie in a stinking dungeon, when I may as well walk at liberty? I have a key... called Promise, that will, I am persuaded, open any lock in Doubting Castle.”

Well, I have good news for you and me. If we are found in Christ, if we have been adopted into His family, then we, as His daughters, also have that key in our possession and this promise is ours: 

Your lovingkindness, O LORD, is everlasting.” (Psalm 138:8)

In Christ, not only do we have the key to unlock the dungeon door of Doubting Castle, we also have open access to the storehouse of God’s everlasting lovingkindness. As much as we dip into that treasury, it remains undiminished and continually overflows toward us, His daughters. 

Picture it this way, if you and I were to stand downstream from the Niagara Falls and dip a glass into the clean, clear waters to drink, how long would it take us to deplete that supply, to drink that river dry? We could dip and drink for a lifetime and never put a dent in the flow. The funny thing is, the water that supplies the Niagara Falls is finite, but...

Your lovingkindness, O LORD, is everlasting.” (Psalm 138:8)

Regardless of life’s circumstances, God’s kindness and care permeates them all. Do you believe that? Will you join me in choosing to believe that promise... not hypothetically... not from a distance, but right now, this very minute, in the midst of the circumstances in which you find yourself? When we do, it looses our tongues to join David as he sings this song to the Lord,

Your lovingkindness, O LORD, extends to the heavens, 
Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house;
And You give them to drink of the the river of Your delights.
For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light. 
(Psalm 36:5,7-9)



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A Look in the Mirror

3/30/2021

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Truth be known, the older I become, the harder it gets looking in the mirror. My face, my hair, my body reflect back to me lines of care, more gray, and the scars of a battle with cancer. Today, however, I didn't have a run in with my bathroom mirror but rather with the spiritual mirror. When I took an honest look, I didn't like what my soul reflected back... the lines of life's cares that hadn't been lifted up to the Lord, a cold, gray heart that had been unsuccessfully pumping through the day without drawing from its life Source, and the scars of a battle with sin (or were those fresh wounds I perceived...). 

Part of me wanted to justify my struggle and focus on the circumstances of life that in all honesty are just plain hard, but then I read Psalm 63, a psalm of David, and found what I was missing... not a "make over" to mask what's really there but rather the honesty of a mirror and the revitalizing balm smoothed on by the God of the word. 


What made Psalm 63 powerfully poignant was not that it was written by a king on his throne enjoying the glory of his kingdom and the allegiance of his subjects. No, it was written when David was fleeing the vehement sword of Saul and found himself in the wilderness of Judah. Yet he wrote, "O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water." 

I have to admit when I first started reading, I couldn't echo David's prayer. I was not seeking God earnestly though I needed Him desperately. My soul was not thirsting for Him though parched to the bone
. But I kept reading...

"Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips will praise You. So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name... My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth offers praises with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, for You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me."


It was then the prayer began, 'Lord help me to seek you earnestly, help me to thirst for you and yearn for you in the midst of my wilderness.' It was not going to be because of a change in my circumstances that I might praise Him, but because His lovingkindness is better than even life itself. 'Lord help me to bless You as long as I live...' a tall order when clothed in this body of flesh, yet "as long as I live" happens only one moment at a time. Could I make a choice this moment, right now, with the power and help of my resurrected Savior to bless Him? Might I - energized by His Spirit - take time to meditate on who He is and remember His unchanging faithfulness to me, for He has indeed been my help. It truly is in the shadow of His wings that I can sing for joy. Joy is a rare commodity when life is hard - yet He shows me where it is found: in the shadow of His wings, by His side, even in the midst of the wilderness. 

By God's grace and with His help when I glance in the spiritual mirror, though circumstantially in the wilderness still, may the reflection I see be a soul clinging to God, upheld by His right hand, singing for joy in His presence, and praising the God whose lovingkindness is better than life.

He is Risen!


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Oh That I Had Wings...

3/10/2021

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David exclaimed, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest" (Psalm 55:6). He was in great distress as the words preceding this exclamation reveal, "My heart is in anguish within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror has overwhelmed me." Have you ever wished you could take flight and leave your circumstances behind? If only we had wings...

I was reminded this past week that the Christian does indeed have wings, but rather than winging us away from our troubles, they are wings that enable us to fly up, as it were, to the throne of grace where we might receive help in our time of need. As a bird must have two strong wings to fly, we also need two wings to fly up to our heavenly Father. One wing is "Surrender" and the other is "Trust" ~ but how does a human sprout wings? 

Deuteronomy 32:11 tells us...
"Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that hovers over its young, He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His pinions." Hannah Whitall Smith (1832-1911) describes it this way. "The mother eagle teaches her little ones to fly by making their nest so uncomfortable that they are forced to leave it and commit themselves to the unknown world of air outside. And just so does our God to us. He stirs up our comfortable nests, and pushes us over the edge of them, and we are forced to use our wings to save ourselves from fatal falling. Read your trials in this light, and see if you cannot begin to get a glimpse of their meaning. Your wings are being developed" (The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life). And yet look closely, God is there even as we are learning to fly. The mother eagle hovers over her young watching the progress of her eaglets and is ready to catch them and carry them on her pinions when they themselves are too weak.

Not only do trials develop our wings, but our response to our trials does as well... 

"Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord, will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles..." (Isaiah 40:30-31). 

Are you weary and tired? Do you feel like you are stumbling? Is the Lord stirring up your nest so that you will develop and exercise the wings of Surrender and Trust? That will happen as we learn to wait for (literally: to look for, hope and expect) the Lord.

This past week I felt like a bird with a broken wing. Have you ever watched a bird struggle to take flight with a broken wing? There is a lot of effort, a lot of flapping and false starts, but no flight, only increasing distress. What breaks the wing of Trust but doubt, doubting God's goodness, doubting His promises. And what disables the wing of Surrender but sin, perhaps in the form of anger and frustration at the sovereign God who has lovingly stirred the nest. 


If you, like me, feel like one of your wings is broken, take courage that though your "soul may feel as if it were in a prison from which it cannot escape, and consequently is debarred from mounting up on wings. No earthly bars can ever imprison the soul. No walls however high...can imprison an eagle so long as there is an open way upward; and earth's power can never hold the soul in prison while the upward way is kept open and free. Our enemies may build walls around us as high as they please, but they cannot build any barrier between us and God; and if we "mount up with wings" we can fly higher than any of their walls can ever reach... The only thing that can really imprison the soul is something that hinders its upward flight." 

Don't allow doubt or sin to cloud over your clear path upward. Remember that ultimately the roof of sin has been removed altogether from your prison by the Savior. Trust, Surrender and wait for the Lord.  

"The dove hath neither claw nor sting. 
Nor weapon for the fight,
She owes her safety to the wing,
Her victory to flight.
The bridegroom opens His arms of love,
And in them folds the panting dove."


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Be Anxious for Nothing

1/30/2021

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Fear and anxiety is a human condition, part of the fabric of life. How many times in a simple reading of the bible do we come across words or phrases dealing with anxiety and fear. Often it is the Lord Himself who is comforting His people with the words, “Do not be afraid” or “Do not fear,” and often these comforting words come in the context of the Lord reminding His own that He is with them. He told Joshua, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” In like manner, the psalmist in Psalm 27 reminds himself, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread?” 

In the New Testament, Philippians 4:4-9 is one of the most extensive passages on this subject. 

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Many have read these words and from them have drawn the conclusion that feeling anxious is a sin. They reason, ‘The Lord has given a command to not be anxious; therefore, if I feel anxious I must not be trusting the Lord; I must be sinning.’ But is this true? Tim Keller has rightly said in his podcast The Wounded Spirit that human beings tend to be “reductionists” (both Christians and non Christians alike), over simplifying the conditions of the human heart. He also observes that Christians in particular have a tendency to be “moral reductionists;” that is, they tend to reduce problems of anxiety to a moral cause, discounting the complex realities of the inner life and the human frame. It looks something like this, “If you are anxious, you are sinning.”

I believe the life of Christ is one of the most powerful proofs that feelings of anxiety and fear are not sinful in and of themselves. In the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, we read some profound words regarding how Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane felt as He contemplated His imminent arrest, crucifixion and bearing of the Father’s wrath because of the sins He would carry.

(Jesus) began to be grieved (i.e. sorrowful, denoting both physical and emotional pain) and distressed ... He said..., “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death...” He fell on His face and prayed... (Matthew 26:37-39).

(Jesus) began to be very distressed and troubled. And He said..., “My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death...” He... fell to the ground and began to pray... (Mark 14:33-35).

And being in agony (i.e. anguish, anxiety, struggle) He (Jesus) was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground (Luke 22:44).

Jesus, the perfect sinless Son of God, felt deeply grieved, anxious, distressed, and troubled to the point of death, to the point that he began to sweat great drops of blood (which, by the way, is a rare medical condition that occurs when a person is suffering extreme levels of stress - called hematridosis). The only conclusion we can draw, then, is that feelings of anxiety are not sinful. Jesus felt anxious. This realization alone should bring great comfort to those who battle feelings of anxiety and depression. Your Savior understands. 

Anxiety and depression are a part of being human. For many, the “ups and downs” of life fall within manageable levels. Feelings of happiness, sadness, and the concerns of life are in proportion to the situation. There are others for whom depression and anxiety are likened to those unwanted visitors who, when they stop by, have a tendency to overstay their welcome. But there are those, yes Christians and non Christians alike, who experience anxiety and depression as lethal enemies. These emotions don’t simply come and overstay their welcome; they come as intruders with weapons in hand intent on destruction. Those in this category often suffer from a definable physiological illness and often need medical intervention. Dear Christian, realizing the need for medical help and acting on it is not a failure to trust; it does not take anything away from the cross of Christ.

The beauty of the the word of God is that for those in all three categories, the promise of God is that “The Lord is near” and the invitation of God is to “Call out to Him for help!” I heard it aptly put this way... When we are in distress and riddled with anxiety...“the Lord does not tell us to ‘calm down,’ He tells us to ‘call out’” (Philippians 4:6). For those who do call out and still experience overwhelming feelings of anxiety, don’t allow your feelings to condemn you; God is near. Continue to entrust yourself to your heavenly Father as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane and the Lord will meet you in that place and minister to you there. For those whose feelings of anxiety and depression have become “as intruders with weapons in hand intent on destruction” and who realize that you need medical attention, take comfort from the fact that trusting God and going to the doctor are not mutually exclusive. When I was diagnosed with cancer, I entrusted myself to God even as I went to the doctor, even as I received treatment for my condition. The God of peace will be with you.


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Jesus, Lover of My Soul

1/4/2021

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Sometimes the words that best express the heart cry, have already been uttered. I found that to be the case recently as I revisited the words of one of my favorite hymns: Jesus, Lover of My Soul. I hope that this prayer uttered more than 250 years ago will minister to your heart as it does mine.

Jesus, Lover of My Soul


Jesus, lover of my soul
Let me to Thy bosom fly,
While the nearer waters roll,
While the tempest still is high.
Hide me, O my Savior, hide,
Till the storm of life is past;
Safe into the haven guide;
Oh, receive my soul at last.


Other refuge have I none,
Hangs my helpless soul on Thee;
Leave, ah! leave me not alone,
Still support and comfort me.
All my trust on Thee is stayed,
All my help from Thee I bring;
Cover my defenseless head
With the shadow of Thy wing.


Wilt Thou not regard my call?
Wilt Thou not accept my prayer?
Lo! I sink, I faint, I fall - 
Lo! on Thee I cast my care.
Reach me out Thy gracious hand!
While I of Thy strength receive,
Hoping against hope I stand,
Dying, and behold, I live.


Thou, O Christ, art all I want,
More than all in Thee I find;
Raise the fallen, cheer the faint,
Heal the sick, and lead the blind.
Just and holy is Thy Name,
Source of all true righteousness;
Thou art evermore the same,
Thou art full of truth and grace.


Plenteous grace with Thee is found,
Grace to cover all my sin;
Let the healing streams abound;
Make and keep me pure within.
Thou of life the fountain art,
Freely let me take of Thee;
Spring Thou up within my heart;
Rise to all eternity.


(Charles Wesley, 1740)
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A Sacrifice of Praise

12/1/2020

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"Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."                                   (Hebrews 13:15)

     "A sacrifice of praise..." what does that conjure up in your mind? Sacrifice recalls the Old Testament follower of God bringing something of value and laying it down on the alter in worship. If an animal was brought, it was always the best of the flock, unblemished. The gift was costly. What does it mean to bring "a sacrifice of praise to God... the fruit of the lips that give thanks to His name?" 

At no other time in life than during a season of suffering is praise to God a beautiful, costly act of worship. In Luke 17:11-19, Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem and entered a village where 10 leprous men cried out, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" Jesus, who is the compassionate Master, told them to go present themselves to the priest, and as they went, the scripture tells us, they were cleansed.

One of them, a Samaritan, when he realized he was healed, turned back to Christ and with a loud voice glorified God, fell at the feet of Jesus in an act of worship, and gave thanks. What a dramatic depiction of Hebrews 13:15, "the fruit of the lips that give thanks to His name." 

I'm sure for that leprous man it was sacrificial. Being a Samaritan and now aligning himself with this Jewish rabbi from Nazareth, much was at stake. He was separated from his loved ones for who knows how long due to his illness, but now healed could he return to family and friends and be received with open arms? Would they receive him now that he pledged allegiance to a Jewish Messiah? On the other hand, would he be accepted by the Jews who were following Christ or be viewed by them as an outcast because of his questionable roots?

I want to emulate that leprous man, to have my first response to God's mercy and answers to my prayers be overflowing thankfulness. But what if we ponder sacrificial praise at a deeper level... what about before the answers come?... what about "the fruit of the lips that give thanks to His name" in the midst of suffering? Would that not be the ultimate sacrifice, a more costly act of worship?

The picture of the flower (above) was taken last summer in the gardens of our dear friends in Montana. Their gardens are always full of beautiful flowers that beg for the attention of my camera lens, but this flowering cactus drew me in. We visited our friends during a time of intense suffering. Our son, who had been chronically ill for quite some time was at the height of his painful, debilitating symptoms. We had no indication then that his suffering would end any time soon. Being our family in Christ and knowing our situation, our friends welcomed us with open arms and prayed that our time in Montana and the beauty of God's creation might refresh and renew us all. 

There in the midst of the panoply of blooms was this cactus. Surrounded by sharp and piercing thorns, was the unfolding of exquisite beauty. A flower in the midst of thorns might seem like an oxymoron, but I believe God gave me a stunning representation of sacrificial praise. The contrast ~ praise in the midst of pain ~ is dramatic. 

What thorns are piercing your soul right now? What pain, what suffering overwhelms you? May I encourage you, before the answers to your prayers come, to enter into a sacred act of worshipping the Master, the One who Himself knows the pain of piercing thorns? 

In our human frailty and in the midst of distress, we may feel unable to do this; however, Hebrews 13:15 tells us how to do what feels impossible. "Through Him, then, let us offer up..." through the One who was pierced through for our trangressions... through the One who can sympathize with our weakness... we can do all things through Him who strengthens us. Ask Him to strengthen you and enable you to praise! 

Hebrews also tells us when to enter into this act of worship... "continually..." Let praise be the common denominator of your day. Before your feet hit the floor in the morning, let your lips bear fruit in thanksgiving; before your eyes shut at night, extol His marvelous name. Speak out your sacrifice of praise. The Samaritan who was healed spoke out in a loud voice glorifying God. 

My soul is amazingly strengthened when I hear my own voice audibly praising God. Yes, He hears our silent prayers, but perhaps there is a reason why the book of Hebrews specifically mentions the "fruit of the lips" rather than the 'fruit of the heart' or 'the fruit of the mind.' Think about those in your life who will be blessed to hear and see the fruit of your sacrificial praise ~ children, husband, friends. Maybe others will join your chorus, but whether they do or no, we know that "...with such sacrifices God is pleased."             

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Streams in the Desert

7/16/2020

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Do you ever feel like you are in a desert, dear pilgrim? I don't know too many people who, if given the choice of where to spend a few days away, would choose to be plopped down in the midst of an unirrigated, undeveloped desert. The desert is dry, the sun is blistering hot during the day, and the absence of the sun brings extreme temperatures of cold at night. My soul, I must admit, often feels like a desert place when I am in the midst of suffering. The intense heat of the pain makes me feel parched, dry, weak, and at times, when circumstances are particularly dark, I can be cold toward the Lord and His goodness. 

If you find yourself in that place, I want to share something I recently learned about streams in the desert. I'm not speaking of the book by that name, though I know many have received comfort from the pages of that particular devotional. I'm talking about actual streams that run through actual deserts. There are some regions of the earth where streams run continuously through a desert area and these streams never run dry. The Nile, the Colorado, and the Yellow Rivers are all examples of this phenomenon, but the interesting thing about these streams is they exist because of what is called "exotic" water sources. That's a fancy way of saying the water must come from a source outside of the desert itself. (For example, the Nile comes from the mountains of Central Africa.) Whenever you find a stream that runs continuously through a desert region, it is the result of an exotic water source. 

Well, that set me to pondering and then the comfort came. I realized that when I find myself in the desert place, I too must look to a source outside of my circumstances and outside of myself to strengthen, to enliven, to refresh. What is your "exotic" water source when you are in the desert? Scripture paints a contrasting picture for us. "For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water" (Jeremiah 2:13). 

Are you trying to drink from broken cisterns that cannot hold water? You see the broken cisterns are the ones we hew for ourselves; the attempts we make on our own to deal with our pain apart from the living water of Christ and His Word or even perhaps because we are angry at the One who has the power to change our circumstances, but rather than bringing us out of the desert is inviting us to draw deeply from the river of His grace and mercy in our circumstances, in the wilderness.

Let these words soak into your dry parched soul, dear believer. 

"Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert. The beasts of the field will glorify Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I have given waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My chosen people. The people whom I formed for Myself will declare My praise" (Isaiah 43:19-21).

Do you see the source of the exotic water? God says, "I will do something new... I will make rivers in the desert... I have given waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." I promise you, that water source will never run dry. All we have to do is stop hewing out broken cisterns that can hold no water and come, come to the living waters. If the beasts glorify God for this gift, how much more should we, those He has chosen for Himself, declare His praise?

Come, dear suffering Christian, draw deeply, and let your heart overflow with thankfulness, even in the midst of the desert.





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    Valorie

    I am first and foremost a follower of the Lord Jesus who is my life (Phil. 1:21). In February 2005, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. My diagnosis came 4 months after my mother-in-law was placed on hospice in our home and was succumbing to the ravages of Alzheimers. That journey has changed my life in many ways. Even since that time, the Lord continues to shape this clay vessel through suffering as one of our precious sons battles severe and chronic illness. My heart's desire through this blog is to point people to the God of all comfort who comforts us in all our affliction (2 Cor. 1:3-4) and to encourage those who are burdened to trust in that Man of sorrows who is acquainted with grief 
    (Isaiah 53:3).

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