DEPEND ON GOD
I usually participate in Show & Tell on Friday, and I may post on that later today, but based on the past three days and the discussion about Prayer I just had to share my daily devotional reading from THE WORD FOR YOU TODAY.
Once again, as I see over and over and OVER in my life. God reveals himself to me just as I need him to, when I need him to. Reading this morning was yet another of those times.
Jacob was left alone. Genesis 32:24
"Like Jacob, many of us know how it feels to be "left alone." When a loved one dies or a friend leaves, or you walk through the fire of separation and divorce, no matter how "spiritual" you are it still hurts! Emotional pain is to the soul what physical pain is to the body; it tells you something's wrong: that you need God to guide you through the challenges and upheavals of realigning your life to cope with what has happened. And the struggle doesn't begin in earnest while you're surrounded by people, it starts when you've been left along. The fact is you can survive without others, but you can't survive without God. That's why He sometimes strips away everything that makes us dependent on people. He sends certain individuals into your life to help build your faith and develop your character, and when they're gone, to leave you with the assurance that God's in control. The loss of loved ones (a) develops our spiritual muscle; (b) tests our resilience; (c) shows us the scope of God's power. When Moses died and Joshua was left in charge, God told him, "As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee." (Jos 1:5). That's something Joshua could never have learned while Moses was in the picture. And it's a lesson you can't learn while you're looking to other human beings for all your answers.
In Mark 4:39 when Jesus "ordered the wind and waves to be quiet" the Bible says "everything was calm" (CEV). In the midst of the storm, ask Him to come and stand in the bow of your boat, and to speak peace to the thing that's upsetting you. He'll do it!"
If you know of others who might like to join us, please spread the word.
7 comments:
What a good Word for today! I want to be a modern-day Joshua for my world. And, if I have to learn some lessons without my modern-day Moses, God is Sovereign.
Just read your last post on the clarification.
I so agree with you on it being God's will for all to be healed. Although we do not always see healing, we continue to trust that He can bring good out of a bad situation.
1) If you have cancer and you pray to be healed if it is God's will then you had better not seek treatment from a doctor or you may be going against God's will if He wants you to die from cancer.
This is just insane thinking to believe the sickness is God's best. God gave us doctors to aid in our healing. Health and prosperity are in his will.
2) We had a young neighbor girl die from leukemia at age 8. She loved Jesus with all of her heart and believed she would be healed. Although she ended up in the arms of Jesus and not here to live out a full life with us, she impacted so many during her illness. She brought nurses to the saving grace of our Lord Jesus.
His ways are always higher.
That was an uplifting post for today, Susan. Thank you for sharing that.
Susan,
I love how the longer I have been reading the Bible, the ore little sentences jump out and I realize they are important. Your example is one I have not seen, (among many!) and I was moved by the simple truth of it and your comments with regard to it.
Also I was moved about the wounds your posters have received from well meaning Christians in the Body of Christ, who have fallen terribly short in their attempts to say the right thing and said something that added to the pain of another's broken heart.
My prayer is they can forgive all of us who at one time or another may have ignorantly fallen terribly short in our words at a time of great loss for someone else.
I apperciate your comments and your sensitivity to others!
Susan, cone by and see what has happened!!!! Love you Sis! Jen
You know Susan, after my first husband died at the age of twenty-eight, I sooooo appreciated people who said they were praying for me. I knew that all my hurt and problems were being taken out of my hands and placed in God's. We may not always understand, but we can come to our Father in Heaven both night and day. In those dark nights, I may have been lonely, but I was NEVER alone. Jesus was with me all the way! Praise Him!
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