Contentment and patience – these are two difficult words to swallow. Clay and I discussed this just the other day. Sometimes we long to be used so greatly by the Lord and all of life looks like a holding pattern. Sometimes we long for a relationship and nothing seems to be on the horizon. Days go by and all seems to be the same and we wonder if God has forgotten our name. Do we believe that He is in control? Do we believe that He has us exactly where He wants us? Sometimes we need to be reminded of God’s plans because the battle rages against us everyday.
The same night I talked to Clay, my wife and I laid down to bed. I was feeling less than content. She mentioned that we should bypass our usual Bible reading for the night and read a devotion from Streams in the Desert.
So we did. It was a message in a bottle to my soul. I will post it below and pray that it ministers to you as well.
August 16
From Streams in the Desert
I waited patiently for the Lord. (Psalm 40:1)
Waiting is much more difficult than walking, for waiting requires patience, and patience is a rare virtue. We enjoy knowing that God builds hedges around His people, when we look at the hedge from the aspect of protection. But when we see it growing higher and higher until we can no longer see over it, we wonder if we will ever get out of our little sphere of influence and service, where we feel trapped. Sometimes it is hard for us to understand why we do not have a larger area of service, and it becomes difficult to “brighten the corner” where we are. But God has a purpose in all of His delays. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.” (Ps. 37:23)
Next to this verse, in the margin of his bible, George Mueller made this note: “And the stops too.” It is a sad mistake someone to break through God’s hedges. It is a vital principle of the Lord’s guidance for a Christian never to move from the spot where he is sure God has placed him, until the “pillar of cloud” (Ex. 13:21) moves.
(This excerpt was from the Sunday School Times)
So as we read the above message, let us remember that God is in control. He sees all we were, all we are, and He sees all we will be. In His perfect wisdom and gentle compassion, He is bringing us through the valleys and mountain tops that we need to visit. Even though it sometimes doesn’t feel like it, He is doing a beautiful work in our lives for our best and to His glory, AMEN!
{ 0 comments… add one now }