All is well

Divine tranquillity grows from the life of God in the soul, which is the same as the life of pure love.

Why should a soul be otherwise than tranquil, which seeks for nothing but what comes in the providence of God; and which, forgetful of self, has nothing to do but to love?

It has an innate conviction, strong as the everlasting foundations, that, if there is a God above us, all is well, all must be well.
Thomas C. Upham

When "good" is withheld...

"If you are going through a trial where you are simply waiting for an answer, He is there. If you find yourself painfully thrust into the refiners fire over and over again as you pray for an end to the hurt, He is there. If you find yourself in a vast and lonely ocean, fighting waves of despair and hopelessness, as you use all your strength just to keep your head above the water, no matter the trial no matter the pain, our Saviour is still there.

"He stands quietly with us feeling our present pain, understanding our present yearning, and our seeing our present need and He stands there with two quarters in His pocket. As our Lord passes with us through the fire and water, remember He also stands there with us in our future deliverance, our future healing, and our future blessing; and knowing all and seeing all, His hand remains where it rests and He lovingly and with omniscience withholds the “good” so that He can eventually give us of His best.

"He who withheld not the most precious gift He possessed, His only and beloved son, will not withhold anything of lesser value. Why settle for just quarters when we can own the entire bank!

"Are you willing to let go of the quarters and allow Him to give you of His best, when and where He deems it best?"

Read the rest of Jodi's challenging post here.

The true test of faith

Isn't the true test of faith continuing your faith in the face of its failure? If we are only faithful in things which require no faith, what faith is that?

When we can have faith in God's promise while God marches us up the hill to sacrifice our Isaac, then we demonstrate the faith of Abraham, the faith that makes all things possible.
~Carl Olson

Still Will We Trust

Within the space of two years, William Henry Burleigh (1812-1871) buried his father, wife, eldest daughter, and eldest son. In a letter to a friend he said: "It is not without strong wrestlings that doubt and murmurings are put under my feet and I am enabled to struggle up into the purer atmosphere of faith." God used Mr. Burleigh's trials to bless all of us in the form of this hymn, "Still Will We Trust."

This hymn was God's gift of encouragement to me today: I'd stumbled across one stanza quoted in an Elisabeth Elliot book, not realizing it was a hymn until a quick Google search revealed the rest of the lyrics. Then God nudged me to look it up in our hymnbooks, though I didn't remember seeing it before. But there it was in the very first one I opened...and I played through it several dozen times, learning the beautiful melody and singing the words to God as a prayer. He has not forgotten me - or you.

Still will we trust, though earth seem dark and dreary,
And the heart faint beneath His chastening rod;
Though rough and steep our pathway, worn and weary,
Still will we trust in God!

Our eyes see dimly till by faith anointed,
And our blind choosing brings us grief and pain;
Through Him alone Who hath our way appointed,
We find our peace again.

Choose for us, God! Nor let our weak preferring
Cheat our poor souls of good Thou has designed;
Choose for us, God! Thy wisdom is unerring,
And we are fools and blind.

So from our sky the night shall furl her shadows,
And day pour gladness through his golden gates,
Our rough path lead to flower-enameled meadows,
Where joy our coming waits.

Let us press on, in patient self denial,
Accept the hardship, shrink not from the loss;
Our portion lies beyond the hour of trial,
Our crown beyond the cross.

"Not for nothing!"

I clearly remember one late-night discussion with my sisters some months ago. I'd received some difficult news and was feeling particularly discouraged. As I shared this with my sisters, one of them wisely reminded me that it is those who have suffered the most that God is able to use the most. My difficulties at that moment (and those I face today) were not allowed by God just to torture me, nor were they the random happenings of a life left up to chance - they were specifically allowed into my life by my loving Father to qualify me for a wider sphere of service for His glory.

That bit of wisdom was exactly what I needed to hear that night, and it has come often to mind since, giving me hope and fresh strength to press on. Everything in our lives has a purpose - it is "not for nothing," as Elisabeth Elliot so succintly phrased it. If we truly believe this, we will be able to "count it all joy," as this quote reminds us (thanks to Emilie for sharing it!):

"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations."
~James 1:2~

"What kind of Christian will God use?" is the great question. That is not difficult to answer. He will use the same kind He has always used.

Just turn through the Bible and see whom He used in times past. Look at Joseph in the Old Testament. Who was tried more than this son of Jacob? He was abused by his brethren, sold into slavery, imprisoned on false charges, but he was patient and forbearing. It was Joseph who saved the Jewish race in that terrible famine. It was Joseph who won the favor of a pagan king and thereby obtained a home for his father and brethren. He could say, "Count it all joy when you fall into divers trials." The way to face every trial and every temptation is with a smile on your face and a song in your heart. Jesus said, "Blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteousness' sake."

Trial lets down a blazing torch into the human nature and helps one to see many things which he little expected to see. One of the marvels of modern science is the use of electric light by divers at the bottom of the sea to take pictures of sea life. It is this biological conception that James has in mind in order to reveal spiritual truth. What do we learn by trials and temptations? We learn patience. Patience is the product of trial. Happiness is found also by enduring ill for the sake of Jesus.
~C.E. Matthews

You seek God.

William Booth wrote, "Don't instill, or allow anybody else to instill into the hearts of your children the idea that marriage is the chief end of life. If you do, don't be surprised if they get engaged to the first empty, useless fool they come across. Women and men should marry when it is plainly the will of God for their lives, NOT because they 'can't minister' otherwise, or because of social pressure."

...The desire for a companion, for love, and for marriage is a God given desire. There is nothing wrong with that. I think that it is a desire that is tucked away in the heart of most, if they will admit it.
But, what do you do with that desire?

You seek God.

Read the rest of Gina's excellent post here.

Children of tomorrow

We must face today as children of tomorrow. We must meet the uncertainties of this world with the certainty of the world to come.

~A. W. Tozer

Immanuel: God with us

Today I awoke to a world shrouded in misty whiteness, an unusual winter fog combining with last weekend's snowfall to create a pale and chilly monochrome universe. I pulled the rough warmth of my sweater closer and shivered a bit as I peered through the icy glass; yet a smile could not be restrained as one word tiptoed into my consciousness, then danced its way through my thoughts like a long-enduring autumn leaf skittering across fresh-fallen snow.

Immanuel.

Throughout the pages of Scriptures, God reveals His presence in the visible form of a cloud: the cloud which led the children of Israel through their daytime wilderness wanderings; the cloud from which God spoke on Mount Sinai, enveloping Moses during those mysterious days of face-to-face communion; the cloud which descended upon the tabernacle and temple when they had been finished to perfection and prepared for the indwelling of the Most Holy; the glorious cloud which surrounded Jesus on the mount of transfiguration and dazzled Peter into stammering foolishness; and the cloud upon which Jesus will magnificently return to earth with trumpet sound as conquering King.

With this beautifully-woven backdrop of truth, I choose to accept this day -- this moment of nebulous uncertainty, this place where all seems to fade into indistinct confusion -- as a tangible reminder of the Almighty's presence in my life. My Father is here in this cloud, completely surrounding me with His love. The color and warmth may be drained out of my world, and I may not be able to see more than an arm's length into the future. But -- O truth incomprehensible! -- Jesus has come. He that is Wonderful, my Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace -- He is here.

God with us.

This poignantly beautiful song moves me to grateful tears:

A sign shall be given
A virgin will conceive
A human baby bearing
Undiminished deity
The glory of the nations
A light for all to see
That hope for all who will embrace
His warm reality

Immanuel
Our God is with us
And if God is with us
Who could stand against us
Our God is with us
Immanuel

For all those who live in the shadow of death
A glorious light has dawned
For all those who stumble in the darkness
Behold your light has come

Immanuel
Our God is with us
And if God is with us
Who could stand against us
Our God is with us
Immanuel

So what will be your answer?
Will you hear the call?
Of Him who did not spare His son
But gave Him for us all
On earth there is no power
There is no depth or height
That could ever separate us
From the love of God in Christ

Immanuel
Our God is with us
And if God is with us
Who could stand against us
Our God is with us
Immanuel
~Michael Card

The incarnation of HOPE

Our sinful nature led to the Fall and the trials of living in a corrupted world. But one day two thousand years ago, the promise of a Savior was fulfilled as a tiny baby boy burst into our world. We have a Savior who knows what it is like to walk in our shoes ... and then triumph over death, the penalty for our sins. His triumph does not mean our trials are over in this life, but they are most certainly driving to a glorious conclusion. Let us fix our eyes on that certainty, instead of the momentary tribulations of this brief life.

...read the rest of Carolyn's excellent post here. No matter what you're going through right now, Jesus' love does give hope. Trust Him.

Learning to pray

Learning to pray is learning to trust the wisdom, the power, and the love of our Heavenly Father, always so far beyond our dreams. He knows our need and knows ways to meet it that have never entered our heads.

Things we feel sure we need for happiness may often lead to our ruin. Things we think will ruin us -- if we believe what the Father tells us and surrender ourselves into His strong arms, bring us deliverance and joy.

~Elisabeth Elliot