Obtaining Mercy

Hopeful Living

 

A Christian life well-lived, in spite of trial and circumstance, is proof of the power of God.

 

II Corinthians 4:7-10 "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body."

 

God is not only working out His will in us and making us more like Jesus with each difficult circumstance that we go through.  He is also showing His power to the world.

There is no way that we could live victorious lives without His resurrection power at work in us.

We are literally showing God to the world as we live out our faith each day.

So, what did the world learn about God by watching us yesterday???

And...what will we determine to show them today?

Hope in Understanding God

 

In our foolishness, at times, we blame our difficult circumstances on God.

He could, of course, rescue us from them at any given moment; but He does not.

He could protect us from every pain and injustice from the moment of our conception and see that no harm ever comes to us; but He chooses not to.

So, to our finite mind, all our problems are His fault.

However, if we spend any time reading the Bible, we quickly see that is not the case.  Often we bring our difficulties on ourselves. 

This quote from my pastor really made me think:

 

"Our decisions form our circumstances." ~ S. Carter

 

I know there are times when calamities come on us, and there was nothing we could have done to prevent them; but even then, we cannot blame God.  He allows sin to do its work here on the earth and so, yes the rain falls on the just and the unjust.  We all suffer.

However, I find the 107th chapter of Psalms to be so comforting.  The Psalmist lists circumstance after circumstance with the children of Israel; and then shows how God in His mercy provided for their every needs.  The last verse is especially precious to me:

 

Psalm 107:43 "Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD."

 

Time after time the Lord provides for us, when we don't deserve it.  He repeatedly blesses us with things that are not even needs, but simply our desires and wishes.

When we are wise and observe the ways of the Lord, we understand that He is a God of lovingkindness.

And, really, what more do we need to know about our God?

We can trust Him.  He has our best interest in mind; and He will act with lovingkindness on our behalf in every circumstance. 

 

Romans 5:8 "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

 

Knowing this, how can we possibly doubt His love for us???

Continuing to Pray with Hope

 

"Often God delays purposely, and the delay is just as much an answer to your prayers as is the fulfillment when it comes." ~Streams in the Desert

 

"Daniel had fasted and prayed twenty-one days, and had a very hard time in prayer.  As far as we read the narrative, it was not because Daniel was not a good man, nor because his prayer was not right, but it was because of a special attack of Satan." Streams in the Desert

 

Daniel 10:12-13a "Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.
 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days..."

 

Ephesians 6:12 "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

 

"The Lord will go through with His covenant engagements.  Whatever He takes in hand He will accomplish, hence past mercies are guarantees for the future and admirable reasons for continuing to cry unto Him." ~ C. H. Spurgeon

 

Psalm 37:5 "Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass."

 

Have you prayed and prayed, and still no answer has come?

Are you tired from the waiting?

Do not give up hope, my friend!

Your answer is on its way, and God will keep His promises to you.

Continue on in prayer with the firm belief that all will be well.

In His perfect time, your answer will appear.

Songs of Hope in the Night

 

Psalm 77:6 "I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search."

 

"Indeed it is extremely doubtful if a soul can really know the love of God in its richness and in its comforting, satisfying completeness until the skies are black and lowering." ~Malcolm J. McLeod

 

The Jews, historically, have considered the night to be the beginning of the day - rather than the end of the day.

In Genesis, by God's description, we see that the morning follows the night:

 

Genesis 1:5 "And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day."

 

Our night must preceed our day.

 

"Light comes out of darkness, morning out of the womb of the night." ~Malcolm J. McLeod

 

Are you in darkness?

Is the night surrounding you?

Does it feel that the daylight will never come?

Have faith, my friend!

You are learning of God in that darkness.  It is the beginning of your new day, even though the sun is dark and the moon is only a reflection of its brightness.

This is your "cool of the day" when God will come to walk with you in the garden of your heart. (Genesis 3:8)

From this darkness, you will gain the strength to live when the sun rises in its heat during the day.

Do not wish the darkness away. 

Bask in the quietness and commune with your God. 

He will give you a song in the middle of the night that will sustain you in the coming light of day.

Hope in Facing Death

 

"The pressure of hard places makes us value life..." ~ A. B. Simson

 

II Corinthians 1:8-10 "For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:
 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:
 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us"

 

"...Every time our life is given back to us from such a trial, it is like a new beginning, and we learn better how much it is worth, and make more of it for God and man. 

The pressure helps us to understand the trials of others, and fits us to help and sympathize with them...

The man or woman who has suffered much...is very tender and gentle and know what suffering really means...Trials and hard places are needed to press us forward..." ~ A. B. Simpson

 

"Pressed into knowing no helper by God;

Pressed into loving the staff and the rod.

Pressed into liberty where nothing clings;

Pressed into faith for impossible things."

~Streams in the Desert

 

We can celebrate LIFE today because we faced DEATH's dark valley yesterday.

Let us not despair.  We know the God that "doth deliver" and we believe that He will "yet deliver us" again!

 

 

Working My Way to Hope

This conversation happened in my head this morning.  (I hope this glimpse into my squirrelly thought processes is no too scary this early in the morning!!!)

 

"Oh, is my prayer ever going to be answered?!!

"I just have so many doubts!

"NO!  I won't doubt!  I'll just believe that it IS going to happen!

"Ah...but I have so little faith!

"I NEED more faith?"

"How can I get more faith?

"Does God just give me more faith?

"No...wait!

"'Faith cometh by hearing...'  Yeah!  I remember now!!!  And 'hearing by the Word of God', right?

"I'd better look that up."

 

So, I did look it up and this is what I found:

Romans 10:17 "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

 

Then I wondered, "What exactly does it mean by hearing?"

 

I looked that up too, and this is what I found:

1828 Definition

HE'ARING, ppr. Perceiving by the ear, as sound.

1. Listening to; attending to; obeying; observing what is commanded.

 

Wow! So let me see if I've got this right:

I need a prayer answered.

I need faith to trust God to work out my need.

I get faith from hearing.

Hearing is listening, attending, obeying and observing what I have been commanded.

And what I have been commanded comes from the Word of God.

 

So, if I feel that my prayer is never going to be answered...

• Do I spend more time on my knees begging God for that answer? 
  
• Do I work and work and work to get the answer? 
  
• Do I find a ministry and serve laboriously, hoping God will deem me worth of an answer?

 

No.

I go to the Word of God and I listen to It.  I pay attention to It.  I obey It.  I keep the commandments in It.

Now, granted, as I read in the Word, I may find the instructions to spend more time in prayer, or to labor diligently in my church or community. 

But those actions are the results of my "hearing", not the method of obtaining my answers to my prayers.

 

Are you floundering in a sea of doubt this morning?  Are you waiting for answers that are just not coming?

At the risk of sounding redundant, Go To The Word!

Read it.  Learn from it.  Obey it. 

As you do this, you will find your faith growing by leaps and bounds, and you'll wonder how you ever doubted that God would meet your every need!

 

Don't Lose Hope

 

"Be assured, if you walk with Him and look to Him and expect help from Him, He will never fail you.  An older brother that has known the Lord for forty-four years, who writes this, says to you for your encouragement that He has never failed me." ~ George Mueller

 

Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."

 

Deuteronomy 31:8 "And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed."

 

Joshua 1:5 "There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."

 

Joshua 21:45 "There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass."

 

Friend, I think we have God's Word on it, as well as the testimony of brothers and sisters down through the ages: 

God will not fail us!

Let this truth restore your hope today!

Shattered Hope

 

"When first affliction comes upon us, how everything gives way! 

Our clinging, tendril hopes are snapped, and our hearts lie prostrate like a vine that the storm has torn from its trellis;

but when the first shock is passed and we are able to look up, and say, 'It is the Lord,'

faith lifts the shattered hopes once more, and binds them fast to the feet of God. 

Thus the end is confidence, safelty, and peace." ~Streams in the Desert

 

I'll be honest with you:

There is a situation in my life right now that has snapped my "clinging, tendril hopes"; and I have not yet found the faith to lift them and "bind them fast to the feet of God."

I'm sort of in between that and the phrase before it...I know this trial is from the Lord.  My brain can reason out the truth of it; but my heart is still hurting, still "torn from its trellis."

I know the Lord is growing my faith here.  I know that He is aware of my wavering trust.

I know He can meet my needs, but so often I wonder why He should?

I get stuck in that place of emotion that tells me I am unworthy of His intervention in my hour of tribulation.

I think this is the place where the enemy wants to keep us.

When I am in between acknowledgment of God's power and believing His power for my need, I must run to Scripture.

Where else will I find an adulterous, murderous king with the heart of a poet who, in spite of his failures, completed trusted His God for deliverance??? 

 

Psalm 33:18-22 "Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;
 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
 Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.
 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.
 Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.

So, I cling to the truth of the Word; and lift my "shattered hopes once more" and bind them "fast to the feet of God".

 

 Has a storm of life ripped you from your trellis of faith?

Lift your shattered hopes and bind them to the only One Who can meet your every need!

Immediate Hope

 

Matthew 8:13 "And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour."

 

We love it when the Lord works His miracles in our lives as soon as we pray about a need.  We are thrilled to see His answers to our prayers happen immediately.

But how about us?  How quickly do we respond when God asks something of us?

Do we obey immediately?

Abraham did:

 

Genesis 17:23 "And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him."

 

Abraham's obedience made all the difference in his relationship to the Lord.  When he was obeying immediately, God's blessings were abundant.  When he disobeyed, or delayed his obedience, God's blessings were withheld.

Honestly, sometimes, I don't even think about delaying my obedience to the Lord.

He touches my heart about something, and I just ignore it.  I don't jump right in to obey what He asks.  I simply do nothing, and wait for the next "nudge" of the Holy Spirit.

This quote really touched my heart and convicted me that I need to practice "instant" obedience:

 

"Instant obedience is the only kind of obedience there is; delayed obedience is disobedience." ~ from Messages for the Morning Watch

 

I am purposing in my heart today to pay attention to the Voice of the Holy Spirit and the gentle directions of the Lord, so that I may obey immediately.

 

"...A postponed duty never can bring the full blessing that God intended, and that it would have brought if done at the earliest possible moment." ~ from Messages for the Morning Watch

 

I encourage you to give God "instant" obedience, too.  I am convinced that the blessings that follow our submission to His will will far outweigh any inconvenience that the obedience may have caused us.

He will keep His Word.  He will bless us as we obey Him.

 

Jeremiah 7:23 "But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you."

 

Hope in the Burning Fiery Furnace

 

Daniel 3:25a "He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire..."

 

"The fire did not arrest their motion; they walked in the midst of it...The comfort of Christ's revelation is not that it teaches emancipation from sorrow, but emancipation through sorrow."~George Matheson

 

Psalm 66:12b "...we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place."

 

It is difficult to keep moving when the fire ignites around us.  We feel the heat suddenly hit us, and we stop dead in our tracks to gaze at the fury of the flames. 

We are horrified by the blaze and can see nothing but the incineration of our plans and dreams.

If we continue to stand still and gaze in terror at the firestorm around us, we will remain there in the blast.

We must withdraw our eyes from the trial, and fix them on the Fourth Man Who is in the furnace with us.

The Lord Jesus is by our side while we are in the trial.   

He longs for us to look to Him for relief and consolation as the fire removes the dross of our lives.

When we are gazing into the eyes of our Saviour, the situation around us seems to fade away. 

We find peace in His presence, and we find purpose as He moves us through the fire, into the "wealthy place" of peace on the other side of the flaming trial.

I know it is hot in the furnace of suffering.  I know it is uncomfortable.  We may feel physical pain, as well as agony of mind and spirit.

I can tell you from experience, though, that if you will

• fasten your eyes on Him,
  
• run to Him,
  
• focus your mind on His promises,
  
• pour over His Word...
  

He will meet your every need.

We have a merciful Saviour.  Trust Him to bring you through the fire. 

He offers us a place of peace and safety IN Him, if only we will stop looking at the fire and fix our eyes on Him.