Don't get caught in the wilderness
So I'm reading this book by Elisabeth Elliot; Keep a Quiet Heart. WOW, I highly recommend it. It's a collection of articles that were in a published news letter that she did years ago. It's easy to pick it up each morning as a devotion. It's full of insight and each article points you to The Lord. Todays read was no different. It was so good that I just had to share. I know that I've recently referenced the Israelites and their journey through the wilderness but this is just too good to not share.
Let's jump in...
Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert for forty years, to humble you, causing you to hunger and then fed you with manna which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord... Known then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, the the Lord your God disciplines you... For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land - a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing.
Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 5, 7-9, NIV (emphasis added)
The cause of our discontentment: We simply do not believe God.
Y'all....could that be the case, we don't believe Him? Do we not believe that He loves us, that He has a plan for our lives, that He is with us - calling us to come - to trust - to seek Him, to rest in Him? After the demonstration of the greatest sacrifice ever known to man, the sacrifice of His one and only son, Jesus, do we not believe that He loves us? Do our actions tell Him and tell the world that we don't believe His promises, that we don't believe God? Heaven for bid...what does this say about us, about our faith?
He's telling us that our experiences, our journey of struggles lead to the Promised Land. He chose this path for us. He tells us over and over again that His will is our peace, His choices for us will lead to fulfillment and joy. To walk on our own, without Him would be so hard!
She asked this question... Do you suppose we could find a better way than His?
Do you? Do we? Do we have all the answers? Do we have the ability to see into the future, beyond the hurt, beyond the chaos beyond the broken heart we might be feeling? We want to think that we can find a better way. What we want is instant gratification. We're uncomfortable in the journey so our inclination is to get out of it as quickly as possible. Quick isn't always better. There is growth in the midst of the journey.
The worst pains we experience are not those of the suffering itself but of our stubborn resistance to it, our resolute insistence on our independence. (Elisabeth Elliot)
In life, on our journey, in the midst of the struggle, we have an opportunity. Be patient. Wait on the Lord for whatever He appoints, wait quietly, wait trustingly. He holds every minute of every hour of every day of every week of every month of every year in His hands. Thank Him in advance for what the future holds, for He is already there. "Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup" Psalm 16:5, NIV Shall we not gladly say, "I'll take it, Lord! YES! I'll trust you for everything. Bless the Lord, O my soul!"
Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert for forty years, to humble you, causing you to hunger and then fed you with manna which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord... Known then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, the the Lord your God disciplines you... For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land - a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing.
Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 5, 7-9, NIV (emphasis added)
The cause of our discontentment: We simply do not believe God.
Y'all....could that be the case, we don't believe Him? Do we not believe that He loves us, that He has a plan for our lives, that He is with us - calling us to come - to trust - to seek Him, to rest in Him? After the demonstration of the greatest sacrifice ever known to man, the sacrifice of His one and only son, Jesus, do we not believe that He loves us? Do our actions tell Him and tell the world that we don't believe His promises, that we don't believe God? Heaven for bid...what does this say about us, about our faith?
He's telling us that our experiences, our journey of struggles lead to the Promised Land. He chose this path for us. He tells us over and over again that His will is our peace, His choices for us will lead to fulfillment and joy. To walk on our own, without Him would be so hard!
She asked this question... Do you suppose we could find a better way than His?
Do you? Do we? Do we have all the answers? Do we have the ability to see into the future, beyond the hurt, beyond the chaos beyond the broken heart we might be feeling? We want to think that we can find a better way. What we want is instant gratification. We're uncomfortable in the journey so our inclination is to get out of it as quickly as possible. Quick isn't always better. There is growth in the midst of the journey.
The worst pains we experience are not those of the suffering itself but of our stubborn resistance to it, our resolute insistence on our independence. (Elisabeth Elliot)
In life, on our journey, in the midst of the struggle, we have an opportunity. Be patient. Wait on the Lord for whatever He appoints, wait quietly, wait trustingly. He holds every minute of every hour of every day of every week of every month of every year in His hands. Thank Him in advance for what the future holds, for He is already there. "Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup" Psalm 16:5, NIV Shall we not gladly say, "I'll take it, Lord! YES! I'll trust you for everything. Bless the Lord, O my soul!"
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