#2 - Find a Solitary Place…

#2: Find your own sacred solitary place to meet with God.

In Mark 1:35 we are told, “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he [Christ] went out and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” In another place we are told, “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” (Matt. 6:5,6)

If possible, it’s helpful to have your own personal solitary place [or closet] where you meet with God each day. It might be a favorite chair by your fireplace, or it might be outside under the stars. It might also be literally in a closet where prying eyes don’t see.

Of course, there’s nothing magic about a place. After all, God is not confined within walls or space. He goes with us wherever we go. The point is, if you have a designated appointment spot, it’s easier to focus than if you have no plan and are moving randomly about. Having a place that’s special between you and God, that is clean and uncluttered, and peaceful (as much as possible), will help you remain distracted, so you can make the most of your time with Him.

When I’m home, my favorite place is my bed where I can look out the window and see the stars or watch the morning sunrise. I also love to go outside and spend time with God in nature. However, since the I spend so much traveling, my location is constantly changing. And in that case, I just make the best with what I have wherever I am. But making sure I have solitary time alone with Him each day, no matter where I am, is what gives me strength to move forward each day!

At our last ARME Bible Camp, a group of us girls were all staying together in this cabin. I put blankets and sheets around my bunk bed and made myself a little secret hide-away. Everyone thought it was cute, but it was my little haven, in the midst of chaos to get alone with God. So learning to be creative and intentional goes a long way for preserving this sacred time, wherever I go.  

#1 - First Things First

If God is truly going to be free to work powerfully in our lives. Something has to change, and that something is our priorities. So let’s take some time to talk practically about how to intentionally re-arrange our priorities so we can have undistracted time with Him each day.

#1: Making first things first

One time, a professor was seeking to teach the principle of “organization of priorities” to her class. So she pulled out a large glass jar that was filled with fist-sized rocks. She then asked her class if the jar was full. “Yes,” they all responded. Then she brought out a pail of pea-size chunks of gravel and shook them into the jar down around the larger rocks. “Is the jar full now?” she asked again. “Probably not,” they responded. They were getting wiser. Then she brought out a container of sand and poured it into the jar. It filled all the cracks around the small and large rocks. “What about now?” she asked. “No!” they responded with certainty. “It’s still not full.” She smiled. “You are right,” she said as she brought out a pitcher of water and poured it into the jar. The water soaked down thru the sand and around the rocks. She stepped back with a smile. “So what am I trying to teach you through this object lesson?” One student piped up, “You’re telling us that no matter how busy we are we can always squeeze a bit more into our schedule.” Everyone laughed. But she shook her head… “No! What I am telling you is learn to put the big rocks in the jar first, and then fit everything else around them! You have to set your priorities in life consciously, otherwise the details of life…the sand, the grave (etc) will swallow up your time.”

And so it is with our lives as well – spiritually, physically, financially, emotionally, we need to learn to prioritize and put the big rocks in the jar first.

God should always take first place. If we don’t have time for God, if we don’t have time for Bible study and prayer, we need to let go of some of the other time-consumers in our life. God is calling us to know Him, to know His face, before we go and serve Him. We cannot give what we do not have. Nothing is so important that it’s worth holding on to at the risk of losing our own soul.

After your allegiance with God and priority to Him in devotion and prayer, your family should be next on the priority list. If you are married, your devotion, interest and loyalty should be to your spouse. Next, it falls to your children. Putting God and family first doesn’t mean you neglect your work or your responsibilities or the calling that God has for you, but you keep them the priority and the core of your life. If you aren’t first a missionary in your own home, you will make a poor one to other fields. If you don’t know how to love and honor your own wife or respect your own husband, you cannot adequately respect and love God’s people. (In fact, this principle of honor is a condition upon which our own prayers will be answered or ignored.) It’s so important. We must be faithful in our own homes if we are to be faithful in the Lord’s vineyard.

Next, you prioritize the responsibilities of your work and ministry and your other relationships. Each one has their place. But when you run out of space, you must decide…what is most important to hold on to and what must you learn to let go. Even Moses had to learn to let go of responsibilities and delegate! Remember, it is the devil’s goal to so fill our lives and engross our minds that we will have no room for God, no room for the working of the Holy Spirit within our lives. He doesn’t mind if our lives are consumed in ministry or service to God (like Martha) as long as we don’t have time to sit at Jesus feet. He doesn’t mind even if we are out teaching and preaching and doing the Lord’s work, just as long as we do not have time to know the Lord of the work.

Sometimes we fool ourselves into thinking that serving God is the equivalent to knowing God. But it is not! Serving God will always be a result of knowing God, but we can still carry on the form of service without the personal relationship. And this we must avoid at all costs.

John Wesley once stated, “I have so much to do that I spend several hours in prayer before I am able to do it.” 

As we learn to put our time with God first (even if we skip sleep and meals or other things), we will discover that everything else in our life will begin to work! Instead of taking all day to accomplish a project, it will take just a few hours because we are running on supernatural strength and wisdom. Instead of feeling anxious and stressed, although many things demand our attention, we will have perfect peace because God’s in control. While it doesn’t always make sense by human standards, whenever we give to God, He always gives back so much more.

Prayer Saves Time…

There's a reason we are told in Ephesians 6:10, "Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God that ye may be able to stand…" For Satan is prowling about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Only by divine protection can we stand!

“Satan well knows that all whom he can lead to neglect prayer and the searching of the scriptures will be overcome by his attacks. Therefore he invents every possible device to engross the mind.”[i]

And we wonder why we struggle so much through our days, why we fall so easily prey to temptations, and why we are anxious and stressed? It’s because we haven’t taken Christ with us through our day! 

Inspiration tells us, “Temptations often appear irresistible because, through neglect of prayer and the study of the Bible, the tempted one cannot readily remember God’s promises and meet Satan with the Scripture weapons.”[ii]

Times may not change, and our lives may not get easier, but something must change; that something is our priorities. Charles Spurgeon, a famous revivalist known for his success in ministry due to prayer stated, “Sometimes we think we are too busy to pray. That is a great mistake, for praying is a saving of time.” Oswald Chambers states, “Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work.”[iii]

R.A. Torrey, speaker and writer on prayer says, “We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power. We have a great deal of activity, but we accomplish little; many services but few conversions; much machinery but few results.”

Ellen White, encouraging the church to pray, says the same. “The only reason for our lack of power with God is to be found in ourselves. If the inner life of many who profess the truth were presented before them, they would not claim to be Christians. They are not growing in grace. A hurried prayer is offered now and then, but there is no real communion with God.”[iv]

Even if we need to cut out some things from our busy schedules and life, let us make time to spend with God in prayer. Prayer is the breath of our soul. If we skimp or if we skip this, we will die spiritually!

The next few posts, I'm going to share a few portions from my/our upcoming book on how to practically make time with God every day. Some of these thoughts I may have shared before, none the less, being reminded is always good. I pray you are blessed!

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[i] Great Controversy, p. 519

[ii] Great Controversy, p. 599

[iii] Quote by Oswald Chambers

[iv] Prayer, p. 263

Never too Busy to Pray…

Martin Luther once wrote, "If I fail to spend at least 2 hours in prayer, the devil gets the victory through the day!" Wow!!

As I've shared before, I have found that when I ask God to wake me up when He wants to talk to me, He will wake me up all odd hours and times of the night. If I argue with Him (which I have done), and tell Him, “This is too early. I can’t get up now! I need my sleep.” I will either struggle going back to sleep, or if I do, I will find myself exhausted the next day, even though I got my extra sleep. I’ve had this happen over and over, and I’ve finally realized it pays to obey Him and get up when He calls. Yes, it’s seems backwards to what you would expect, but God is in the business of doing things opposite to our rational thinking it seems. And when I take this extra time in prayer, again and again I’ve found that God will supply amazing renewed strength the next day. 

So if He calls you, like He did little Samuel, instead of turning over and ignoring the voice and going back to sleep, say, “Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth.” And you’ll be amazed at what He might have to say.

Speaking of prayer warriors, I don’t think we have any better example than our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. However, it wasn’t any easier for Jesus to get away and pray than it is for us today. We are told, “No other life was ever so crowded with labor and responsibility as was that of Jesus; yet how often He was found in prayer! How constant was His communion with God! Again and again in the history of His earthly life are found records such as these: “Rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” “Great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. And He withdrew Himself into the wilderness, and prayed.” “And it came to pass in those days, that He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” (Mark 1:35; Luke 5:15, 16; 6:12)[i]

We may be busy, very busy, but that is no excuse to miss the daily quality time with God. We are not busier than Jesus, and we never will be. Sometimes even His relatives thought He had lost His mind. They said, “He doesn’t even have time to eat. We must get Him away from the crowds or He will die.” But it was often these busiest times that Christ took to spend nights in prayer, and He came back to His work renewed and invigorated. We have so much to learn from His example.

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[i] Desire of Ages, p. 362

Much TIME in prayer is the secret to spiritual success!!

E.M. Bounds, well known for his inspirational life of prayer and for practicing what he preached made prayer a priority in his life from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. for many years. It was stated of Bounds, “As breathing is a physical reality to us, so prayer was a reality to him.” 

He was the author of numerous books on prayer that have blessed and impacted thousands. He writes the following:

“The men who have most fully illustrated Christ in their character, and have most powerfully affected the world for him, have been men who spent so much time with God as to make it a notable feature of their lives.  Charles Simeon devoted the hours from four till eight in the morning to God. Mr. Wesley spent two hours daily in prayer.  He began at four in the morning. Of him, one who knew him well wrote: "He thought prayer to be more his business than anything else, and I have seen him come out of his closet with a serenity of face next to shining." John Fletcher stained the walls of his room by the breath of his prayers. Sometimes he would pray all night; always, frequently, and with great earnestness. His whole life was a life of prayer.  "I would not rise from my seat," he said, "without lifting my heart to God." 

Adoniram Judson, during the early 1800’s, spent forty years of his life as a missionary to the Buddhist of Burma. He translated the Bible into Burmese and founded a number of churches throughout Burma. His success he too attributed to prayer…much prayer. His encouragement to others was, “Arrange thy affairs, if possible, so that thou canst leisurely devote two or three hours every day not merely to devotional exercises, but to the very act of secret prayer and communion with God. Begin the day by rising after midnight and devoting some time amid the silence and darkness of the night to this sacred work of prayer. Let the hour of the opening dawn find thee at the same work again…Make all practical sacrifices to maintain this time of prayer. Consider that thy time is short and that business and company must not be allowed to rob thee of thy God.”

“Unreasonable, impossible, fanatical,” you might say? Yet Dr. Judson impressed an Empire for Christ and made an imprint in Burma that will be seen only in eternity. 

Let's pray that God would give us an increased burden for prayer today! For just as He had a purpose for E.M. Bounds, John Wesley, Adoniram Judson, and others, He has a purpose for us as well. But to discover this, we need to be much on our knees in prayer!

[Added Note: By the way, our second program on United Prayer just aired on HOPE Television this last week. I don't remember if I've shared before, but you can watch it online at this link.]

The Danger of Success…

One of my favorite verses which I remind myself of often says, "Not by might or by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord of hosts." Zech. 4:6

It's so important, no matter how successful or busy we get to remember that only through God's strength is His work accomplished.

"As activity increases and men become successful in doing any work for God, there is danger of trusting to human plans and methods. There is a tendency to pray less, and to have less faith. Like the disciples, we are in danger of losing sight of our dependence on God, and seeking to make a savior of our activity. We need to look constantly to Jesus, realizing that it is His power which does the work. While we are to labor earnestly for the salvation of the lost, we must also take time for meditation, for prayer, and for the study of the word of God. Only the work accomplished with much prayer, and sanctified by the merit of Christ, will in the end prove to have been efficient for good." Desire of Ages, p. 362

Let's us always remember the following:

“Divine grace is needed at the beginning, divine grace at every step of advance, and divine grace alone can complete the work. There is no place for us to rest in a careless attitude. We must never forget the warnings of Christ, “Watch unto prayer,” “Watch, ... and pray always.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, p. 507

Jacob prevailed…

"I will not let thee go, except thou bless me." Gen 32:26

"Jacob prevailed because he was persevering and determined. His experience testifies to the power of importunate prayer. It is now that we are to learn this lesson of prevailing prayer, of unyielding faith. The greatest victories to the church of Christ or to the individual Christian are not those that are gained by talent or education, by wealth or the favor of men. They are those victories that are gained in the audience chamber with God, when earnest, agonizing faith lays hold upon the mighty arm of power." Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 203

The amazing part of this story is that as a result of this "wrestling in prayer," not only did Jacob get the blessing that he was seeking, but he got so much more. He got a new name "Israel" which means, "For as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed." (Gen. 32:28) 

Just imagine if we could wrestle with God and prevail? The good news is that we can! This blessing is not just for Jacob, but for each one of us!

Wrestling with God…

Jacob wrestled with God and would not let go until God blessed. I often think of Jacob as I pray, waiting for God's blessings.

“Will we wrestle with God in prayer? Will we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit? This is what we need and may have at this time…If we will walk humbly with God, God will walk with us.” Prayer, p. 87

Let us pray that God will help each of us have the teachable humility of a child. If we have this kind of humility, not only will He give us the wisdom that we so desperately need, but He will give us His Holy Spirit, which means He will dwell with us. This is what we need to be successful in this work. We need Him to dwell with us and walk with us.  

“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Isa 57:15

Praying for greater reviving today!

God is Infinitely big…yet cares for EVERY detail!

In Jeremiah 33:3 we are encouraged, "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not."

I don't know about all of you, but there are still a few things that I don't know that I need God to show me. This is true for all of us, isn't it? No matter our experience, age, or background, there is always more for us to learn. 

Job 11:7-10 says, “Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? Deeper than hell; what canst thou know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea. If he cut off, and shut up, or gather together, then who can hinder him?”

God is so infinitely beyond our human understanding, it’s hard to imagine. In fact, we can’t imagine how great He is! Inspiration tells us, “The mightiest intellects of earth cannot comprehend God. Men may be ever searching, ever learning, and still there is an infinity beyond.” Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 116 

And yet we are told: “Keep your wants, your joys, your sorrows, your cares, and your fears before God. You cannot burden Him; you cannot weary Him. He who numbers the hairs of your head is not indifferent to the wants of His children. “The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy” (James 5:11). His heart of love is touched by our sorrows and even by our utterances of them. Take to Him everything that perplexes the mind. Nothing is too great for Him to bear, for He holds up worlds. He rules over the affairs of the universe. Nothing that in any way concerns our peace is too small for Him to notice… The relation between God and each soul are as distinct and full as though there were not another soul upon the earth to share His watch care, not another soul for whom He gave His beloved Son.” Steps to Christ, p. 100

What a great God we serve, that is infinitely bigger than our largest thoughts, and yet so intimate that He cares about every detail of our lives!

Praying for Wisdom…

I don't know about you, but as I face this coming week and some extra challenging tasks in writing, I need a lot of wisdom. I know that apart from God, I cannot accomplish what needs to be done!

In 2 Chron. 1:10, we see Solomon pleading with the Lord: "Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?"

God has given to each one of us a special task and a special sphere of influence. And the same God who gave Solomon wisdom, will give us wisdom today if we ask. 

I love this verse: "And king Solomon passed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom." II Chron 9:22

But there is an even greater wisdom that we need to be striving for! "The wisdom of Solomon is desirable, but the wisdom of Christ is far more desirable and more essential. We cannot reach Christ through a mere intellectual training; but through Him we can reach the highest round of the ladder of intellectual greatness." Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, p. 219

Let us press forward asking for not just Solomon's wisdom, but for the wisdom of Christ, so we can be a true witness for Him today!

Higher than the Highest Human Thought can Imagine…

The Bible tells us, "As high as the heavens are from the earth, so much higher are God's thoughts than our thoughts." Isa. 55:9

Job tells us, "Is not God in the height of the Heavens? And behold the height of the stars, how high are they?"

Astronomy has almost fascinated me, although I can't say I'm an expert on the subject. Far from it! But recently, while reading the book The Circle Maker, I was really inspired by this quote talking about high much higher the heaven's are than us… This is fascinating…

“The basic unit of measurement [in the universe] is a light-year. Light travels at 186,000 miles per second, which is so fast that in the time it takes to snap your fingers, light circumnavigates the globe half a dozen times. To put the speed of light and size of the universe into perspective, the sun is 94.4 million miles away from the earth at its farthest distance from us. If you could drive to the sun traveling 65 miles per hour, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it would take you more than 163 years to get there. The light that warms your face on a sunny day, on the other hand, left the surface of the sun only 8 minutes ago. So while 94.4 million miles may seem like a long distance by earthly standards, it’s our next-door neighbor by celestial measurements. The sun is the nearest star in our tiny little galaxy known as the Milky Way. There are more than 80 billion galaxies in the universe, which, for the record, equates to more than 10 galaxies per person! I don’t think you have to worry about running out of things to do when you get to heaven. It’s an awfully big sandbox. In one minute, light travels 11 million miles. In one day, light travels 160 billion miles. In on year, light travels an unfathomable 5 trillion, 865 billion, 696 million miles. But that’s just one light-year. The outer edge of the universe, according to astrophysicists, is 15.5 billion light-years away! If that seems incomprehensible, it’s because it’s virtually unimaginable. Yet God says that this is the distance between His thoughts and our thoughts.”[i]

All I can say is WOW!!!! Again, what a great God we serve!

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[i] Mark Batterson, The Circle Maker, p. 77

The beauty of a Child's prayer…

Good Morning Sonshine friends,

Last night I talked again with my girls in Bangladesh. My oldest told me, "Mom, I'm praying for you! And I'm praying for Grandma too, that she will be well." It warmed my heart to hear that there's a little girl on the opposite side of the ocean that is praying for us…she has so little, and yet, that doesn't bother her. She's just praying that God will take care of and bless her American family. I am sure God must be smiling and that He is blessing as a result. 

I've been continuing to enjoy the book of Job. For today, I just have a simple promise.

"Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart. For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows." Job 22:21-22,26-27

"When the mind of man is brought into communion with the mind of God, the finite with the Infinite, the effect on body and mind and soul is beyond estimate. In such communion is found the highest education. It is God’s own method of development. “Acquaint now thyself with Him” (Job 22:21), is His message to mankind." Acts of the Apostles, p. 126

PS: Thanks to Tracie for the beautiful card above that I received this week! ;-)

Happy to be Disciplined? Hardly!!

It's not easy to endure discipline is it? Especially if you don't understand why or what for. 

Thankfully most of the spankings I got growing up, I knew exactly WHY I was getting them. And I also knew that my parents loved me immensely or they wouldn't be punishing me. 

But Job didn't know this…And yet during Job's long ordeal, he says:

"Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole." Job 5:17,18

The book, Desire of Ages, tell us:  

"It was generally believed by the Jews that sin is punished in this life. Every affliction was regarded as the penalty of some wrongdoing, either of the sufferer himself or of his parents. It is true that all suffering results from the transgression of God’s law, but this truth had become perverted. Satan, the author of sin and all its results, had led men to look upon disease and death as proceeding from God,—as punishment arbitrarily inflicted on account of sin. Hence one upon whom some great affliction or calamity had fallen had the additional burden of being regarded as a great sinner.

"Thus the way was prepared for the Jews to reject Jesus. He who “hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows” was looked upon by the Jews as “stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted;” and they hid their faces from Him. Isaiah 53:4, 3.

"God had given a lesson designed to prevent this. The history of Job had shown that suffering is inflicted by Satan, and is overruled by God for purposes of mercy. But Israel did not understand the lesson. The same error for which God had reproved the friends of Job was repeated by the Jews in their rejection of Christ." Desire of Ages, p. 471

Friends willing to be there…

I realize that Job's friends were not necessarily the wisest or most helpful in their words later on, but this really struck me, the fact that when they saw Job's distress, they left their duties and came to be with him.

The Bible says:

"Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him. And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that [his] grief was very great." (from Job 2:11:13)

I don't know about you, but I thought this was pretty powerful. They aren't having a party, I'm not even sure if they were eating food during this time. They were probably fasting. But they came, and they just sat in silence…not a few hours, not a couple days, but seven whole days! Wow!!!!!!!

How many of you have friends that would do that for you today? (I think I have several that would, but not many.)

It's easy to say something, but to just mourn with someone and be silent??

Prov. 18:24 says, "…And there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother."

I'd like to learn to be THAT KIND of friend! They are rare and far between. 

PS: I know I'm making real fast progress (NOT) going through this book, and I don't know that I'll stay on this "Job vein" forever, but there's so many cool things I noticed while reading this book. (And since I'm currently posting a week of blogs at a time, so I can break way for writing and from the Internet, it's easier to put all together.) 

Why Not Me?

In Job chapter 2, Job's wife has had it. After losing all their wealth, cattle, and now their children, she is done!

"Why don't you just curse God and die… this is ridiculous! How can you serve a God that treats you like this?" she asks almost in disbelief.

But how does Job respond?

"Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" Job responded. (Job 2:10)

It's easy to ask "why me" when we are going through hard times in life! "Why are you allowing this God? Why are you doing this to me?" But do we ask the same questions when we are going through good times? 

"Why do I have bread on my table God, when so many around the world go hungry? Why am I spiritually fed, when so many don't even know the Lord? How did I get blessed so much?"

In reality, while most of us in the West still enjoy freedom and liberty…about 90 of the world population live in inhumane horrific conditions. We should be saying, "Why not me, God? Why wasn't I born where they are? Why did I get so privileged to grow up where I have?"

Whatever our condition or circumstance, Job had the right idea.

"The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." Job 1:21

If we have much, praise the Lord. If we have little, praise the Lord. Let us use all we have for His glory!

Have you considered my Servant Job?

Good morning friends!

I don't know how many of you are following along the Revived by His Word daily reading, but I have been, although the last couple weeks, I kinda was having so much fun reading, I ran ahead of the game. 

Anyway, I thought I'd go back and share a few verses and thoughts that have jumped out at me over my reading of the book.

Let's start with Job chapter 1. As the Lord and Satan were talking about Job, the Lord asks, "Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?" (Job 1:8)

Wouldn't you love it if that was our description? I think I fall too short for that though…

Anyway, what is Satan's reply? "Why would he not serve you? Have you not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side?" (my paraphrase)

You know, we as Christian's are so fortunate because God literally has put a hedge around us. 

Last night there was some animal outside my window, and I'm not real fond of the dark, or of unknown critters being outside my window…even if I am on the second floor 10 feet above them! ;-) Anyway, as I was praying, God reminded me of His promise:

"The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them." Ps. 34:7 

Why do I need to fear, God has sent His angels to protect me. And even Satan acknowledge it as he was speaking of Job. Praise the Lord!

So, whatever you may face, remember God has a hedge about you…and if He allows anything through, it's to grow you or bear seed for His Kingdom. 

Why a Mustard Seed??

I've posted about this previously, but I thought I'd write on it again here today!

I've always been intrigued by the verse in Matt. 17:20 which says, "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."

I've often asked myself, "Why does Jesus use the illustration of a mustard seed? Why didn’t He say an "apple seed" or a "tomato seed" or any other small tiny seed? What is so special about a mustard seed?"

Well, although I should have known this from growing up on a farm, I decided to do a little research on mustard seeds.

Here’s a few interesting statistics on the mustard seed:

•  Mustard is one of the oldest known spices - dating back over 3,000 years old. 
•  A common mustard seed is only about one millimeter in diameter, but it grows into a small tree!
•  A butter bean is about 400 times bigger than a mustard seed but yields only a small bush!
•  The more common mustard plants are perennial, growing back year after year and developing deep root systems each season.
• You can pull the mustard out, but roots will break and grow back to a new plant.
•  The plant spreads out covering more and more territory.
•  The plant is hardy and difficult to get rid of if you want it to go away.
• It grows best in hot climates and doesn't need watering.
• The mustard seed oil itself has been used in the past for a variety of ailments including: relief from tooth aches, muscular aches, as an emetic, for bruises, stings, bites, respiratory troubles, and to help stimulate circulation etc.

Wow! This gives some new perspective, doesn’t it? What if we had faith as a grain of mustard seed? Faith like a weed, that would not stop growing, even if we were repeatedly pulled up, and even if no one watered or fed us, even if the furnace of affliction was hot and prolonged. What if we had faith like the mustard seed that would hold on for healing, for hope, to soothe the weary, to stimulate the weak, to help those who are struggling to spiritually breath? What if we had faith that would hold on, no matter the trial, claiming and conquering more and more land for the Kingdom of God? Imagine the mountains that would be moved, the victories that would be overcome!

The Desire of Ages tells us, “Though the grain of mustard seed is so small, it contains that same mysterious life principle which produces growth in the loftiest tree. When the mustard seed is cast into the ground, the tiny germ lays hold of every element that God has provided for its nutriment, and it speedily develops a sturdy growth. If you have faith like this, you will lay hold upon God’s Word, and upon all the helpful agencies He has appointed. Thus your faith will strengthen, and will bring to your aid the power of heaven. The obstacles that are piled by Satan across your path, though apparently as insurmountable as the eternal hills, shall disappear before the demand of faith. “Nothing shall be impossible unto you.”[i]

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[i] Desire of Ages, p. 431 (Italics added)

When God seems to have failed!

Test 4. The final test, when God seems to have failed

This is probably the hardest faith test of all. How do we explain to the world around us a faith in a Savior that seems to have failed? How do we continue to trust God’s Word when it seems that He has not come through as He promised?

Imagine the grief of the disciples at the cross when Jesus allowed Himself to be tortured, condemned and finally crucified. "You are the Messiah! Aren't you.... aren't you?" I can almost hear them asking with questioning tears. "If you are who you say you are, how could you let them do this to you?"

The Pharisees and Sadducees mock and taunt Christ followers, “Some Savior you followed! He can’t even save himself. How could He save you?” they laugh. Defeated and with broken hearts, the disciples watch as Satan appears to have achieved the victory. But has he really? Or through this trial of faith, has God won a greater victory and a greater glory?

True persevering faith is truly a rare commodity. When push comes to shove, when rubber meets the road, when the circumstances of life add up, and all seems to have turned against our favor, most Christians hang their head and walk away with their faith shattered. But we must stand upon the Word of God. Our God does not fail. He may appear to fail, to all our natural sensibilities He has failed, but even in life’s apparent failures, He is still victorious.

“The season of distress and anguish before us will require a faith that can endure weariness, delay, and hunger—a faith that will not faint though severely tried. The period of probation is granted to all to prepare for that time… Those who are unwilling to deny self, to agonize before God, to pray long and earnestly for His blessing, will not obtain it. Wrestling with God—how few know what it is! How few have ever had their souls drawn out after God with intensity of desire until every power is on the stretch. When waves of despair which no language can express sweep over the suppliant, how few cling with unyielding faith to the promises of God. Those who exercise but little faith now, are in the greatest danger of falling under the power of satanic delusions and the decree to compel the conscience. And even if they endure the test they will be plunged into deeper distress and anguish in the time of trouble, because they have never made it a habit to trust in God. The lessons of faith which they have neglected they will be forced to learn under a terrible pressure of discouragement. We should now acquaint ourselves with God by proving His promises.”[i]

The big question is, will we trust God even when He appears silent, when He appears to have forgotten, when it seems impossible in the natural realm that He could work now, and when it appears that He has failed?? Will we still trust Him? Only when our faith has been tested by fire is it truly faith. But let’s not wait for the end time fires of tribulation to prove our faith. Let’s allow God to prove it now!

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[i] Great Controversy, p. 621,622