Devotion Journal

“Shout for joy, O barren one, you who have borne no child; Break forth into joyful shouting and cray aloud, you who have not travailed; for the sons of the desolate one will be more numerous than the sons of the married woman, says the Lord.

Enlarge the place of your tent; stretch out the curtains of you dwellings, spare not; lengthen your cords and strengthen your pegs.  For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left.  And your descendants will possess nations and will resettle the desolate cities.”  Isaiah 54:1-3

Are things not going the way you would like them?  Has someone made you angry?  Have your dreams been trampled?  Has some trial knocked on the door of your life?  Let me encourage you to “Shout for joy!”  When it comes to suffering, disappointments, and shattered dreams it’s easy to withdraw into our own world and seek from others what they cannot give.  There comes a time in our life when we learn to trust God and draw our life from Him.

Dealing with suffering or disappointment we need to understand this world is not our final home.  Jesus has promised to wipe away every tear.  One day the Lord will make things right.  It’s not some hopeful thinking but is more real than this life we live.  We put so much focus on “this life”.  Yet this life has no guarantees.  Jesus told the disciples not to let their hearts be troubled.  He told them He was going ahead of them to prepare a place for them.  I believe that place He has gone to prepare is indescribable.  Jesus will keep his promise.

Becoming transformed in times of trouble.  Storms will come and will shake our worlds.  Jesus said in this life you will have trouble.  In the book of James he writes to us to consider it joy when you face trials of many kinds.  Why?  Because it’s in those times that our faith is tested and the testing develops perseverance.  Peter writes, “though for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trails, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”  There are many trials that can knock on your door.  Yet in that time your faith in Him will be revealed and will grow.  Your faith will become pure.  Paul tells us in Romans that as followers of Jesus we can know that everything is used by God and is working for our good.

We learn to trust the Father’s love.  Christianity becomes real in trials.  It’s really not about some ritual.  It’s not about church attendance, how involved in some program we are.  It’s about discovering our Father who loves us so much.  I’ve been through a few storms in my life.  Some of them have been very difficult.  Yet now I’m starting to recognize when we “walk through the valley of the shadow of death” we really do not have to fear any evil.  The reason is because He is with me.  My favorite Psalm is Psalm 139.  The Psalmist is says, “If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, and the light around me will be night, even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day.  Darkness and light are alike to You.”  Our dark moments are not dark to Him.  The Lord also is not indifferent in our dark moment.  He is right there with us and gently leading us all the way.  Isaiah even goes on to say that he bore our griefs and carried our sorrows.

As difficult as it may seem we can shout for joy in our distress.  We can enlarge our tents for more of Him.  We do this not because we are great or to display our great faith.  We do this because He is great and we open up our lives for more of Him.  He is good.  He can be trusted.  His is my life.  He is your life.  Do not fear.

“Now therefore, it was not you who sent me here but God…” Genesis 45:8

When bad things happen in our lives it can be difficult to wrap our hands around the fact that God is with us.  That is why I enjoy the story of Joseph.  In that story there is a beautiful illustration and picture of the greatness of our God. Joseph had plenty of opportunity to complain and question God.

Joseph was a young man with hopes and dreams.  He truly did have dreams from the Lord which resulted in jealousy with his other brothers.  Eventually, his brothers threw him in a pit and then sold him into slavery.  Joseph was not feeling and experiencing peace when this happened.  Later, in the story we get an illustration of what he went through told by one of his brothers, “…because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen…”

While in Egypt, Joseph didn’t instantly rise to the first in command under Pharaoh.  Joseph was a servant and eventually accused of rape and thrown in prison where he would spend a few years of his life.  Then the day came for him to interpret the dream of Pharaoh which led to him being number one in Egypt under Pharaoh.  A wife was given to Joseph and he had two children which he named Manasseh and Ephraim.  Those names have much meaning.  Manasseh means, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.”  Ephraim means, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” Yes, Joseph was a man of troubles and affliction yet he knew the Lord was with him and blessed him.

Finally, when Joseph met his brothers again, he explained to them it was God himself who sent him to Egypt.  He was able to see beyond the troubles and affliction and recognize the Lord in it all.  In all his affliction and troubles Joseph was always faithful to God and others.  In prison or out of prison, in affliction or out of affliction he served the Lord with all his might. 

There are many today who can’t get beyond the troubles they currently face.  That is all they see.  What do you see?  Perhaps your affliction and troubles are not just chaos ruling and destroying your life but a path leading you exactly to that place the Lord has for you.

Be it a mighty mountain
Or the darkest tempest
There is no stopping my God!
It’s a work He will do.
When our God speaks
Not even death itself can contain me.

Our God is truly faithful. 

It is only a faithful person who truly believes that God is sovereignly controls his circumstances. We take our circumstances for granted, saying God is in control, but not really believing it. We act as if the things that happend were completely controlled by people. To be faithful in every circumstance means that we have only one loyalty, or object of our faith - the Lord Jesus Christ. God may cause our circumstance to suddenly fall apart, which may bring the realization of our unfaithfulness to Him for not recognizing that He had ordained the situation. We never saw what He was trying to accomplish, and that exact event will never be repeated in our life…Oswald Chambers Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

How about you and I? Do we believe that God is in control of all our circumstances. When everything is going our way it is easy to say God is good and in control. Yet when everything seems to fall apart do you and I really believe that. We often hear people say that God wants to make us rich, healthy, and whole. But do you believe that the Lord could allow your world to fall apart? You don’t hear many speaking about that but you do see it throughout the scriptures. Even today in the church abroad our brothers and sisters are facing some very dark moments.

There is a beautiful thing that can happen in times of crisis. We discover that the Lord is with us and we see Him as we never have before. In the book of Daniel the Hebrew boys were faced with a crisis. They were getting thrown into the furnace because of their faith and unwillingness to bow down. In the furnace the on lookers noticed someone else was in with them… it was the Lord Himself. The apostle Paul often wrote about the difficulties that He went through but He said He was convinced that nothing could separate Him from the Love of Christ. It truly isn’t until you enter into those dark times that you discover the Lord is with you.

I realize that none of us want to go through painful times. To be honest we don’t like to read things like this for fear that we will. Let me comfort you that when you find yourself there He will meet you in a way you never thought possible. And when you come through you will be “able to comfort them which are in trouble, by the comfort which you have been comforted by God.” (2 Corinthians 1:4 Paraphrased by Shawn) God will not leave you alone but will meet you in that time.

And when evening was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and He alone on the land. And He saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. And He went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened. Mark 6:47-52

Worn out, aching, and getting nowhere. That could describe what these disciples experienced as they made there way across the sea that night. Then it happened as they saw Jesus coming that fear entered the scene. They cried out thinking they had seen a spirit. Mark goes on to describe how Jesus immediately began to talk with them. Jesus goes on to tell them not to be afraid. What a wonderful picture of what the Lord will do for you and I. When troubling and even perplexing days enter our lives Jesus comes right to us. On our own we really can’t make ourselves be of good cheer. When fear knocks on our heart and enters like a wind we cannot just make it go away. Yet that’s where the Lord comes in. He will enter into that dark and windy night with you. Jesus was right there in the darkness of the wind and waves with that weary group of men. Unlike the disciples though, He was not overtaken by it. He will meet you and I and give us that peace and encouragement we need in those difficult times.

And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hands. 1 Samuel 17:47

Something the Lord would have us learn is to put our battles in His hands. It is true that our tendency is to take the battles of life into our own hands. What I have learned over the years is that when we take up the sword (figuratively speaking) and fight the battles on our own they only lead to death. The Lord wants us to bring the issues to Him and trust Him that He will solve the issue we are facing. Battles can come in a variety of ways. It can be an argument with your spouse, financial difficulties, issues with the kids, sickness, or whatever may present itself.

There is a verse in Psalm 118 that talks about trusting in the Lord and not in man. In my own life when the battle presents itself I am learning to take it to the Lord. Don’t get me wrong, I do continue to fail and try to fight on my own. When I do that the issues only seem to get worse. Doesn’t the scripture say if you live by the sword you will also die by the sword. Whenever I come to the place I finally surrender my anger and the issue over to the Lord the issue usually resolves itself. I have learned the Lord is faithful and will see us through any difficulty and problem that may knock on the doors of our life.

Let me encourage you today to bring your anger, frustration, uncertainty, and any other emotions that are ruling your heart to the Lord. Talk to the Lord about it and let Him work in the situation. He promises to walk with you all the way. And remember, vengeance is for the Lord and not for you. Let His peace rule your heart today.