God exhorts us to pray without
ceasing throughout our entire day (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). He also encourages
us to walk in His Spirit (Galatians 5:15-25). He inspires us to unflinchingly
trust in His faithfulness and to love Him with all of our heart (Proverbs 3:6).
The Lord advises us to disregard
the desires of our flesh, the lies of the devil, and the draw from the world,
so that we do not rely on our human wisdom. Instead we consult and submit to Him
continually in everything we say and do, so that He may direct our steps
(Proverbs 3:5).
We cherish the presence of God in
our life and the leading of His Spirit, because they are our lifeline to
enjoying a fulfilled life. We emulate Jesus' example, spend time alone with God,
and stay in the Trinity's presence as we perform our daily responsibilities
(Luke 5:16).
God provides us with everything
we need. For instance, God inspired us as a couple to purchase a large
double-wide mobile home in Florida, after we leased our little house to our
neighbor, because he eventually wanted to buy it from us.
Hurricane Irma of 2017 almost
destroyed our double wide. This was devastating news for us, because it meant
we could not purchase the land and building next to our church facilities in
Illinois.
Yet, we trusted God's goodness
even in this trial. We grieved our losses, and then joyfully waited to see what
miracle God planted in all of this expense and devastation in Florida. We knew
from experience that He had an ultimate plan.
A regular visitor to our church
family in Illinois heard what happened and realized that our vision to open a cafe
across the street from our church facilities, as an outreach and ministry
opportunity to our little village, was no longer an option for us.
Therefore, he donated the money
for us to purchase the land and building. He also lent us the money to buy much of the needed equipment for a
fully operational cafe. He and his wife did all they could from out of town to
help us to get the Bluebird Café open and operating.
In any lifetime, people often
experience a similar "birth, death and rebirth" of a vision from God
(Bill Gothard). When our only door shuts, God breaks down a wall and builds
another one for us.
God always plants a seed for a
miracle in every trial, and this gives us the faith to joyfully endure the
worst of circumstances and trials with His peace and hope.
Prayer:
Father God, when we trust in You, we will never
experience the depression of hopes dashed against the cold reality of a faded
moon. We will rest in the solid constancy of Your never-changing Son, because
You never fail us nor forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5-8).
Jesus constantly makes intercession for us to You,
our Father, during every moment of our life (Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:34). Satan
may bombard us with doubt and anxiety, but if we look to You, then Your perfect
love will cast out all of our fear (1 John 4:18).
Thought for the Day:
Someone said, “Fear knocked. Faith answered the
door and no one was there!” I remember that little "proverb" every
time the world or Satan or God inflicts us with some change or trial that I did
not plan nor have any control over. This helps me to refocus my attitude to one
of faith in God's faithfulness.
