Quiet Moments With God -- The Climb

Recently . . . or perhaps not just recently, but for years, life has felt like a mountain that must be climbed. Sometimes I've climbed well, but other times I've lost site of the summit and returned to base camp, feeling defeated.

The past few months I've been attempting another climb and I haven't done exactly well. There has been so much to contend with, but isn't that
life . . . really. We all have our joys and jubilations, but much of life is about the daily grind and hardship. While we're in the midst of the grind, we sometimes lose sight of the summit. We lose sight of the Father.

The light that illuminates our path comes from the Lord. If we will seek him, He will show us the way. The hitch comes when God's call isn't what we had imagined it would be. When we find ourselves in such a place, and take our eyes off our Lord, we may find ourselves slogging through the mire of uncertainty and despair, and believing life is too hard.

It's hard, all right. But it can be done. And done well. One day at a time. Perhaps one minute at a time. The One who loves us more than we can even think or imagine will not let us down. He'll reach for our hand and help us make our ascent.

We owe Him our lives. When I read from my devotional this morning the words lifted me out of the grind and set me in a higher place where I could see beauty and know there is hope, always hope. I was reminded of my calling, which is much more than what can be seen by human eyes.


From Streams in the Desert.

Is there some desert, or some boundless sea,

Where you, great God of angels, will send me?

Some oak for me to rend,

Some sod for me to break,

Some handful of your corn to take,

And scatter far afield,

Till it in turn will yield

Its hundredfold

Of grains of gold

To feed the happy children of my God?

Show me the desert, Father, or the sea;

Is it your enterprise? Great God send me!

And though this body lies where ocean rolls,

Father, count me among all faithful souls.

Can you see it? Your hand lifted in jubilation and your shout, SEND ME! 

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

Quiet Moments With God -- He Has A Plan

God is persistent. I love that about Him. Whenever He's trying to make a point or get me to see something important I'll hear His truth from all sorts of sources and usually in a short period of time, which helps to make the point.

This morning when I opened my devotional, these were the words meant for me today. "Your life path has been difficult, draining you of strength. Come to Me for nurture. Let Me fill you up with My presence. I in you and you in Me."

I in you and you in Me. Me and God together. Love that.

Last night during our group study this truth was one of those God meant for me to hear. The study was filled with nuggets of truth, but when we turned to the story of the pilgrims it was as if God reached into my heart. Called by God, Puritans fought religious persecution. They set sail for America, convinced that God had called them to the new world where they could honor Him and bring glory to Him without persecution. It would be a new beginning.

They set off on a difficult journey, convinced they'd been set on a new path by God. They could do nothing less than obey. I can't even begin to imagine how much courage it took for them to leave everything they knew and sail across a broad and dangerous sea. They landed in Plymouth in 1620 and that first winter half of the people died. In the spring, the captain of the ship that had brought them to the new land begged them to return to England. Not a single one left. They would stay even if it cost them their lives. God's strength and their convictions held them steady as they stood against unbelievable hardships. They knew in whom they believed. And I think they understood they were part of a much bigger story. We all are part of that same story.

No matter how difficult our journey, when we are called by God we must push on, trusting that He has us in the palm of His hand. He knows where and why He has called us.

Have you considered why you do what you do? And whom you serve? God will help each of us fulfill our calling, but we need to remember who we are. We are His. And He has called us to become part of the greatest story ever written.

What role are you meant to play?

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie