Devotions

What’s the point of the wilderness anyway? I’ve asked that question numerous times when I’ve been lost in the desert, wondering if I’d ever find a way out. People told me that God was working, but since I didn’t know what he was doing, I secretly wondered if he was doing anything at all. 

I didn’t choose the wilderness. No one does. It’s a dark place of loneliness, rejection and despair. But it also cultivates the most life-giving fruit because there God shapes and molds us, teaching us to trust him alone.

In Genesis 41 Joseph named his second son Ephraim, saying “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” Joseph became fruitful in Egypt – the land where he was sold as a slave, where he was falsely accused, where he was imprisoned and seemingly forgotten. These were the ugliest, leanest years of Joseph’s life, yet they may paradoxically have been the most beautiful because they taught Joseph to trust God.

© Vaneetha Risner, 2020. Check out her website.

I understand the beauty of Ephraim myself. The most difficult places in my life have produced the greatest fruit. Lilias Trotter, a missionary to Algeria in the late 1800’s said this: “Take the very hardest thing in your life – the place of difficulty, outward or inward, and expect God to triumph gloriously in that very spot. Just there he can bring your soul into blossom!”

God triumphs in our place of struggle. The hardest things in our lives become the basis of our ministry. Our faith is often forged in the desert. But we can’t produce fruit ourselves or bring our own souls into blossom – God produces good fruit from an outpouring of what’s inside of us. Life-giving fruit comes organically from within when we are attached to the vine and are abiding in Christ. This happens naturally in the wilderness because we must depend on him daily. There we understand that apart from him, we can do nothing (John 15:5).

Before entering the wilderness, I trusted God, but I didn’t need him for everything, or even for most things. Most of life I could handle on my own and God was more of a back-up plan. The Bible assured me that God would provide for all my needs, but I wasn’t sure that God would be enough if everything was taken from me. I worried about the future, hoping a disaster wouldn’t land on my doorstep.

But when catastrophe hit, God provided beyond my expectations. He protected me from heat and drought. He taught me to tap into his word. He nourished me with springs of living water. As Jeremiah 17:7-8 says, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

Learning to trust God in the wilderness bore lasting fruit. I read the Bible more attentively than ever before and learned to love God for who he is and not for what he could do for me. I knew that the Lord would never leave me and would always provide for my needs. People sometimes wander from faith, wondering if God even exists, but those whose faith is forged in the wilderness know that he is real. They have tasted and seen that the Lord is good. (Psalm 34:8)

In addition to grounding my faith and teaching me to trust, the wilderness became the basis for my ministry. As we have seen through the lives of Moses, John the Baptist, and even Jesus, entering the wilderness to suffer or be tempted often precedes thriving ministry. Suffering and affliction make us fruitful. DA Carson says, “One of the blessings given to suffering believers is the prospect of being more fruitful than they could have ever imagined.”

One of my struggles with the prosperity gospel is that it contradicts this deeply biblical principle. Proponents imply that affliction is a sign of unfaithfulness and disfavor, citing that Jesus healed everyone, so we just need to pray believing and we will be healed. They contend that God wants us to be rich and prosperous, which are the blessings of faithfulness. But as we see in the Bible, the people with the strongest faith spent years in the wilderness. Even those who were ultimately prosperous, like Joseph, Job and David, all learned faithfulness through their affliction and despair. It was their clinging to God in desperation that produced the richest fruit.

The affliction of the saints produces overflowing fruit that nourishes everyone around them. While they may be unaware of their impact on others, their inspiring example encourages others to press on. Joni Eareckson Tada has been one of those saints for me as watching her life has changed me. God uses saints like Joni in extraordinary ways because his life flows through them. Their character has been molded by their trials and they are loving, patient and faithful, demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit in every season.

God may have already brought you out of your wilderness into a place of abundance and fruitfulness. If that’s the case, you understand what I’m talking about. But if you are in the desert now, don’t give up. Keep leaning into God. Don’t assume that because you haven’t seen fruit yet, that you won’t see it. God is working and is using your loneliness and suffering in ways that you cannot see but will one day understand fully.

So, as you wait for God to bring fruit from your desert, remember that he is able. As Isaiah 41:17-18 says, “When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the Lord will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them.  I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.”

Trust him as you wait. He will give make your wilderness an oasis that will one day produce exquisite fruit.

Dark Times

Since my last post on my cataract surgeries, I developed inflammation in both eyes requiring eye drops and postponing getting my new glasses. I’m an avid reader and I couldn’t read for very long without eye strain and headaches. I wasn’t able to drive due to blurry distance vision and wonky depth perception. Frustration and fear that my vision was not going to improve, held me in its grip. I felt like I was going through dark times. Then my sweet Jesus brought this passage of scripture to my mind:

Jesus stood on a hill overlooking the city of Jerusalem and spoke these words,

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.” Luke 13:34 NIV

Sweet Knowledge

Two things have struck me about this verse. First, Jesus longs to take care of us and protect us. Wow! What an awesome idea!  Second, when chicks are under the hen’s wing they are in the dark! They are also cramped and crowded. Kind of the way I was feeling. Maybe the dark is not a place to fear, but the place of protection. Maybe when I’m feeling constricted and cramped in life, I’m in Jesus’ arms.

Even if I forget that Jesus loves me and is in control, He never forgets that I am His.  No one can take me from His arms. If He is your Savior, no one can snatch you from His arms either!  If you are too overwhelmed to hold onto Him, He will carry you.  So the next time we are in a dark place in our lives, may we remember that we are safe under Jesus’ “wings!”

© Kathy Forsyth. Published 9/15/2016 on her website, https://upbeatliving.net/

How long will my suffering last?

Back in 1983, my friend, Gracie Rosenberger, was a freshman at Belmont University. Gifted in music and vocal talents, she chose a double major in both vocal performance and piano in their School of Music. The rigorous schedule was exhausting, and only nine weeks into the school year, Gracie fell asleep at the wheel resulting in a completely life altering car accident. Ultimately, the collision left her with multiple health issues, as well as, the amputation of both her legs, but Gracie clung to Jesus. Her relationship with Christ gave her grace and strength not only to endure, but also to have a passion for life.

Recently, Gracie and her husband Peter returned to Belmont University—their Alma Mater (Peter was also a music major). They noticed the special parking place, originally installed for Gracie after her accident, had been slightly modified. Peter texted me a photo of the spot and said, “They’ve since added the word “visitor,” which I think is appropriate. As believers, no matter what the disability, we’re all just visitors to suffering… it’s not permanent. And THAT is cause for praise and thanksgiving.” Isn’t that such a good reminder? It’s just what 2 Corinthians 4:17 says, “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” No matter what pain you are going through, you are just a visitor to suffering. That pain is infinitesimal compared to the glory your patient response will receive in heaven. So, hang in there…your perseverance is worth it!

©Joni Eareckson Tada, 2017. Used with permission from the Joni and Friends International Disability Center.

Is it possible to stay calm in our storms?

I recently read this…

Their ships were tossed to the heavens and plunged again to the depths; the sailors cringed in terror. They reeled and staggered like drunkards and were at their wits’ end. “LORD, help!” they cried in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves. What a blessing was that stillness as He brought them safely into harbor! Psalm 107:26-30 (NLT)

Which led me to read this…

And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.  Mark 4:37-39 (NKJV)

Which led me to this…

Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them, but when they saw Him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking He was a ghost. They were all terrified when they saw Him. But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” He said. “Take courage! I am here!” Then He climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed, Mark 6:47-51 (NLT)

Which brought me to this…

How are we doing in our little boat of life—as we sail upon the sea of culture’s changing tide, upon the strong winds of adversity that batter against our sides, upon the coming and going of people’s views and opinions that seek to redirect our course, upon the highs and lows of the world’s pressures and demands that put stress upon our sails, upon the churning waters of rebellion and discontentment that seek to overturn us, upon the undercurrents of opposition and persecution that want to push us back, upon the riptides of the devil’s schemes that want to keep us from advancing, and upon the choppy onslaughts of misunderstanding, misrepresentation and false accusation that want to sink us before arriving on the other shore?

Let’s pray for one another and encourage one another to stay in the boat…and always remember that it is not our boat…it belongs to our Captain. His hands are on the wheel, He has set the course, He has trimmed the sail and knows how to use the winds for good. His compass is true, His bearings are right. The boat won’t sink! He will never abandon His post, and He will safely bring us to the other shore.

Do you find yourself battling against a storm of emotions or opposition that is beating against your soul? Ask your Captain, Jesus, to speak to the storm…He still has the power to quiet the winds and bring calm the storm.

"Used with permission, Roy Lessin, meetmeinthemeadow.com" (This link is no longer active.)

See Roy Lessin's book, Meet Me in the Meadow.

Recommended by a Follower

How should we react?

We’ve all been in a situation where we had absolutely no idea what to do, or how to extricate ourselves. Usually we find ourselves with a sudden hankering to take one or two steps back to where we were before the problem arose. That rising panic and desperate wish to be somewhere else are key parts of the fight or flight reflex.

If we’re fortunate, we’re rarely if ever placed in a situation where the fight or flight reflex requires literal fight or flight, but our brain is trained to stimulate that response when stressed and afraid. Just because there are no giant animals trying to eat us and just because we don’t have rival tribes threatening to steal our spot by the river, so to speak. It doesn’t mean we don’t have problems.

So we may panic. We may fume and fuss. We may wish we were elsewhere and then, whether it’s an hour or a year later, we finally sit down and deal with matters. We may focus on the problem, and we sit within that problem, stewing over how to alter the circumstances so that we come out on top, or as close to on top as humanly possible. Every fiber of our being is devoted to sorting things out so that the problem goes away. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t work at all. Most of the time, it’s somewhere in-between.

Whatever the outcome, at the very least we’re left down a peg or two from where we started, whether it’s financially, emotionally, physically, or some horrible combination thereof. And we’re always absolutely, completely and thoroughly exhausted.

That’s because it’s hard work, sorting our lives out. And the worst thing is that difficult circumstances don’t just go away. They replace themselves on a regular basis, because it doesn’t matter how rich you are, how happy you are, how alienated and isolated you are from life and all its trials. Adversity is a beautiful part of life.

But it’s not our circumstances that define us, or even how we deal with each individual problem. No, what defines us as people, as the men and women that we want to be, is how we deal with adversity.

© Graham Cooke of Brilliant Perspectives. Used by permission.

Connected Carole's notes: Some of these thoughts are difficult for us who live in unending storms, but we have to remember the eternal perspective: this life is not all there is. And we don't have God's knowledge nor power, so trusting Him is the only answer.

Save me, O God,
For the waters have threatened my life.
² I have sunk in deep mire, and there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me.
³ I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched;
My eyes fail while I wait for my God.

Psalms 69:1-3 (NASB77)

Haven’t we all cried out these thoughts to God at times?

⁶ May those who wait for Thee not be ashamed through me, O Lord GOD of hosts;
May those who seek Thee not be dishonored through me, O God of Israel,

Psalms 69:6 (NASB77)

We ask God not to let others be turned from Him because of our problems

 Reproach has broken my heart, and I am so sick.
And I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
And for comforters, but I found none.
²¹ They also gave me gall for my food,
And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

²⁶ For they have persecuted him whom Thou Thyself hast smitten,
And they tell of the pain of those whom Thou hast wounded.
Psalms 69:20-26 (NASB77)

Unfortunately, this, too often, describes attitudes we receive from Christians/our churches. Thankfully, it is rarely this severe.

²⁹ But I am afflicted and in pain;
May Thy salvation, O God, set me securely on high.
³⁰ I will praise the name of God with song,
And shall magnify Him with thanksgiving.
³¹ And it will please the LORD better than an ox
Or a young bull with horns and hoofs.
³² The humble have seen it and are glad;
You who seek God, let your heart revive.
³³ For the LORD hears the needy,
And does not despise His who are prisoners.
³⁴ Let heaven and earth praise Him,
The seas and everything that moves in them.

Psalms 69:29-34 (NASB77)

The psalmist concludes we should end up praising God. He concludes that praise is better than merely following rules.