Believing God for Seasons of Joy Again

 

Cindy K. Sproles, author cbn.com

“Israel said to Joseph, ‘I never expected to see your face

 again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too.’” Genesis 48:11 (NIV)

“Mom, I miss our old house,” my sweet girl whispered. I asked why and expected to hear thoughts on our lush backyard or her pink bedroom.

“We were so … happy there.” Her tender honesty pierced my heart. I affirmed her feelings and proceeded to name some positive points about our current life — but I couldn’t escape the reality she’d so wisely identified.

We were happy there, in our season of “before.” Before an agonizing diagnosis rocked our family. Before a cross-country move and the loss of a supportive community. Before multiple hardships wore us down with a fierce relentlessness.

The loss of a “before” season often leaves us listless and low on hope. We wonder if life can indeed be good again, as it once was before the diagnosis, job loss, crisis, death or affair. Before the lights went out and life stopped making sense.

This soul ache presses hard into our faith muscle, sometimes even threatening to wear it out. And when these grueling seasons unpack their bags and linger for a while, it’s easy to begin believing: My best days are behind me.

The patriarch Jacob experienced a “before” season, too — before the loss and presumed death of his beloved son, Joseph. While Jacob had many children, Genesis 37:3 tells us he “… loved Joseph more than any of his other sons” (NIV).

Unfortunately, this favoritism led Joseph’s jealous brothers to sell him into slavery and fake his death. With chilling deception, they presented Joseph’s bloodied, multicolored coat to Jacob, who then grieved mightily.

While Scripture doesn’t give us many details, we can imagine the depth of Jacob’s trauma. We can envision the way this massive loss tore at his soul and clouded his mind. I don’t think it’s a stretch to imagine Jacob was never quite as lighthearted from that day forward. Perhaps, like us, he believed a season of joy would never come again.

And yet the conclusion of Genesis reveals the exquisite story God had been writing through those dark days: Joseph, alive and well in Egypt, was finally reunited with his father. Our key verse recounts the tender, poignant words spoken by Jacob (also called “Israel”):

“Israel said to Joseph, ‘I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too.’” (Genesis 48:11)

What a resolution! Not only does Jacob have his son back, but he also experiences the joy of knowing his grandsons. After years of heartache, God brought Jacob into a spacious season where he enjoyed 17 years with Joseph.

When seasons of loss arrive, let us not forget the truth that God always, always works for our good. He loves us deeply and will never cease moving on our behalf — even when we don’t understand His ways, for what is dark to us isn’t dark to Him.

You and I may not receive the ending we’d choose, but we can choose to trust the God who wants the very best for us. It’s tempting to draw conclusions about the end of the story when we’re in the middle of it. But what if we leaned into that faith muscle a little deeper? What if we grasped onto the truth with all our might and trusted God to write the ending He knows we need?

In painful seasons, we can draw hope and strength from this story of Jacob and Joseph. Instead of pulling away from Jesus, we can run to Him and entrust our heartache and disappointment into His scarred hands. We can reject the enemy’s lie that joy will never come again.

Your best days are not behind you, dear one. In Jesus, we know each season serves a divine purpose. And just as God was faithful to Jacob and Joseph, so God will be faithful to you, too. Let’s never give up hoping and expectantly looking for the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

A Risky Underwater Challenge

 

Joe Chmiel, cbn.com

I once spent a week exploring the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. The seaside ruins of Tulum, an ancient Mayan city, stand atop a cliff that juts out into the ocean. A local guide told me it was possible to swim under the cliffs from one side and come out the other. To accomplish the feat, I swam along underwater passageways in the direction of the opposite side. The sun provided light reflecting against the sandy ocean floor.

Along the way, breathing was made possible by swimming up against the rocky ceiling wherever an air bubble could be found and inhaling the air. The bubbles form when tidal action washes aerated water under the cliffs. Micro bubbles in the surge concentrate into one large bubble until they resemble big glass dinner plates clinging to the submerged rock ceiling. They were plentiful at first, along with good visibility.

As I swam further under the cliffs, the light grew dim and the bubbles scarce. There soon came a point where I could not see the next bubble from the position of the current one. At one stretch these air pockets were so few and far between, I wondered whether my lungs held enough oxygen to return to the previous pocket if I could not locate the next one. My initial objective of reaching the other side had suddenly morphed into the shorter-term goal of just finding another bubble. Continuing along the course required faith that there would indeed be another one.

Choosing to swim the bubble route was my own questionable decision, but when it comes to traveling the road of life, we are not asked our preference. It is a journey we all must experience.

The bubbles in our lives are times of safety and security, periods of calm and clarity where we recognize God is in control. We pray those times would last. But in the same manner in which the bubble air is used up and forces us to move on, circumstances in life come about to move us out of our comfort zone and propel us along life’s way.

God bless you if your bubbles are abundant, but expect to encounter stretches of turmoil and turbidity, maybe even times of endangerment and exposure in which life’s trials can appear overwhelming. For some, these intervals seem to have no end in sight, but the constant to remember is that through every adversity, God cares and is still in control. He already knows the troubles we will go through and He supplies us the means to endure them:

”These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NKJV)

Peace in the midst of trouble — this is Jesus’ promise to us. Our part is to have the faith to continue, knowing our God hands us the final victory. An important addition to this promise is found in the 6th Chapter of Matthew:

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:31-34 NKJV)

If we partner with God, He will provide. We find both peace and provision from the God who promises never to leave us or forsake us — especially when the going gets tough.

When life happens, you may ask “why?” But if you persevere in faith, God is faithful to see you through. Whatever season of life you are in or problem that is overwhelming you, it is vital to know that God hasn’t abandoned you. The God who loves you and keeps you will always provide a next bubble, the best one being on that day when you swim out into His glorious Sonlight on the other side.

Abide in Me

 

Danni Andrew, cbn.com

My friend has grapevines on the fence in the backyard of his Mom’s house. The vines have completely intertwined with the fence and are literally all over the place. The grapes are beginning to die off and are in need of pruning.

As I was reading my devotions this morning I picked up a small devotional booklet and read a page before I picked up my regular devotional book. The passage in the small book was John 15:4:

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.” (NASB)

I thought it was a good passage to start my day with. I set it down and began reading my regular devotional book. I had not gotten very far down the page when I read the scripture for the day. It was John 15:4. I stopped to read the small booklet again, and sure enough, it was the same passage. God must be trying to tell me something.

My life has been like the grapevines on the backyard fence lately. Twisted, going every which way but the way it should be. God has been gently pruning my life. He has been getting rid of those things in my life which distract me and take away from the Joy of life in Jesus. Worry and stress have robbed me of my Joy in so many ways. The more time I spend worrying, the less I get done. The less I get done, the more stressed I get and the more I worry. My life has become twisted and unruly.

In an attempt to get things done I made a schedule. I created a list of things that must be done each day, and the time frame for them to be completed. While being organized is a good thing, it can distract me from what is most important. Spending time with Jesus in the Word is more important than getting my schedule done. So, I have loosened the strings on my tight schedule. Now, I have a list of what needs to be done and am asking God to show me what HE wants me to get done today. It helps me to be more relaxed, which in turn helps me to be more productive.

Control is one of the branches on my grapevine which needed to be pruned. I like to have control of things in my life, but I have a tendency to overcontrol every area of my life. Unless I abide in Jesus and let Him have control, my life will be a mess.

“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” (John 15:11 NASB)

The more time I spend with Jesus the better my life is. When I open my day with Bible study, prayer and thanking God for what He has done for me, my problems get smaller and my workload gets lighter. When I let God tell me what He wants me to do today, the more “right” things I get done. Only when I allow God to prune my grapevine, will I continue to grow.

What branch on your grapevine needs pruning? What is keeping you from experiencing the full joy Jesus has to offer you? He will gently prune those things in your life which are keeping you from experiencing His full joy. Abiding in Him means spending time with Him. Spending time with Jesus can only be good for you. What person, thing or habit are you holding onto that is stopping you from experiencing the full joy of what God has for you?

In My Father’s House Are Many Rooms

 

 

Diane Pearson, cbn.com

Kristine, a vibrant 18-year-old, was involved in all the normal activities of a senior in high school when she became critically ill. She was admitted to the hospital and within a few days, she was diagnosed with a fatal disease.

Kristine’s parents were devastated when doctors said, “There’s nothing more we can do except keep her comfortable.” They asked for help from the hospital staff to break the news to their daughter.

A woman named Donna is part of a hospital team that works with critically and terminally ill patients and their families. “When Kristine heard the prognosis, she was naturally quite upset, but when I went to see her the next day, her demeanor was completely changed,” she said.

“Kristine had in her hand a collection of swatches from a paint store, those little strips of various shades of color,” Donna said. “She fanned them out like a deck of cards and said, ‘Pick a color.’”

“I didn’t know what was going on,” Donna said, “but I played along. I chose a bird’s egg blue. Then Kristine explained:  ‘Since I’m going to heaven before you, I want to paint your room your favorite color.’ Anytime a different person came into Kristine’s room after that, she had them choose a color for their room in heaven.”

Donna said, “I have worked with critically and terminally ill patients for years, but I was bowled over by the spiritual maturity of an 18-year-old who was so certain of her place in heaven. Kristine knew without a doubt that this world is just a ‘passing-through place.’ It’s not the final destination. She used those paint swatches as tools to witness about eternal life and also to help the people around her accept her physical death.”

Kristine was a living witness to the promise in John 14 as Jesus tried to prepare his disciples for his impending death:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:1-3 NIV).

When Kristine passed away, she continued to witness to people at the funeral because those paint swatches were in the casket with her. Kristine’s story was repeated to everyone who passed by.

“As Christians, we have the certainty of eternal life,” Donna said. “How wonderful it was for Kristine and her family to be able to frame death in such a beautiful way.”

Thank you, Lord, for the promise of eternal life. Help us to learn from Kristine’s example of faith in your Word.

Two Choices

 

 

Lori Hatcher, cbn.com

“We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (2 Chronicles 20:12 NIV)

We love choices. From the 1970s “Have It Your Way” Burger King jingle to the more than one hundred drink options in a Coca-Cola Freestyle drink machine, we like to express our preferences and make our selections.

Having designed this characteristic of human nature, God also gives us choices. Unlike one hundred drink flavors in a drink machine, however, He makes it simple. In life, we have only two choices, and these options go way back to a story in 2 Chronicles 20.

At the time, godly king Jehoshaphat sat on the throne of Judah. As is often the case with godly rulers, before long, enemies arrived to try to mess up his good thing. Judah was a shadow of her former self in those days, with an army no one in his right mind would boast about. When the big guys came knocking, King Jehoshaphat knew they were in trouble.

“A vast army is coming against you,” the warning stated. Jehoshaphat was “alarmed” (2 Chronicles 20:2-3). He gathered the leaders from the surrounding cities, and together they sought the Lord.

“We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us,” he prayed. “We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (verse 12).

Almost immediately, God responded to Jehoshaphat’s prayer through one of the prophets. “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. . . . You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you. . . . The Lord will be with you” (verses 15, 17).

With these words, God gave Jehoshaphat two choices: believe the impossibility of the circumstances or believe God’s Word. We face the same decision every day.

Picture the rest of the story. “Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord” (verse 18). The next morning, per God’s instructions, they marched out to face the enemy with music on their lips and praise in their mouths. “Give thanks to the Lord,” they sang, “for his love endures forever” (verse 21).

Without lifting a spear or a sword, the Israelites won a great victory. The Lord fought for them. By praying, seeking God’s face, and believing His promises, they released the power available in heaven. God brought it to earth for a great victory.

The result? “The fear of God came on all the surrounding kingdoms when they heard how the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel” (verse 29).

Uncommon Thought

When faced with challenging (and sometimes overwhelming) circumstances, we can either believe what we see with our eyes or trust the promises God has given us.

Unusual Faith

What enemy are you facing right now? What circumstance steals the sleep from your night and the peace from your days? You have two choices: believe the seeming impossibility of the circumstances or believe God’s promises. If you choose to believe God’s promises, pray to the Lord right now. Like King Jehoshaphat, lay your circumstances before Him, confess your fear and powerlessness, and wait for His direction and deliverance.

Duty or Privilege

 

 

Pauline Hylton, cbn.com

I really didn’t want to go to church. Everyone always asked about my family. “How’s your dad?” they would ask over and over again. I tired of telling them about his medical condition. Really, what I wanted to scream was, “How am I? I’m the one overseeing my parents care along with two teenagers, a husband, a full-time job and a family business! Why don’t you ask about me?!”

My father had his left leg amputated and was ready to move back in with us and I was petrified. That day at church, I ran into a woman who sometimes helped with Mom’s care and also provided total care for her mother.

“Paula. I’m afraid of Dad coming home. I’m afraid of physically caring for him. You did that with your father, didn’t you? How did you do it?”

She smiled and said, “Pauline, it is nothing. It was a privilege to care for him.”

I’ll never forget that.

It took several years before my caregiving went from a duty to privilege, but eventually, that is how I viewed it.

I’m glad.

“After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, ‘Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet.'” John 13:12-14 NLT

Jesus always viewed servanthood as a privilege. He also taught that to His disciples.

As Americans, we tend to believe we have rights and we should assert our rights.

As Christians, we may have rights, but to serve and give up our rights is a privilege.

Just ask Jesus. Check out this passage in Matthew 16:24-25,

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.’” (NLT)

I once heard a Christian musician say that a Christian is someone who is bananas about Jesus. That is a great definition. So, when we love Jesus and follow Him, we give up our lives and mirror His.

Thankfully, He has given us the Holy Spirit to help us. The change that took place in my view of caregiving is nothing other than miraculous. Divine.

Terry Meeuwsen: From Rags to Riches

 

Terry Meeuwsen, cbn.com

You probably remember Esther’s amazing rags-to-riches story. She was a beautiful Jewish girl in Susa, the capital city of Persia. Esther had to leave her home. Now established in the royal palace as queen, she learned of an evil plot to destroy all the Jews across the empire. Mordecai, her uncle, heard about it, too, and in great distress sent an urgent message to Esther. He urged her to approach the king and plead for the life of her people.

But Esther hesitated.

Who wouldn’t? The penalty for entering the king’s presence without a specific invitation was death. (I wonder how he would have handled telemarketers calling during the dinner hour?) Under extraordinary circumstances, the king might extend his golden scepter and spare the petitioner’s life—but the prospects of taking that sort of chance were terrifying.

The young queen reported all these things in a message to her guardian, and he sent back this word … this small slice of dialogue I can’t get out of my mind.

“Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:13-14, NKJV)

Notice the second sentence in Mordecai’s message: “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place …” In other words, Mordecai was saying, “I have faith that the God of our Fathers will not allow His people to be totally destroyed in this way. Somehow, He will step in. Somehow, He will spare a remnant of His people. If you sit back and remain silent, Esther, God will use someone else to achieve His purposes. But you are His first choice, and it’s up to you how you’re going to respond.”

Esther determined to step into this God adventure—this opportunity to save her people. Esther said, “And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!” (Esther 4:16 NKJV).

When God wants something done, when He has some kingdom “mission impossible” to accomplish, He goes looking for a man or woman to take the assignment. The Bible tells us that “the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His” (2 Chronicles 16:9, NASB).

He’s looking for people who will take on risky operations of love and mercy. He is looking for men and women who will put His will above everything else in life. And every now and then, perhaps even today, His eye rests on you, and He offers you that opportunity.

You can take it, or you can let it go by. If you don’t do it, He’ll probably select someone else— “relief and deliverance will arise…from another place”— and the job will get done. But you won’t even be able to imagine what you’ve missed!