Is There Light at the End of This Tunnel?

 

Where's the Light at the End of the Tunnel?

Every now and then I need to be reminded that God's timing is perfect.  He is not bound by time like we are.  That concept is extremely difficult to fathom for our finite minds.  When we're going through what seems like an endless tunnel, feeling almost trapped by the circumstances that have surrounded us, we can become overwhelmed because "nothing seems to make sense."  

 

The other morning I whispered to the Lord "There seems to be no light at the end of this tunnel."  Then I reached for a Bible verse on a card that is in a little "bread box of promise cards."  Here's the verse that I drew.  John 8:12 ~  "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."   It was as if the Lord directly responded to my prayer.

 

I had been feeling like "I've sought You, and Your Guidance, Father, each step of the way.  I have asked for Your will to be done, and yet I feel like my present circumstances make no sense....things don't seem to "feel" as if they are "working out" as I thought they would.  I feel like I'm "in the dark" as to the big picture of Your purpose. 

 

Can There be Light in the Darkness?

In John 8:12 Jesus says He is the Light of the world and if we follow Him we will NEVER walk in darkness.  The world in which we live IS dark because of sin.  However, if we follow Jesus step-by-step each day, we won't walk in darkness ~ we won't "walk" (or live) as the world lives:  continually in sin and darkness.

 

Even though we follow the Light of the world (Jesus) there will be times of dark storms that we have to endure.  With God's help, we can still walk uprightly, even in the midst of these dark storms. 

 

Darkness vs. Burdened

Perhaps I've been confusing my feelings of "being in the dark" with feeling burdened by life's circumstances. 

 

God hasn't promised to tell us why He allows everything that happens to us.  There will be times that circumstances leave us "scratching our heads, wondering 'why?'."  This feeling "in the dark" to the Sovereign will of God can easily become a burden if we don't quickly take it to Him with a trusting, thankful heart. 

 

In every thing give thanks, for THIS is the will of God. 

When things don't make sense,

when there seems to be "no light at the end of the tunnel"

~ ~ ~ ~

Be thankful in all circumstances,

for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

I Thessalonians 5:18

 

And when you're running out of steam: 

 





            The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
            The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
                                                  Psalm 27:1

                           You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning;
                          my God turns my darkness into light.
                                                   Psalm 18:28



 

 

I thank You, LORD, for even though things don't quite make sense, You are my Light; You are my strength; You are my salvation; You are my Hope and my Future; You are my Shepherd; You are my Guide; You are my Provider.  You are the One Who has promised to "teach me what is best for me," and to "direct me in the way I should go."  (Isaiah 48:17)  I believe Your Word to be true.  I believe that one day the "fog will be lifted," and I will understand what You were doing during these circumstances.  . . and I believe You will enlighten me soon, because "I would have fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living."  (Psalm 27:13)  In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

 

 

Standing Still

"The Lord was not in the wind. . .The Lord was not in the earthquake. . .The Lord was not in the fire. . . And after the fire came a gentle whisper." I Kings 9:11, 12

 

As I sit here this morning, it's dark outside.  On the east coast we're awaiting the storms that have been tearing through several states, causing catastrophic damage and widespread loss of lives.  The way the weather is causing such record-breaking damage in such a short amount of time, it's definitely getting lots of attention, and hopefully causing people to look up---past the clouds and straight to the Maker of all creation~ God. 

Maybe you've endured a terrible storm and are left, standing in the rubble of what once was your life.   And, as usually is the case after a terrible storm, all is quiet.   You're left to wonder what went wrong?  How did this happen?  OR--- WHY did God allow this to happen?
  

In the silence, you listen for some Divine explanation, but you hear nothing.    God's Word tells us to "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth."  Psalm 46:10   When I read Barnes' Notes on the Bible, it says:

• Be still - The word used here - from רפה râphâh - means properly to cast down; to let fall.....to be relaxed....especially the hands:  It is also employed in the sense of not making an effort... and then would express the idea of leaving matters with God, or of being without anxiety about the issue. . . 

• And know that I am God - See, in what I have done, the evidence that I am God.  See a work accomplished which none "but" God could effect. . . .
• I will be exalted among the heathen - That is, among the nations. The nations abroad that do not worship Me, but worship idols, shall see in these deeds full proof that I am the true God, and that I am worthy of universal adoration. . .
• I will be exalted in the earth-In the lands abroad; all over the world.  

Just be still, knowing that God is in control.   And, if you're one of "the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28), then He has promised you to work this, yes, even THIS, out for your GOOD and His glory.   

I was reading in my "Joy and Strength" devotional today the following, and thought it would be helpful to add:

"Jesus STOOD STILL, and commanded him to be called." 

Mark 10:49.  

"Don't we sometimes feel, in trial or storms, that others would be a help to us if only they'd stop and listen?  But they won't, and in their constant hurry we know it's little use to speak.    Let us note this lesson for ourselves--and give what WE ask:  leisure to hear, attentive, concentrated, not divided~ but calm, patient consideration for others in their time of need.    It may be our 'busy work for the Master' overcrowds our lives that we don't have the time for this 'standing still.'  Sad eyes meet ours, but we can't stay to read their story.  Some look to us for help in battles which WE fought long ago, but we can't turn aside to see how it fares with them in the strife, or to even whisper the secret of victory.  God would have said, 'Even though some plans of your own for My service were put aside, you have done it unto Me."  (H. Bowman)      

Jesus took the time to stop and listen. . . to get in the "trenches" with the people who were suffering and needy.  It's just like my big bathtub.  I can not lean over it, from the outside, and scrub the entire thing.  Nope...I have to actually GET IN THERE and scrub the dirt away.  Same with people and the storms of life:   Sometimes we have to get in there...we can't stand from the sidelines and offer help "from afar."  

So this lesson is two-fold:

1. If YOU are left standing in the rubble of your life, after a terrible storm ~ God wants you to be still and know. . . just trust that He is going to work even THIS out for your good and His glory.  
2. And if by chance, you're on the outside, looking in on someone who's IN the trenches, in the fight of their life---yes, you may be busy about the Master's business...but sometimes it's best to Stand Still (as Jesus did) and stop what you're doing. Offer a shoulder to cry on,  a comforting word, a strong arm to lean on, a guiding hand that will point them to God.

Father, You want us to be still.  This is so difficult to do, when we're overrun by anxiety.  Yet, Your Word offers us a command, not a suggestion, but a command---to be anxious for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let our requests be made known to You.  We want to do Your will, just as Jesus came to do Your will.   Either we are IN a storm, standing in the rubble from a recent storm, OR we are bystanders.  The way life is, we are going to be in one of those categories at some point or another all throughout life.  Please help us to remember to be willing to Stand Still by trusting Your Sovereignty and taking the time to listen to someone else who may need an encouraging word.   In Jesus' Name....amen.

The Divine Stabilizer

And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 

Mark 4:39

Saturday night, when everyone else in the Yates' household was sound asleep, I was awake...Talking to the Lord.  Having an honest conversation.  Realizing the importance of going to our Heavenly Father through our Advocate or Representative, Jesus Christ, I pretty much "stated the facts of this case" I find myself grappling.   "Dear Jesus, here are the facts, as plainly as I can state them..." 

Have you ever felt like "Maybe if He'd just calm the stormy seas, His reflection in my life could be seen more clearly?"    I have!  In fact, remembering how He rebuked the wind and calmed the sea, I begged for Him to "do it again, Lord....for Your image to be clearly seen in my life...for Your glory."

Oh....how quickly I received a response to my "9-1-1 call to heaven!"  The very next morning, in my devotional, "Unto the Hills," by Billy Graham, he spoke of a ship's stabilizer, a gyroscope.  That is a device that is used for measuring or maintaining orientation.  Now I will not even attempt to explain the mechanics behind this instrument.  Basically, it remains stable no matter what direction force (or motion) is coming from.  The key is.....STABILITY.  Keeping the ship stable, even if the vessel is being tossed about violently. 

For Christians, our stabilizer is the Holy Spirit.  He enables us to keep going in the right direction, no matter the amount of force "our vessels" are experiencing.  So here I was "suggesting" that the Lord just speak PEACE to these storms, "calm the storms, so that Your image can be reflected even clearer," and He quickly responds, "Dearest, I've equipped you with a Divine Stabilizer....You empty your vessel of your fleshly nature, and allow My Holy Spirit to fill you up from 'bow to stern,' and you shall remain stable from the inside-out, able to reflect My image, even ON stormy seas."

So...maybe He will speak Peace and a great calm will come to the raging seas of life.  Maybe not.  Either way, God expects us to reflect the image of His Son by allowing the "Eternal Son" to rise in our hearts.  No matter what, He's there in the midst of us, able to speak peace, or to bring (and KEEP) peace from within the very depths of our hearts. 

Dear Jesus, we humbly and readily admit that You ARE the Master of the wind, the Creator of the universe, and You will do what is best in order to bring us closer to You.  You reflect the Heavenly Father to us, and You then enable us to reflect Your image right back to Him, so others will see and be drawn to YOU.  Have Your way within our hearts, no matter the stormy seas that may be raging around us.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

A big thank you to Michel Mayerle for granting permission

to use his beautiful picture of the sunrise!

http://michelmayerle.blogspot.com/

(To find more detailed info about the gyroscope, click here.)

H.E.L.P.

Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry for help come to you. 

Psalm 102:1  (NIV)

The King James Version of Psalm 102: 1 is "Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee."  But I wanted to use the NIV because of one word:  "help."

Have you ever been in a situation where you were completely at the end of yourself?  Maybe your heart was broken and your spirit was crushed.  (Psalm 34:18)   You knew you needed to pray, but actually were unable to find any words to express your lament.  The only word you could cry out was "HELP!"  That's a desperate place to be.  Well, maybe it will 'help' to know that I've been there.  And if we're all  honest, we've probably all been there at some point in our lives. 

One word...HELP.   A cry out for intervention, deliverance, guidance, strength.  You name it, "Help" is desperation in one word. 

Psalm 102:17 says, "He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer." (KJV)  The word "regard" means "respond to."   We all know of His promise to "hear us when we call."  How many people "hear us" whenever we unload our burdens to them?   Certainly anyone we talk to "hears us."  But how many of those same people actually RESPOND---and DO SOMETHING about it??   Well, here we have God's promise to respond to the prayer of the destitute.  

Destitute in Hebrew is "arar" which means "naked, poor."  Completely stripped down to nothing, we bare ourselves before the King---with nothing to hide. 'This is where I am..I'm in a desperate situation!" 

The first step to getting help is to recognize you have a problem and need help, right?  Notice whenever God dealt with His children He always asked them a question.  Several times that question was:  "Where are you??"   "Adam where art thou?"  God knew exactly where Adam was.   He wanted ADAM to know where ADAM was.   Adam had to recognize "Uh oh, I'm in trouble...and this is where I am....I blew it."   When Cain slew Abel, God asked Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?"   God knew where Abel was..but He wanted CAIN to admit where Abel was..."I murdered Abel."  

In order to have God respond to our cries for help, we need to remember a few things:

H.E.L.P.  --  Humble ourselves.  ( I can think of nothing less humbling than to be stripped down naked before my God, can you??)  But remember, that's the first step to GETTING HELP...recognizing where you are...admitting it..removing all masks and baring all before the Throne of Grace.  I Peter 5:6 says, Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time..."  

Then the next step is to Expect God to hear us.   How many times have you and I gone before the Throne of Grace with an attitude of "Oh well, I wonder if He even listened??"  (bad attitude, I know..but let me be honest...I've been there.)  One of my favorite promises of God is Micah 7:7--"Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me." (KJV)  Take that one to the Bank of Faith and cash it in!   Cha-Ching! 

Not only should we expect God to have his "listening ears on," but we also should have our listenin' ears on too!   Listen to His voice.  Matthew 17:5 clearly states God the Father's desire for us:  "...This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him."  In our desperate cries for help, we need to take time to be still and listen for His voice.  Surely He will tell us something in order to guide us through our moment of need!  

The last part is particularly special to my heart tonight.  Praise Him in advance.  The Lord showed me this weekend, in the midst of a "storm," when the "rug was pulled out from under me" and I had no idea what to do.  I reached for my Bible Promise "Bread Box" and He gave me these two scriptures:  Hebrews 10:36 "For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise."   "The Will of God??"  What IS His will for me in this??  Hello?   I Thess. 5:16-18 "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."  Aaahhh!  I get it now!   For this very moment, we are to Praise Him. Psalm 34:1 "I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth."  Even if you can't muster up the "cheery" spirit to praise Him,  it's okay, because David says, "HIS Praise will be in my mouth."  The Holy Spirit will produce the praise from within you by putting a song in your heart.  

This is the best way I can think of to ask for HELP.    No need to dial 911 in this situation.   :)   Don't forget to praise Him, continue to pray and have a joyful spirit (by staying in His presence)---because it seems to me He is saying that "after you have done this, you will receive the promise."  He will announce to you something specifically for YOU and your situation.  H.E.L.P. is on the way!

Father, Thank You for my times of distress.  Yes..I praise You for my need for Your Help.  For You have revealed to me a strategy for getting a response from YOU.  May You uplift all my sisters and brothers who are in dire need of Your help as well.  Turn Your face to us, for we humbly bow before You now, baring all to You---our hearts are in desperate need of just a glance from You.  In Jesus' Name we pray..Amen.  

When the Ink Runs Dry

For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. 

Jeremiah 2:13

What comes to mind when you read the following phrases:   Ran out of steam.  The end of the line.  Nothing left to offer.  End of your rope.  The well's run dry.  Empty as last year's bird's nest. 

All seem to conjure up a feeling of an empty hopelessness where human strength has run out and you're at the mercy of circumstances, right?   Well, that's exactly how I was feeling this evening.   Ironically, when I picked up my pen to begin writing some thoughts on a passage of Scripture I had read, I could only write the date because my pen ran out of ink.  "Lovely!  How fitting for the moment!" I thought.   

But it's true.  When we try every avenue, seeking God's will, but in the energy of ourselves, and not RESTING in the power of His Holy Spirit, we will run dry...all energy is zapped, and we're "down to nothing."  

A Moment of Silence

Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God.  God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.   Ecclesiastes 5:2  (NIV)

I've not been posting for the last few days..not because I've had no thoughts...but just because it seems that sometimes there are really no words that should be said.   Have you ever been unable to put into words what your heart is feeling?  You attempt to pray and nothing really comes, except just quiet, stillness?  That's okay.  In fact, that's really a good thing.  We all need to do this more often.  Just be quiet and know..that He is God. 

So tonight's post is short.  Let's just stand, sit or bow our hearts in awe of Who He is:  Our Savior...Our Redeemer...Our Friend...Our Provider....Our Father....Our Comforter...Our Shepherd...Our Creator...Our King... Our Master...Our Brother...Our Shelter...Our Rock...Our Hiding Place... Our Instructor...Our Way...Our Truth...Our Life...Our Potter...Our Captain... Our One and Only God. 

Thank You Father!  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . In Jesus' Name, Amen.

How to "Think Straight" Today

Proverbs 16:3 says, "Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established."  Who doesn't need help "thinking straight" these days?  Could it be that simple?  Wake up to a new day, and say, "Here I am Lord...I've got so much to do today...so much is expected of me, by so many people.   I can not do this without some outside help!  Instead of taking it upon myself to do, I hereby ROLL all of this onto YOUR shoulders!  Now, please honor Your Word--You promised if I roll my works onto You, that You will in turn HELP ME THINK STRAIGHT."   

No matter what you've got "on your plate" for today---rejoice!  The Bible teaches us to "rejoice in everything."    Since He has offered His limitless help, put your HOPE in God.  Then what?  
W A I T patiently for Him.  Be still, and listen.  If you yield to the still small voice of His dear Holy Spirit, He will then orchestrate your thoughts in such a way that by evening's tide, you'll be amazed at the beautiful concerto your day turned out to be!  

Proverbs 16:3~~What a promise!  This is a promise we can take to the "Bank of Faith" and cash it in, immediately ready for withdrawal! Cha-ching!  

So remember:      Rejoicing in Everything 
                         +  Hoping in God = 
                            V I C T O R Y in Jesus!