1 Samuel 14:37b – “…and God did not answer him that day.”
I don’t know about you, but I can relate to the words of Samuel! But so could King David. In Psalm 37:7, David says, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him…” Only three chapters later, in Psalm 40:1, he gives good reason for exhibiting patience: “I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry.”
DON’T GIVE UP! God may not answer today, but He hears your cries and He will answer in His perfect timing.
This just in for all you coffee drinkers…GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Studies show that coffee kills bacteria in the mouth that cause “bad breath.”
Perfect! That means the next time you don’t have time to brush your teeth just down your favorite Cup O’ Joe. If anyone tells you that you have coffee breath, simply reply with the most obvious and appropriate answer, “Thank you!!”
“The parched ground shall become a pool…” (Isaiah 35:7).
As Oswald Chambers says, “We always have a vision of something before it becomes real to us. When we realize that the vision is real, but is not yet real in us, Satan comes to us with his temptations, and we are inclined to say that there is no point in even trying to continue. Instead of the vision becoming real to us, we have entered into a valley of humiliation.
God gives us a vision, and then He takes us down to the valley to batter us into the shape of that vision. It is in the valley that so many of us give up and faint. Every God-given vision will become real if we will only have patience. Just think of the enormous amount of free time God has! He is never in a hurry. Yet we are always in such a frantic hurry. While still in the light of the glory of the vision, we go right out to do things, but the vision is not yet real in us. God has to take us into the valley and put us through fires and floods to batter us into shape, until we get to the point where He can trust us with the reality of the vision. Ever since God gave us the vision, He has been at work. He is getting us into the shape of the goal He has for us, and yet over and over again we try to escape from the Sculptor’s hand in an effort to batter ourselves into the shape of our own goal.
The vision that God gives is not some unattainable castle in the sky, but a vision of what God wants you to be down here. Allow the Potter to put you on His wheel and whirl you around as He desires. Then as surely as God is God, and you are you, you will turn out as an exact likeness of the vision. But don’t lose heart in the process. If you have ever had a vision from God, you may try as you will to be satisfied on a lower level, but God will never allow it.”
Why have I stopped asking of God? Is it humility, or is it pride? What would I think if my kids never asked me for anything? If my kids ask nothing of me they’re saying they don’t need my help! Have you stopped asking of God? I don’t know…maybe you need the following words of Christ as much as I do:
Mark 11:22-25 (NIV)—“22 Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.“
If you currently use Twitter (http://twitter.com/), I’d love for you to follow me. My username is Jason_Bolin.
Also, please check out what God is doing at Trinity Chapel online (http://www.trinitychapel.org/).
I am looking forward to what God has in store for us in the month of July. It’s hot outside, but the Holy Spirit wants to encourage and refresh us. I have thoroughly enjoyed sharing in the creative process with the Creative Team as we have explored ways to communicate God’s Word to His church in a simple and pure way. Check out the thoughts of the Apostle Paul in his second letter to the church in Corinth:
2 Corinthians 11:1-3 (The Message) — “Will you put up with a little foolish aside from me? Please, just for a moment. The thing that has me so upset is that I care about you so much—this is the passion of God burning inside me! I promised your hand in marriage to Christ, presented you as a pure virgin to her husband. And now I’m afraid that exactly as the Snake seduced Eve with his smooth patter, you are being lured away from the simple purity of your love for Christ.”
I enjoyed the GOD IS… series tremendously! I hope you enjoyed exploring some of the attributes of our God together over the month of June. God Is…Our Provider…Our Healer…Our Father…Our Encouragement. Also, the Wednesday night GOD IS… video series with Jentezen Franklin, Francis Chan, Shannon O’Dell, and Craig Groeschel were very refreshing and inspiring. Thank you God for showing us more of who You are!
I’ve missed sharing and hearing different thoughts from everyone. It’s been a great summer, but I’m ready to start blogging again!
The following post is by Sarah. I hope you enjoy!
Last week, my four-year-old daughter brought home from preschool an egg carton covered with a construction paper that read “Resurrection Eggs.” Both of our children, Jay and Caroline, have been learning the Easter story by using the Resurrection Eggs set. Inside the egg carton there were numbered eggs that told the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus. The first egg was filled with a little donkey. Caroline held it up and proudly said, “ The donkey is what Jesus rode into Jerusalem.” Next it was Jay’s turn. He pulled out silver coins that represented Judas betraying Jesus. Jay said, “Judas loved money more than Jesus.” Tears filled my eyes as Caroline and Jay took turns going through and opening the rest of the eggs . My favorite egg was the last egg. It was empty because it symbolized how the tomb where Jesus was laid was empty! I was amazed at just how much my preschoolers knew about the true meaning of Easter.
Maybe you are like me. We can get so caught up in our busy lives that we forget to stop and think about the true meaning of Easter. It is not about Easter egg hunts or a new Easter dress or suit. It is about Jesus. It is about Him dying on a cross for your sins and on the third day He rose again. Today He sits at the right hand of the Father making intercession for you and me. I am so excited about celebrating the true meaning of Easter with you this Sunday at Trinity Chapel. Don’t forget to bring a friend with you so we can all celebrate the fact that the tomb is empty and Jesus is Risen!
-Sarah