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High Hills

Devotional Thought


Never Alone

As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only believe."-Mark 5:35, NKJV


December 26, 2000

Just recently, I experienced a real shake-up in my life, the kind of disaster I'd heard about other people facing, but that I'd never had to contend with myself. Worse, the struggle in question was a direct consequence of my own mistakes-a lack of careful planning and organization. I wish that I could claim to have responded to the difficulty with a resilient spirit, quietly assured that all would work out for the best under God's direction. In reality I responded with fleshly panic, worrying over possible ramifications, desperately rummaging through a mental collection of imagined scenarios that ranged from the plausible to the extreme. Never once did I stop to consult the Father on the issue. I certainly didn't take the time to truly cast my care upon the Lord, though He was assuredly waiting to lift the burden from my shoulders. No, by George, it was my mess, and I would find a way to repair it, even if it cost me a certain amount of my sanity, peace, and well-being.

Isn't it funny how we, as children of the Most High, choose to respond to difficulty? Instead of responding with the assurance of those that are the heirs of countless heavenly resources, we respond like spiritual paupers, acting as though we are at the mercy of whatever circumstanital wind blows across the landscape of our lives. Especially when hardships spring from our own gaffes and blunders, even our own sinful choices, we act as though we're entirely on our own-lonely castaways against an unyielding world. So often, we need to realize that the difficulties that we face are the platforms that our gracious Father uses to demonstrate His unchanging faithfulness and watchcare over our lives. Trials so often serve as the entry points of God's power. When faced with problems, we need to recognize them as opportunities: opportunities to see God's provision, and more importantly, opportunities to come to know our God on a more intimate and personal level. It is through the storms that we learn to truly rely on the Lord. Even more amazing, while God may indeed have to discipline us for sin in our lives, our merciful God empowers us to become free from our self-created whirlwinds and to come into deeper fellowship with Him through the experience-just as is illustrated in the parable of the prodigal son.

We yield much to the devil when we choose to respond in panic, rather than holding to the peace that Christ has freely provided us. I remember at one time being confused by the account of Jesus calming the stormy sea in Matthew 8:23-27. I had trouble understanding why Jesus rebuked His disciples in that frightening circumstance. Later, the Holy Spirit revealed to me, through a gifted teacher and friend, why the Lord had corrected them so sternly. Simply put, they came to Him in abject terror, without faith. Their attention was entirely fixed on their circumstances, and not at all focused on the Lord. They should have approached Him with faith, rather than with fear. Ultimately, that is how God always desires that we approach Him (Hebrews 11:6). Throughout the Old and New Testaments, and in the life of every Christian, God is always true to His promises. Focused on His power, faithfulness, and mercy, we should take our burdens to Him in complete assurance, knowing that He will provide our needs. For stubborn, slow-growing souls like myself that doesn't always come easy. But the more that we step out, occasionally holding nothing but a promise tenuously inscribed on a trembling heart, the more we find Him faithful, the more we dwell in His gentle rest, and the better we come to know and trust in His unchanging character.


God is Good, All the Time Last Update: 12/26/00
Comments and feedback? Send e-mail to: habakkuk319@hockeymail.com.

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