“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” Romans 15:13

What do you do when you feel stuck in a difficult situation?

How do you find hope to carry on?

One difficulty after another kept coming my way until I felt overwhelmed. I lost my job and therefore my income. If only our house would sell then I’d have money for rent and groceries. It had been on the market for months and nobody seemed interested.

During one particularly dismal morning, I stopped in at my mother’s house for coffee. A visit in my mother’s home usually ended in her flower garden. She’d point out new blossoms on her rose bushes and every bit of new growth excited her. I always enjoyed this ritual, but on this afternoon I listened only half-heartedly to my mother’s cheerful chatter. I didn’t want to burden her with my problems. She’d probably tell me, “We do not give in to self-pity.”

As my gaze followed her small frame, darting in and out of rose bushes, I thought, Mother, you had reason to feel sorry for yourself. Why didn’t you? After seven years of marriage, she’d lost her husband in the Second World War. She’d fled across Europe with four small children, living in refugee camps, thankful for a piece of bread and a glass of milk. As an immigrant to Canada the struggle for survival had continued. People had sometimes disappointed her. Yet, she’d managed to keep a sweet spirit. Her consistently upbeat attitude amazed me. Didn’t she ever feel weak?

Suddenly my mother stopped her chatter. She gazed into my face and whispered, “How’s it going?”

“Not good,” I whispered back.

For a few moments she stared into a rose bush as though searching for something to say.

“When life was tough I planted flowers,” she said quietly. “They always bloomed for me.”

Then there’s something I can do to improve my life, I thought. Yes! After all, I serve a God of hope not despair. So while waiting for things to happen in a big way, I can tend to my flowers, I can bake cookies, I can invite someone to tea. I can spread hope and good cheer. Like my mother just did.

by Helen Grace Lescheid
used by permission

Further Reading

How Do You Cope with Change? – by Fab Batsakis

When Things are Tough – by Phil Ware

Will the Rope Hold? – by Mike Woodard

The post When Life is Tough, Plant Flowers appeared first on Thoughts About God.

Have you ever heard someone say,

“Once the storm passed and the trial was over, I could look back and see that God had been with me, after all.”

This statement implies they did not see God all the way through, from beginning to end. When you find yourself face to face with a difficult trial, in those early moments as fear descends upon you, please know that God wants you to see Him now!

Let there be no doubt, God is with us in the midst of our fiery trials. He knows what is happening and walks with us through our circumstances from beginning to end, working what only He can do. He wants us to see Him at the beginning, not just after it is over and looking back and realizing that He indeed had been there all along. God is always there (Deuteronomy 31:6) never leaving us, never forsaking us.

Sometimes, we miss seeing Him at the beginning, because a crisis rapidly befalls us and we are swept away in a current of fear and overwhelming anxious thoughts. We are caught up in a storm that moves so quickly upon us – that we forget there is a Solid Rock we can cling to, and we find ourselves in the middle of chaos, trying to fix everything ourselves.

We go to Him as if our crisis caught Him unaware and now we worry the mess is too messy for Him to untangle. Did we forget He is an all-knowing God and He precisely and intricately knows all the details of our lives? His desire is that we see Him in the first moment a trial overtakes our lives, and from that first moment – know beyond a shadow of doubt, He is already there working things we cannot see.

Our Heavenly Father wants us to find comfort and strength in knowing He is our Rescuer, Deliverer, and our Refuge in life’s storms. Psalm 46:1 reminds us

“God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.”

God’s word tells us in Isaiah 41:10

“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you, I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.”

These words assure us that He will be with us – whatever we face in our life. In the midst of the most fearful times that fall upon us, when we place our faith in His promises – we will see Him now

By Kathy Cheek
Used by Permission
From: First Breath of Morning: Where God Waits For You Every Day.

FURTHER READING

• Don’t Back Down When Facing Trials

•  Facing Trials 

• Responding to Difficulty

RECEIVE These Devotionals Daily by email:  FOLLOW THIS Link to Subscribe

Follow Us On:  Facebook  • Twitter  •  Instagram  • Pinterest

The post See Him Now appeared first on Thoughts About God.

What happens to us, as Christ seekers, when ill winds of adversity whip around us?

The cry of the heart….“We would see Jesus.”  (John 12:21 KJV)

The cry of the hungry and thirsty…a cry that sometimes cannot be identified. Some nebulous something or other.

Yet, most of the time, those who cry out don’t even know they are searching, for, they (we) attempt to fill that void in our lives by pursuing all sorts of other things.

But what happens to us, as Christ seekers, when those ill winds of adversity whip around us? Many times, we fall apart.

Cries can be heard in the wilderness. We cry out in our hunger and thirst. We find no comfort, no peace.

And yet, sometimes, the Lord allures, persuades, and draws His people into wilderness valleys. Hosea said, “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, will bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfort to her. I will give her vineyards from there, and the Valley of Achor as a door of hope; she shall sing there.” (Hosea 2:14-15a NKJV)

The only word used in the Old Testament for wilderness is midbar. It doesn’t mean a sandy desert; it means a pasture (as an open field, where cattle are driven) and implies the meaning of a desert as a deserted place. It also means speech and comes from a word meaning to speak.

Wilderness is a lonely, uninhabited wasteland, yet, a place where God will draw you in order to speak to you. Where you are set apart from the madding crowd.

To a place filled with His presence.

A place where He will speak comfort to you.

In the Hosea verse, comfort (or comfortably) actually means heart and also means speak into a heart tenderly, friendly, and comfortably.

So there, in the midst of your heartache, your afflictions, your trials, He will speak tender comfort to your heart and bring forth vineyards from the Valley of Achor, meaning the valley of trouble.

Vineyards, as a fertile place, a place of growth in circumstances, a place to glean a harvest, this is where Jesus will meet you. And you will sing there, as Hosea said.

The Hebrew word for sing means ‘to heed, to pay attention, to respond, to begin to speak, specifically to sing, shout, testify, announce.

So that which causes affliction, as the valley of troubles, will be an entrance, a gateway to hope, as a cord of expectancy.

Oh, to see Jesus when we are in that lonely wasteland of hopelessness, to walk with Him there, to hear Him speak comfort to our discouraged soul, that we may pay attention to His voice. And there, we will find our vineyards, as sustenance, supply, and growth, in Him.

Our hope is renewed in Him. And we sing His praises, for that which had been a source of calamity has become a source of redemption and blessing.

A valley of trouble. A strange place to find vineyards, isn’t it? But it is God’s doing.

“This was the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. (Psalm 118:23 NKJV)

Yes, God knows your need while you’re in that wilderness experience. He knows how long you’re to stay there and just what you need while you’re there. Mainly, you need Him.

And Jesus is there to walk you through the wilderness and to bring you out of it.

The cry of the hungry and thirsty? Yes…

“We would see Jesus.” (John 12:21 KJV)

By Lynn Mosher
Used by Permission

Further Reading

•  Struggles, Despair
•   Forgiveness – Yourself and  Others
•  Salvation Explained

Follow Us On:  Facebook  • Twitter  •  Instagram  •  Pinterest

The post The Cry of the Hungry and Thirsty appeared first on Thoughts About God.

Who said life is meant to be easy? You can certainly live without the things you want, provided that’s the place you want to be. If not, it hurts. It’s not easy.

 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Sometimes things don’t turn out the way we think. Maybe the doctor gave you a negative report, or it appears you’re past the age of having the family you’ve longed to have. Or you’re still waiting for Mr. or Mrs. Right. Maybe you had it all, and you lost it all. And now you don’t appear as youthful as you used to and you’re back to ground zero.

Maybe it’s a family situation where the happy bells don’t ring all the time and things are not as they used to be. It’s dysfunctional. For the bell to ring, you need to pull on the right string. That’s when it can feel hard to accomplish. In time, it can even become overwhelming. I know.

Who said life is meant to be easy? You can certainly live without the things you want, provided that’s the place you want to be. If not, it hurts. It’s not easy.

Where is God when all this happens to you? When it feels like it’s too late for his promises to still work in your life? What can you stand on then?

Believe that God is at work. Trust him and have faith. Be still. Take a breather. Feel the peace.

God is with you in the midst of everything. He sees you just the way you are. God cares and has a great plan for your life. He loves you deeply. Scripture says in this world you will have trouble John 16:33. But you can have hope because God has given you Jesus – his best gift ever!

Dear God, please strengthen my heart and fill me with peace while you work on my circumstances. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Give yourself a gift today — the peace of Jesus. Carve out fifteen minutes to be still and breathe as you pray the prayer in this devotional.

By Fab Batsakis
Used by Permission

Further Reading

• Struggles, Despair

• Forgiveness – Yourself and  Others

•  Salvation Explained

The post It’s Never Too Late appeared first on Thoughts About God.

You have something to give your world that no other person has. Your family and your community need the deposit of Himself that God has placed in your life…

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit”  2 Corinthians.. 3:8

God called you by name and created you to be a reflection of His glory. Be blessed as Jesus is reflected in your life. You are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory.

God created you for a purpose. You are an oak of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor (Isaiah 61:3). You were created in Christ Jesus to do good works (Ephesians 2:10).

Listen to your Father’s voice as He speaks your purpose as He sees it. Trust that He will provide all that is needed for you to fulfill His purposes. He has more resources than you can begin to imagine. He has connections to people you haven’t met yet.

Be true to the masterpiece that you are. The Lord your Maker crowns you with glory and honor (Isaiah 54:5; Psalms 8:5). Never apologize for being who God created you to be. Shine forth your unique display of His image in you.

You have something to give your world that no other person has. Your family and your community need the deposit of Himself that God has placed in your life…”Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27b).

You are of great worth.

You are a champion, a treasure.

Be blessed as you live from a heart fully alive, being who He made you to be and doing what you were born to do from the inside out.

By Sylvia and Elizabeth Gunter
Used by Permission

Further Reading

•  Alone But Not Lonely

•  Hope for the Hopeless

•  Salvation Explained

Follow Us On:

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest

The post Your Worth and Glory appeared first on Thoughts About God.

Someone once described suffering as God’s fertilizer for spiritual growth.

“If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength.” – Proverbs 24:10

Either we are in adversity, just getting over it or about to go into it, or perhaps, all three at once. Living in this world is not easy and trouble comes with it. The issue is not whether we will experience it, but how we will respond to it.

There are a number of reasons why you or I will experience adversity during our lifetimes. Some segments of the church today have been wrongly taught that adversity is a sign that God has removed His blessing. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The Scriptures clearly teach us that trials are a part of a walk with God. No man or woman who has achieved much in the kingdom has been spared some form of trial or adversity. God gives specific reasons for some of our trials. Other times the purpose is to identify with the cross of Christ. We must view adversity as God does–as a means to conform us to the image of His Son. Making us more Christ like is the ultimate goal of all of our experiences with God.

Adversity is God’s workbench where He conforms us to His image. Someone once described suffering as God’s fertilizer for spiritual growth. No matter what God does in our lives, we know that nothing happens without His foreknowledge and His planning. Sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking that God is not aware of our circumstances.

Certain calamities simply cannot be explained adequately to allow rational defense of the events. These are better left unresolved until we come before God and He can quiet our hearts.

Suffering and adversity are parts of our heritage as sons and daughters of God. They come with the territory as parts of God’s refining process for every believer. Consider every major character in the Bible, and you will see that their lives had adversity. God never said we would not suffer as Christians.

Throughout Scripture God encourages us not to put too much emphasis on the here-and-now life, but to emphasize our future life in heaven. Whatever trials we will encounter here will not compare to the glory He will reveal when we get to heaven. Earth is a mere watering hole on the way to eternity. Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him (James 1:12).

So keep looking up, no matter how bumpy your road of life gets. Things could get worse and probably will, but for those saved by Christ, eternal glory is just around the bend.

By John Grant
Used by Permission

Further Reading

•  Life Can Bring Joy out of Sorrow by Norma Becker
•  Fully Surrender to the Lord
•  Salvation Explained

Follow Us On:

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest

The post Adversity appeared first on Thoughts About God.