Obtaining Mercy

 

Truths for Today…

 

"Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." Hebrews 7:25

"He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber not sleep." Psalm 121:3-4

"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy." Jude 1:24

 

"If you will only get alone, where the lights and shadows of earth cannot interfere, where human opinions fail to reach – and if you will dare to wait there silent and expectant, though all around you insist on immediate decision or action – the will of God will be made clear."  Streams in the Desert

 

Isaiah 30:20-21 "And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers:
 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left."

 

Are you seeking some specific answer from God?

Are you listening for Him in the midst of the noise around you?

Why do you assume He will SHOUT His answer to you? 

 

We often want answers immediately, but we are not willing to properly listen for them.  We want to continue going about our business, doing what we want, and expect God to chase us down to tell us what He wants us to know.

We love to read the psalms of David, because we find such comfort in their words.  David seems to capture the heartbreak of man and the heartbeat of God so perfectly in his poetry.

We know quite well his story of sin and redemption, so we know why he writes so eloquently of heartbreak; but do you ever wonder how he was able to capture the compassion and heartbeat of God in his poetry?

I believe it all has to do with his attitude toward God.  He was desperate to know God.  His longing wells up uncontrollably as his pen pours out his words:

 

Psalm 42:1-3 "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
 My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?

 

We will never get to know our God until we are desperate for Him…desperate enough to shut out the world and be alone before Him, waiting for Him to speak quietly in our ears "…This is the way, walk ye in it."

How long has it been since you sat alone and quietly waitied for God to whisper to you?

How desperate are you for that answer you seek?

Perhaps today is a good day to shut out the world…and carefully listen…

 

O Thou of little faith,

God hath not failed thee yet!

When all looks dark and gloomy,

Thou dost so soon forget –

 

Forget that He has led thee,

And gently cleared thy way;

On clouds has poured His sunshine,

And turned thy night to day.

 

And if he's helped thee hitherto,

He will not fail thee now;

How it must wound His loving heart

To see thy anxious brow!

 

Oh! doubt not any longer,

To Him commit thy way,

Whom in the past thou trusted,

And is just the same today.

~Streams in the Desert

 

"When the great Master Plowman comes, as He often does, and furrows through our very souls, uprooting and turning under that which we thought most fair, and leaving for our tortured gaze only the bare and the unbeautiful…Oh, that we might always catch the vision of an abundant harvest"

 

Isaiah 28:24, 29 "Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground? 
This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working."

 

Has your life been ripped up, displaced, overturned and left dry and desolate to bake under the hottest sun of trial and heartbreak?

Are you longing for the cool green meadows of yesterday, when all was well, and flowers bloomed at every turn?

Turn your eyes toward the future if you can…

See that uprooted, ugly dirt being disked and tilled and then planted with the most life-giving vegetables and fruits.  Watch as the rain falls, feeding the soil, and feel the warm sun coaxing to life the seeds. 

Let your hope grow as you see tiny seedlings become mighty stalks of corn and grain, and healthy vines of lovely grapes and melons.  Dig your hands down into the dirt to find the hidden treasure of potatoes and carrots.

The green meadow was pretty, wasn't it?  Refreshing to look at, that is true.  However, when all was uprooted, when the grass was torn away and the flowers plowed up, your life became a perfect garden spot for God to grow life-giving food for His table.

Trust the Master Plowman.  His plan is always the best plan for your life.  He may allow circumstances that we do not understand, and it may be difficult to trust Him during the painful process of plowing.

But the trust is never misplaced when you leave the gardening plans to Him.  He will cultivate strength of character whereby you will be able to feed those around you.

I love the verse above that states that the Lord is "wonderful in counsel and excellent in working."  We can rest easy as He works out His gardening plan for us.

(And I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a few flowers springing up along the border of our newly-tilled garden plot… After all, the Master Plowman is also called the Lily of the Valley and the Rose of Sharon too!)

 

 

Proverbs 4:12 "When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened*; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble."

(*Straighten – To make narrow, tense or close; To reduce to difficulties or distress.)

 

God does not promise safety to us while we are sitting still.  His promise of protection parallels our forward movement.

This is not solely for physical movement (i.e. "goest" and "runnest"), although Scripture uses that picture to illustrate the point.

The Lord's defense from harm is for the one whose faith is propelling him forward in whatever direction the Holy Spirit leads.

Perhaps you are not sure in which direction the Lord would have you go right now.  The answer is not that you sit down, cease all action and twiddle your thumbs while you await further instructions.

There is work to be done today:

• There are people who need a kind word of encouragement.
• There is a child who needs to be shown the love of Christ.
• There is a song of praise to be sung.
• There are dishes to be washed.
• There is a boss who needs the testimony of a happily, obedient employee.
• There are pastors who need prayer.
• There is a sick friend who needs a visit.
• There are floors to be swept and laundry to be washed.
• There are budgets that need to be balanced.
• There is Scripture to be memorized.
• There are meals to be cooked.
• There are people who need to see Christ lived out in your life.

Do not stop today's work while waiting for tomorrow's answer.

Our safe passage is only promised us as we are moving forward in obedience to the Lord's leading.

 

Proverbs 4:12 "When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble."