Obtaining Mercy

"The finest jewels are most carefully cut and polished; the hottest fires try the most precious metal." ~Streams in the Desert

"The man whose faith has been deeply tested and who has come off victorious, is the one to whom supreme tests must come."~Streams in the Desert

"If you are ever to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might, your strength will be born in some storm."~Streams in the Desert

"We have the assurance that the fires are lighted not to consume, but to refine." ~MacDuff, Streams in the Desert

I just wanted to encourage you today that God is doing a mighty work in your life, even in the midst of fire, testing, storms, pain and grief.

Do not doubt this for a moment.

Submit your will to His, and lean hard on Him.

James 1:3-4 "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

Ride the storm out, in faith, knowing that He is in the ship with you. 

Even if He seems to be sleeping through the storm, He is there, and will bring calm and peace to your life when the trial has done its work in your heart.

Did you know that the word "plan" is not in the Word of God? (The terms "Word of God", "Bible", "Scriptures" as used here refer to the King James Bible, 1611.)

Neither is "planned", "planning", "scheme", "design" or "contrive".

Isn't that really interesting?

Because, the truth be told, I spend a LOT of time "planning."

I like to plan.

I like to make lists of all the things I plan to do.

I like to "organize".

Oh, and by the way, that word is not in the Bible either!!!

Do you know what word we do find in Scripture just a handful of times?

"Preparation"

Ah, I feel better now…don't you?  I will just call my planning sessions "preparation" sessions instead!

Let's take a look at the first time this word is used in Scriptures and see what we can glean from its use:

I Chronicles 22:5 "And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the LORD must be exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death."

What a great verse!  What a testimony to David's love of the Lord and love for his child!

So, I was wondering how David prepared, because, after all, I want to do things in the right way.

In that same chapter we find a list of the things that David had prepared:

• 100,000 talents of gold
• 1,000,000 talents of silver
• Unmeasurable amounts of brass and iron, timber and stone
• Workmen in abundance – stonemasons, carpenters and "all manner of cunning men for every manner of work"

It seems that his "preparing" was more in the way of "doing", rather than "planning"; and I believe that is what the Lord would have us do as well.

Let's make our lists.  There is nothing wrong with that.

However, as soon as those lists are made, let's get busy about doing the things that we know God would have us do.

I love this quote:

"We cannot create the wind or set it in motion, but we can set our sails to catch it when it comes;

We cannot make the electricity, but we can stretch the wire along upon which it is to run and do its work;

We cannot, in a word, control the Spirit, but we can so place ourselves before the Lord, and so do the things He has bidden us to do, that we will come under the influence and power of His mighty breath."

~Streams in the Desert

 

Is there anyone who would deny that God worked greatly in David's life?  We read in the Scriptures time and time again of God's interaction with and intervention in David's life.

Through all of that, David was "preparing" the house of the Lord to be built.  He stayed busy with his goals and God worked in and through and because of David, as David submitted his life to the Lord.

I know it's a popular tv commercial these days, but I think its message is very appropriate:

"Less Planning.  More Doing."

Let's DO something today that we have been PLANning to do for a long while now. 

I can't wait to see how God works in the midst of our working!

We love to read about the miracles in the Bible, don't we?

I'm thinking this morning of that incredible sea-crossing by the children of Israel when they left Egypt. 

(Actually, can we call it a "sea" crossing?  It was more like a seaBED crossing, wasn't it?  Since they walked across on completely dry ground!)

What an awesome miracle!  How exciting to see God come through in such an amazing way for His children.

We sometimes think of these stories ratherly dreamily, wishing we could see God do something miraculous in our lives…wanting Him to move in a divine way in the middle of our problems.

We love watching the miracles unfold as we read the Scriptures, but we have no deisre to face the work of the miracles as we live our lives.

 

We forget the things that brought about this miracle.  Well, I know that I forget them sometimes…

So let's review:

• They thoroughly cleaned their houses to remove any leaven (a picture of sin)
• They packed all their clothes and cooking utensils into packs they could carry on their backs
• They ate one last dinner in their homes as they celebrated the Passover for the first time
• They left everything else behind and walked out of Egypt in the middle of the night
• The only food they carried was the unleaveded dough they had mixed before leaving
• They had no idea where they were going, or by what path they would get there
• They followed a pillow of cloud in the day and a pillar of fire at night
• They walked by faith into the Red Sea in the middle of a "strong" wind storm

Now, are we still ready to receive that miracle???

Are we willing to forsake everything that is familiar and safe and guaranteed in order to view God's divine intervention?

Are we willing to walk obediently, even blindly, into whatever God has planned for us?

Can we step out in faith into a seemingly dangerous, impossible task, if God says "Go."?

If we are not willing to live this life of unquestioning obedience to our Saviour, how can we expect His miracles to happen for us?

To have the miracles of God, we must submit to the God of miracles.

"The only way to learn strong faith is to endure great trials. 

I have learned my faith by standing firm amid severe testings."

~George Mueller

Romans 4:16-18 "Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace…

to that also which is of the faith of Abraham…

whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations…"

"Dear one, you scarcely realize the value of your present opportunity; if you are passing through great afflictions you are in the very soul of the strongest faith, and if you will only let go, He will teach you in these hours the mightiest hold upon His throne which you can ever know." ~A.B. Simpson

Your trials are making you stronger.

Your pain is teaching you patience.

Your mountains are growing your endurance.

Your dark valleys are opening your eyes to see His face.

The incredible Creator God's hand is on you.  Do not be afraid.  His salvation is promised; and when we have learned more of Him in our time of testing, He will deliver us to share our story with others.

Job 5:8-9 "I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause:
 Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number"

We are usually quite adept at going to God with our needs.  We know that He has done great things for us in the past, and we expect His intervention in our time of trial.

However, the key to this verse is that second phrase: "…unto God would I commit my cause."

(Commit – To give in trust; to put into the hands or power of another; to entrust)

Ah!  That's the hard part, isn't it?

We can go to God in prayer, tell Him all the things we need and want.  We can expect Him to give us whatever our heart's desire.

But, have we "put into the hands or power" of God our cause?

(Cause – The reason or motive that urges, moves, or impels the mind to act or decide)

Are we turning our reasons and motives (the things that urge, move and impel us) into the hands of God?

Often, we have not.  We are stubbornly asking for things that are our cause, but not God's cause.

The formula for God's blessings works, but only if we do it God's way:

• Step 1:  Commit our cause unto God.
• Step 2:  Watch God do "great things and unsearchable; marvelous things without number."

He is ready to meet our needs, and has done so again and again; but we must do our part as well.

Have we put our motives into God's hands today?

It's a good day to start, yes? 

 

"Is the midnight closing round you?

Are the shadows dark and long?

Ask Him to come close beside you,

And He'll give you a new, sweet song.

He'll give it and sing it with you;

And when weakness lets it down,

He'll take up the broken cadence,

And blend it with His own.

And many a rapturous minstrel

Among those songs of light,

Will say of His sweetest music

"I learned it in the night."

And many a rolling anthem,

That fills the Father's home,

Sobbed out its first rehearsal,

In the shadow of a darkened room."

~Streams in the Desert

Psalm 42:8 "Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life."