Obtaining Mercy

God's promises are not without condition.  Every one of them is hinged on two things:  God's Word and our obedience.

If we fail to go to the Bible in the midst of our pain and suffering, we rob ourselves of the one Book that will offer us real peace, real answers and real solutions.

In God's Word we find examples of others who suffered just as we do, and we see how they believed God and obeyed Him.  As their stories unfold we see God's hand at work in their lives.

It is sometimes (most of the time) difficult for us to see God's hand at work in our lives.  It's that whole "can't see the forest for the trees" scenario.  As we stand in the middle of our storm, we cannot get the bird's eye view that other's have.

So we go to the stories from the Word, and find comfort in how God worked in the lives of His children, knowing that He has not changed and can still work the miracles and promises in our lives, as He did in theirs.

The writer of Hebrews mentions this principle of learning from others:

Hebrews 6:11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Did you notice that it says "that ye be not slothful"?

If we really want God's answers to our problems, we cannot sit in the corner sucking our thumb, waiting for our answer to come floating down from Heaven on a gossamer thread.

We must read the Word, study the Word, hear It preached, and apply Its principles to our lives.  We must obey God's commands, submit our hearts to His way, and change our way of thinking to line up with His.

It really isn't for the "slothful", is it? 

A lazy woman will not do the work necessary to find the answers that she needs.

Why are you not reading the Bible for yourself?

We cannot use the excuse that it just doesn't make sense, or that we can never glean things for ourselves from Its pages.  That is the excuse of a lazy person.

We have the same Holy Spirit residing in us as the greatest preacher we have ever heard expound the Scriptures.

Do we want God's answers for our lives?

We must Read His Word!

 

"Extraordinary afflictions are not always the punishment of extraordinary sins, but sometimes the trial of extraordinary graces." ~Robert Leighton

Luke 4:[1] And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
[2] Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.

John 11:[33] When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,
[34] And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.
[35] Jesus wept.
[36] Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!

Jesus, being the very Son of God, still knew temptation and hunger. 

In spite of His deity, He still cried tears of grief. 

Our dark days are not proof of deep sin.

They are proof that God is working in us, changing us, molding us, to make us more like His dear Son.

"God hath many sharp-cutting instruments, and rough files for the polishing of His jewels; and those He especially loves, and means to make the most resplendent, He hath oftenest his tool upon." ~Robert Leighton

"And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel." Isaiah 45:3

"We are not meant to always linger in the dark…presently we shall be summoned to take our place in the rush and storm of life; and when that moment comes, we are to speak and proclaim what we have learned." ~F. B. Meyer

The Christian life is all about sharing what we know, what we have learned of Christ, to others.

Is your soul is darkness now?

God has a precious truth to share with you there.

Settle your soul before Him and gather the treasures He has for you.

The light will one day shine again, and you will have an abundance of riches to share with others who are cowering in the darkness.

"God sometimes shuts the door and shuts us in,

That He may speak, perchance through grief or pain,

And softly, heart to heart, above the din,

May tell some precious thought to us again."

~Streams in the Desert

"That our souls should have their mountains of fellowship,

Their valley of quiet rest beneath the shadow of the great rock,

Their nights beneath the stars,

When darkness has veiled the material and silenced the stir of human life,

And has opened the view of the infinite and eternal,

Is as indispensable as that our bodies should have food."

~F. B. Meyer

 

We – out of necessity – must have our mountaintops and our valleys, our days of sunshine and nights of stormy darkness.

God works in all of it, uses all of life's experiences, to make us the person He wants us to be.

It is up to us to learn through each lesson, and to be thankful for all of it.

"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
 Return, O LORD, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants.
 O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days." Psalm 90:12-14

Sometimes, in the middle of our dark night, we simply forget Who God is.

 "And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.
 For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD?
 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him." Psalm 89:5-7

"His promise is equal to His presence" ~C.H.P. (Streams in the Desert)

How could we doubt His goodness?

How can we question His power?

How dare we forget His holiness?

He is God Almighty.  He always and only does what is best for His children.

Rest in the knowledge of that.

Hope in the truth of His Word.

 In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.
Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.
 All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.
For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone. Psalm 86:7-10

"I will say unto God, Do not condemn me; shew me wherefore thou contendest with me." Job 10:2

 

"To be left unmolested by Satan is no evidence of blessing." ~Streams in the Desert

I was priviledged to grow up in a wonderful church.  I was surrounded by men and women who loved God and served Him faithfully.  I loved to hear them preach and teach and sing.  I loved to work alongside them, and it was my goal to be like them. 

(I knew I was to model myself after Christ, but as long as these folks demonstrated Christ-likeness, I was pleased to follow their example.)

I can recall quite clearly the fear that struck me when I realized the important truth that every one of these faithful servants had been or was then going through some great adversity. 

I remember saying to a friend, "I want to be a great Christian; but every great Christian I know has gone through some awful trial, some difficut test.  I want to be a great Christian, but I don't want to suffer like that!"

It was immature.  It was short-sighted.  But it was very honest.  I think we would all like to skip the steps of becoming Christ-like, and just wake up one day completely dead to self and walking perfectly after Jesus' example.

It doesn't work that way, as every child of God comes to realize.  However, there is no reason to be fearful or resentful of the process God uses to make us like Him.  It is a privilege to walk through the shadows so that we can see His light shine more brightly.

Job came to realize this truth, and to embrace the reality of it.

"…when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." Job 23:10

"Hope itself is like a star – not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity. " ~C.H. Spurgeon

I encourage you, as God gives you peace, embrace your trial.  Trust His work in your life.  Let the light of your hope shine out through the darkness of your pain.