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Gone Too Soon
Jan 31 3:17 AM

Gone Too Soon

Jan 31 3:17 AM
Jan 31 3:17 AM

David had not yet been crowned king when he heard the news that both King Saul and his dearly beloved friend Jonathan had been killed in battle.

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The Way That I Take
Jan 26 12:44 AM

The Way That I Take

Jan 26 12:44 AM
Jan 26 12:44 AM

Author: L.B. Cowman, Compiler

  He knows the way that I take.

Job 23:10

O believer, what a glorious assurance this verse is! What confidence I have because “the way that I take”—this way of trials and tears, however winding, hidden, or tangled—“He knows”! When the “furnace [is] heated seven times hotter than usual” (Daniel 3:19), I can know He still lights my way. There is an almighty Guide who knows and directs my steps, whether they lead to the bitter water at the well of Marah or to the joy and refreshment of the oasis at Elim (Exodus 15:23, 27).

The way is dark to the Egyptians yet has its own pillar of cloud and fire for God’s Israel. The furnace may be hot, but not only can I trust the hand that lights the fire, I can also have the assurance the fire will not consume but only refine. And when the refining process is complete, not a moment too soon or too late, “I will come forth as gold” (Job 23:10).

When I feel God is the farthest away, He is often the nearest to me. “When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who watch over my way” (Psalm 142:3). Do we know of another who shines brighter than the most radiant sunlight, who meets us in our room with the first waking light, who has an infinitely tender and compassionate watchfulness over us throughout our day, and who “knows the way that [we] take”?

The world, during a time of adversity, speaks of “providence” with a total lack of understanding. They dethrone God, who is the living, guiding Sovereign of the universe, to some inanimate, dead abstraction. What they call “providence” they see as occurrences of fate, reducing God from His position as our acting, powerful, and personal Jehovah.

The pain would be removed from many an agonizing trial if only I could see what Job saw during his time of severe affliction, when all earthly hope lay dashed at his feet. He saw nothing but the hand of God—God’s hand behind the swords of the Sabeans who attacked his servants and cattle, and behind the devastating lightning; God’s hand giving wings to the mighty desert winds, which swept away his children; and God’s hand in the dreadful silence of his shattered home.

Thus, seeing God in everything, Job could say, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised” (Job 1:21). Yet his faith reached its zenith when this once-powerful prince of the desert “sat among the ashes” (Job 2:8) and still could say, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” (Job 13:15). J. R. MACDUFF

PRAYER

God, help me trust you with my decisions and future. Let me lean on you with all my heart instead of relying on my own imperfect understanding. Give me clear guidance in my life. I ask for your help to direct my path.  This I pray in Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

An excerpt from the book: "Streams in the Desert: Morning and Evening" 

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Pastor Deanna

Great Word! Amen ???? Thank you!

Posted on Thu, Jan 26, 2023 @ 12:12 AM CST

Eric S.

I used to pray a version of this prayer (“Let me lean on you with all my heart instead of relying on my own imperfect understanding”) every day but stopped somehow without noticing/realizing it. Thank you for this and reminding me that I need to continuously pray this because my understanding is imperfect and very limited unlike His.

Posted on Thu, Jan 26, 2023 @ 5:06 AM CST

Dolly P

Knowing God is with me in my pain, and has plans for my pain and my life is a comfort when all seems meaningless and chaotic. Thank you New Life for reminding us of the hope that Jesus gives all of us as we endure life's struggles. That God's presence is the Hope and the gift.

Posted on Thu, Jan 26, 2023 @ 7:51 AM CST

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