Fear. Purpose. Beauty.
Don’t you love the relevancy of truth in changing circumstances?
It was early 2011 when I wrote the text used on pages 4-5 of God’s Goodness: seen most clearly through hard times. By 2014 when I assembled the book, I was going through a completely different difficult situation.
Now, in the middle of 2020, these truths have ministered to me in another difficult set of circumstances. If these truths and scriptures encourage you, I’d like to hear about it.
Fear . . . shatters silence razes gates wrenches life out of me.
One evening the topic of house fires came up. We discussed what we would grab exiting a burning house if we had time. Before going to bed, I prayed our house would not burn. But God’s purposes are greater than making my life easy.
Outside the bedroom window, I could see an almost full moon dazzling against the night sky. What is God’s purpose for us? With all the pain, disappointments, stresses, difficulties, losses—what is the goal?
Perhaps God desires we discover Life. And Life is not found in ease, favorable circumstances, or times of strength or goodwill from others or when all my stuff is safe. Life is sought and found in the crucible of hardship. When we cling to God and seek His wisdom because all other props have been stripped away.
And fear? It is relentless. There are always things to fear. They primarily center on self-protection. I remind myself if the feared thing happens, God’s grace will be there for me at that moment. The forever God—He who is there for now and ever and ever—trounces fear and breathes Life into my soul.
Do not be afraid of sudden terror . . . for the LORD will be your confidence. Proverbs 3:25-26 ESV
I never thought I'd pass this way.
I thought I could avoid it all—
the crushing
the grinding
the shredding
the crying
the squeezing
the sifting
the stretching
the dying--
all reduce me to nothingness.
Then in the empty silence I see
glimmers of light
fresh sprouts of hope
trickles of grace
where You are doing a new thing.
Watch for the new thing I am going to do. It is happening already---you can see it now! I will make a road through the wilderness and give you streams of water there. Isaiah 43:19 GNB
(The above is from pages 4 and 5 from God’s Goodness: seen most clearly through hard times. Read the introduction. Read pages 2 and 3.)
