Waiting with Patience ~ Resting in the Lord

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him (Psalms 37:7).
Have you prayed and prayed and waited and waited, and still there is no manifestation? Are you tired of seeing nothing move? Are you just at the point of giving it all up? Perhaps you have not waited in the right way? This would take you out of the right place the place where He can meet you.
"With patience wait" (Rom. 8:25). Patience takes away worry. He said He would come, and His promise is equal to His presence. Patience takes away your weeping. Why feel sad and despondent? He knows your need better than you do, and His purpose in waiting is to bring more glory out of it all. Patience takes away self-works. The work He desires is that you "believe" (John 6:29), and when you believe, you may then know that all is well. Patience takes away all want. Your desire for the thing you wish is perhaps stronger than your desire for the will of God to be fulfilled in its arrival.
Patience takes away all weakening. Instead of having the delaying time, a time of letting go, know that God is getting a larger supply ready and must get you ready too. Patience takes away all wobbling. "Make me stand upon my standing" (Daniel 8:18, margin). God's foundations are steady; and when His patience is within, we are steady while we wait. Patience gives worship. A praiseful patience sometimes "long-suffering with joyfulness" (Col. 1:11) is the best part of it all. "Let (all these phases of) patience have her perfect work" (James 1:4), while you wait, and you will find great enrichment.
--C. H. P.
Hold steady when the fires burn,
When inner lessons come to learn,
And from this path there seems no turn
"Let patience have her perfect work."
--L.S.P.
~ Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman for February 21st

~Brittany

"It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed,

because his compassions fail not.

They are new every morning:

great is thy faithfulness.

The Lord is my portion, saith my soul;

therefore will I hope in him.

The Lord is good unto them that wait for him,

to the soul that seeketh him.

It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait

for the salvation of the Lord.

It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth."

~ Lamentations 3:22-27 ~

"How much strength each man hath is best proved

by occasions of adversity:

for such occasions do not make a man frail,

but show of what temper he is."

- Thomas a' Kempis -

"He who believes in God is not careful for the morrow,

but labors joyfully and with a great heart.

"For he giveth His beloved, as in sleep."

They must work and watch,

yet never be careful or anxious,

but commit all to Him,

and live in serene tranquility;

and with a quiet heart,

as one who sleeps safely and quietly."

- Martin Luther -

~Brittany

Faith and Praise

A new favorite song. :-)  This is so beautiful!

I read this quote recently and was blessed by it as well. When we have faith and believe the Lord, we can be assured that someday we will see the bigger picture and will praise God for the amazing way He works!

“Faith is to believe what we do not see,
and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe.”
-- Augustine --

~Brittany

"The man that believes will obey; failure to obey is convincing proof that there is not true faith present. To attempt the impossible God must give faith or there will be none, and He gives faith to the obedient heart only. Where real repentance is, there is obedience; for repentance is not only sorrow for past failures and sins, it is a determination to begin now to do the will of God as He reveals it to us."  - A. W. Tozer

This quote really hit home with me tonight.  Oh to have enough faith to obey in what seems the impossible!  My heart's cry is, "Lord, I believe!  Help Thou mine unbelief!"
~Brittany

A Woman of Strength Has Faith

"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into diverse temptations; 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."  James 1:2-4

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.   And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."  Romans 5:1-5

 ~Brittany

Stay your soul upon the Lord, in one fixed postition,and keep it there, holding fast, come what may

Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him. (Job 13:15)

For I know whom I have believed. (2 Timothy 1:12)

I will not doubt, though all my ships at sea

Come drifting home with broken masts and sails;

I will believe the Hand which never fails,

From seeming evil worketh good for me.

And though I weep because those sails are tattered,

Still will I cry, while my best hopes lie shattered:

"I trust in Thee."

I will not doubt, though all my prayers return

Unanswered from the still, white realm above;

I will believe it is an all-wise love

Which has refused these things for which I yearn;

And though at times I cannot keep from grieving,

Yet the pure ardor of my fixed believing

Undimmed shall burn.

I will not doubt, though sorrows fall like rain,

And troubles swarm like bees about a hive.

I will believe the heights for which I strive

Are only reached by anguish and by pain;

And though I groan and writhe beneath my crosses,

I yet shall see through my severest losses

The greater gain.

I will not doubt.  Well anchored in this faith,

Like some staunch ship, my soul braves every gale;

So strong its courage that it will not quail

To breast the mighty unknown sea of death.

Oh, may I cry, though body parts with spirit,

"I do not doubt," so listening worlds may hear it,

With my last breath.

      "'In fierce storms,' said an old seaman, 'we must do one thing; there is only one way: we must put the ship in a certain position and keep her there.'

      This, Christian, is what you must do.  Sometimes, like Paul, you can see neither sun nor stars, and no small tempest lies on you; and then you can do but one thing; there is only one way.  

      Reason cannot help you; past experiences give you no light.  Even prayer fetches no consolation.  Only a single course is left.  You must put your soul in one position and keep it there.

      You must stay upon the Lord; and come what may--winds, waves, cross-seas, thunder, lightening, frowning rocks, roaring breakers--no matter what, you must lash youself to the helm, and hold fast your confidence in God's faithfulness, His covenant engagement, His everlasting love in Christ Jesus.  
- Richard Fuller

Taken from Streams in the Desert and Springs in the Valley Morning Devotional by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman

This devotional was such a blessing to me when I read it the other day!  We must fix our hearts steadfastly upon the Lord, trusting in Him, committing our ways to Him.  He is so worthy of our trust, if we will only throw ourselves upon Him in complete confidence.  He is so faithful!  Although this post is a little long, I can't help but to share this song because it has been a blessing to me the last few days and very much goes along with the devotional.  It is based on one of my favorite Scripture passages in Isaiah, talking about having confidence in God, in all that He is, and waiting upon Him.  I hope you will be blessed by it as well!

~Posted By Breanna

When Jesus Makes You Wait in Pain...His Reasons are Only Love

This is a little long, but so worth reading through!  The Lord used it to strengthen and encourage me, and I hope that you will be blessed by it as well!  

May we each find the strength we need to carry on in Him! 

 

The reason there was a “Palm Sunday” was because Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 12:17–18). It was perhaps the most powerful, hope-giving miracle Jesus ever performed during his pre-cross ministry; the capstone sign of who he was (John 5:21–25).
That’s why the Apostle John wrote, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was” (John 11:5–6).
The word “so” connecting those two sentences is stunning. The most loving thing Jesus could do at that moment was to let Lazarus die. But it didn’t look or feel like love to Martha.

---

“Martha, the Teacher has come. He’s near the village.”
Martha’s emotions collided. Just hearing that Jesus was near resuscitated hope in her soul — the same hope she had felt the day she sent word for him to come.
But it was quickly smothered with grief and disappointment. Lazarus had died four days earlier. She had prayed desperately that Jesus would come in time. God had not answered her prayers. What could Jesus do now?
And yet… if anyone could do something, Jesus could. He had the words of eternal life (John 6:68). Martha hurried out.
When she saw Jesus, she could not restrain her grief and love. She collapsed at his feet and sobbed, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
Jesus laid his hand on her head.
He had come to Bethany to destroy the devil’s works (1 John 3:8) in Lazarus. He had come to give death a taste of its coming final defeat (1 Corinthians 15:26). He had come to show that now was the time when the dead would hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who heard would live (John 5:25).
Martha did not know all this. Neither did she know that what was about to happen would hasten Jesus’ own death—a death that would purchase her resurrection and both of Lazarus’s. She didn’t know how this weighed on him, how great was his distress until it was accomplished (Luke 12:50).
But Jesus’ wordless kindness soothed her.
When Martha’s sorrowful convulsion had passed she said, “But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”
Jesus gently lifted Martha’s eyes and looked at her with affectionate intensity. “Your brother will rise again.”
His living words revived her hope. Could he mean…? No. She dared not let herself hope in that way. Not after four days.
“I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
Yes. Lazarus would rise again on the last day. Martha had no idea how deeply Jesus longed for that day. But Jesus meant more than that.
He replied, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
The power with which Jesus spoke caused faith to swell in Martha’s soul. She wasn’t sure what this all meant, but as he spoke it was as if death itself was being swallowed up (1 Corinthians 15:54). No one ever spoke like this man (John 7:46).
She answered, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

---

We know how this story from John chapter eleven ends. But in the horrible days of Lazarus’s agonizing illness and in the dark misery of the days following his death, Martha did not know what God was doing. He seemed silent and unresponsive. Jesus didn’t come. It’s likely that she knew word had reached him. She was confused, disappointed, and overwhelmed with grief.
And yet, Jesus delayed precisely because he loved Martha and Mary and Lazarus. He knew that Lazarus’s death and resurrection would give maximum glory to God and his friends would all experience maximum joy in that glory. It would make all their suffering seem light and momentary (2 Corinthians 4:17).
When Jesus makes a trusting saint wait in pain, his reasons are only love. God only ordains his child's deep disappointment and profound suffering in order to give him or her far greater joy in the glory he is preparing to reveal (Romans 8:18).
Before we know what Jesus is doing, circumstances can look all wrong. And we are tempted to interpret God’s apparent inaction as unloving, when in fact God is loving us in the most profound way he possibly can.
So in your anguish of soul, hear Jesus ask with strong affection, “Do you believe this?”
 - Written by Jon Bloom at Desiring God

~Posted By Breanna

Taking a leap of faith in praying specifically for...

this.....

But not only for the sale of our home, but God has laid on our hearts to specifically ask Him to bring a buyer for our house this week.  We realize that now is not when the market is moving at it's best and also realize that we haven't had any interest shown in our house for weeks...but we feel that the Lord has shown us where He wants us to move to and that He wants us to specifically ask Him for a buyer for this house this week.  So....knowing that all things are possible with God, we are asking in faith for Him to bring a buyer this week. 

God has been growing our family and testing our faith for the last several weeks specifically.  He has already shown Himself so faithful to us as we have asked Him for specific things and He has answered.  What a faithful and merciful God we serve!  This particular request is a big one, one that will change our lives, and quite frankly, one that seems a little on the impossible side.  I was finding myself looking at the waves last night and this morning, but as I was in the Word and reading and listening to the things that I posted on our blog earlier today, God so showed me that I was not trusting Him and that I was being fearful.  He so lifted my fear and encouraged my heart as I just cried out to Him and laid our requests before Him, confessing and asking forgiveness for my lack of faith and unbelief and asking Him to show Himself faithful and to glorify His name.  That is one of the things that we have been asking God for, that He would use our family as a billboard on which He proclaims His glory and shows how mighty He is!

And that, my friend, is the reason for this post.  Once I had finished my devotion time and was so strengthened and encouraged, I got in the shower and all of the sudden it was like the Lord just laid on my heart that He wanted me to post this on our blog.  My immediate thought...oh me of little faith...was fear.  I'm like, you know, it's one thing to ask God for the impossible and believe that He can do it, but it's a whole different thing to go and tell everybody else about it!  What if God doesn't bring a buyer?  Then how would that bring glory to God?  Of course, the Lord showed me how wrong my thinking was and reminded me of the things that He had just reminded me of.  So I prayed about it and talked to Mom about it and she said, basically, "Go for it."

So, my prayer in sharing this personal request in our home, is that God would show Himself mighty and that each one in our home and each one of you would be encouraged to believe God more and take Him fully at His Word, not being afraid to ask the impossible.  He said, as He showed me this morning, that "If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it."  Do we believe this?  Are we willing to be as the persistent widow in Luke 18 and earnestly and persistently present our requests before God, believing that He is faithful and He will answer according to His will?

If God lays it on your heart, pray with us...and may we all be encouraged to seek the face of God earnestly at all times and believe Him and what He has promised to be true for the specific needs in each one of our lives. Keep an eye on our blog...because we're expecting God to work in amazing ways and we're excited to watch Him show just how awesome and powerful He is! 

~Posted By Breanna

Prayer & Faith

“And Jesus said unto them, …verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”  - Matthew 17:20 

You shall not only be able to perform such a wonderful action as this, were it necessary, but any, and everything else, that will make for the glory of God, the enlargement of my [Christ’s] kingdom and interest, the confirmation of truth, and the good of mankind.  -John Gill

“…if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.”

“Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” (KJV) 

“And Jesus said unto him, If thou canst! All things are possible to him that believeth.” (ASV)

“And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”

 -Mark 9:22b-24

As the man put an "if" on the power of Christ, Christ puts an "if" on the faith of the man; and tacitly suggests, that power was not wanting in himself, but faith in him; and should that cure not be performed, it would not be owing to any inability in him, but to his own incredulity. The Arabic version renders it, "what is this thy: saying, if thou canst do any thing?" What dost thou mean by it? Thou oughtest not to doubt of my power; there is no reason for it, after so many miracles wrought; upbraiding the man with his unbelief; and the Ethiopic version renders it thus, "because thou sayest, if thou canst": wherefore to show that power was not wanting in him, provided he had but faith, it follows, “ all things are possible to him that believeth”; that is, "to be done" to him, as the Syriac and Ethiopic versions supply: for all things are not possible to be done by the believer himself, but all things are possible to be done for him, by God.  –John Gill

Two things the Lord has really been challenging me with lately are prayer and faith.  Oh, do these two coincide!  It is hard to pray if you don’t have faith.

I had really been struggling yesterday to truly put my faith in God, ask for the impossible, and trust that He will work.  It is much easier to simply trust that He has a perfect plan for our lives than it is to ask Him for specific things and then wait for and expect His answer.  A question I’ve had in my mind is that I want to be careful that I am not asking for something that may not be God’s will, or just asking selfishly.  We do want to be careful of these things; to be sure.   Last night Mom and I had a very good conversation about these things, and the Lord has been confirming those thoughts again this morning.

 
When we are desiring and asking for things that the Lord has shown us in His Word to be good and right, we can and should confidently ask Him for them.  If He has laid something on our hearts we should not ignore it.  We should lay before God the things that He Himself has said and promised.  I was very encouraged by reading John Gill’s comments on the above passages.  If we are asking for things that will honor His name and build His kingdom then we should ask in faith; nothing wavering.  He says He will work.

 I love the example of this feeble man that the Lord gives us.  So doubtful and weak in faith, but asking none the less.  Christ challenges his lack of faith by speaking the truth of His power.  And then the man’s pitiful plea, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”  Our Lord promises that even if our faith is as small as the smallest seed, it is faith and He will bless it.  That’s a promise!  May we say with the apostles in Luke 17:5 Lord, “increase our faith.”  Let us walk in faith, believing that He is faithful and will get glory for His name in and through us, and then watch Him work. 

Posted by Brittany

Is it wrong to ask for the impossible and desire to see the power of Christ?

This morning Mom, Britt and I were talking about prayer...when is it presumptuous and wrong to ask the Lord for something specific, especially when it seems like you're asking for something that's impossible?  We know that He is able to do all things; nothing is beyond His power.  But would it be presumptuous to ask the Lord to do specific things, even though the heart of your prayer is that God's power would be shown and His name magnified and glorified?  What if He doesn't answer how or when we asked Him to?  What then?  Earlier this morning as I was on my knees in prayer, the Lord reminded me of Peter.  The Lord made the passage in Matthew 14 come alive to me this morning in a new way.  I will attempt to share it below.

Peter was afraid...the storm was terrible, they were being tossed about on the sea, and here comes what they believe to be a spirit walking on the water.  Jesus speaks to them and tells them not to be afraid because it is Him.  Peter then does something that we would say was pretty presumptuous- he calls out and in essence says, "Lord, if it's really You, show me Your power so that I know it's truly You.  Tell me to come walking to You on this raging water."  Jesus says, "Come".  Christ is always ready to show us His power and the reality of who He is!  So Peter gets out of the boat and in faith and the power of Christ comes, walking on the water.  Peter took that leap of faith to believe Jesus- with Him all things are possible.  But then as Peter is walking, he gets scared when he sees the boisterous wind, the waves that look like they're going to pull him under and destroy him.  He starts to sink.   Because of his lack of faith, he deserves to sink, right?  No, never; we serve a merciful and compassionate Savior!  Peter cries out as he's sinking in fear, "Lord, save me!"  And Jesus is mighty to save...He is only an arm length away and He stretches out His hand and caught Peter, saving him from the watery grave that was about to destroy him because of his unbelief.  Christ asks him, "Why did you doubt?".   It was like, "Peter, you started this whole thing out desiring to see my power, the reality of who I am...why then did you doubt Me?  Why did you take your eyes off of Me and stop believing?"  They get back to the ship and they all worship Christ..."Of a truth, thou art the Son of God."  Jesus Christ was glorified and magnified as He revealed His amazing and limitless power!  They were in awe of who He was! 

I find so much comfort in this whole picture!  Here's Peter, desiring to see the power of the Lord in his life in reality.  He asks God for the impossible. He believes Christ and takes the leap of faith to get out of the boat and come walking to Him on the water.  He gets scared, stops believing, lacks faith, and begins to drown.  He cries out to Christ, who he knows is the only One who can save him, and Christ catches him and pulls him up.  Christ rebukes Peter's lack of faith.  And in the end Christ is magnified for His power and the reality of His strength and all things being possible to the one who believes.  Peter didn't have perfect faith, in fact, his faith was pretty weak.  Peter didn't believe God perfectly, in fact, he stopped believing when he was so close to Christ that Jesus could reach out His arm and pull Peter back up.  But Peter had good desires.  He had a heart that desired more of a reality of Christ in his life and desired to believe Christ to the fullest and walk by faith. Peter desired to see the power of Christ at work in his life.

Oh what comfort is in that!  I'm not perfect and neither are you...but as we take the leap of faith, believing in the name of Jesus, no matter how weak and small that faith is, Christ will be faithful to answer us and show us His awesome and limitless power!  Believe Him with me, and let us not be afraid to ask of Christ the impossible that His power would be shown and His name glorified.  Christ will honor that request and show us His limitless power and unending faithfulness!  Oh He is so worthy of all of our trust!  Trust Him, just trust Him and ask for the impossible that you might see and believe His power! And then stand still and watch Him work!

And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshiped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

(Matthew 14:26-33)

~Posted By Breanna

All Things Are Possible!!!!!!!

And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: 

for with God all things are possible.
(Mark 10:27)

This song speaks such incredible truth and was ministering to me this afternoon as I listened and thought on that all things are possible with God...even when it looks impossible!  God is so faithful...oh for grace to trust Him more and simply take the leap of faith!  May we be driven to pray, pray and pray, believing that anything is possible with God!  Do we truly believe God when He said that "ALL" things are possible?  I love this quote~ "The condition for a miracle is difficulty. ... The condition for a great miracle is impossibility."  And our God loves what we call impossible...because He then shows us just how awesome, powerful and able He is!  I hope you enjoy listening to the song!

~Breanna

God is Love...Dare to Believe It!

 

Every time we dare to affirm that, notwithstanding appearances, God is Love; every time that we evince that love to others, even though our own heart is breaking; every time we say No to self and Yes to God, we make further progress into His Love. Dare to believe in the love of God, even when the darkness seems to veil it. Dare to believe that it is over all, and through all, and in all.

-F.B. Meyer

Posted by Breanna

Think of Your Life as a Story That is Being Written

Written by: Breanna

Have you ever read a biography about a godly person from the past and been half way through it to find yourself almost just holding your breath in amazement because it seems like this person’s life is falling apart and makes no sense, but you keep on reading with anticipation waiting for and knowing that all of the pieces come together by the time it ends? 

Such is your life, my friend, and mine.  Only we’re only part way through the story, only able to see part of the picture.  We’re still in the middle….perhaps living with anticipation of unfolding dreams, or perhaps in the midst of a heart-rending situation that seems nearly impossible to see how this can be a good thing and how it will turn out right. 

But there is One who sees the big picture…God.  Not only does He already know how the story is going to end, but He has ordained your story.  He has already written your story, and He’s unfolding it in your life. 

And let me tell you something so comforting and exciting- your story is an awesome one that is beautiful!

You may be thinking, “It sure doesn’t feel awesome or beautiful right now!” and that may be true.  But think of the big picture, the end of the story.  By the time you read the last sentence on the last page of the book, you understand how each piece fit together to bring about this amazing story.  The same will be true in your life.

God is bringing about each situation, each heartache, each anticipation, everything…He is the One that is bringing it about in your life as He writes on the pages of your biography.  And He delights in the plans that He has for us! 

My friend, are we willing to allow God to write His story for our lives?  Can we open ourselves up in faith before Him and from the heart say, “Have Thine own way Lord, have Thine own way.  Thou art the Potter, I am the clay.  Mold me and make me after Thy will, while I am waiting yielded and still”? 

Is it always easy?  No!  Sometimes it hurts so bad we don’t know if the sunshine will ever come out again, if the tears will cease to flow, and we question how this is ever going to turn out well.  But God has promised that He works all things together for good to those that love Him and are called according to His purpose.  The Scriptures say that there is a blessing for the one who remains steadfast during trial.  Why?  Because they come out shining, with a story that gives the Lord Jesus Christ glory and honor and brings us to delight in Him and draws us to love Him more and more!  Do you pray for conformity to the Lord Jesus Christ?  You should.  Then don’t be surprised when He is at work in your life with the chisel and hammer! Though God has promised to bless the righteous, and that He has plans for our welfare and not for evil, to give us a future and a hope, He has also promised that He will, “refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested.” That’s not a pain free process, but one that is well worth it.  And He has promised us the comfort and strength to go through it. Believe in all of those promises and don't buy into the lies that tell us that He's not working or fulfilling His promises in our lives.  Because He is and He is faithful and does not lie.  It's just that He's often not doing it the way you think He should be or how you expected Him to.  The moment you surrendered your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, you surrendered to Him as your Lord and Master.  You are no longer your own.  Therefore, because He loves us and wants to get the glory in lives, He will write our story as He sees fit and it will be one marvelous work of art when it is finished and the Author will be magnified for His skill and work. 

Believe Him and trust Him! Say with me along with the father of the demon possessed son who first cried out to the Lord Jesus in this manner, “I believe; help my unbelief!”