Responding to God's Invitation

Sometimes we need to hear things two or three times before we actually listen to what is being said. Therefore, Oswald repeats his message on the importance of listening to the Lord. Yesterday he addressed our lack of desire to have God speak to us: for we are often not interested in what He has to say. Today, his message encourages the believer to: first: set their mind on devoting himself to listen to the Lord, second: show Him love and respect by obeying His instructions and third: expect Him to speak to me and seek His daily input.

In my own life, I have learned how important it is to be disciplined in this area of my walk with the Lord. Life is fast paced and most often too full of worldly activity. The casual days of long ago, when a family would settle with the setting sun, are no longer part of American culture. We burn our candles at both ends before sunrise and well into the night: snuffing out both our energy and time.

It is worth repeating as well, the cost of not listening to the Lord is dangerous. I mentioned yesterday, it can be a matter of life or death. For we never know what God has to say to us or what action he has purposed for us to do. Still, the issue of obedience remains linked to hearing God's instruction. To hear the Lord's voice on a matter and not act, is clearly rebellion regardless of the spirit. Disobedience is costly and the believer is not always the one who pays the price.

Before our youngest son was born, I worked in my husband's accounting office. I was therefore in contact with his clientele on a regular basis. One company in particular desired both a social and business relationship with their CPA. Thus, my husband and I became better acquainted with the client and his wife. His name was William but we called him Billy. Through dinner parties and luncheons we developed a casual relationship which afforded openness in our conversations.

While our faith was known by the couple, their conduct, speech and manner remained quite worldly. Billy had a firecracker personality: a combination of character traits not limited to bold, brash, obstinate and a bit self-centered. However, my husband and I held hope that we would some day be a bridge to the Lord through our witness.

In my encounters with Billy, I sensed a tender heart under a very hard shell. Though I desired to share the Lord with him, I was a bit intimidated by his gruff disposition. However, upon one occasion in our home, I commented I was praying for a mutual friend. Billy, demanded to know why I felt the need to pray for this man. Immediately, I felt the warm stirring of the Holy Spirit within me. I realized I was being guided to share my concern for our friends eternal state, for he was Jewish and therefore without salvation. Under the direction of the Lord, I explained the points of salvation to Billy as gently as I could. A sour look pinched his face as I shared the gospel, yet, I continued as prompted until the truth was shared. My heart pounded as I silently prayed for God to break through the hard exterior of Billy's heart. When I had finished, he sat silent for what seemed an eternity. Then without addressing a word I said, Billy turned to my husband and began another conversation.

I can not express to you my discomfort. I felt sure I had responded to the Spirit's prompting. Likewise, I believe my words were clear and concise. Still, Billy's aloofness to me the rest of the evening stung, as I feared I had jeopardized a business relationship with my husband's client. Fortunately, all remained well on the business side of things. However, the social relationship between the four of us came to a peaceful end. Luncheons and dinners were replaced with golf dates of which the wives were excluded. A word was never spoken good or bad about my gospel message and life went on.

Months later, our family was returning from Kansas. We had just spent the Christmas holiday with my in-laws and were flying home late at night. I was staring out the window of the plane into the darkness, when I heard the voice of the Lord. His words were few; "When you get home, invite Billy to dinner and tell him more about me." I had no doubt it was the Lord speaking and I knew it was not a request. Turning to my husband, I shared what had just happened. We both agreed to do as instructed.

This is the part of the story I wish I could change: somehow go back and rewrite the script. I want to share how we phoned Billy the next day and that he accepted our invitation to dinner and the Lord's invitation to eternal life. But that is not what happened. Looking back I see how fear of rejection and losing of a client kept us from making the call immediately. Rather than heed the Lord's instructions we resolved to get through New Years before we extended the invitation. Tragically, we received a call just after New Years Day, that Billy passed away unexpectedly.

Billy died ten years ago and still the pain of my disobedience burns when I think of him. I have no idea if Billy gave his heart to the Lord before he passed. I like to think God provided another soul to pray the prayer of salvation with him in my absence. Sadly, this side of heaven I will never know. Though I am filled with regret, I am helpless to change a thing.

Oswald says, "If I love my friend, I will instinctively understand what he wants." I knew in my heart that Jesus was calling me to action. Unfortunately, I allowed my head to put off my response. The result is a deep ache in my spirit and the possible eternal loss of a soul: not to mention any joy missed in guiding a lost lamb to the fold. I have wept bitter tears over Billy and this wasted opportunity to be used by God. I have asked the Lord to forgive me and I know He has. Forgiving myself was more difficult, but I have done so. I have also come to experience time and time again the good God has brought forth from this sad experience. The Lord is so faithful to His Word!

A few years later, the Lord spoke to me in the very same manner of a dear neighbor. "Go tell Pat, I love him and want to have a relationship with him." While it took me several passes of his home, I was determined to risk the friendship to be obedient. I sat with my elderly friends and told them of the Lord's message. I shared with them about Billy also. Remarkably, this story has quite a different ending. Following our visit, these friends were inspired to respond to the Lord's invitation. They promptly began attending church services, became members, and are today actively serving in their fellowship. Pat on a regular basis distributes New Testament Bibles to students at local high schools, and these two beautiful souls have brought the Lord to their grandchildren and additional neighbors.

The Lord has been very good to me. His gift of a second chance encouraged my spirit. Likewise, it inspires me every day to heed the promptings and instructions of the Lord. Sometimes, I tremble as I "obey" what I believe He has asked me to do. Sometimes, I giggle at His requests. Regardless, I am thankful for the gift of His voice. God speaks and I am eager to hear what He has to say. I constantly pray that I may have the courage to do as He instructs. For truly, hearing and obeying the voice of the Lord can be a life or death situation.

Hearing the Lord is not difficult when we set our minds to be his friend. For a friend loves at all times,(Proverbs 17:7), and Jesus says "you are my friends if you do as I command," (John 15:14NIV). How I pray we will all be friends to Jesus.

Dare to Hear the Voice of God

The message for today may be hard to hear, but don't hit the mute button! Oswald holds nothing back as he makes the truth very clear in today's devotional: we do not truly want to hear from God. Now before you argue the point, sit with it a bit. You may come to a conclusion that is different than you like. You see, we want to hear great and glorious things from God. Words of promise and blessing and revelation. But who of us is eager to hear God's voice, when it carries a message of trial, pain or possible death?

God works good in all things, therefore all things must come. When we read our Bibles we find scripture after scripture that speaks to the trials, temptations and deaths of God's faithful servants. These men and women were extraordinary, not because they had super powers...but because they had super ears. They were dialed into the voice of God. After they sought the Lord's ear, they gave Him their own. THEN...they acted accordingly. In so doing, some were recipients of God's spirit before it was a gift to all believers. These also witnessed the miraculous work of God.

I dare say--if we honestly assess our conversations with the Lord, we would find our time in communion is most like a lecture. We stand before the throne of grace and rather than humble ourselves with thanksgiving, we ramble off our requests, concerns and desires. Then we dust off our knees--if we knealt--and bolt. After all, our time is short. We participate in a one way conversation and we fool ourselves believing we are "communicating" with God. To this Oswald says: "God has given His commands to us, but we pay no attention to them--not because of willfull disobedience, but because we do not truly love and respect Him." Uh...ouch!

Tragically, the message we send forth to the Almighty is we care that He cares for us, but we don't care about Him. We show our shallow feelings by not LISTENING to His heart, or to His plan for our day. Substitute your spouse, child or friend in the position of God and think about how that plays out. Better yet, let's place ourselves on the receiving end of a non-stop talker who never listens and grants you an opportunity to speak. We groan over such insensitivity in others. The all-about-me spirit is unattractive and transparent...to all but the self absorbed. How unattractive we must be to our Lord, when we come to the throne with such an attitude.

Jesus tells us, "If you love Me, keep My commandments," (John 14:15NIV).

Unless we spend time in God's word, we will not know what His commands are: there is much more instruction to behold beyond the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament.
Furthermore, unless we sit with the Lord after we share our heart, we will miss His input and instruction. This is dangerous for the believer. Sometimes, God needs to warn us of harm headed our way. Such was the case with holy family:

"...an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him," (Matthew 2:13NIV).

Had Joseph's ears been closed to God's voice, the story of our Lord's life would have been a different narration. God would have certainly fulfilled His plan, however, Joseph and Mary would have the mark in their testimony that they did not heed the command of God.

God may choose to raise his voice over the noise in our life to be heard. However, that would be an exception. God isn't into rodeo work. He is not interested in wrangling us with a rope and forcing us into submission. If you are a recipient of such attention from the Lord, consider yourself blessed! On the contrary, God wants us to choose to come into His presence, choose to hear His voice and then choose to express our love for Him by doing what He says. Some of us will have to work on our attitudes, some of us will need to serve in some capacity, some of us will be called to give charitably, and some of us will be called to pour out our lives for the work of the Lord. We don't get to pick what our work will be, our choice is whether or not to do it. When we obey, with joy, we will be rewarded. When we rebel we will lose blessings and possible coverage, like Jonah.

Like anything in our lives which requires surrender, sitting still with God--to truly listen to Him--takes practice. Fortunately, God knows our heart. When we confess to him our desire to hear His voice...no matter what He has to say...we can be assured the Lord will help us in our efforts. However, our work continues beyond hearing God's voice, we must then do as He says.

In closing, I pray that we are encouraged with this message and not overly burdened. Oswald notes: "Once I finally do hear Him, the humiliation I have heaped on Him returns to me. My response then becomes, "Lord, why was I so insensitive and obstinate?" God is not eager to point a finger of condemnation at us. He loves us! He longs for us to be in right relationship with Him. Therefore, while we feel sorrow over our "ignoring" Him, let us be inspired to waste no more time. Repent, recieve His forgiveness for the offense and listen from now on. For there is much to hear in regards to today!

Let us not be like those who wandered in the wilderness and chose not to hear the voice of God.

"They said to Moses, "You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die," (Exodus 20:19NIV).

The Israelites, wanted the salvation of the LORD, the protection of the LORD and the guidance of the LORD. However, they made it evident through their words and their actions...they did not want the commandments of the LORD.

The Creator of heaven and earth, the Almighty God, the Wonderful Counselor...has something to say to YOU. Is not what He has to say important? It could be a matter of life or death.

Mind Your Manners

Taming the beast within us is a process which takes time. For some it may be a matter of exercising self control. For others it will be an excruciating journey of dying to self layer by layer. Regardless of the path one takes to gain control over their will, they will absolutely have to tend to the manner of their mind.

This is a key component to our struggle with sin. For the mind is a processing unit in the body that receives, sorts and stores everything we encounter. Left to its own programing, it will adopt the most frightening manners: by exchanging truth for lies, it will bend towards savagery and self worship leading an individual into the darkest of thoughts and a life separated from God.

In his devotional for the day, Oswald quotes 2 Corinthians: "bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ..." (10:5NIV). This is a must for the believer. For if we do not take hold of rebellious and threatening thoughts, they will wreck havoc in our minds: tainting what is good and true with their poison. Toxins which act like cancers are: anger, jealousy, unforgiving spirit, bitterness, envy, pride, self loathing. These are the elixirs of spiritual death because they are self focused: they corrode any thoughts of God and leave us vulnerable to the enemy's manipulation. We may think we are in control of our lives when our thoughts are void of God, however that is another misconception.

"Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity...Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them," (Romans 1:28-32NIV).

Since birth our minds absorb information like sponges: our parent's patterns of thought and the beliefs of our community fill our thoughts. Therefore, a mind submerged in a home or community which chooses to ignore the teachings of Christ will no doubt soak up harmful concepts and reasoning like: there is no God, there is no truth, there is no hope and there is no devil longing to drag you to hell. Good people, who live moral lives can still find themselves in bondage to the lie that claims: righteous living can get them into heaven. No! Only a personal relationship with Jesus built on the foundation of his sacrificial death for our sin will grant us access to eternity with God. ANY other concept is a LIE and must be rebuked.

The mind dripping with these thoughts must literally be squeezed by a holy hand in order to begin the process of renewal: literally wrung out and left to dry before it is able to absorb the truth. God is real, there is such a thing as absolute truth, there is abundant hope and the devil is as evil as the bible claims. When a mind begins to take hold of these thoughts, applying the body of truth that supports them in God's word, then and only then will the mind begin to change.

A mind in the hands of God is indeed in store for a restoration. What began as a sponge will be transformed into a temple. The walls will be wallpapered with the Word of God and truth will be its furnishings. Thoughts will center round the throne and a mighty Spirit will rule over the new territory. New patterns of thought will develop that mirror God's own, AND...it can all begin with a single prayer: Lord Jesus forgive me for entertaining ungodly thoughts. I ask you to cleanse, renew and transform my mind at every conscious level: consciously, subconsciously and unconsciously. I bind my mind to the mind of Jesus Christ, that my thoughts would be His thoughts. In so doing I cut ties to any and all lies I have agreed with in the past and willfully take hold of the TRUTH. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

The mind can be a beautiful thing when it minds its manners. With the muck of the world denied access, the mind becomes a sacred meeting place where the LORD meets with his child and reveals the most inspiring truths and visions. Once the mind is renewed, the rest of the body follows. The eyes move from the mirror to the world: which is seen as God sees it, the ears are tuned to the truth, the heart begins to truly love, the mouth speaks a new language of faith, the head bows, the hands serve and the feet follow the LORD.

A new mind means a new life for the believer!

PLEASE Lord, help us submit ourselves to your restoration and learn to mind our manners! THANK YOU, Jesus.

In the Eyes of the Beholder

A friend once told me, "If there was a God, I'd feel closest to him in nature." His mind accepted more easily the idea of a Creator while he was in the midst of creation. Sadly, that is where my dear friend left God. Though the Lord's hand is clearly evident in the artistry of our landscape, my dear friend's eyes are blind to His glory.

Our family drives from California to my husband's home town in Kansas once a year. I realize for some that seems a tremendous bore, and yet, we really enjoy the journey. Traveling through the diverse countryside, for me, is like studying a portrait of the Almighty. My mind soars, as I take in the beauty of God's spiritual nature as well as His creation. The brush strokes on this earthly canvas reveal so much of the Lord's character, it takes my breath away.

Though we drive down the same highways, year after year, it never feels the same. That's the first characteristic I find endearing: God is never monotonous or boring. While it is true that, God is the same, "yesterday, today and forever," His means of guiding and blessing me are new every morning. This is experienced most in my studies. While I am familiar with my Bible, each time I open His Word, he reveals something new--about a character or a lesson--and I have another pearl for my strand.

On the road, I marvel over the countless qualities of my Maker. The expanse of God's handiwork stretched out before me prompts a game of "Where's God." Resolved and leaving no rock left unturned, I seek signs of the Lord in nature. I am never dissatisfied with the hunt.

First, I note the sky, which is nothing short of amazing. With its wispy clouds like a wake from God's own chariot, it reminds me He is always moving: working behind the scenes on my behalf. And in the morning, the sun bursts upon the horizon, stirring the spirit with anticipation for the day ahead. For God has plans He has had prepared for such a long time. Then there is the playful side of the Father, which is found in his puffy caricatures in the clouds. That followed by the setting sun--which holds my attention--as I sense the Lord encouraging me to examine my day. I hear the Spirit whisper, "Don't let the sun go down on your anger..." and I am moved by God's great concern for my peace. Un-confessed sins break fellowship with God. With night approaching, He gently reminds me to hold fast His hand, so I do not stumble in the dark.

The clouds speak to me of His covering. The mountains proclaim His majesty and wisdom, for His ways are above my own. The soil reveals His mysterious side: for he buries treasure within it. The prairie grass blowing in the wind, shows His gentle nature. While the gusts of wind--that rattle the car--remind me not to test Him. Towering evergreens speak of His everlasting love. Great canyons and weathered cliffs point to His artistic flair. The giant cactus warns of His wrath and the curse on the land due to sin. Even the fields of golden wheat sing His praise: for God is a faithful provider. The list could go on and on.

Oswald states: "If we are children of God, we have a tremendous treasure in nature and will realize that it is holy and sacred."

The reason my friend and millions like him can consider the existence of God amidst his creation, is because the very breath that breathed each word in the creation saga, lingers within creation itself. "God said, "Let there be light" and there was light," (Genesis 1:3NIV). Nothing came into existence outside of God's command to bring it forth into being. Therefore, when man removes himself from the idol saturated environment created by humans, and lingers in the midst of God's creation, his soul recalls the voice of God. The voice of origin that long ago spoke, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness," (Genesis 1:24NIV). We never forget the sound of God's voice. We merely choose to close our ears to it.

The Word addresses this tendency of man's to separate God from His work.

"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse," (Romans 1:18-20NIV).

There are many things that can steal our attention and blind our eyes to the glory of God: some are tangible things and some are intangible things. Brother's and sister's in Christ, may we cast these blinders aside and seek forgiveness for our adulterous ways before the sun goes down today. In so doing, we can rest with peaceful hearts. For we are certain, the God whose fingerprint is on every star blinking in the night sky, has also made an eternal mark on us. And though His work is evident upon us and in our lives...many will claim it is not there: they will chose to be blind to it.

Lord, have mercy on us all!

Serving on Spiritual Fumes

GEM FOR THE DAY
Yesterday was one of those days when you know there is absolutely no way possible to complete the task list. Popcorn prayers to the Lord to expand hours, stop the clock or miraculously meet every need, were plentiful. Still,it was this morning before I finished my homework, posted two blogs and responded to important e-mails. I can't tell you how many times I read the same sentence or tried to work the same math problem. Deadlines were before me so I sat at the table trying to force my exhausted body to perform. When I realized it was early morning--the time I usually wake up--I instinctively thought about "today's" list. Though my spirit was willing to pull an all-nighter, my body gave up. I crawled into bed knowing, there was absolutely no way possible I was going to complete the list I had for today. I was dreaming before my head hit the pillow!

For those who enjoy serving and serve by doing something they love, there is always a threat of exhaustion. The thrill of using gifts and talents for a greater purpose can be addicting for many. Therefore,Oswald encourages self examination in order to access whether you are serving God or your own purpose. If not careful, the enthusiastic team player finds their calender full and their energy tank empty, leaving them to pooped to even pray.

While work, chores and activities drain us of time and energy, we can also be drained spiritually through nurturing of others. Oswald points out: "The process of being made broken bread and poured-out wine means that you have to be the nourishment for other people's souls until they learn to feed on God. They must drain you completely--to the very last drop."

The idea of being drained is...well...draining. Yet, the truth remains that believers are called to serve one another period. There was no stipulation that fatigue was a qualified reason to pull back and take it easy for a while. Quite the contrary was true. Jesus himself took cat naps--when possible--to give his body rest. However, the work of the ministry was never laid down. Nor were lambs denied care and compassion.

Oswald suggests ministry work for Christians includes giving our spiritual nourishment to the hungry lambs of the flock: those who are hungry for the Lord and yet unable to feed themselves. It's likely each of us can recall such a lamb in our body. While tending to the young is exciting and fun, it can also suck us dry. Yet, we are cautioned to nurse others in the spirit joyfully until we have nothing left to give. In this way, we mirror Jesus, who gave his all for us.

Our faithful shepherd modeled more than giving in his ministry: Jesus also demonstrated how to spiritually refuel. In the early morning, the Lord would slip away to be alone with his Heavenly Father. In God's holy presence, Jesus found himself filled once again with the power and strength of heaven. The concept Jesus needed time with the Father as much as we do, should inspire us to emulate his time in communion. When we don't draw from the well daily, we will inevitably find ourselves, serving on spiritual fumes: or worse, we may run out of gas all together and find our selves stranded on the side of the road. How then will we keep up with Jesus?

DIGGING DEEPER
The Lord knew intimately the people's spiritual thirst, Jesus encouraged them to drink of his life sustaining water.

The responsibility to nurse the new or young believer is reasonably placed on the mature in Christ: for they have been weaned themselves and now know how to draw from the well of Living Water on their own.

Like maidens who fetch water for the village, they journey again and again to the source of life. Their journey more like worship than a chore.
Fatigued, they toss their empty buckets over the edge, yawning and stretching until they hear the splash down below. Instinctively, they take hold of the rope and hoist the overflowing bucket to the top of the ledge. After wiping their brows, they withdraw ladles from their aprons which they quickly dip into the clear water. Then, with great care--so not a drop is spilled--they raise the ladle to their pasty mouths and drink the cool spring water. There at the side of the well, the child of God restores her spirit: the Living Water rejuvenates her soul. Having had their fill, the maidens pick up their buckets and head for the fold: for they know there are little lambs who await their return: for they are painfully thirsty.

The Cost of Living Free

GEM FOR THE DAY
Focusing his devotion for the day on the cost of Sanctification, Oswald asks the Christian warrior seven times if they are prepared. There is a tone of caution in Oswald's message to the Christian. Like a Captain addressing a squadron before they put on their armor and march to the battlefield, he warns the soldiers of the peril that lies ahead of them. His voice echoing in the valley of the shadow of death, "Are we prepared...?"

While salvation is freely given to all, through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, sanctification unfortunately will cost the believer something. Oswald states "The cost will be a deep restriction of all our earthly concerns, and an extensive cultivation of all our godly concerns." On the surface, or at first glance this seems a reasonable price. However, once the warrior steps onto the battlefield and finds he is staring into the face of his father, mother, sister or brother wearing the oppositions crest, suddenly the cost of sanctification can seem outrageous.

The process of being transformed to the likeness of Christ will require complete surrender. A high price for those who are stingy with their time, talents and treasure. Oswald states; "Sanctification means to be intensely focused on God's point of view. It means to secure and to keep all the strength of our body, soul, and spirit for God's purpose alone."

DIGGING DEEPER

What does that look like?

The apostle Paul gives us an idea with the illustration of a slave and master. Reminding us: "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life." (Romans 6:22NIV). For as the slave wakes to do the will of his master, so too the believer rises to serve the Lord. Desire to accomplish his own will is foreign to the faithful servant, for his pleasure is to please his master. Sanctification will cost the believer freedom: for he no longer lives as he pleases.

Oswald asks, "Are we prepared to say, "Lord, make me, a sinner saved by grace, as holy as You can"? For when we pray this prayer, the Lord will most certainly respond. Perhaps even before the day is done, the submissive child will find herself thrust into boot camp: an obstacle course before her that will stretch and strain every one of her spiritual muscles. Sanctification will cost the believer energy and pain.

Yes. Oswald's tone is serious because the situation at hand is serious. A spiritual war is being fought all around us, whether or not we acknowledge it. Daily battles are won for the kingdom as well as lost. Tragically millions perish in the combat: the number of spiritual casualties growing every day. Missionary warriors serving in various war zones are often lost in the midst of service. Sanctification may cost the Christian their very life.

While the enemy seeks to kill and destroy the kingdom warriors, the army of God is not focused on destroying their adversaries. That mission was completed by Jesus many years ago. On the contrary, the warriors of heaven are focused on rescuing prisoners of war. When men and women respond to the Lord's call to be kingdom warriors, when they surrender their will to serve their Master and when they ask the Lord to make them more like Christ, they will indeed incur a bill. Fortunately, as children of God they will never be asked to pay more than they can afford. Christians have endless funds in Christ who is more than willing to make daily deposits into their "saving account" or "trust funds".

Sanctification will cost the believer everything. But in the end they inherit heaven. And that is the deal of a lifetime!

Soaring on the Wings of Praise

GEM FOR THE DAY

Oswald speaks to the believer about being dejected in his devotional: he claims feelings of depression or having a down cast spirit is "always wrong" for the Christian. His position on the matter--though difficult to hear--is grounded in the truth: for a child of God there is always hope and peace in salvation. Therefore, though circumstances may feel like hurricane forces--which bend believers like palm trees near their base--a greater force keeps their roots anchored through the storm.

For most believers it is extremely difficult to praise God, when your life is being battered by gale force winds. Shouldn't a Father protect his children from the hurricane pains of life? Furthermore, why would a loving and kind God send forth trials like twisters from hell to test us? The answer to this question is provided in God's Word:

"We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given." (Romans 5:3-5NIV).

The Word of God testifies to the use of circumstances to break a stubborn servant's will: the challenges of Joseph, King David, Jonah and the first apostles: Peter, Steven, John and Paul were necessary to mature their faith and serve God's purpose. However, while these men battled the winds of adversity, they avoided being carried away by despair. How did they do this? The valued God over everything else.

According to Oswald, the driving force behind winds of despair is actually one of two sources: the first is satisfied lust and the second is unsatisfied lusts. This meaning, people are either depressed because they are not getting what they desire or, after having obtained their lust they remain unfulfilled. Either way, their down cast spirit is a result of their own covetousness and therefor a consequence of sin.

This seems harsh considering despair is often a result of losing someone or something of extreme value: a spouse, child, parent, or friend. Less heartbreaking losses of things like: jobs, homes even investments can understandably bring someone down. However, it appears Oswald is not addressing the burdened heart which has lost, rather the hopeless heart which can not see God in their circumstance.

For the pessimist, life is viewed as a stream of tragedies and loss: loss of innocence, loss of youth, loss of virginity, loss of freedom, loss of memory, loss of purpose, loss of faculties, etc. A bitter train of events, with a caboose of the dreaded loss of life. God is not part of their experience so they have no hope to anchor them.

The Christian takes this same stream of events and applies Jesus which reveals a wake of divine footprints. The knowledge Christ was, is and always will be, speaks hope into every sorrow. Consequently a heart swells with thankfulness and this results in praise. What are believers thankful for in the midst of great loss? The follower of Christ is ever aware that they deserve eternal death and separation from God for their sins. However, the gift of life in Jesus and the great joy of God's grace and adoption overshadows the temporary pains of this world. The promise of heaven's peace keeps our eyes focused on the prize of what is to come. This is what the believer's heart clings to in the storm which allows them to praise.

DIGGING DEEPER

Paul and Silas are amazing examples for the body of Christ. Beaten, chained and imprisoned as a result of their commitment to the gospel, they sit in a dark and dismal prison cell. Their bodies no doubt wracked with pain and sticky with blood. I imagine them sitting--on a dirt floor peppered with rodent feces--with their feet in stocks.

It's around midnight and while many would have laid their head down in despair, Paul and Silas tilt theirs back to sing hymns and pray. Though the stench of man and waste burn their bloodied and possibly broken noses, their thoughts are united in one thing: how great is their God.

When many would be blaming or at least questioning God regarding their suffering, Paul and Silas were drawing nearer to God Through praise. Their focus was not on themselves but their God. Likewise, their hearts were not down cast but inspired. Though everything about their circumstance seemed dismal and hopeless, they trusted the hand of God to be at work in their situation. They sang because they knew if God allowed this storm in their life, he had a purpose for it.

What gave these men the ability to endure the persecution and brutality of the world with praise in their heart? Oswald answers this question confidently. "One of the most amazing revelations of God comes to us when we learn that it is in the everyday things of life that we realize the magnificent deity of Jesus Christ."

Paul and Silas did not wait until the day of adversity to turn to God. Their hearts were bound to the Lord through prior day to day experience. In other words, the Lord was intimate with them in the "everyday things of life," and therefore established a foundation of trust and dependency a tornado would be unable to unearth: in Paul and Silas' case not even a violent earthquake,(Acts 16:26NIV).

So much could be said about this passage of scripture: the fact the Christians were awake in the dark and unafraid, while the jailer slept and woke terrified. How the other prisoners were listening to Paul and Silas. The word listening implies they were paying attention to what they were saying. Perhaps the earthquake was not brought about by God, but rather the prayers of righteous men of incredible faith. After all, the faith of a mustard seed can move a mountain.

Of all the points that can be made in this narration--and there are more--the witness of Paul and Silas to the prisoners and jailer stand out the most. For this is why the gospel is preached, to testify of the Lord Jesus Christ and bring others to salvation.

Two men shook the earth with their praise, hearts were moved and those bound by despair found their chains broken. Paul and Silas did not despair when life got stormy. They didn't cover their heads in ash and wail about the wind. No, Paul and Silas took note of the wind and spread their arms wide in praise. In so doing they soared upon the grace of God while those around them watched in awe.