Learning to Be Content

Philippians 4:11-13 (CSB)

I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. I know both how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.

The car suddenly stopped moving. It literally stopped in the middle of the road. Not knowing what to do, I called a tow truck to take it to our local mechanic. He informed me the transmission was gone and I needed a new one. It was going to cost a lot of money. Money I did not have. But it was still cheaper than buying a new car, something I also could not afford. Thankfully, God’s people rallied to the cause and helped meet the need. Though I’ve now passed that car on to a church planter, it is still being used for mission work in New England.

Years later, while having dinner with a faithful financial partner to our ministry, my wife and I were stunned when the partner said, “I want to give you the money to buy a brand new car.” A couple of weeks later we drove off the lot with a car that only had 2 miles on it. The only new car we’ve ever had and the one we still drive today. Amazing how God provides.

Old cars. New cars. Old cars with new transmissions. We’ve had them all. In our 26 years of mission work in New England my wife and I have learned, like the Apostle Paul, “how to make do with little, and how to make do with a lot.” God has provided for us time and time again because He is faithful and able to meet all of our needs.

Pastors, church planters, collegiate missionaries and other ministers across New England understand this too, having experienced God’s provision time and time again. God has a way of meeting our needs in any and all circumstances. Both the challenge, and the key, is learning to be content in all circumstances. When we drive car where the new transmission is worth almost as much as the car itself, we rejoice. When we drive a new car off a parking lot that is beyond what we ever dreamed of, we rejoice. In good times and bad, we rejoice because God is working out things in our lives for His glory.

Whatever struggle you are going through, or whatever you are rejoicing in at this moment, must be placed at the feet of the Master. And we must be content that He knows what He is doing in our lives at any given moment.

Lord, help us trust You, in the good times and in the bad, because You are trustworthy. Amen.

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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has been a pastor, author and denominational leader in New England since 1993. He currently serves as the Executive Director of both the Baptist Convention of New England and the Baptist Foundation of New England.

Broken Beyond Healing

Proverbs 29:1 - He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing.

The mother sat in my office with her head hung low. I could barely hear her voice as she shared her story with me. Her son, who had always had a strong rebellious streak, had finally done something bad enough to land him in jail. As a result, he had lost the only good job he had ever had. He had lost custody of his daughter, the one bright spot in his life. His girlfriend was refusing to answer his calls or cooperate with his lawyer to get him out of jail. The mother sobbed "His whole life is ruined and there is no way to fix it."

Though I wish I could have offered some great words of advice that would make all that mother's pain go away, there was little I could do but listen and pray. I had known her son for years. More than once I had deep conversations with him about his life and where it was headed. He was not interested in what some "Bible thumping preacher" had to say. He was not interested in what his mother had to say. He was not interested in what teachers at school had to say. He was going to do what he wanted, when he wanted and how he wanted. And that attitude landed him in jail, jobless, alone and broken.

Several years have passed since that conversation. To the best of my knowledge, he is back in jail again. Still broken, still stubborn, still rebelling against all authority. No amount of rehabilitation, counseling or punitive action seem to impact him. From a human perspective, he is broken beyond healing.

The only thing that can turn his life around would be for him to humble himself before almighty God, repent of his sins and place all his hope on Christ alone. But so far, he does not seem interested in that road to healing. So he struggles on, angry with his situation, blaming others, hating those who he perceives as the cause of his problem. Broken beyond healing.

Though this young man's situation is probably more extreme than most, he represents so many in our culture who are under the sway of the spirit of rebellion. That spirit of rebellion has caused them so much pain but they do not seem capable of turning loose of it. Until they do, they will remain broken beyond healing.

Lord, reveal Yourself in a powerful way to those under the sway of a spirit of rebellion. Bind that spirit and replace it with the overwhelming presence of Your Holy Spirit. Show them healing that only comes in the name of Christ through faith and repentance. Amen.

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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He has written a book about the spirit of offense that prevails in our current society. You can find all of his books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY

Don't Despair - God Has a Plan

Psalm 18:1-3 - I love You, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my mountain where I seek refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.  I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I was saved from my enemies.

All of us could make a list of troubles and difficulties we have experienced in life. We could also give testimony of ways in which God was our refuge in those difficult times. Like David, we can attest that the Lord is worthy to be praised.

But if we keep reading Psalm 18, we see the depths of despair that David went through before the Lord delivered him. David talked about ropes of death wrapped around him and snares of death confronting him. Both of those phrases are powerful visual images of how bad David’s situation was. Most of our problems do not take us to the edge of death and back. But David knew such deep turmoil in his soul because of the range of troubles that he had been through. Perhaps that is why his love for God shone so brightly.

When we go through difficult times we are often tempted to be angry at God for letting us down. According to verse 5, David went through a living hell, yet he did not become bitter or angry. Instead he said God’s way was perfect and that God would make his way perfect too. Difficulties make us bitter or they make us better. If we choose faith in God, we find the strength to go down the path of betterment instead of bitterness.

Though we do not always understand God's plan for our lives, we can rest in the assurance that God does indeed have a plan. God's ways are perfect, and as we learn to love Him more, He can make our ways perfect too. Regardless of what we are facing today, let us choose the path of faith and give praise to a God who has all things under control.

Lord, help the difficulties of our lives make us better, not bitter. Amen.

This post is an excerpt from the book, The Heavenly Mundane: Daily Devotions from Ordinary Experiences. Filled with stories of how God spoke in big ways through small events, the book will encourage people to look for God in the mundane things of life. Great for both personal use and to give as a gift to friend, either the print version or the e-book version may be purchased at this link:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MJ2UE4E

Finding Support in Challenging Times

Proverbs 18:24 - A man with many friends may be harmed, but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother.

When people go through difficult times, they will sometimes say, “I know who my real friends are,” in reference to the people who showed outward support during their trials. Such a comment can also be a backhanded way to express disappointment with those who did not show outward support. In a sense, it is also saying, "I know who are not my real friends."

While there is some truth to this sentiment, we must be careful not to judge people who did not appear to support us the way we wanted them to during troubling times in our lives. Perhaps things were going on in their own lives that kept them from being able to demonstrate support in the way we had hoped. Maybe they did not talk to a friend who was going through cancer treatments because it brought back painful memories of loved ones who suffered terribly from cancer and died in great pain. Maybe they did not call a friend during a divorce because they were still dealing with the pain of their own divorce. We often forget that people around us have their own issues which may keep them from expressing the support we wish they had when we have gone through our own rough times.

Becoming judgmental of them does not help the relationship. If they are indeed our friends, then they are praying for us from a distance. That in itself is huge. When the moment is right, they will express whatever level of support they are able to, even if it is not when and how we had expected. But if we have cut them off already, with some judgmental comment, behavior, or attitude, then we will lose what could have been an important source of support.

Lord, help us to support our friends during their times of trouble, and help us not to misjudge those who do not offer the type of help we expected in our own times of difficulty. Amen.

This post is an excerpt from the book, The Heavenly Mundane: Daily Devotions from Ordinary Experiences. Filled with stories of how God spoke in big ways through small events, the book will encourage people to look for God in the mundane things of life. Great for both personal use and to give as a gift to friend, either the print version or the e-book version may be purchased at this link:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MJ2UE4E

Better Days Are Coming

2 Chronicles 36:23 - This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build Him a temple at Jerusalem in Judah. Whoever among you of His people may go up, and may the Lord his God be with him.

The Old Testament kings of Israel were a mixed group. Though some honored God, most did whatever they wanted to with no regard for how it impacted their relationship with the Lord. Their disregard for the God of their fathers caused tremendous pain not only in their personal lives, but in their nation.

As the story winds down at the end of 2 Chronicles, the entire kingdom collapsed. Jerusalem was destroyed. The people were carried off into exile in distant lands. At first glance, it seemed that all hope was lost and nothing great would ever happen again in Israel. Then we come to the last verse of the story, 2 Chronicles 36:23. In that verse God touched the heart of King Cyrus of Persia, a foreign conqueror who was not a follower of the Jewish faith. King Cyrus passed a decree allowing the Jewish people to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple. This story, so filled with disappointment and failure, ends with a promise of hope.

Life is often like that for us when we allow God to be at work in our lives. We may face many failures, hardships, and difficulties, but when we re-focus on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, we find hope in the midst of despair. Godly hope does not disappoint. It leads to amazing things we never thought possible.

The book of Ezra follows Chronicles. It picks up the story of the Jewish people in exile. In the opening verses we learn that not only were the Jews allowed to return home to rebuild their temple, but that the very kingdom that enslaved them was now going to help pay for the repairs. Though some opposition remained, and many hardships still lay ahead, the tide had clearly turned. They were eventually able to rebuild their temple, which remained intact and functioning for hundreds of years.

Many times in our lives God uses the very thing that looked like it would destroy us as an instrument of blessing to us. Ephesians 3:20 (NAS) reminds us that Christ “is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.” When we are discouraged, we must remember that better days are coming, and they will be more amazing than we could ever imagine.

Lord, when we find ourselves in the midst of despair and our days full of trouble, help us remember that better days are coming. Amen.

This post is an excerpt from the book, The Heavenly Mundane: Daily Devotions from Ordinary Experiences. Filled with stories of how God spoke in big ways through small events, the book will encourage people to look for God in the mundane things of life. Great for both personal use and to give as a gift to friend, either the print version or the e-book version may be purchased at this link:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MJ2UE4E

The God of Angel Armies

2 Kings 6:16-17 - Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us outnumber those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed, “Lord, please open his eyes and let him see.” So the Lord opened the servant’s eyes. He looked and saw that the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Elisha was being pursued by the king of Aram, one of Israel’s long-time enemies. The king was upset because God had been revealing the king’s battle plans to Elisha through supernatural means. Elisha would then tell his own people those plans so they could intervene. The king of Aram sent horses, chariots, and a massive army to surround the city where Elisha lived. The next morning when one of Elisha’s assistants woke up and saw the army, he could not imagine how they would survive the coming attack. Elisha responded by saying, “Those who are with us outnumber those who are with them.” Elisha then asked God to open the eyes of his assistant so that the young man could see the supernatural army of horses and chariots of fire that surrounded Elisha’s position. Then God used a miracle to lead the attacking army away, and as a result, the Arameans stopped raiding the Israelite territory.

Though many centuries have passed since that event took place, God is still doing supernatural events around us. We often get so focused on our problems and difficulties that, like Elisha’s servant, we wonder in despair how we will endure. In those times we need to remember that God has legions of angels at His command. We need to remember that God has never been defeated in all of history. God has a plan and is working that plan out for ultimate good in the universe. We need to remember that God’s forces always outnumber the enemy, and in the end, God’s side always wins. We need our eyes to be opened so that we can see what God is doing around us and take comfort in the power He has at His disposal to do things in ways we never could have dreamed of. Our hearts do not need to be troubled. We need to believe in Jesus and look to Him for our hope!

Lord, help us trust You, even when it seems humanly impossible for our situation to work out well. Amen.

This post is an excerpt from the book, The Heavenly Mundane: Daily Devotions from Ordinary Experiences. Filled with stories of how God spoke in big ways through small events, the book will encourage people to look for God in the mundane things of life. Great for both personal use and to give as a gift to friend, either the print version or the e-book version may be purchased at this link:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MJ2UE4E

The Walking Dead - An Easter Sermon

I had cancer surgery a few weeks ago. By God's grace I am recovering well. I was blessed to preach my first sermon since my surgery yesterday morning for Resurrection Day. Below are the notes from the sermon, which was preached at Faith Fellowship, a church that meets on the campus of the University of Hartford.

Introduction:

•          For years my mother told me our family had this condition called Lynch Syndrome. It is an inherited genetic mutation that makes us more prone to certain kinds of cancer. For years I ignored her, after all, I felt fine. Clearly I did not have cancer.  But finally I went to get tested, assuming everything would come out fine.

•          I remember sitting in the doctor’s office while he was explaining my test results. After he used the word “cancer” half a dozen times, it finally dawned on me what he was saying. I had cancer. It was a life changing moment.

Terry's Colon Cancer

•          The odd thing about cancer is that it starts small. Most people do not even realize it is inside of them. People with early stage cancer just keep living their lives, going to work, loving their families and do not even realize that they are the Walking Dead. But the cancer keeps growing until it eventually causes problems. That is when most people realize it. It is often too late.

•          Thankfully, in my case, my mother and a genetic counselor and the U Conn Colon Cancer Prevention Clinic kept pestering me until I got myself checked out. I really did not like all these people putting their nose in my personal business. And I really did not like all the invasive tests that had to be done to confirm that I had cancer.

•          The surgery to remove my cancer was rough and though I am doing well, I am still limited by certain aspects of my recovery. But I am now CANCER FREE!!!! I am no longer the Walking Dead. I am more fully alive than I have ever been.

What Does All of that Have to Do with Easter?

•          All of us have a deadly cancer growing inside of us. Perhaps not a physical cancer like I had, but a spiritual cancer called sin. It starts small and at first it does not seem to have a negative impact on how we live.

•          Family members, Sunday School teachers, pastors, and friends warn us about it and tell us to deal with it before it gets out of hand. But we typically ignore them because it seems like life is going just fine. We may even be offended that these people put their nose into our personal business. After all who are they to judge us or our behavior?

•          Our sin slowly grows until it begins to cause problems in our lives. That is when we realize we are the Walking Dead.

James 1:14-15 - ¹⁴ But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.¹⁵ Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

•          Each of us desires different things in life. Some of them are good, but some of them are bad.

•          What starts as a bed desire grows into sin. Sin, left unchecked, will eventually destroy us.

•          Sin brings death to relationships. Sin brings death to our hopes and dreams. Sin sometimes brings physical death.

•          But there is a solution to this sin sickness.

1 Timothy 1:15 - This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

•          Jesus came to save sinners. He came to make the Walking Dead fully alive and full of joy.

•          Jesus accomplished this through two aspects of the Easter story.

1 Peter 2:22, 24 - He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. ²⁴ He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 

•          The first part of the Easter story is Jesus dying on the cross.

•          Jesus was sinless, therefore He was pure enough to offer Himself as a sacrifice for us.

•          On the cross all our sins were placed on Jesus. His wounds have the power to heal us of the cancer of sin that is inside us.

•          How do we know He is really powerful enough to cover all our sins?

•          The first part of the Easter story is Jesus dying on the cross. The second part of the Easter story is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. If Jesus can conquer death then He can conquer anything, even our most despicable sins.

Mark 16:1-7 - When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. ² And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. ³ And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” ⁴ And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. ⁵ And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. ⁶ And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. ⁷ But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”

Verse 1 - When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so they could go and anoint Him.

•          In those days they did not have modern embalming methods. The way they prepared a body for burial was to put spices in the cloth that they wrapped the body with.

•          The Jewish faith required them to rest on the Sabbath, so they were not able to care for Jesus’ body until the next day.

Verse 3 - They were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone from the entrance to the tomb for us?”

Terry coming out of Jesus' tomb outside Jerusalem

•          On the way to the tomb to care for Jesus’ body, the ladies discussed how they would move the stone that was across the entrance to the tomb.

•          This stone would have been large enough to cover the entrance way, which would have been about waist high for an adult. It would have been fitted into a slot in the ground that sloped down, making it hard to move.

•          It would have taken quite a force of strong men to open the tomb. There is no way these three ladies were going to be able to do it themselves.

•          The women realized that the stone was a problem to be solved, but they walked by faith toward the tomb anyway.

•          Every one of us has some “stone” we have to overcome in order to believe.

•          But if we do not start toward Jesus, believing that somehow that stone is movable, then we will never find Him.

•          We must stop looking for excuses for not believing, and start trusting God to help us find a way to overcome our doubts.

Verse 4 - Looking up, they observed that the stone—which was very large—had been rolled away.

•          As the ladies neared the tomb, they looked up and saw that stone was already rolled away.

•          If we start toward Jesus, even while we still have questions and doubts, we will find that our stumbling blocks have somehow become stepping stones toward the Savior.

Verse 5 - When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; they were amazed and alarmed.

•          The ladies entered the tomb and saw an angel. The other Gospels tell us there were actually two angels there, but they saw this one first and they were both amazed and alarmed.

•          God often sends us numerous messages to get our attention, but we finally see one and start listening. When we first begin to sense God at work in our lives, we may be both amazed and alarmed. We are amazed because we cannot imagine that we are important enough to God that He actually wanted to do something big for us.

•          We are alarmed because we wonder what God might require of us and what will happen.

Verse 6 - "Don't be alarmed," he told them. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has been resurrected! He is not here! See the place where they put Him.

Terry and Kay inside the actual empty tomb

•          The angel told the ladies not to be alarmed because Jesus was alive and everything was going to be alright.

•          Jesus displayed the ultimate power in the universe when He conquered death. Jesus is no longer in the tomb.

•          Some people say that is narrow minded and arrogant for Christianity to claim to be the only way to God. But Jesus is the only founder of a world religion whose tomb is empty!

•          Though other great religious teachers may have done good deeds and helped others, only Jesus conquered sin and death. Other founders of world religions did their thing, good as it may have been, and then died. Jesus did His thing, died and came back to life!

•          If Jesus has the power to conquer death, he has the power to conquer anything.

Verse 7 - But go, tell His disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see Him there just as He told you.'

•          The angel told the ladies to go and tell the disciples, and Peter, that Jesus was alive.

•          Likewise, we have an obligation to tell the Walking Dead around us that Jesus is alive and that He can make them alive as well.

•          Why would the angel specifically mention Peter?

•          Peter had failed Jesus by denying he knew Jesus, just when Jesus needed him most. The angel wanted the ladies to specifically tell Peter that Jesus was alive so that Peter would realize there was hope for him to correct what he had done wrong.

•          Sometimes we feel like we have let God down so much that we can never make things right with Him. We think our sin cancer is too great for God to fix. But Jesus wants us to know that His power to conquer death also gives Him the power to conquer our sin, no matter how great it is. None of us are so far gone that the One who conquered death cannot transform us from the Walking Dead into the fully alive! We are only hopeless if we refuse to respond to Jesus’s calling to salvation. We are only hopeless if we are determined to remain part of the Walking Dead.

•          If we have not yet made a commitment to Christ, TODAY would be a great day to place our faith in Him.

Dear Lord,

I know I have sinned many times in my life. I realize that sin will one day destroy me. I believe that You died for my sins and rose again to conquer sin in my life. I ask You to forgive me of my sins. I commit to serve You for the rest of my life to the best of my ability. In Your name I pray, Amen.

Conclusion:

•                  The power of the Easter story is that if we will commit ourselves to Jesus, He will change us from the Walking Dead into the fully alive.

•                  The power of the Easter story compels us to share this important truth with those around us so they too can be transformed from the Walking Dead into the fully alive. This is especially important for those who think they are too far gone for Jesus to change.

Victory over Cancer and the Will of God

As my regular readers know, I was recently diagnosed with colon cancer. Since the diagnosis it has been a whirlwind of tests, procedures, and doctor’s appointments that resulted in major surgery, several days in the hospital and now recovery at home. Though there has been pain in the journey, all along the way I have been carried by the peace of Christ and the prayers of the saints of God.

The doctor recently called with some good news. They had sent tissue samples off to a lab for testing after my surgery. All the samples came back clean. The cancer was contained in the colon and did not spread. So when they cut out that part of my colon, they got all the cancer and I am now cancer free. For that I am grateful, and for that God deserves the praise.

The same day that I received the wonderful news that my cancer was gone I also heard some discouraging news that a dear friend’s cancer markers had gone up instead of down. Even as I rejoiced that my own situation was now much better, I wept knowing that hers was getting worse. I asked God why He would let me off so easy but allow Margie to suffer even more. That is a question that often haunts me as I try to minister to people in this sin cursed world.

It may be easy for those who do not know Margie to conclude that I must somehow have more faith, or be more spiritual, or somehow more deserving of a cure from cancer. But those would be wrong conclusions. Margie and her husband served alongside us for many years when we were church planting missionaries in Vermont. The villages we served were similar in size and our sacrifices equal. If anything, she has sacrificed more because I eventually moved to a bigger town and my ministry grew as a result, but she and her husband have remained in a small village sharing the love of Jesus with a fairly unresponsive community. I know Margie and her husband to be people of intense prayer and great faith. They are surrounded by a remarkable prayer team who pray against her cancer regularly. And yet her cancer remains while mine is gone. It is not a matter of one being more spiritual than another or one having greater faith than the others. It is simply a matter of the will of God.

I confess I do not understand the ways of God as He makes His will known to us. I confess I do not always like the way God does things, especially in times like this. But I do trust Him. He knows what He is doing and somehow, all of this pain works out for good to those who love God and are called to His purposes. That includes my dear friend Margie.

Rejoice with me in my victory over cancer. Give praise to God for answered prayer and for His power to overcome anything. Then pray for Margie in her ongoing fight and ask God to help her experience the same victory.

And the next time we see someone struggling more than us in our church or community, we must be careful not to assume they are somehow less spiritual or holy than us. They may be far more intense in their prayer time and level of faith, but for reasons that only God knows and understands, He has allowed them to walk through a trial of fire deeper than us.  They need our support, love and understanding, not our dark thoughts and judgmental attitudes. Let us pray. Let us love each other. Let us wonder in the ways of God and trust Him above all things. Amen.

Even Cancer Can Be Good

I have been blessed to be a fairly healthy person. I rarely have to go to the doctor. I walk a lot. I enjoy hiking the mountain near my home. Many people think I am ten years younger than I really am.

Imagine my shock when I found out I have cancer. Recently I had to go through a battery of medical tests to check out something I thought was minor. When I went back to the doctor to hear all the reports, I assumed he would say everything was fine. When he started talking, somewhere in the conversation he used the "C" word for the first time. As he kept talking, I realized what he had said and stopped him mid-sentence. "Are you saying I have cancer," was my shocked question. "Yes, but we think we caught it in the early stages," was his reply. And suddenly, my whole life changed.

In the two weeks since then, I have been poked, prodded, stuck, and tested more times than the rest of my life combined. I have had to drink nasty stuff to prepare for various procedures, take various medicines, and meet with doctor after doctor after doctor. I have surgery on Friday.

Being a planner who schedules out his life months in advance, this has played havoc with my carefully made plans. I had to cancel my participation in two back to back important conferences and adjust a whole month on the calendar to make time for recovery. Though I have done all that I could to prepare, I am extremely mindful that I am NOT in control of this situation. Which makes the whole experience overwhelming since I like to be in control. But one thing that keeps coming back to me is that God has this whole thing under control. God has not had to cancel any meetings or change any plans because this whole thing was on His schedule since before the foundation of the world.

Everything God does has a purpose and a plan, therefore, I know this is part of that purpose and plan. Romans 8:28 continues to come to mind: "We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose." All things, even cancer, work together for our good if we love God and are following His purposes for our lives.

I do love God, not because I am some super spiritual person, but because God first loved me (Romans 5:8, John 3:16). In God's wonderful grace He called me to Himself (Ephesians 1:4-5, 2 Thessalonians 2:13). How could I do anything but love God back once He opened my eyes to His amazing grace, love, forgiveness and divine plan? Since I love God and am called to His purposes, then God has committed Himself to making sure that everything that happens in my life ultimately works out for good. That brings a lot of comfort and peace into this very chaotic situation. Though there may be pain in the process, ultimately, this will all work out for good. I do not know exactly what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future, so I face Friday, and all that follows, with a confidence that it will be good.

God Has a Plan

In my morning devotions I have been reading the Psalms. Today as I read Psalm 18 I was struck by range of emotions in the Psalm. David writes in verses 1-3:
 
I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
    my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
    my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
    and I am saved from my enemies.

We can almost feel the intense love David has for God. David's love for God and faith in God's power becomes a place for him to find refuge in difficult times.

As 2013 comes to a close, many of us could make a list of troubles and difficulties that we experienced. For those of us who know the Lord, we could also make a list of ways in which God was there for us during those difficult times. Like David we can attest that the Lord is worthy to be praised.

But the Psalms goes on to talk about the depths of despair that David went through before the Lord delivered him. David talks about "ropes of death wrapped around him" (verse 4) and the "snares of death confronting him." Wow. Most of our problems do not take us to the edge of death and back. But David knew such deep turmoil in his soul because of the range of troubles that he had been through. Perhaps that is why his love for God also bloomed so brightly. Those who have been through great difficulties learn the capacity for great love.

When we go through difficult times we are often tempted to be angry at God for letting us down. David went to through a living hell (verse 5) and yet he did not get bitter or angry. Instead he said, "God-His way is perfect" (verse 30) and goes on to say that "God . . . makes my way perfect. (verse 32). Difficulties can make us bitter or they can make us better. Our faith in God is what enables us to go down the path of betterment instead of bitterness.

Though we do not always understand God's plan for our lives, we can rest in the assurance that God does indeed have a plan. God's ways are perfect and as we learn to love Him more, He can make our ways perfect too.

For more devotionals like this one, consider Touching the Footprints of Jesus.