Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 2
Passage of the Day: Genesis 42: 36 [NLT] …
36 Jacob exclaimed, “You have deprived me of my children! Joseph has disappeared, Simeon is gone, and now you want to take Benjamin, too. … Everything is going against me!”
Contextual Reference Passage: … Genesis, Chapter 42 To study this chapter, go to this link -
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Reference Passage: Deuteronomy 31: 8 : [NLT] … {Every been in a place in your life when God just doesn’t seem to be anywhere to be seen, felt, or sensed in any way. Well, not only is He there; but He’s even going on ahead to prepare the way for us.} …
8 “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD is the one who goes before you. He will be with you; He will neither fail you nor forsake you.”
My Journal for Today: Ever been in a place where the world seemed to be caving in all around you. I have; and in times like that, God seems to be NOWHERE in the midst of the circumstances. That’s what old Jacob was feeling in the context of the passage from Genesis 42, which, this morning, helped me to realize a truth that was once taught by the famous Christian apologist, C.S. Lewis, who wrote, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world." [C.S.Lewis, The Problem of Pain (New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1962), p 93.]
Today’s devotional blog I’m using this year, by Oz Hillman, helped me to remember and re-claim a truth, which I’ve copied above from Deut. 31: 8, which is the reality that God is not only in the midst of trials or tough circumstances, He has actually gone ahead of us to use these circumstances for our good. And I’d almost bet that some of you who have a treasure trove of God’s word hidden deeply in your heart have been poked by other New Testament Passages … like Romans 8: 28, 1st Cor. 10: 13, or 2nd Cor. 12: 9. If you don’t know those passages by heart, I’d exhort you to look them up; and ask yourself, as I have this morning, “Do we really believe these biblical truths; and do we live as if they are true?”
I’m afraid I fall short of complete belief and the realization that God is in ALL of my circumstances … yes, even the worst of them. I may not be able to see Him or sense Him in those times; but He’s there nonetheless. And those are the times when, according to C.S. Lewis, God is shouting at me to have faith in His ways of getting me to trust Him and let Him show me the way … HIS WAY. And I’ll also bet a few of you are also thinking of passages like Prov. 3: 5-6 or Isaiah 41: 10, or the one I quoted yesterday in my blog, Phil. 4: 13.
If you’re going through a really tough time right now, God is trying to get us to quit asking, “Why, Lord?” … and to move on by asking “How, Lord?” He wants us to be seeking HOW we can use this tough time, whatever it is, to grow closer to Him and to be able to love Him more deeply than ever. Yes, friend, God is there and He’s even out there, going ahead of us, to pave the way for us to follow Him and grow closer to Him than we’ve ever been before.
My Prayer for Today Lord, … thank You for today’s circumstances. Show me the way … YOUR WAY! … Amen
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