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“Some wandered in desert wastelands,
. . . hungry and thirsty,
and their lives ebbed away.
Then they cried out to the Lord . . .
and he delivered them . . .
Let them give thanks to the Lord . . .
for he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things” (Psalm 107:4-9).
Fear clinches her stomach. Emptiness rises like bile to burn in her chest. She staggers through weeks and months as if trudging across endless sand dunes. Daily stress rises to sear her skin like desert sun rays. As she parts her lips, the dry world of her wasteland burns into her throat. With a gasping plea, she at last musters a simple prayer. Help me, Lord.
The blaze persists. Dunes still overwhelm the view. Yet, her escape has begun.
She wriggles outstretched fingers toward the sand-walled horizon, anticipating mist from an unseen waterfall. With a dry, cracked hand, she picks up a branch for a staff. Peace floods into her spirit, soothing away the thirst of emptiness and fear. Her pace quickens. She might not sprint, but she now marches. To the streams she knows from within her. Where answered prayers have begun to lead her onward.
Ever felt lost in the wasteland? Hunger and thirst roil from physical needs, spiritual angst, or both. From health problems or financial devastation to inner storms of depression and stress, life can leave us feeling stranded in a desert-like existence. When despair overwhelms us, we recognize our inability to escape on our own strength. We can either succumb to its ravages or cry to the Lord for help.
A heartfelt prayer, no matter how simple or weak, vaults to heaven. God hears. And the escape begins.
The wasteland will not vanish in a moment, but you will gain resources to sustain you. Peace and hope nourish the soul, equipping you to march toward something beyond your view. A fresh draft of God-supplied faith empowers you to take the next steps. The cross beam becomes a staff to steady you on the way to fulfilled hope. God’s answer to your prayer for rescue has come, even as you await the answer of full deliverance.
Our miraculous answer to prayer is thriving, not only after our deliverance from the wasteland, but also during the journey of our escape.
What’s your miraculous answer to prayer today?
“Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe” (Psalm 107:2).
Facebook overflows with national headlines about politics and tragedies. Celebrity quotes buzz from Twitter as if it were a beaten wasp nest. Instagram, Periscope, and Pinterest offer the newest trends and latest tips on how-to anything. Blogs on every subject abound. I’ve shuffled through Books-a-Million’s vast aisles, wondering how many e-books exist for each tome on their shelves.
The overwhelming volume of written messages can bog the motivation of writers like me. Has it all been said? Maybe my time would be better spent folding laundry–again. At least my lips can be put to better use eating chocolate. After all, what words can I offer a world inundated by stories?
Scripture insists the world needs critical stories which I alone can share–my stories. Jesus redeemed me. The Lord crafted me as a vessel for a specific message to be poured out into a thirsty world. No matter how many books, blogs, or tweets flood the media, His words remain significant.Christ’s transforming breath deserves sharing. I must not prioritize laundry, chocolates, or statistics ahead of those still needing His rescue.
Telling my personal tales scares me a bit. I never feared speaking before hundreds, but was terrified the first time I shared my redemption story before dozens. Even if I weren’t a blogger, writer, or speaker, the Lord would still call me to share His effect on my life with others.
We’re all vessels, crafted with a unique God story. Each testimony carries a critical taste of antidote for the world’s terminal illness. Someone needs your message. A neighbor. Blog readers halfway across the world. Only God knows whether your outpoured life brings His rescue to one or to many. Either way, it’s certainly worth saving them.
Start where you are. With those in your immediate community. Include His praises in conversation. Pray for the Lord to create opportunities and guide you to share more.
We each have inspiration which no one else can offer. Let’s encourage one another, and refuse to be stingy with our stories. Please comment about the Lord’s impact on others through you (past, present, and upcoming). I look forward to reading your testimonies!
“ I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord” (1 Samuel 1:27-28).
Hannah endured years of endless persecution. She faced it while cooking. The torment followed her into the marketplace. She could not escape it at night. The bully, you see, lived in her home. And shared her husband’s bed.
Neighbors stopped whispering when she approached. They didn’t use the “cursed” or “barren” words to her face like Peninah. Other women turned away from her on the street, shunned her at parties, or gave her a sideways glance with raised chins–the look.
One night, her gut soured from years of abuse, Hannah broke. She ran to the Lord and prayed with all her heart and soul. Her childless womb ached for life. Even more desperately, her soul yearned for a touch from the Lord. To know that her cry mattered to God would redefine her identity from “cursed” to “favored.”
The Author of Life showed up and showed off, as is often His glorious style. He blessed Hannah with an extraordinary son, who would become the nation’s last judge and prophet to its first two kings. Before launching into his destiny, his mother had to do something quite extraordinary herself. She had to surrender her most precious blessing. After sacrificing a valuable bull, Hannah returned the answer to her most heartfelt prayer back to God.
Yesterday, I learned both my sons will leave for college in a few weeks. Like Hannah, my arms will soon be emptied of children. I’m listening to them play the guitar and sing together as I write this post, wishing I could preserve the moment. Such times cannot be held in our fingers, and attempts to protect a blessing will rob it of its most beautiful potential.
Hannah shares the secret of optimizing our blessings by releasing them back to the Lord. When we first receive an answer to prayer, our natural response is to embrace it. Clutch that treasure to our chests and never let go. Faith in the awesome goodness of God empowers us to act against our nature. Because we know and trust Him, we can respond to His blessings in the most unexpected way imaginable and give them back.
There’s no more lucrative investment than placing my treasure in God’s hands. I can’t bring better results than Jesus. He alone can make springs from rocks and evangelists from brawling fishermen.So, I choose to lift my sons up to the Lord and let them go.
I look forward to seeing the glorious work God crafts with my surrendered blessings. Come do it again, Jesus. I love when You show up and show off.
“Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5).
Magical characters reach from movie screens and beckon me into their world. Theme parks offer fresh visits to childlike wonder. Incredible masterpieces fill museum halls and garden paths. I relish each chance to drink in the inspiration of imagination.
The Father molded each of us in His image. He crafted unique works of art, kissing individual personalities with a different spritz of His creative sparkle. In a delightful chat with a 72 year old Christ-sister yesterday, we explored our different means of reflecting God’s ingenuity. When I shared my work as a writer, she first defined herself as devoid of creativity. Yet, as we talked, her amazing talents with children shone (along with other strengths) as brilliant examples of imaginative gifts. The Lord engineered our differences to glimmer in harmonizing shades as part of His glorious design.
Imagination inspires, motivates, uplifts–a fantastic blessing. My coaching and writing professions require consistent supply of this priceless resource. I cannot inspire unless I drink copious doses of inspiration. My incessant thirst deems me ever thankful for each sip of creative fuel.
While magnificent, imagination fails to bless us as an end unto itself. Creativity must encourage the soul to seek something greater. Inspiration toward anything less than true hope leaves us empty. Our sparkling kisses of ingenuity must reflect the Father’s love to others. Each imaginative work which honors His touch will transform others’ souls.
In the midst of a bleak, discouraging world, we need splashes of inspiration more than ever. God designed us to “poke holes in the darkness until light bleeds through,” as Margaret Feinberg so eloquently put it. Hope must radiate from the edges of all our creative endeavors. Imagination glimmers with us on earth for a season, a beautiful tool to point others toward eternal hope.
What creative works will God use from your spiritual and natural gifts to offer hope? Comment and share with all of us, so we can inspire one another to persevere in His work of providing hope.
“May we shout for joy over your victory
and lift up our banners in the name of our God” (Psalm 20:5).
Get your sparklers ready. Chill the watermelon. Pack those coolers with bubbly sodas. And bring copious amounts of apple pie.
We’ve got a holiday to get on here.
Whether we gather for a picnic at the park, gnosh with neighbors around a barbeque pit, or splash it up on the shore, we need to take time to celebrate. Whoop it up and show gratitude for the blessings glimmering around us in this magnificent nation.
Some might doubt the validity of celebrating right now. How can we shout hurrah while cancer ravages our friends, terrorism razes across the earth, and children suffer unspeakable abuse? Why celebrate a country with so many glaring flaws?
The woes of civilization are not as new as they might seem. Evil has prowled and victimized the world since the first bite of sin entered the scene. Throughout Biblical history, we see patterns of violence, corruption, and affliction involving both perpetrators and victims. Brokenness fills the pages of both Old and New Testaments.
Commands to rejoice pervade Scripture despite evil’s persistent attempts to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). Levitical law required Israelites to observe the feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Pentacost, Trumpets, Yom Kippur, and Tabernacles (See Leviticus 23). God carved celebration into his covenant relationship with His people. He designated time to turn their attention from the brokenness of the world to focus on His love. In offerings of praise, we recognize that in the midst of this earthly mess, God still demonstrates His love to us. We draw near to our Father when we appreciate His gifts.
Christ attended feasts and weddings, dinners and parties. He bonded with His beloved followers and forged new relationships with the lost. As Jesus approached the time of His crucifixion, He promised an indwelling joy to the disciples, “Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy” (John 16:22). Though the apostles faced horrific persecution and martyrdom, this unquenchable joy emanated from the Lord’s loving, sustaining,and eternal presence with them. Paul offered repeated urges to rejoice throughout his letters to the scattered Christians, and Peter also echoed Jesus’ encouragement, “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials” (1 Peter 1:6).
Another question stands before us. Why should we allow evil to steal our appreciation for the love God demonstrates to us? We can offer thanks for the liberties we enjoy in our nation, the availability of clean water, and our current ability to congregate in Jesus’ name. We can recognize blessings in those living and those whose lives have enriched us in times past.
If you struggle to identify positives, imagine all vanishing. List thankfully the elements you’d want to reappear. Moving lips, pinky toes, breath, etc. Small things grow more significant when we consider losing them.
Above all, let’s thank God for the ultimate freedom. Wave our sparklers and banners in celebration of our eternal hope. Whoop in the joy of salvation. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1). Hurrah!
And don’t forget to bring the ice cream.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).
“Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him” (Psalm 34:8).
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philppians 4:4).
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