Drinking From The Cup

I read this from Streams In The Desert today (July 19 reading - yes, I’m a day behind :)). Anyhow - be encouraged if you are drinking a cup of suffering and trials or are discouraged in any way right now. May the strength of the Lord and His steadfast, overcoming Spirit help you stand firm in Him today. Blessings and love, Catherine

Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me ? (John 18:11)

To “drink the cup” was a greater thing than calming the seas or raising the dead. The prophets and apostles could do amazing miracles, but they did not always do the will of God and thereby suffered as a result. Doing God’s will and thus experiencing suffering is still the highest form of faith, and the most glorious Christian achievement.
Having your brightest aspirations as a young person forever crushed; bearing burdens daily that are always difficult, and never seeing relief; finding yourself worn down by poverty while simply desiring to do good for others and provide a comfortable living for those you love; being shackled by an incurable physical disability; being completely alone, separated from all those you love, to face the trauma of life alone; yet in all these, still being able to say through such a difficult school of discipline, “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” —this is faith at its highest, and spiritual success at its crowning point.
Great faith is exhibited not so much in doing as in suffering. Charles Parkhurst
In order to have a sympathetic God, we must have a suffering Savior, for true sympathy comes from understanding another person’s hurt by suffering the same affliction. Therefore we cannot help others who suffer without paying a price ourselves, because afflictions are the cost we pay for our ability to sympathize. Those who wish to help others must first suffer. If we wish to rescue others, we must be willing to face the cross; experiencing the greatest happiness in life through ministering to others is impossible without drinking the cup Jesus drank and without submitting to the baptism He endured.
The most comforting of David’s psalms were squeezed from his life by suffering, and if Paul had not been given “a thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor. 12:7 KJV), we would have missed much of the heartbeat of tenderness that resonates through so many of his letters.
If you have surrendered yourself to Christ, your present circumstances that seem to be pressing so hard against you are the perfect tool in the Father’s hand to chisel you into shape for eternity. So trust Him and never push away the instrument He is using, or you will miss the result of His work in your life.

Strange and difficult indeed
We may find it,
But the blessing that we need
Is behind it.

The school of suffering graduates exceptional scholars.

Day 65: Jesus, You Perfect My Faith

Have you ever wondered about God’s purposes in the midst of a flurry of fiery trials? I’m about six months into my “Jesus Year.” The last six months have been some of the most difficult days I’ve endured. Today in my quiet time, the Lord took me to Hebrews 12:2 and showed me that He not only authors my faith, He perfects it. The word for “perfect” here is teleiotes from teleios and is “one who brings something through to the goal so as to win and receive the prize.” I love this picture of Jesus as my champion who enables me to win.

So how is our faith perfected? I believe we are best brought to a winning faith through suffering (see Hebrews 2:9-10). In the darkness of trials, we learn to look to the Lord, grab hold of His promises, and live in the light of His Word. Then, we practice that “hope against hope” kind of faith known to Abraham (see Romans 4), the ability to walk with an eternal perspective in the temporal storms of life. We live out the truth of Romans 15:4, persevering and hoping in the encouragement of one verse of Scripture after another. We exercise faith, believing that “He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

Mrs. Charles Cowman in Streams In The Desert quotes from Spurgeon today: “Faith is the telegraphic wire which links earth to Heaven, on which God’s messages of love fly so fast that before we call He answers, and while we are yet speaking He hears us…Am I in trouble? I can obtain help for trouble by faith. Am I beaten about by the enemy? My soul on her dear Refuge leans by faith…” Mrs. Cowman continues: “Faith honors God; God honors faith.”

Today I choose faith—the kind of faith that stands resolutely strong in God’s promises. I want to always honor God and trust in the dark what the Lord has shown me over so many precious years of walking with Him—finding the promise, embracing the promise, trusting the promise, and living the promise. May we all experience the magnificence of walking by faith with the God who cares and finding hope when we need it most.

My Response: Lord Jesus, I bring to You today those things that weigh heaviest on my heart—especially the illnesses of loved ones. I pray for Your healing touch in their lives. Will you comfort and bless us with Your extravagant grace. I trust You as not only the author, but the perfecter of my faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Day 64: That Was You Lord, Wasn’t It!

Well, the Lord did it again! He gave me another one of those aha moments - a moment etched in time that was clearly from Him. A couple of days ago, in the midst of some fiery trials - and when I say “some” I am saying that when it rained it was pouring - the Lord brought a passage of Scripture to mind. He does this often, but His timing couldn’t have been more perfect. My faith was challenged on every front and I was praying “Lord help my unbelief.” In those moments, He brought Abraham to mind and specifically Romans 4:18 “In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken.” When those words came to my mind, I turned to my Bible and read them again and again. I said, “Lord, that’s what I need - a hope against hope belief!” Yesterday, I looked up Romans 4:18 in numerous translations and paraphrases. They were all good - especially the Message, Williams, and Phillips.

The Message reads like this: “When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn’t do but on what God said he would do. And so he was made father of a multitude of peoples.” I like that because sometimes everything seems hopeless and there doesn’t appear to be a way out. We are weak and inadequate for the mountain of obstacles. But no mountain is too great for God. Where do we find such hope and promise? In God’s Word. We must look not at the mountain but at our Maker - He is majestic and great and glorious - more than enough for the mountain. He always has a way - either He moves the mountain or takes us through (up and over it). Then, I liked Phillips - “Abraham, when hope was dead within him, went on hoping in faith, believing that he would become ‘the father of many nations.’ He relied on the word of God…” Here we see the secret - relying on the word of God - that’s the secret to “hoping in faith”. And then, the Williams Translation: “Abraham, building on hope in spite of hopeless circumstances, had faith, and so he actually became the father of many nations, just as it had been told him.” I like these words, because in them I am helped to understand that our faith has BIG results - the fruition of the promise from God in our lives. BIG promises require BIG faith. Hold to the promises of God, dear friend. Build on them and you will see something great and mighty happen as a result.

Well, my God moment didn’t stop there. This morning, I opened Streams In The Desert, and what verse do you think was the subject of the whole devotional? You guessed it - Romans 4:18. I thought, “Lord, really! Okay, I am just blown away now. It’s You Lord, isn’t it!!!” So, I turned to Romans 4:18 and read it again, preparing for what I would read in Streams.” Today’s devotion began with a story about a man that came to George Mueller and asked him about the best way to have strong faith. Here was Mueller’s response: “The only way,” replied Mueller, “to learn strong faith is to endure great trials. I have learned my faith by standing firm amid severe testings.” “Great faith must have great trials” - this is something a person can only learn in the school of faith. As I read Mrs. Charles Cowman’s words (author of Streams In The Desert), I realized, “The Lord has me in His school of faith. He is training my faith.” When Abraham believed with a “hope against hope” kind of faith, he became the father of many nations. God’s BIG plan required a BIG faith and “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6).

So, here’s the encouragement - if we are going through a fiery trial, then our circumstance, whatever it may be, requires a firm faith, and will result in fantastic fruit! Hold to God’s firm foundations, stand on those promises, build your life on them, and you will never be disappointed.

My Response: Lord, I’m holding my hands in the air to You, offering up a bouquet of thanksgiving and worship today. Thank you for Your steadfast encouragement personally to me. And thank You for teaching me in the school of faith. Strengthen my faith today Lord and give me an Abraham kind of faith - a hope against hope belief. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Day 63: Jesus, You Are…

Have you ever been in the deep waters of a trial? It’s that place where David was when he experienced the rescue of his life. God “reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters” (Psalm 18:16). Your heart is broken and your soul is crushed. Perhaps you are even stuck in the miry clay of the 3 H’s – hapless, helpless, and hopeless. Stuck and paralyzed, what can you do? Today, I want to humbly invite you to do what I am doing: Lean in to the arms of Jesus and focus on the wonder of the eternal “I AM”. Jesus is ego eimi – 17 times He is identified with that name, ego eimi, in the gospel of John. When Jesus made this claim – to be the ego eimi – the religious leaders wanted to stone Him (John 8:58). Why? Because He was claiming to be the eternal I AM, Yahweh, the One who is everything you need for every circumstance of life. In those deep waters, He is the only One you can run to, rest in, and find refuge. David experienced a rescue and my prayer for us is that same great rescue, for He is our God of deliverances, and He accomplishes great things on our behalf. David said, “He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me” (Psalm 18:19). Take heart and be comforted, any who are experiencing a great trial. The Lord will accomplish all that concerns you (Psalm 138:8) and your times are in His hands (Psalm 31:15).

My Response: Lord Jesus, today I rest in Your wondrous promise. You are the eternal I AM – everything I need for every circumstance of life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Day 62: Jesus, You Are My Light

Do you feel as though you are living in the shadow of a trial just now? Perhaps you are waiting for test results from a doctor. And you are battling fear and worry at the possible outcomes. Or maybe your job or home life is in a season of difficulty or you are working through a relationship with a difficult person. Whatever your adversity, you may feel a cloud of darkness hanging over you. I want to encourage you to follow the admonition from Helen Lemmel in her great hymn, and turn your eyes upon Jesus. The words of her song were inspired by a little gospel tract entitled Focus, written by Lilias Trotter, one of my very favorite women of God. In that tract, Lilias Trotter says, “So then, turn your eyes upon Him, look full into His face and you will find that the things of earth will acquire a strange new dimness.”

When we turn our eyes upon Jesus, we step into His light. David said, “O LORD, You are my lamp. The LORD lights up my darkness” (2 Samuel 22:29). Jesus is our light. And when we turn our eyes to Him, somehow our trial takes on a new appearance. The darkness of it takes on new shades, for the Lord’s brightness overpowers every shadow. How can you step into the light of Jesus and turn your eyes to Him? Grab His Book, the Bible, and open to the Gospels. Live in every word, paragraph, and chapter. Write out what you learn about who Jesus is, what He does, and what He says. Then personalize the words, realizing He means them for you. He wants YOU to follow Him and He will show YOU how to fish for people (Matthew 4:19). He is asking YOU to abide in Him (John 15). He calls YOU His friend (John 15:15-17). He doesn’t want YOUR heart to be troubled and wants YOU to trust in Him (John 14:1).

Run your race well, dear friend, in the light of Jesus. You have a great cloud of witnesses surrounding you, as the writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 12:1. Keep your eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects your faith. He will help you stay on the path in this present darkness and bring you to the other side of your adversity. Always remember—EOJ—Eyes on Jesus!

My Response: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your light. You are my lamp and illumine every darkness. My eyes are on You as You lead me in my life today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Day 61: Jesus, You Want Me To Trust You

What does trust cost? Think about it – what could it possibly hurt to trust the Lord? The alternative is worry, anxiety, and holding on to all the fantasy lifelines powerless to save. Trust is total reliance under stress and trial. And I am resolute to live a boundless trust in God. The Lord Jesus wants my great trust. Isaiah 50:10 says, “If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the LORD and rely on your God.” Oh yes, He expects me to trust in Him. But I find this trust not easy to maintain when the waves are turbulent, rising above my head. The psalmist knew storm fear when he said, “I hear the tumult of the raging seas as Your waves and surging tides sweep over me” (Psalm 42:7). Then, he continues with a very important conjunction word that carries us into TRUST. He says, “But each day the LORD pours His unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing His songs, praying to God who gives me life.” Ah, there it is – the prescription for worry when the storm tide rises. Prayer. Unceasing, relentless prayer is our great expression of trust. Just keep walking and talking with God, no matter what. Even if I don’t feel God’s Presence – pray. Even if I think my prayers are bouncing off the ceiling – pray. I’m beginning a 30-day journey right now with many others in Passionate Prayer (see the Passionate Prayer blog I’ve set up for the journey – join us!!). And I am excited. I need this journey of prayer. And I can’t wait to see what He is going to teach me. Bring it on, Lord. Teach me to pray.

My Response: Lord Jesus, teach me to pray during these next 30 days. I can’t wait to learn from You. And I’m excited to share this experience with many others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Day 60: Jesus, You Are First

What can we do when a thousand things are tugging us in a thousand different directions? Focus on the One – Jesus – He is First. The theological term God gives us is “supremacy” or “pre-eminence” meaning “first place”. Jesus has first place in everything. Paul tells us in Colossians 1:17-18 that He is before all things, in him all things hold together, and in everything he has “supremacy.” No wonder the author of Hebrews tells us that when we run with perseverance the race marked out for us, we need to “fix our eyes on Jesus.” Focus on the One who has first place in everything. He will take you across the finish line. He’s already there and is the One who overcomes everything. So today, as we go about our day, let us fix our eyes on the One and Only, who is full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

My Response: Lord Jesus, remind me today of Your supremacy, and help me have a single eye, fixed only on You. I commit (roll on to You) all the other thousands of things, and trust You to carry out Your plans and purposes in my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Day 59: Jesus, You Give Rest For My Soul

Could your soul use a good vacation? Jesus invites us to a vacation for the soul when He says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-30). Why do we need this kind of rest? Because every day we are bombarded with a thousand small and large challenges requiring decisions, action, and yes, sometimes even a momentary flash of brilliance. How can we manage such life? Should we just get smarter and faster to handle everything? Jesus gives us the opposite encouragement when He says, “Abide in Me” (John 15:1-11) and “Come to Me” and “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me” (Matthew 11:28-30). Granted, these exhortations do require a certain action on our part. But they are actions to give it all over to Jesus—to hand the reigns of our life, our daily activities, over to Him and learn how He does it. In fact, ultimately we learn to let Him do it all in and through us. And what do we get in return? Rest for our souls. And the indescribable enjoyment of Jesus.

Andrew Murray, in his book, Abide In Christ, describes Jesus’ invitation in Matthew 11:28-30 as an invitation to become His students, yield ourselves to His training, submit in all things to His will, and let our whole life be one with His. He goes on to say that rest for the soul is “deliverance from every fear, the supply of every need, and the fulfillment of every desire…the rest is in Christ, and it is not something He gives apart from Himself, and so it is only in having Him that the rest can really be kept and enjoyed…the yoke gives the rest, because the moment the soul yields itself to obey, the Lord Himself gives the strength and the joy to do it…The soul needs only to yield itself to Him, to be still and rest in the confidence that His love has undertaken, and that His faithfulness will perform, the work of keeping it safe in the shelter of His bosom.” Finally, (and this is my favorite part), Andrew Murray says that rest for the soul is “the peace of God, the great calm of the eternal world, that passes all understanding and that keeps the heart and mind. With this grace secured, we have strength for every duty, courage for every struggle, a blessing in every cross, and the joy of life eternal in death itself.”

I especially love reading Jesus’ invitation in the Message: “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly” (Matthew 11:28-30 MSG). Who could ever turn down such an amazing invitation!

As I think about abiding in Christ today, I want to keep in the forefront of my mind, that taking time and energy to abide in Him, to come to Him, to keep my eyes fixed on Him, gains me everything I want and need—heart renewal and revival, an unlimited supply of strength and power, and ultimately, Christ Himself!

My Response: Lord Jesus, I come to You today for everything and I’m reminded that apart from You I can do nothing. Fill me with Your Spirit today and give me what I really need—rest for my soul. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Day 58: Jesus, You Direct My Steps

When you need an anchor to secure your heart and bring peace to your soul, remember that the Lord directs your steps. David discovered this powerful truth and found rest in the midst of life’s storms: “The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand” (Psalm 37:23-24). When the Lord is present, you can count on His guidance, joy, and strength. Then, even if the rain begins to fall, there are no worries for you. He will take you to the next place in your journey with Him in spite of the tempest of the waves. These words by Annie Johnson Flint are some of my favorites – Enjoy!

“I stood on the shore beside the sea;
The wind from the West blew fresh and free,
While past the rocks at the harbor’s mouth
The ships went North, and the ships went South,
And some sailed out on an unknown quest,
And some sailed into the harbor’s rest;
Yet ever the wind blew out of the West.

I said to one who had sailed the sea
That this was a marvel unto me;
For how can the ships go safely forth,
Some to the South and some to the North,
Far out to sea on their golden quest,
Or in to the harbor’s calm and rest,
And ever the wind blew out of the West?

The sailor smiled as he answered me,
‘Go where you will when you’re on the sea,
Though head winds baffle and flaws delay,
You can keep the course by night and day,
Drive with the breeze or against the gale;
It will not matter what winds prevail,
For all depends on the set of the sail.’

Voyager soul on the sea of life,
O’er waves of sorrow and sin and strife,
When fogs bewilder and foes betray,
Steer straight on your course from day to day;
Though unseen currents run deep and swift,
Where rocks are hidden and sandbars shift,
All helpless and aimless, you need not drift.

Oh, set your sail to the heavenly gale,
And then, no matter what winds prevail,
No reef shall wreck you, no calm delay,
No mist shall hinder, no storm shall stay;
Though far you wander and long you roam,
Though salt sea-spray and o’er white sea-foam,
No wind that can blow but shall speed you home.”

My Response: Lord Jesus, thank You for directing my steps today, delighting in every detail of my life, and holding my hand along the way. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Day 57: Jesus, You Do Everything Well

Do you ever find your trust in the Lord wavering with the tide of your circumstances? And then, your need for control kicks in and you fall into full-blown worry? Think about the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:25-33. Again and again, He says “Do not worry…” He says, “Look at the birds…your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?…See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.” When the people watched Jesus in action, effectively turning lives upside down as He healed and taught, they were “overwhelmed with amazement” and said, “He has done everything well.”

I recently read a little story in Streams In The Desert about two monks who each planted a tree. One monk told the Lord exactly how to take care of it, asking for each provision—first rain for growth, then sun, and finally frost to hopefully make it stronger. Well, at the end of all the monk’s constant control, the tree died one evening. The monk sought the advice of another monk, and shared his strange experience. His friend replied, “I, too, planted a little tree, and see! It thrives well. But I entrust my tree to God. He who made it knows better what it needs than a man like me. I laid no condition. I fixed not ways or means. I prayed Lord, send what it needs—storm or sunshine, wind, rain, or frost. Thou hast made it and Thou dost know.”

As I think about that little story, I realize that many times I am like the first monk, laying out exactly what I think is the best way for the Lord to accomplish His plan and purpose. In quiet time, He helps shift my focus away from circumstances and control, to dependence on Him and eyes fixed on Him. The Holy Spirit knows exactly where I need help and He faithfully and daily, moment by moment, transforms me into a woman who trusts Him. But I am definitely in process. For many times, I try to jump into the pilot’s seat, thinking I know best. I love the words of the second monk in the story, when he says, “But I entrust my tree to God. He who made it knows better what it needs than a man like me.” That’s essentially what Peter said, when he exhorted believers to “cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

I often think about a time when Corrie ten Boom enjoyed the hospitality of a friend in a beautiful home. And for a brief moment, she entertained the thought of how wonderful it would be if she could have a home like that. The Lord had called her to travel throughout the world as His spokesman telling all who would listen that “With Jesus, even if the worst happens, the best remains, and His light is brighter than the deepest darkness.” Because of God’s plan for her at that time, she was, as she called herself, “a tramp for the Lord.” And so, in that brief moment, in the comforts of a home, she imagined what it might be like to have earthly security and stay in one place. And then, she caught herself, and turned to what she knew was true and spoke that truth out loud, “Lord, You do everything well.”

Today, I am finding comfort in knowing that the Lord is working out a plan and purpose in my life even if I don’t always understand the finer details of my daily circumstances. I’m going to be like that second monk and “entrust my tree to God.”

Yes, leave it with Him,
The lilies all do,
And they grow-
They grow in the rain,
And they grow in the dew-
Yes, they grow;
They grow in the darkness, all hid in the night-
They grow in the sunshine, revealed by the light-
Still they grow.

Yes, leave it with Him,
‘Tis more dear to His heart,
You will know,
Than the lilies that bloom,
Or the flowers that start
‘Neath the snow;
Whatever you need, if you seek it in prayer,
You can leave it with Him-for you are His care.
You, you know
–Selected from Streams In The Desert

My Response: Lord Jesus, thank You that You do everything well. Today, I cast every care on You and trust You to care for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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