DECEMBER 23, 2023

 “One of the main ways we move from abstract knowledge about God to a personal encounter with him as a living reality is through the furnace of affliction.” 

― Timothy J. Keller, Walking with God through Pain and Suffering

HABAKKUK

17Though the fig tree does not bud

and there are no grapes on the vines,

though the olive crop fails

and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen

and no cattle in the stalls,

18yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

I will be joyful in God my Savior.

19The Sovereign Lord is my strength;

he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,

he enables me to tread on the heights.(3:17-19)

REVELATION 14

There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” 12This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.

13Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

JOURNAL 

A few years back we were coming off of a period in our lives where the where we did not understand what God was doing. Doors closed that seemed like they should open, often it felt like we were headed off a cliff and at times, things seemed so messy and negative that it was hard to find a greater purpose. Reading through Habakkuk I can fully identify with the sentiment of the book. "God what in the world are you doing?" Ultimately God revealed a path that made more sense and helped us understand the years of doubt and uncertainty. 

Following God in the midst of suffering is what produces courage, love, faith and joy. The temptation often is to run from pain and suffering...to avoid them at all cost. Yet doing so will be a path away from God rather than to him.  This is one of the great paradoxes of life...accepting the hard path often produces the greatest rewards. The point though is not to seek the harder path just for the sake of getting a better reward, but seeking God because I believe, love and trust God. 

In the end all things from God will produce a greater work in us, when we follow him in faith, believing that each day, each moment, hold great opportunity and are part of his EPIC story. To fully embrace that we are a critical part of God's plan can turn days and moments that otherwise seem insignificant into EPIC battles and victories for the kingdom. 

12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

ROMANS 12:12-13