“When someone in a relationship with us does something inexplicable, then what we think about that action depends pretty much entirely on how healthy the relationship is. If we trust him, we assume there’s a good explanation. If we don’t, we don’t.” - Olinger
When God brought judgment on Ahab and Israel in the form of drought and famine, he sent Elijah to a secluded retreat somewhere along the Brook Cherith (1 Kings 17). During this period, God’s care for Elijah reveals an interesting pattern. The details are memorable and exceptional, but the pattern is not.
And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. (ESV, 1 Ki 17:6)
Stay in China. This inexplicable message came from the London Missionary Society (L.M.S.) to Eric Liddell in late February of 1941.1 He, his pregnant wife Flo, and their young two daughters had just evacuated Xiaochang in the Hubei Province to Tianjin on the northern coast. The Japanese army had wrecked havoc on the countryside. Helpless Chinese peasants lay in their wake. Liddell had seen their corpses and rescued a man laying among them who somehow had survived near decapitation. The Japanese soldiers generally left the foreign missionaries alone, but there was no guarantee of their safety.
“If you have had a stable and steady job for 5, 10, or 20 years, it’s easy to get the idea that the job that is what provides for you. No, God provides for you. …You may say—God has provided a small group for me, a dear friend for me, a healthy church for me, a wonderful ministry for me. These are the means of God’s supply.
“It seems in nearly every circle of people I am a part of, there is a palpable anxiousness right now….This is the problem with us as well. Our fears arise when we have forgotten who He is. That He’s so much bigger than whatever is worrying us. We must remind ourselves.” - Diane Heeney
“SBC President J.D. Greear encouraged Christians to relax, demonstrate empathy for others and seek to represent God’s kingdom and not just a political party.” - BPNews
“Last spring, my youngest found me lying in bed when she arrived home from her soccer game: ‘Does your head still hurt really bad, Mom? It’s okay that you missed my game; I have more coming up.
“That God has given His children in Christ some understanding is true, but any such wisdom that we may have is certainly going to wear out if we use it without coming to its Author.” - Paul Henebury
Outside of the day I accepted Christ and the day I said “I do” to my wife, the two most significant and precious days of my life have been the births of my two kids. Watching those helpless babies emerge and holding them in your arms is a truly incredible feeling. I got to watch my wife, who had just endured intense pain in labor, break out in a beautiful and exhausted smile as she got to hold our child. On those days, my joy in the Lord and gratefulness for His love and blessings came easily. I could rejoice in Him as my guide and stay.
