Quiet Rest in God
Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. Psalm 57:1.
I am so sorry that men who want to be obedient to God put so much confidence in human sympathy and human help which disappoint so often. But God, the living God, is unchangeable. He is the same kind, tender, pitiful, loving Saviour today, yesterday, and forever. Satan is now working with all his might, and leaving no means untried to unsettle minds because they see men of long experience make mistakes. But Jesus is faultless. . . . Make God your entire trust. Pray, pray, pray, pray in faith. Then trust the keeping of your soul to God. He will keep that which is committed to Him against that day. . . . Walk humbly with God. The Lord sees every sorrow, every grief, every trial that besets the human soul, and He knows how to apply the balm. . . .
In God you can do valiantly. Tell it to the Lord in prayer, talk it to the Lord by the way. “Thee I seek; Thee I will follow; Thee I will serve. Under the shadow of Thy wings will I abide. Command me as Thou wilt; I will obey Thy voice.” Yield always to the heavenly guidance. When trials come, possess your soul in patience. Wait on the Lord and have one purpose in view, to seek the eternal good of all those with whom you are connected, holding fast your integrity in the strength of your God. He will redeem His promise. Your bread shall be provided; your water shall be sure. This means not only temporal bread and water but the bread and water of eternal life.
Stand in God. Work under the sweet influence of His grace. The truth of God sanctifying the heart of the believer guides his life. We may stand firmly and assuredly. If you make the face of clay your dependence you lean on a reed that has oft broken in your hand and will break. Trust fully, unwaveringly, in God. He is the wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. We may keep the conscience unsullied and in peace and quiet rest in God.
That I May Know Him p. 268
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Prayer Requests
—–Please pray for Deedee. Pray God will touch her with his healing hand and heal her of the ulcer and pancreatitis. [see below] Fran
“I had to have outpatient surgery yesterday so the doctors could put in a venous port, so that they could access a vein for blood test and IVs. It went well. They also did an endoscopy and found that I had another ulcer. the doctor said it was a really big on in the stomach. He gave me a medication so it will hopefully heal up quickly. He said that I would need another endoscopy in 1-3 mos to find out if it was healing. He also said it was located in exactly the spot that I have been having constant pain and the pancreatitis is still inflamed…hasn’t healed up since I was in the hospital in July. My white blood cell count isn’t quite normal yet but much better than it was in July. Deedee
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Dear Friends
When Esther was barely a teenager, a friend became jealous and spread false rumors about her. Sadly, this friend told these rumors to certain adults, who believed her as they felt she would never tell an untruth. So, rather than finding out if these things were true, these rumors were told and retold and grew worse with the telling until they were so outlandish that it is a wonder that anyone could have believed them. This one act of this girl has caused Esther (and the rest of us) many years of heartache.
Five or six years later, this girl repented of her rumor-making and tried to set the record straight. To her dismay, no one would believe her. The rumors just kept circulating. The gossip kept on growing with the telling. Of course, Esther forgave her freely and they still stay in contact as their busy schedules permit.
How often we, too, are dealt with unfairly by those around us. How many times, others gossip behind our back. With the telling the story grows bigger and we find ourselves isolated by our former friends. We feel alone and friendless and have no one to turn to. Praise God! We have the assurance that we have a Friend “that sticketh closer than a brother.” Prov 18:24 We have Someone Who will never forsake us. He promises, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. ” Heb 13:5; Jer 29:11
When ridiculed and misused, we can remember that there is One Who sees it all. There is One Who does not believe rumors and gossip. He has promised, “I will contend with him that contendeth with thee,” Isa 49:25 We have the assurance that in some way our Dear Father in Heaven will cause those who persist in doing us harm to go through a similar experience that they may repent. Ultimately, if those who are against us do not repent but continue in their sin, they will be destroyed. “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.” Mal 4:1
In view of this, how fervently we should pray for our enemies. How carefully we should try to bring about reconciliation. Jesus commands us, “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” Matt 5:23,24 How His Great Heart of Love yearns for us to live in harmony and peace. How greatly He desires for us to treat others as we would want to be treated. (Matt 7:12)
May we cast all of our cares upon Jesus. (1 Peter 5:7) May we, no matter what our trials, commit all to His care relying upon our Righteous Judge to make all things right. (Romans 8:28) May we pray for those who injure us, as Our Dear Saviour bids us, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Matt 5:44
Rose