There has been so much encouragement and insight from the Lord in the last couple of weeks. He always brings just the right scriptures and thoughts when I need them. Here are some examples from my daily devotions in light of the recent earthquake in Haiti:
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. — Psalm 46:1 (ESV)
But He allows trouble to pursue us, as though He were indifferent to its overwhelming pressure, so we may be brought to the end of ourselves. Through the trial, we are led to discover the treasure of darkness and the immeasurable wealth of tribulation. — L. B. Cowman, Streams in the Desert, 1/23
A sunset is proof that God colors outside the lines. — Beth Moore, Daniel Study, pg. 186
I thought of Wess Stafford’s book when I read this: “Power is developed through resistance…tribulation is the door to triumph…the steps that lead to thrones are stained with spattered blood, and scars are the price for scepters. We will wrestle our crowns from the giants we conquer…every great book has been written with the author’s blood.” — L. B. Cowman, Streams in the Desert, 1/21
For Compassion Haiti’s office staff: “You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” — 2 Corinthians 3:3
This reminded me of Dan Woolley when I read it: “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. ‘For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel…” — Daniel 6:26-27 (NIV)
Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart — Ecclesiastes 7:3 (NIV)
For Compassion International, and those who have lost loved ones in the Haitian earthquake: “Sorrow, under the power of divine grace, performs various ministries in our lives. Sorrow reveals unknown depths of the soul, and unknown capacities for suffering and service… Sorrow is God’s tool to plow the depths of the soul, that it may yield richer harvests. If humankind were still in a glorified state, having never fallen, then the strong floods of divine joy would be the force God would use to reveal our soul’s capacities. But in a fallen world, sorrow yet with despair removed is the power chosen to reveal us to ourselves. Accordingly, it is sorrow that causes us to take the time to think deeply and seriously…and it makes us willing to set our capacities afloat on a limitless sea of service for God and for others…God never uses anyone to a great degree until He breaks the person completely. Joseph experienced more sorrow than the other sons of Jacob, and it led him into a ministry of food for all the nations.” — L. B. Cowman, Streams in the Desert, 1/20
Sheep Droppings 