Daily Bread for 8-27-10

Hebrews 10:35 – Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens.  Remember the great reward it brings you!  Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God’s will.  Then you will receive all that He has promised.

I have a confession to make that will shock women of all ages, everywhere.  I absolutely hated being engaged.  Isn’t that crazy?  A time when most women are walking ten feet off the ground, I wanted to bury myself six feet under.

Here’s another one, and this one is worse.  I also hated being pregnant.  The only, and I mean only thing I enjoyed about carrying children was feeling them move.  I never understood those women who walked around glowing.

It’s not because I didn’t want to get married or have children.  On the contrary, those are things I’d dreamed of all my life.  Getting married was the second best day of my life.  The best is a tie – April 22nd 2006 and June 19th 2007 – the birth dates of my two precious babies.

It’s because I really don’t like the state of anticipation.  Even when I’m anticipating something exciting.  That state of expecting something…it’s so uncomfortable for me!  Why be engaged for a year?  Can’t we just get married?  Nine months?  I have to wait nine months to meet this little blessing?  Excruciating!

You can image that faith in and of itself presents a challenge for me.  We eagerly await the return of our Lord and Savior, but in the meantime, we must do everything we can to ready the world.  And life can be so difficult.

Disease, accidents, doubt, fear, anxiety, job-loss, divorce, the stock market, drugs, pornography…I’m only scratching the surface of things the enemy lobs at us.  But Scripture tells us to hold on to our faith…no matter what happens. 

In 1 Peter 4:12-13, the apostle encourages the believers, saying, “Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.  Instead, be very glad – because these trials will make you partners with Chris in His suffering, and afterward you will have the wonderful joy of sharing His glory when it is displayed to all the world.”

It’s that wonderful joy that we place our hope in, that we wait for.  Jesus said, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.” We know they’re coming.  Let’s be ever more diligent in our bible study, ever more diligent in our prayer time, ever more diligent in our quiet time with the Lord, so that we’re ready when they do. 

You know how I kept my sanity during my engagement and both pregnancies?  I prepared.  I did everything that I could do to be as ready as I could be when that day came.  And we need to do the same thing in our anticipation of Christ.  Because the end of the story is the best part – “But take heart, because I have overcome the world (John 16:33).”

Dear Heavenly Father, some of us are going through the most awful trials right now.  And some of us are experiencing sorrow so heavy that we can hardly bear it.  Please minister to our hearts, and help us to patiently endure it.  Please help us to grow from it, and don’t ever let go of our hand through it.  Our only hope is in you, Lord.  You are the only thing that matters.  Help us to keep our hearts and minds fixed on Jesus at all times, God, don’t let us get distracted!  We ask these things in the precious, holy name of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.