There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
1 Corinthians 10:13
Once, at a time of extreme crisis, I confided to a minister that I must not be one of the Lord's people since I was no longer able to bear my situation. That Godly man reassured me that this is the pilgrims experience, and as I acknowledged my complete inability, God would carry me through. And, of course, He did!!!
The christian walk is a walk of faith and a journey up and down the high mountains and through the deep valleys which dot our pilgrimage to the Celestial City.
I have not written a Monday "Sabbath Thought" post for a couple of weeks. I have been in a valley. Not a steep, cliff faced and jagged valley, just a shadowy dell. We all linger there at times. One of the most beautiful experiences of my years following the Lord has been his absolute faithfulness in carrying me and bringing me through every trial. I joy to see this outworking in the lives of the dear saints around me also.
One thing I have noticed over the years, but only after the event, is that I almost always go through a time of spiritual joy and inward peace before a trial hits. I recognize it afterwards as the way in which I am sustained through what ever the Lord brings into my life. What a gracious and merciful God we serve, who will never allow us to be tempted more than we are able to bear!
Isaiah 49
15Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
16Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.
Oh Ruby! My valleys came recently also and one friend commented on one of my blogs that the Lord is my shepherd. Wonderful reminder! Another friend commented that she would go into her bedroom to pray at 2 pm and by 3:30 pm the Lord answered prayer! With all my ups and downs over my husband's dementia the Lord keeps coming through. I have seen this in the past and yet struggle to see it for the future. I am going to trust Him for today and I bet I can trust Him for the future also. Your bogmates are here for your valleys, Ruby. Thanks for your mountains that have encouraged us. Love you and love the Lord in your writing.
ReplyDelete'Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.' Those hard times do become incredibly precious as you look back and see that God carried you; it's encouraging that this is the testimony too of others with far more experience of trial. I'm so grateful you are beginning to have that comfort about this recent valley.
ReplyDeleteI love this post Ruby. Yes, I can recognise the time before a trial... I often refer to it as 'the calm before the storm' lol.
ReplyDeleteI love His faithfulness. At times (most times), it is all we have to cling too, besides His Word. It is His steadfastness that we have all come to depend on / trust in. He is Rock solid. I am so glad about that!
Ruby your words are so true. God is the one thing we can depend upon, he will help us through all we have to face even though we think we can not because he will never leave us or let us down.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing! I love those verses from Isaiah 49.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the reminder, Ruby. I'm learning more and more to lean on Him and trusting Him to know the best way for me. I keep reading Lamentations 3:23-26-"Great is thy faithfulness" one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed & often commented to Dearest that there seems to be a spiritual backlash for every blessing. Trouble is, for me, I often feel like I'm on a spiritual roller~coaster experiencing giddiness & seasickness. lol Up, Down; Up, down...Very much so at present as we have a lot happening at a spiritual level. At least I can't complain it's boring. Blessings, dear one. Hope everything is still going as it should from your operations.
ReplyDeleteHi Ruby,
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful to 'see' you back. I am so pleased things have gone well for you.
You know, the more valleys I travel through the less afraid I am of them ....... the Lord has sustained me through every single one. How faithful He is, what a reassurance. Thankyou for these words today.
Those storms - how could anyone cope without God making sure we get through ok. It must be very scary for unbelievers. So glad I never travel alone.
ReplyDeleteGod is indeed faithful even in the 'valleys'. May you continue to find rest in His Grace.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog!
Blessings!
Thanks for visiting my blog. Just wanted to share with you a lovely upbeat song by a local christian Mum here in the Mountains. Go to http://www.merise.com.au/index.php and you can play it. The music lifts you and puts a spring in your step. I wanted to dance around the house yesterday when I heard it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that link Delcie...and thanks for visiting today!
ReplyDelete