Life gets hard. Sometimes you get sick. Sometimes you’re far from home. Sometimes you’re under a lot of pressure. Sometimes it’s all of the above.
When times get tough, think of Daniel. He was alone in a strange land, with strange customs and ways. In the beginning he had some friends from his land, but it seems like very soon after he was singled out and made to be on his own.
When times were hard he stood firm for God and did not budge.
He continued to pray each day and watched as God moved mountains.
Then when times were good and he was recognized for what God was doing through him. He continued. He continued to put God first and to pray and to trust Him.
Sometimes life is no fun and all you want to do it cry. In those times turn to Jesus. Reach out to Him. There may be a wall to struggle past, but you will get there. And once there you will see His glory as He guides you on this path.
Stay strong in Jesus friends!
Category: found
Run to the tower
Run to the tower.
Tolkien wrote a lot of novels that were never celebrated, many of which are barely even known about. I have a favorite set called Tales from the perilous realm. Because, of course, all adventures and all fairy tales can be perilous. He writes of two little dogs staying in a tall tower with the man on the moon and the two little dogs venture too far away from home 1 day and end up bothering a large dragon, and the man on the moon has to save them. And as they’re running away from the dragon, they’re running as fast as they can back to the man on the moon’s tower because they know that they are safe within his tower.
God calls himself our strong tower. But in a world where we don’t really have towers anymore, we have condos and high rises, we forget what a tower means. Towers were fortresses, probably made out of Stone or clay brick. They were strong.They were a place the enemy could not get in. Because it was protected by the king’s guard and by the king.
Run to his tower. He is a fortress for when I am weak. A place where I can hide. God is a place of refuge. His loving arms always open to receive us and always strong to protect. So when we travel too far from home and bother the great dragons, run back to the tower, the door will be open and he will protect you.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
[5] Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; [6] in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
This. This right here. This verse.
We listen to it. We pray it. We quote it. We get it tattooed on our arms. Yet. Do we listen to it?
Trust in Jesus. Do not rely on what you understand. Submit your ways to Him and He will make a way.
We see this verse as a soft, cuddly verse. A feel good verse. This is not a feel good verse. This is a battle cry in the midst of tragedy and sorrow. This is not a spot light on a highway, this is a torch in a tunnel.
We don’t need to be reminded to trust God when life is good. We need to trust God when life is a dumpster fire! When we can’t take anymore. When we want to scream and cry and throw things. That’s when we need to be reminded that our understanding is not His understanding. Our understanding is limited to what we know and what we see. His understanding expands beyond thought, time and reality as we know it. God knows how the book ends. We don’t. God knows how we are going to continue on. Get by. See the end. See the reward. See the plan, maybe we never see the plan, maybe we just live the plan. But God. God knows. Trust not in your understanding because it is subjective. Trust in God’s understanding because He created your understanding.
Sometimes, the rock you are trying to move unsuccessfully is the right rock. You are just moving it in our own power and not Jesus’s.
When something is a struggle to succeed at and it feels like we are pressing through a steel wall, people want to say that that means that God has closed that door and does not want us getting through it. Now, sometimes that’s true. However, there are many times when you are oushing to open a door that God has not closed, but the devil has stood behind it, holding it shut so you can’t get it open. Don’t be deceived. The devil can keep the door shut from you, but he can’t keep it shut from Jesus. If you give every struggle over to Jesus and let Him push open the doors that He wants you to walk through, then not only will you walk the right the path, your struggle will lessen, because the one who wants you to walk that way will let you through the most stuck doors.
Acts of Acts 1
Acts 1:1-5 ESV
[1] In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, [2] until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. [3] He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. [4] And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; [5] for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Acts is the beginning of the first church. The beginning of the first church started with Jesus showing himself to the disciples and explaining that the Holy Spirit would come. Jesus says to wait for the promise of the Father. This is very important for the coming of the Holy Spirit in the way that God intended. However. Let us focus for a moment on that word wait. Sometimes Jesus says to wait, when all we want to do is run ahead. Think of it. Imagine Peter and the Sons of Thunder being told to wait. They were excited! They would be wanting to run to the nearest place to tell of the return of Jesus and all He had told them. But He said to wait. Waiting can be so that we are in a certain place we need to be. Waiting can be to protect us from something or someone. Waiting can simply be a provided time of rest. I hate to say it, but it can also be a time to grow our patience. In Acts 1 Jesus told the disciples to wait for His promise to come. To wait for His gift. Wait on the Lord, and see all He will
Following the fourth Wiseman- Continuing on
Several years have passed since our traveler’s experience meeting the Messiah. He has seen many miracles and many hardships. He had know when Jesus had sent him into the world to tell people about what he had seen and heard regarding Jesus, that it would not be easy. Yet there were days when he thought he could not continue on. He often wondered about the other disciples. He had heard stories about them and even the works of a man named Paul. He wondered if they ever felt worn down and hopeless? Yet every time he felt he could not carry on, our traveler recalled the words of his Messiah.
John 16:33 ESV
[33] I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
These words and the presence of his Messiah kept our traveler going. Telling the good news of Jesus everywhere he went. Until the end of his days.
We often feel like we just can’t keep going. We don’t have enough faith to tell one more person about Jesus. We don’t have enough courage to continue on the path He has put before us. We are just too tired to keep trying. The hate against us is so strong. The mockery, so constant. Why talk to people when they don’t believe?
Then the words of Jesus come back to us. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart I have overcome the Earth. Jesus has already overcome it all. I like the thing I saw that said, Jesus has walked on the tops of the waves you thought would bury you. There have been so many waves I thought would bury me, but when I felt I was going under I looked up and I saw the hand of the savior reaching down, that hand has kept me going. I’m sure it has kept many of us going. There’s no promise things will be easy. But He has risen, and because He is risen. We have a reason to keep on trying to trust him to go forward in faith.
This world is hard at times, but God.
John 3:16 ESV
[16] “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Following the fourth Wiseman- Breakfast on the beach
Our traveler has tried to remain with the disciples ever since the upper room. He lost track of them a couple of times but has now managed to follow them to the sea. They decided to go back to fishing. They don’t know what else to do. He asks if he can join them and they agree. As he works to become used to fishing he sees something that changes his world forever.
John 21:1-7, 9-10, 12 ESV
[1] After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. [2] Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. [3] Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. [4] Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. [5] Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” [6] He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. [7] That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.
[9] When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. [10] Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.”
[11] So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn.
[12] Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.
Our traveler waits at a short distance and watches as the Messiah goes off with one of the disciples. Then He returns and he looks at our traveler and smiles. Our traveler goes to Him and falls to his knees.
“My Lord, you do not know me…”
The Messiah kneels in front of our traveler and takes his face in His hands, “I know you.”
Our traveler’s eyes fill with tears one more time and he is embraced by the Messiah.
“I could not get to you sooner.” Our traveler weeps.
“You have arrived when my Father planned for you to arrive.”
“I was meant to be here?”
“You were meant to go and tell the other Magi who had followed the star all those years ago, what you have seen and heard so they can tell others. Spread this as far and wide as you can travel. You are my traveler, after all.”
Our traveler smiles. In the end. He was not late. He had not missed his chance. He was where his Messiah had always meant for him to be.
In the calling of the deciples all those weeks ago, our traveler had wondered if he too could follow Jesus? Despite his inadequacies. Now, because of the cross he has his answer. Yes. Yes he cam follow him. Yes you can follow Him, more than that, He is calling you to.
Carried in the cross 