Desperate in the Desert

by Cindi McMenamin

“Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her.”   Hosea 2:14 NIV

Do you ever have one of those weeks – or months – when it seems like God isn’t around? When it feels as if He’s gone on vacation while you’ve been hitting rough times?

When my husband voluntarily stepped out of his pastoral job for an unpaid “one year sabbatical” (that was his term for it), I began to wonder if after eight months God had gone on a permanent coffee break.

God, he’s restless to get back into ministry.  Where are You? God, we can’t keep paying for our own health insurance. Aren’t You taking note of this? Lord, we need You to intervene…any time now!

Yet in His wisdom, God wanted to take us to the edge of desperation – where we truly needed Him. It was there He reminded us that He’s been right there with us, all along.  Through the years, I’ve learned that God has a way of drawing us out into the desert of need in order to teach us about Him.

In the early years of my marriage, I learned that my husband couldn’t possibly meet all my emotional expectations. I had to look to God to be my “spiritual husband” (Isaiah 54:5).

At the beginning of my husband’s first ministry, we didn’t have much money, so I learned to depend on God as my Provider and take Him at His Word when He says He will supply all my needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19).

While I was parenting a teenager, I had to look to God to be my Wisdom, my Source of Strength, and my Counselor.

And just recently – as I waited for God to move during a time in which my husband and I  seemed to be standing still  financially, emotionally, and in ministry – I had to look to God to be my Future, my Hope, and my Direction.

God knows that if I have everything I want, right when I want it, then I no longer need Him. Without need, I’m not truly desperate for Him.

In the Old Testament book of Hosea, God compared His people to a wife who had betrayed and deserted her husband. God told the prophet about His plans to draw His people back to Him:

“Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of  [Trouble] a door of hope. There she will [sing] as in the days of her youth….“In that day,” declares the Lord, “you will call me ‘my husband’….” (Hosea 2:14-16 NIV)

I wonder, sometimes, if God doesn’t take that same strategy with us today. Could He be allowing us to go through a desert (in our marriage, job, or personal life) so He can “speak tenderly” to us and show us a new side of Himself? Could He be allowing you to trek through the wasteland of financial hardships, so you will see Him as your Great Provider? Is He allowing you a journey through parched areas of loss so you will see Him as your Greatest Possession?

When we filter every circumstance of our lives through the grid of His unfailing love, we will see every test and trial, every desert and disappointment, as a loving gesture on His part to draw us closer to Him.

This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

About the Author: Cindi McMenamin is an award-winning writer and national speaker who helps women strengthen their relationship with God and others. She is the author of 17 books including When Women Walk Alone (more than 130,000 copies sold) and Twelve Ways to Experience More with Your Husband. For more on her books and ministry, or for free resources to strengthen your marriage, parenting, or walk with God, see her website: StrengthForTheSoul.com.

Join the conversation: When has God drawn you closer to Him through a walk through the desert?

Are All Opinions Equal?

by Ava Pennington

A well-known Christian speaker posted on social media that she was suffering from poison oak and asked for the best remedy. She received countless replies—each person absolutely certain their remedy was the most effective.

Problem is, the opinions were not only varied, they were often in direct conflict with each other.

Take a hot shower to relieve the itch. Don’t take a hot shower. It will make the itch worse.

Cover the affected area with an oatmeal paste. Don’t use oatmeal, use the inside of a banana peel.

Soak a cloth in coffee and wrap the affected area. Don’t use coffee, use vodka to wrap the affected area.

What should she do? What works for one person might not work for another. All she can do is try the various options and hope one is effective for her.

Life can be like that. We’re surrounded by opinions on everything from politics to pasta. From clothing to cars. And from toothpaste to tomato paste.  

We try different products until we find the brand we like. And we even do it with religion. But unlike toothpaste and clothing and cars and politics, applying the rule of popular opinion to religion has eternal consequences.

So if we can’t put stock in opinion polls, how do we know which set of religious beliefs is right?

It might help to see what the various world religions have in common . . . and how they differ. For example:

All religions are about humanity reaching up to achieve heaven . . . except Christianity. Christians know God reached down to us first in the person of His Son, Jesus.

The founder of every religion is dead and buried . . . except Christianity. Jesus Christ’s tomb is empty because He is alive.

Every religion requires following a list of rules to please God . . . except Christianity. Christians know our ability to please God is based on a relationship made possible by Jesus Christ.

All religions require people to try to be good enough to earn salvation . . . except Christianity. Christians know nothing we can do will make us good enough to meet God’s standard of holiness.

The fact that Christianity differs from every other world religion tells us something significant. You can choose from among many world religions offering various paths to the same destination. Or you can receive the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. He is the one who blazed the path for us to heaven, made possible because He’s the only one who had been there first, and then came to show us the way.

Everyone has an opinion. But not all opinions are equal.

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  John 14:5-6 NIV

This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

About the Author: Ava Pennington is an author, speaker, and Bible teacher. She’s also a freelance editor, and a certified coach for writers and speakers, and she teaches a weekly Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) class. Ava is the author of Reflections on the Names of God: 180 Devotions to Know God More Fully (Revell Books, 2022), an abridged gift book edition of the one-year devotional, Daily Reflections on the Names of God. Three devotions for each name/attribute explore who God is, and how this changes us and our relationships. Visit her at www.AvaPennington.com to learn more.

Join the conversation: How do you discern the best opinion on a subject?

The Power of a Praying Heart

by Sheila Preston Fitzgerald

I’d heard about Crusade: The Musical, and was fortunate to get tickets to a sold out show.

The production was based the life of evangelist Billy Graham. It opened with an actor, dressed as a soldier, appearing on the stage. I was sitting in the second row, on the outside left of the row, to accommodate for my prosthetic leg.  As I watched the young soldier on stage, a heaviness in my heart hit me. There was an indescribable tug in my heart as I watched and listened to the soldier. So weird! What is this Lord? Are you trying to tell me something?

 The actor burst into song with “I didn’t know my heart could beat like this…”

Oh God, why is my heart feeling every heart beat of this young man’s heart? My tears continued to fall as the soldier belted out the chorus with heightened emotion; “I know someone must be praying….” He patted his heart to the beat of the drums, singing “I’m gonna be okay…..I can feel it. I believe it.” I was moved beyond words.

From start to finish the show was amazing! Yet every time the soldier was on stage, my heart ached. 

During intermission, stools were placed in the isle beside me. The next thing I knew, the soldier snuck out from behind the curtain and took his place on the stool. Deeply moved, the ache in my heart turned into a strong desire to hug this young man. Not just hug, but to hold him like a mama does a child.

The final scene ended with a standing ovation. I remained baffled by the heart-moving experience.  I had to meet him. Not sure how, but I had to meet the young man behind the uniform.

I felt a touch on my shoulder, and looked up to see a sweet friend. “What’d you think?” She asked.

“Oh my! SO good!” I replied.  I shared with her my heart-felt moments regarding the soldier. A look of shock and surprise filled her face, as I told her about my strange, surreal experience.

Looking a bit pale, but with a beautiful smile on her face, she said, “Do you know why? It’s because you prayed for him when he had heart surgeries. When we thought we were going to lose him, you prayed for our son. The soldier is our son.”

WHOA!  WHAT?! Now it all made sense to me. It wasn’t the soldier, it was the heart — a heart that I remembered praying fervently for years before. The heart of a young man I’d never met.

With her help, I was finally able to hold the young man whose heart I’d faithfully prayed for. As we hugged one last time, he said to me, “We’re trained not to look at the audience, but I was drawn to you. Now, I know why.”    

Rarely do we get a chance to see how God moves when we intercede in prayer for others.  God is always at work. He hears our prayers. He answers our prayers. He may not answer them the way we want or expect them to be answered.

My advice…. Pray anyway!…pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.  James 5:16 NIV

This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

About the author: Sheila Preston Fitzgerald is alive today only by the Grace of God. A near-death motorcycle accident that should have taken her life, filled this Godly woman with a passion larger than life itself. Sheila’s love of people, love of life, and most importantly her love for Jesus, radiates through all she does. Her miraculous testimony of redemptive healing, from the inside out, will have you laughing and crying with joy. In spite of multiple horrific losses and countless “one step forward – two steps back” do-overs, Sheila has learned to, literally, walk out her incredible journey of faith and recovery. 

Join the conversation: Have you ever witnessed a direct answer to prayer? Please share!

Welcome Spring!

by Juliana Gardiner

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Matthew 5:8 NIV

It amazes me that Easter synchronizes with springtime. The recent celebration recalls the suffering of Christ on the cross to die for our sins and reminds us that because of his resurrection we have gained new life.

Many people would vote for spring as their favorite season because it relieves us from the cold weather. We all enjoy seeing the earth revive as dormant plants slowly begin to come back to life again.

While spring cleaning might include getting rid of excess things we don’t need, I think more of getting outside to tend my garden again and planting new flowers. Part of the job is removing the old, dead leaves and stems.

When I begin working in the garden each spring, I realize how much clean-up is needed. There are weeds all over—some quite stubborn and hard to remove. But to have a beautiful garden, I’ll need to work on this clean-out first and then continue to control those weeds regularly.

Our new life in Christ likewise includes a purification process. And in His sermon on the mount, Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

While we may realize that Christ has imputed His righteousness to us as believers because we are saved by grace and not by works, sometimes we don’t reflect that righteousness. The issues of life can choke the seed of God’s Word at work in our lives (Luke 8:11, 14), so we don’t look like Jesus as we should.

In Psalm 51, David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and sustain in me a willing spirit” (vv. 10 – 12 NRSV).

Sometimes we don’t even realize how much impure our hearts can be, forgetting that “The heart is deceitful above all things” (Jeremiah 17:9 NIV). But some good news is that the believing heart knows to pray in earnest for purification, expecting complete forgiveness.

In Psalm 139, David prayed, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me” (vv. 23, 24 NIV).

As we go about spring cleaning in our house and gardens, may we also search our hearts for those stubborn thoughts that choke the good ones. With God’s help, we’ll get rid of the old things and experience a restoration of the joy of his salvation.

This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

About the author: A mom, wife, and professional. Juliana Gardiner supports her husband, the founder and general overseer of World Outreach Ministries, headquartered in Irvington, NJ as a leader of the music team and the women’s ministry. Juliana is an advocate for using every situation as an opportunity for learning and growth. She finds inspiration through music and has been doing this her whole life.  She works as an Adjunct Professor at Kean University, Union, NJ. Juliana has been married to Frederick Gardiner for 24 years, and they are blessed with three children.

Join the conversation: Are you up for some spring cleaning?

Holding Tight to the Promise of Spring

by Jennifer Slattery

I never fully appreciated the beauty and hope of spring until I’d experienced my first mid-western winter. I can easily bear it when the weather first turns cold, skies darken, temperatures drop, and wind turns brisk. I can even admire that first covering of snow, with its innumerable tiny ice crystals glimmering in the early morning sun like glitter spread across the otherwise bleak landscape.

By February, however, I find it harder to fight against a blanket of gloom invading my space. As I yearn for spring, wind howls outside my office window. I can barely see the sun hiding behind a mass of wool-like gray. But then comes the promise, spoken by my husband—vacation is coming! And suddenly, the chill feels a bit more bearable, the wind more muted, and the glow behind the clouds brighter, somehow. More sunshine is certain to prevail eventually.

Hope is a beautiful, soul-bolstering thing, able to speak strength into the weariest hearts. Perhaps this is why, during one particularly painful season, God drew me to His promise, recorded in Isaiah 55:12-13 (NIV), which states:

“You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown, for an everlasting sign, that will endure forever.”

These words were spoken to the people of Judah, prior to what scholars refer to as the Babylonian captivity—a time when the ancient Israelites would see their sacred temple and beloved homeland destroyed, and they and their families carted off to a foreign land.

Seemingly forgotten. Abandoned to their long, cold winter.

But through the words of Isaiah, God promised that spring was indeed coming. One day, they would go out in joy, and He Himself would lead them in peace. Where intrusive thorn bushes had swallowed the landscape, they would now find thriving trees with purple berries. In place of prickly briers, delicate white flowers would greet them.

Why? Because the people of Judah were the Lord’s renown, His chosen children, His beloved.  He would once again plant a song of praise in their hearts.

Jesus reiterated this promise in John 10:10 (NIV) when He said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

These words remind me of that phrase, “led forth,” in Isaiah, and the importance of seeking, wholeheartedly after God—both in pleasant seasons and in pain. Knowing a thief lurks about, whispering lies in our ears, tempting us to believe the dark clouds hovering above us will never lift.

Tempting us to abandon hope. To give in to despair.

Yet, deep in our weary hearts, may we listen for another voice—the words of our loving and gentle Savior, urging us to keep watch for spring. 

This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

About the author: Jennifer Slattery is a multi-published novelist, speaker, and one of the hosts of the Faith Over Fear Podcast and the Your Daily Bible Verse podcast. Visit her at JenniferSlatteryLivesOutLoud.com to learn more about her.

Join the conversation: How has hope gotten you through a difficult situation?

Lying Down in Green Pastures

by Dr. Mel Tavares

 He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. Psalm 23:2 NIV

“You need a total knee replacement.” These were not the words I’d hoped to hear from the Orthopedic Surgeon.  I instinctively recoiled. My mind whirled with questions for both the surgeon and the Lord, and I found myself trying to plea bargain with them both. But plead as I might, it was clear surgery was my only option to repair the extensive damage from a fall several months prior.

“Your recovery time will be six to twelve months.”

Numb, I left the office and went straight to the coffee shop to drown my sorrows in a latte. I could not imagine how life coming to a screeching halt could make sense in light of the ministry momentum God had been building for me in the past year.

But when the noise of life subsides, it is easier to hear The Shepherd’s voice. Lying in the green pastures week after week, I’ve heard the Lord speaking to me through Bible verses, worship music, and precious times of prayer. In the quiet, I began to understand the necessity of this time of preparation. Had I not been forced to stop for several months, God could not have prepared me for the next level of ministry He has laid out before me.

Perhaps the most precious lesson during this time is in learning to be fully present in the Lord’s presence. My Type A personality rarely slows down enough to be fully present for any conversation or event. My mind wanders as much as sheep are prone to wander. Recovering from a major surgery has forced me to lie down and be still. Day and night, there has been little else I could do but commune with the Lord, there beside the quiet waters.

As the pain subsides and the fog lifts, I now see a new horizon, filled with souls who need the hope-filled messages the Lord has given me to share. The infamous words of Rick Warren’s opening line in his book, The Purpose-Driven Life, frequently ring in my ears: “It’s not about you.” What’s not about me? My circumstances.

Unexpected things happen to all of us. Things that are not typically within our control. We can suddenly find ourselves in grief, loss, crisis, or trauma, rendering us unable to do little more than lift our head off the mat.

What does God desire our response to be? He wants us to trust that He is working all things together for good, to find joy in the midst of the trial, and accept the need to rest by the quiet waters. He wants us to look to Him for healing and listen for His voice to lead us forward.  

Never would I have imagined any good could come out of a knee injury requiring a total knee replacement. But the ensuing forced rest in His green pastures was exactly the quiet I needed before stepping into the next season of life.

This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

About the author: Mel Tavares is a people lover and has served as a therapist/counselor/coach in multiple settings over the past several decades, both professionally and in ministry. Concurrently, she has spent 20 years in the writing/publishing industry and loves to help launch new writers.

In addition to contributing to multiple collections, she authors award-winning books, the latest of which is 21 Days to Improved Mental Well-Being. She’s a wife, mom to seven adult children, and grandma to ten. She teaches through her award-winning writing, speaking to in-person and virtual groups, guesting on media platforms, and life coaching. Mel holds a Doctorate of Ministry in Pastoral Care and Counseling.

Join the conversation: Has God ever forced you to lie in green pastures? Please share your story.

How Does your Garden Grow?

by Harriet E. Michael

I love to garden! Even as a child, I toddled behind my father when he gardened. My parents needed to grow their own food when they lived in Nigeria. The house where we lived had an empty lot next to it, which my dad turned into a very large garden. Of his four children, I am the only one who seemed drawn to it. I loved it so much that he even gave me a small area that I could call mine. He let me choose and plant a handful of seeds and see if I could get them to grow.

The first year I was married, I set out to plant a vegetable garden of my own, though at that time, I really did not know much about gardening other than to turn the ground over, plant seeds, water, and hope plants would emerge.

In the nearly forty-five years of my marriage, I have only missed having a summer garden once when I had hand surgery and was not able to do the work. In all those years, I have learned so much about how to garden. I now know which plants grow better in drier soil, which in wetter, which need to be started in seed starters a few weeks before planting, and which work best if I buy small plants rather than planting seeds.

I have always loved digging in dirt. I love the smell of dirt. I can still remember how the African dirt felt between the toes of my bare feet. We were supposed to wear shoes, but I never did. I especially remember playing on the dirt road in front of my house during and after a rain. If I close my eyes and think about it, even now, I can almost smell the way the dirt smelled after a hard, tropical rain.

Hosea 10:12 (NIV) says, “Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground, for it is time to seek the LORD until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.” As much as I love gardening, it’s no wonder I fell in love with this verse the first time I really noticed it. It uses such wonderful, descriptive words. Sow, reap, break up the ground, showers. God is a gardener, and like my earthly father, He has given you and me a little plot of our own with instructions as to how to garden it.

But what should we sow and what will we reap, if we sow this particular seed?

We are to sow righteousness, and if we do, God promises He will then shower us with it and give us a harvest of unfailing love. This is the kind of gardening I want to do most!

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6:7-10 NIV

This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

About the author: Harriet E. Michael is an award-winning and widely published author and freelance writer. She has authored or co-authored ten books, with three more under contract for release in 2024 and ’25. She has penned hundreds of articles and devotions that have been published in various publications. Harriet’s new release, Wonder and Worship: 65 Days of Devotion, will help you meditate on the Word of God. Not only will you leave inspired, but you will also grow in your knowledge of Scripture. The worship sections each week support and enhance the nuggets of wisdom as well.

Join the conversation: How do you sow righteousness?

Seven Ways to Overcome Heartache

by Janet Perez Eckles

Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved. Jeremiah 17:14 NIV

What would happen if we didn’t have 911 to call for emergencies? What if there were no medical assistance available anywhere? That was the case in my hometown of La Paz, Bolivia.

I was 10 and my brother 8 years old when we snuggled next to Mom while seated in the back of a dilapidated truck. He and I disregarded the dust that came through the open windows from the dirt road. We focused instead on the tropical area of Bolivia where a much-anticipated vacation waited for us. I wiped away the dust from my eyes one more time and turned to my mom. “When will we get there?”

Back in 1960, that road we traveled was named as the #1 most dangerous in the world. It was wide enough for only one vehicle, and its potholes and rocks made for a bumpy ride. Wooden crosses that dotted the edge of a cliff marked the spots where travelers had plunged to their death.

In this life, we also ride on the narrow road of uncertainty. Potholes of unexpected setbacks and rocks of heartache and disappointment make the ride difficult.

Years ago, I was on such road, and nearly plunged down the cliff of despair. As often happens, tragedy catches us off guard, unprepared and vulnerable. That’s how the doctor found me and my husband in a dark emergency room. We’d been waiting to learn about my 19-year-old son’s condition after he was wounded at a 7-Eleven parking lot.

In a somber tone the doctor announced, “He didn’t survive the 23 stab wounds he received.”

Losing my youngest son was unthinkable. Too numb to move and too heartbroken to pray, I cried out to God, “Why?”

That’s when I found that pain of this kind has no reason. But I also learned that God’s peace has no limit. In the weeks that followed, through layer after layer of pain and unending tears, God’s healing hand lifted me.

God’s healing process is gentle, and His victory is certain. And He invites us to join Him in the process. Here are seven helpful ways (NIV):

• Count on His help, constant and never changing, because “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)
• Erase thoughts of self-pity, and silence words of gloom. “My lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live.” (Psalm 63:4a)
• Let go of bitterness, instead reach to Him. “In your name I will lift up my hands.” (Psalm 63:4b)
• Find satisfaction in Him. “My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.” (Psalm 63:5)
• Give thanks for His companionship in the loneliness of night. “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.” (Psalm 63:6)
• Claim the closeness of His power at work. “Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.” (Psalm 63:7)
• Cling to His loving hand to remain steady. Lord, we will not faint because “my soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.” (Psalm 63:8)

Father, I praise you for already knowing the help we need, the comfort we desire, and the reassurance we hunger for. Thank you for going before us to prepare the healing and the restoration of our peace. I thank you in Jesus’ name.

About the author: Janet Perez Eckles is an award-winning author, international speaker, and founder of JC Empowerment Ministries. Through her books and keynote messages she encourages and empowers others to overcome fear and begin a life of joy-filled victories.

Join the conversation. What has helped you when you have grieved?

Is “This Too Will Pass” a Biblical Idea?

by Kathy Collard Miller

Have you ever considered a trials and found comfort in thinking, “This too will pass”?

That phrase may sound benign enough, but I’m wondering if it leaves out God in some way. Because, at least for me, it supports in my heart an attitude of, “I’ll just grin and bear it until this trial goes away.” It doesn’t support James 1:2-4: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (ESV)

See if the following ideas support the truth of James 1: 2-4:

1. Recognize how “grin and bear it” leaves out God. I became aware of how I was leaving out God with that attitude years ago. As I struggled to trust God for his provision of joy and contentment in the midst of being my mother-in-law’s caregiver, I often mentally recited, “This too will pass.” And then on the heels of that thought came, “If I just knew how much longer Audrey was going to live, I could be more patient and kind.” I was thinking I could be more patient because I would be gritting my teeth, just waiting for the trial to end. But that’s not depending upon God.

2. Choose active joy, not passivity. “This too will pass” is very passive. It allows circumstances to dictate our responses, rather than looking to God for our joy.

James 1: 2-4 contains active and “being aware” words, not closing our eyes to God’s help. Being active is when we pay attention to the purposes of difficulties. Problems can become God’s vehicle to growth. That can’t happen if we’re closing our eyes to what God wants to do.

3. Be aware moment by moment. In the midst of caring for my mother-in-law, I examined that phrase, “This too will pass,” more deeply. I saw that I wasn’t living in real time but in the future when things were guaranteed to get better. But there’s no guarantee life will get better. Life doesn’t become perfect until we enter heaven. Each moment and day of our lives is an opportunity to see God’s love strengthen us.

No wonder God doesn’t tell us the future. If we knew a trial was going to last a long time, we’d give up. If we knew a trial was going to be short-lived, we would grin and bear it. We’re supposed to relax in God’s power moment by moment, depending upon Him, allowing him to provide all we need. And then He’ll receive the glory, not us.

Those three truths began to transform my thinking. No longer was I depending upon my limited knowledge and my strategy of passivity, but I was seeking God more passionately and seeing his hand of provision. I became more patient with my mother-in-law and saw how God was doing a work in me.

When my mom-in-law departed for heaven, I knew I hadn’t been perfect, but I knew God had transformed my life in the now, not just in “the sweet by and by.” That was affirmed when a short time later I became the main caregiver for my own mother. God took what He’d taught me and applied it to this new challenge. God never wastes anything; but we won’t see that if we’re just grinning and bearing it.

This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

About the author: Kathy Collard Miller loves to help women trust God more through her 60 books and her speaking in over 30 states and 9 foreign countries. She is the author of the “Daughters of the King Bible Study Series” including, God’s Heart for Your Marriage, appropriate for individual, couple, and group study. Kathy and her husband, Larry, who married in 1970, live in Boise, Idaho, and are parents of 2 and grandparents of 2. 

Join the conversation: Have you been able to view your trials with joy?

Preparing for the Future

by Sheri Schofield

A field of golden sunflowers captured my attention last summer, their cheerful blooms brightening my day. Weeks passed. Nightly rains kept the flowers fresh and the hills green. Autumn days came, and the sunflowers lost their golden blooms, but their stems and leaves remained green from all the moisture.

One day I saw a group of field workers examining the seeds that remained in the sunflower heads. It must be time to harvest, I thought. But the workers left the field and never returned. With the arrival of winter, the sunflowers remained standing in the field, brown and deserted, for too much rain had rotted them. They are of no use, not even for seeds to replenish the field in the spring.

Like those sunflowers, there are some who seem to sail through life with few difficulties. But because their lives are tame, their hearts do not understand the pain of loss. They don’t know what to say to comfort those who grieve.

Is it possible that, like the sunflowers, we can receive too many blessings?  Can too little suffering make us less fit to serve the King?

Some people question the goodness of God when tragedy or pain strikes. They cry out, “If God is so good, why did he let this happen to me?” But those who are buffeted by trials and struggles in life gain strength and usefulness to God. They can endure hardship, grief, and loss. They can comfort those who weep, for they have also suffered. They become wise. Those who suffer and grow in the Lord’s strength are being prepared for battle. They will stand strong in the day of testing. Suffering and pain are his way of preparing us to endure on the day of battle.

In the military, our troops are put through rigorous training and testing to prepare for battle. Imagine what would happen to them if they walked onto the battlefield with no training? With weapons they’d never used? They would be wiped out quickly!

We live on a battlefield. The forces of evil are rising up around us like never before. The hot sun of suffering is spreading around the globe. Angry, crazed rioters and destroyers are crying out, “Kill the Jews!” Others are turning their wrath on Christians. Our ancient foe, the devil, seeks to destroy God’s people. Whether we like it or not, whether we are prepared or not, the battle is approaching us now.

Paul wrote to Timothy, For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine “… But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near” (2 Timothy 4:3, 5 NIV).

Shields up, dear Christian. Put on the armor of God—the  belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, feet fitted with the gospel, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit (See Ephesians 6:10-17 NIV).

Stand facing the test, unafraid and strong in the Lord’s power, full of his love and truth. And remember that God’s grace is not given to us until we need it. His grace will help us endure and stand strong in the days ahead. Thank God for the small tests along the way which prepare us for the coming battle. They make us powerful soldiers.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day —and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. Ephesians 4:7, 8, NIV

This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

About the author: Sheri Schofield, award-winning author and Bible teacher, has added a new way to share faith in Jesus. Her ministry, Faithwind 4 Kids, can be followed on her blog at her website, http://www.sherischofield.com. Questions welcomed!

FREE CHILDREN’S Author/Children’s Bible teacher, Sheri Schofield, offers a free series of video lessons about Jesus and His salvation—for children ages 4 and up. It is available at her website www.sherischofield.com In this video series, Walk-The-Talk Island, Sheri presents her award-winning book The Prince and the Plan, in 24 video lessons for your children, grandchildren and any others with whom you wish to share. In addition, Campfire provides devotions for children.

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