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Learning To Lean I thank Thee, Lord, for shattered dreams, For overwhelming torrent streams That swept away the very thing To which I might have learned to cling. I thank Thee, Lord, for trials sore, That taught me how to trust Thee more; For when I found no other stay, I learned to lean on Thee each day. By Edna F. Sorrell Published in Our Hope Magazine, 1949 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In Every Thing The child of God does not let a day go by, surely, in which he does not lift up his heart in thanking Him for His manifold blessings, bestowed in measureless grace, not only day after day, but hour after hour. As we delight ourselves in the Lord, we cannot help but praise Him many times daily for His mercies. How good He is to us always! Yes, we thank Him for His goodness-- the goodness that we can see, the blessings that we know as blessings. But do we thank Him for the trials, the heartaches, the disappointments! Are we as ready to praise Him when things go wrong as when they go exactly right? We do not speak of praising God in generalities, but of thanking Him sincerely for the very trials and sorrows that beset us? George Matheson, Scottish preacher whose eyesight became dim, put it this way: "My God, I have never thanked Thee for my thorn. I have thanked Thee a thousand times for my roses, but not once for my thorn. I have been looking forward to a world where I shall get compensated for my cross, but I have never thought of my cross as itself a present glory. Teach me the value of my thorn." May the Lord teach us the value of the unpleasant things that comes upon us, the unwanted circumstances of life. It is so easy to thank Him for the roses. But it is not easy, is it, to give Him praise and thanksgiving for the thorns? Yet the way to know the peace of God is to see His hand and His love in the thorny places, and to thank Him for them. Philippians 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Anxious for nothing, prayerful for every thing, thankful for any thing-- herein comes the peace of God, through Christ Jesus. ~Published in Our Hope Magazine, July 1949, pg.6 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Charles Spurgeon said, "Any man can sing in the day but only God can give songs in the night!" "The way of trying whether you are a good soldier is to go down to the battle: the way to try whether a ship is well built is, not merely to order the surveyor to examine her, but to send her to sea: a storm will be the best test of her staunchness." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ James 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1Peter 1:3-8 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory H.A. Ironside's commentary of 1Peter 1:3-8: "Salvation in its complete sense includes the redemption of the body. In view of this blessed hope we are enabled to rejoice even though now for a season, if need be, we are in heaviness of spirit because of the many trials to which we are exposed. There is a ‘need be’(1:6) for every sorrow that the Christian is called upon to endure. Are we willing to trust the wisdom of God and to allow Him to plan our lives as He sees fit? Faith must be tested, otherwise it could not be verified. So we need not fear when our faith is exposed to trial that it indicates any displeasure on God’s part toward us. Rather it indicates His deep concern for us. For just as gold is tried in the fire in order to separate it from the dross, so faith, which is much more precious than gold that perisheth, must be tested in order that it may be found unto praise and honour and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ from heaven. ‘Precious’ is one of Peter’s special words. He writes of the precious trial of faith (I Peter 1:7) ...Are we as ready to suffer for the sake of our blessed Lord as we are to profit by His sufferings on our behalf? Even the philosophic worldling can endure suffering without complaining, but it is only the regenerated one who can glory in tribulation. Just as gold is purified by the fire that consumes dross, so God uses trial and suffering to separate the believer from those things that hinder fellowship with God and growth in the spiritual life.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1Peter 4:12-13 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Expositor, A.C. Gaebelein, wrote: "But my God shall supply all your need according to His Riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Phil 4:19). This is the treasure from which we can draw. Oh that we might remember it each time we bow our knees and address the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! How poor and feeble our words are! Our petitions often sound as if they were addressed to a God, who is limited in His power or unwilling to shower His fullest blessing upon us. The difficulty with us is that we look too much to ourselves, to our failures, to our own struggling experience, and not enough to Him who is our Lord in Glory and the riches of glory, which are for us. How different our prayers would be if, before we approach Him, we would meditate first on Himself and the riches of glory, which are now on our side! Praise would burst forth from our lips and His Spirit would fill us. Let us reckon with these riches of His glory, the riches of Himself displayed in Christ, in His Cross, in His presence at His own right hand; and may we constantly remember that our Father wants us to lay claim to them. And if we do that we shall indeed be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man. The Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts. He is the Spirit of power. He is with us and in us to strengthen us. And if the Spirit of God is ungrieved in our hearts, He will constantly direct our attention to Him, who is altogether lovely. He reveals to our hearts "the Riches of His Glory" ever shining from the Word of God, the full display of God in the Person of His Son and all His Riches. It is then, when He does this work in us, that we are strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ F. B. Meyer said: "Believe that He is there between you and your difficulty, and what baffles you will flee before Him, as clouds before the gale." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When nothing whereon to lean remains, When strongholds crumble to dust; When nothing is sure but that God still reigns, That is just the time to trust. Tis better to walk by faith than sight, In this path of yours and mine; And the pitch-black night, when there's no outer light Is the time for faith to shine. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Things that hurt and things that mar Shape the man for perfect praise; Shock and strain and ruin are Friendlier than the smiling days." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Oh, it is sad for a poor Christian to stand at the door of the promise, in the dark night of affliction, afraid to draw the latch, whereas he should then come boldly for shelter as a child into his father's house." --Gurnal Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Believe God's word and power, more than you believe your own feelings and experiences. Your Rock is Christ, and it is not the Rock which ebbs and flows, but your sea." --Samuel Rutherford That is so true. Jesus remains the same. He does not change with our circumstances. He remains our Rock. Even though the storms may come and the sea waves toss violently about, our faith is in Christ alone. Corrie Ten Boom used to say, "There is no panic in Heaven." God is still on the Throne. He can help us through every trial and will see us through every situation in our lives. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Copyright © 2006 Cobblestone Road Ministries All Rights Reserved Bible Studies for Encouragement and Growing in Christ Jesus: Are You Troubled? Give Your Burdens To The Lord TRUST IN GOD, HOPE IN GOD- Bible Answers To Worry God is Our Shield Wrapped In God's Love Do You Have Time For the Lord? Good Scriptural Medicine Poem: What God Hath Promised |