Daily Courage

[Judy Harder]

My times are in your hands. (Psalm 31:15)

Naji Abi-Hashem

Have you ever wondered why God would not intervene in your most difficult situation only to find out afterwards that He did, but His timing was different from yours? How often we struggle to receive an immediate answer from the Lord only to thank Him later for not responding to our emergencies, according to our wishes.

This does not mean that God is removed from our particular situation, or does not care about our own despair. But he sees the needs differently, and therefore, plans special strategies to see us through.  This does not necessarily mean resolving the critical situation immediately, but equipping us with confidence and power to endure it.

R. Niebuhr wrote once, "Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, and accepting hardship as a pathway to peace."

During the long years of turmoil and foreign wars on our beloved land, Lebanon, we diligently and earnestly longed for peace. We desperately wanted the severe troubles to end. A prominent Lebanese pastor later testified, "For years we prayed for peace and for the end of war in our country and God did not seem to answer us. So we stopped praying for the troubles to end and instead we started praying for courage, endurance, and strength. And God immediately answered!"

Beloved friend, although at times you may not fully understand, even when you cannot see God's hand, trust in His heart. For God is too wise to be mistaken, and He is too good to be unfair. He is definitely too omnipotent to be unable to be with you and relieve your despair.

Naji Abi-Hashem from Lebanon.

[Judy Harder]

Thursday, November 26, 2009  Email    Facebook Twitter    Print 

from Day by Day with the Persecuted Church,

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father - to him be the glory and the power forever and ever! Amen. (Revelation 1:5-6)

Lucien Accad

Although I do not always understand the things my God does, nor see the reasons behind the way He does them, I am glad that this is how He works. It is truly wonderful. I love the ways of the Lord.

Even though I ask questions, "Why Lord?" from deep in my heart, and while I wonder how I can carry on, I have no doubt in my soul that He knows and loves and cares. He is described as the one "who loves us," Jesus who "freed us from our sins," and at what a price. Jesus has made us to be priests to serve His God and Father.

I don't expect answers to all my questions, just the peace that comes from knowing that He loves me, the peace of being free to love Him. If I am to serve my God I cannot claim as my right an easier life than that of Jesus. No, it will be hard at times. Answers are not necessary.  All I need  is to know how to live righteously before Him and, through the sadness and trials of this terrible world, praise and glorify His wonderful, mighty name.

Lucien Accad from Lebanon. He was the Director of the Bible Society in Beirut. His house was severely damaged many times during the war in Lebanon.



But God came to Abimelech in a dream one night. (Genesis 20:3)

If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you. (Exodus 33:13)

Open Doors Contact Person

Some believers in Sabah have begun a new prayer strategy. Since they are prevented by law from reaching out to the Muslims, they are asking the Lord to bring the Muslims to them, through signs and wonders. And the Lord is answering their prayers.  In one case, a man came into a Christian bookshop, requesting to buy a Bible. He told the following story.

Some time ago he had a dream. In that dream, he was taken to several places to find peace. He could not find it anywhere. He heard a voice telling him to go to such and such a place and buy a Bible. The man believed his dream and came to that very book shop to get his Bible. He has since found peace with God through the reading of His Word.

God certainly works in mysterious ways. We may not have a dream today, but we have God's Word, a light to our path and a lamp for our feet. He who reads it and obeys it will never walk in darkness. Not even in the darkest night.

[Judy Harder]

David witnesses the backsliding and sin of his people. They claim not to need God any more. "There is no God." David calls such people "fools." He prays for his people and asks God for help and deliverance from this dangerous situation.

David

The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.
The Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.
All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
Will evildoers never learn - those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on the Lord?
There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous.
You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the Lord is their refuge.
(Psalm 14:1-6)

[Judy Harder]

Lord, teach us to pray...." (Luke 11:1)

Remarkable Remarks - Prayer

Pastor Ha - Vietnam:

"My simple theology is:
If you have problems: pray
If you have many problems: pray more."

Unknown:

"God does not lay a burden on our back to break our neck, but to get us on our knees."

John Bunyan (from jail):

"Were it lawful, I could pray for greater trouble for greater comfort sake."

Phillip Brooks:

"I do not pray for a lighter load, but for a stronger back."

Unknown:

"If your problems are too small to pray for, they are also too small to worry about."

William Cowper:

"Satan trembles when he sees, the weakest saint upon his knees."

"Lord, teach us to pray...." (Luke 11:1)

Copyright [C] 1995 Open Doors International. Used by permission.

[Judy Harder]

The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them. (Exodus 2:23-25)

Moses

God knows our needs. He is aware of our struggles, our hardships and our tears. He sees how His people are being persecuted. He sees your spiritual groaning; for your children, for your health, for your loneliness. "And God remembered his covenant." God's promises are "yes" and "amen."

Despite all our circumstances He assures us, "I am with you." We may groan and cry - as long as we direct our cries towards Him who is our help and our salvation.  "He was concerned about them." He still is. He is concerned about His children who suffer.

Whatever your situation may be, "Your help comes from the Lord ... He will not let your foot slip ... the Lord watches over you ... the Lord will keep you from all harm" (Psalm 121).  "And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).

[Judy Harder]

By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.
(Hebrews 11:27)

Moses

Moses identified himself with his people in word and deed. His confrontation with the cruel Egyptian is one example of this. Even so Moses committed a cardinal fault. His motive (to help the Israeli slave) was good, but his method (killing the Egyptian slave) was wrong. This incident became a turning point in his life. He fled from the palace to the desert. There he tended the sheep of his father-in-law Jethro, for forty years. Only after that was God able to use him to lead the "sheep of Israel" out of Egypt.

Moses had to learn that he was unable to save the people of Israel in his own strength, only in the strength of God.

What a change! The killer-prince became, "a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth" (Numbers 12:3). "By faith Moses ... refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be ill-treated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin which are for a short time" (Hebrews 11:24, 25).

"He persevered because he saw him who is invisible." Whoever sees the Invisible can do the impossible. To do this may require a return to the place where the problems began ... not to take revenge but to save.

[Judy Harder]

The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:24)

Moses

God had prepared Moses to lead his people out of Egypt, but was he willing to accept the task? No, he was not. Five times he argued with God. Five times God gave him a promise. Forty years before, Moses was so self-confident that he was convinced he could deliver Israel in his own strength.

Now he felt inferior and unqualified. He told God that he lacked prestige. "Who am I?" That he lacked a message, "What shall I tell them?" He was convinced that the people would not believe him, "The Lord did not appear to you."  He presented God with a long list of disabilities. But instead of winning God's approval, God became angry with Moses. God always will, when His children limit Him, merely because they feel unqualified.

"Not that we are competent in ourselves ... but our competence comes from God" (2 Corinthians 3:5).  When He calls He enables. No reason to complain - every reason to trust.

When I try, I fail. When I trust, He succeeds.  

[Judy Harder]

When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (Exodus 15:23)

Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water. (Exodus 15:27)

Moses

If I were to sum up the situation of the suffering church I would use the two above mentioned verses. Hardship, defeat, persecution and bitterness on the one side, and provision, victory, and springs of living water on the other side.

Is this not a picture of our walk with God as well? Beside each bitter Marah pool there grows a tree. When that tree is cast into the water, the bitterness changes into sweetness.  A beautiful picture of the cross of Jesus, symbol of redemption and salvation.

Praise God, there are more Elims in life than Marahs. No desert march without palm trees and springs at last. We may stay at Elim for a while. To be refreshed and strengthened God permits disappointments (Marah) but also gives plenty of surprises (Elim).

Where are you today? Remember, even at Marah there is the tree of life. And in between Marah and Elim we find these wonderful words: "...If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you." (Exodus 15:26)

Copyright [C] 1995 Open Doors International. Used by permission.

[Judy Harder]

In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt. Then we sat round pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into the desert to starve this entire assembly to death." (Exodus 16:2, 3)

Moses

We may stay at Elim for a while, but we may not live there. We need to move on to the Promised Land. "The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai" (Exodus 16:1).  There are certain spiritual lessons which cannot easily be learned at Elim, they need to be learned in the desert of life: that God can supply all our needs whatever they may be, wherever we are.

When the Israelites had no more food to eat they grumbled against Moses and Aaron, yes, against God. They said things they should never have said. Unfortunately, we often do likewise during times of grumbling. Unbelief has a short memory. They remembered the food in Egypt, but forgot the lashes of the Egyptians. They forgot how they had cried to God for help. They forgot God's miracles, the great Exodus, the miraculous walk through the Red Sea, the refreshing stay at Elim, just a couple of days ago. Alas, unbelief has a short memory.

Praise God. He has endless patience. He provided miracle food, manna, enough for every day. Whenever a grumbling fit threatens you, review the past and recount the Lord's deliverance in years gone by. Did He supply in the past? He will do so in the future. Because He is the "I AM."

[Judy Harder]

So Moses went back to the Lord and said, "Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. But now, please forgive their sin, but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written." (Exodus 32:31-32)

Moses

This is one of the most moving and pathetic verses of the Old Testament.

Moses' intercession on Israel's behalf is an overwhelming lesson in love and concern. He made it clear to God that he wanted to die with his people if they were not spared. He offered the greatest sacrifice he knew,: his own relationship with God and his hope of eternal salvation. Of course Moses could not atone for his people; that is why Jesus had to come. But Moses was Christ-like as he offered himself. We can never be the atonement for sin as Christ was, but we can play a Christ like sacrificial role. When we intercede for others, our children, our family, our country, our brothers and sisters who suffer, they will be protected. In doing so I am willing to get the blows.

There is a great difference between prayer and intercession. Prayer is what you do for yourself, you pray for blessing, health, protection. Intercession is when you stand in the gap for others. Abraham was such an intercessor: praying for Sodom and Gomorrah. Moses interceded for others.

What about you?