Why Pain? September 28, 2011

I don’t believe that God purposely causes all of the painful circumstances in life, but I do believe He wants to use each one.  By allowing God to use our pain, we find purpose for our suffering and opportunity to take what was bad and use it for good.

I want to share this devotion.  It comes from “Streams in the Desert, Hope for Hurting Hearts” by L.B Cowman.  I read this several years ago and have never forgotten it.  It has proven to be true in my own life.

Essential Training for God’s Divine Ministry of Comfort

Store up comfort.  This was the prophet Isaiah’s mission.  The world is full of hurting and comfortless hearts.  But before you will be competent for this lofty ministry, you must be trained.  And your training is extremely costly, for to make it complete, you too must endure the same afflictions that are wringing countless hearts of tears and blood.  Consequently, your own life becomes the hospital ward where you are taught the divine art of comfort.  You will be wounded so that in the binding up of your wounds by the Great Physician, you may learn how to render first aid to the wounded everywhere. 

Do you wonder why you are having to experience some great sorrow?  Over the next ten years you will find many others afflicted in the same way.  You will then tell them how you suffered and were comforted.  As the story unfolds, God will apply the anesthetic He once used on you to them.  Then in the eager look followed by the gleam of hope that chases the shadow of despair from the soul, you will know why you were afflicted.   And you will bless God for the discipline that filled your life with such a treasure of experience and helpfulness.

God comforts us not to make us comfortable but to make us comforters.

John Henry Jowett

Letting Go September 21, 2011

In my mind I see myself walking down a path holding a precious gift that God has given me, small in size but very valuable.  I am cradling it in my hands, holding it close to my heart.  I am humbled and in awe that God would give me something so precious and that He would trust me with this gift. As I walk along the path the gift glows with a beautiful light and it brings me great blessing and opportunity, allowing me to bless others.  There are some stumbling blocks along the road and I have to hold on tightly to the gift so that I don’t drop it or harm it.  I travel this way for a while.

At some point I begin to think about what I would do if I lost the gift or is someone took it from me, or if God wanted it back one day.  My grip becomes even tighter and I become afraid.  Who am I without the gift?  Sure enough God begins to whisper that my time with the gift is coming to an end.  He is telling me that He has something else for me, a different gift, and that I must let go of the first one before He can give me the next one.  God is gracious and He gives me time, He doesn’t allow anyone to take it from me, and He doesn’t demand it back.  He simply continues to whisper that soon I will need to let it go.

Over the next course of the journey I struggle internally with letting go and the light of the gift begins to dim.  Soon the blessing and opportunity it once brought me has ended and instead the gift becomes heavy. Little by little I begin to loosen my grip on the gift.  It takes a while but eventually I am not gripping the gift at all, I am simply allowing it to rest in my hands.  I know that if I stumble at this point it would fall so I walk carefully.  Eventually I stop and I tell God that I am ready to let go.  “Lord, take it in your timing; I will continue to walk carefully with it until that time comes.”  God speaks to me and tells me exactly how many more steps I will get to take carrying the gift.  He says that He has chosen someone else to carry it for a while and reminds me that He has a different gift for me to carry.

As I walk out these last steps carrying the gift I have mixed emotions.  First I am sad, I will miss the gift and all that it brought to my journey.  But even in the sadness I also feel an excitement begin to stir in my heart.  I think about all of the joy the gift has brought me, and how it is going to bless the next person that carries it.  I begin to think about the next gift that God has for me to carry and I know it will be a blessing too.  I keep walking, carefully, counting each step.  Soon I will say goodbye to the gift, but I have a few more steps left.  I will carry it well to the end, and then I will let it go with joy knowing it will continue to bless others.