After a frustrating month or two preparing for our Vacation Bible School this summer, I am so totally convinced that the devil does not want it to be a success. I mean he has been at work. As I prepared for our teachers meeting yesterday everything that could go wrong, went wrong. I was so discouraged and upset. I just wanted to get through my meeting, go home and cry. I actually even thought of just quitting. I am thankful that in these moments of total confusion and utter frustration the Lord always sends me a message that He is right there. That message came in my devotion this morning as I was still upset about it all:
Do not resist or run from the difficulties in your life. These problems
are not random mistakes; they are hand-tailored blessings designed for
your benefit and growth. Embrace all the circumstances that I allow in
your life, trusting Me to bring good out of them. View problems as
opportunities to rely more fully on Me. When you start to feel stressed, let those feelings alert you to your need for
Me. Thus, your needs become doorways to deep dependence on Me and
increasing intimacy between us. Although self-sufficiency is acclaimed
in the world, reliance on Me produces abundant living in My kingdom.
Thank Me for the difficulties in your life, since they provide
protection from the idolatry of self-reliance.“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
I am thankful for the friends God has put in my life who always seem to be there with a word of encouragement. I am thankful for God's love and truth. In every heartache and hardship I have been through, He has been there with me and has always brought me through it. So, thank you Lord for the stress and letting it become a doorway to deep dependence on YOU!
