Friday, July 27
God never moves without purpose or plan
When trying His servant and moulding a man
Give thanks to the Lord, though your testing seems long
In darkness He giveth a song
O rejoice in the Lord! He makes no mistakes
He knoweth the end of each path that I take
For when I am tried and purified,
I shall come forth as gold.
I could not see, through the shadows ahead
So I looked at the cross of my Savior instead
I bowed to the will of the Master that day
Then peace came and tears fled away
O rejoice in the Lord! He makes no mistakes
He knoweth the end of each path that I take
For when I am tried and purified,
I shall come forth as gold.
Now I can see, testing comes from above
God strengthens His children and purges in love
My Father knows best and I trust in His care
Through purging more fruit I will bear.
O rejoice in the Lord! He makes no mistakes
He knoweth the end of each path that I take
For when I am tried and purified,
I shall come forth as gold.
When trying His servant and moulding a man
Give thanks to the Lord, though your testing seems long
In darkness He giveth a song
O rejoice in the Lord! He makes no mistakes
He knoweth the end of each path that I take
For when I am tried and purified,
I shall come forth as gold.
I could not see, through the shadows ahead
So I looked at the cross of my Savior instead
I bowed to the will of the Master that day
Then peace came and tears fled away
O rejoice in the Lord! He makes no mistakes
He knoweth the end of each path that I take
For when I am tried and purified,
I shall come forth as gold.
Now I can see, testing comes from above
God strengthens His children and purges in love
My Father knows best and I trust in His care
Through purging more fruit I will bear.
O rejoice in the Lord! He makes no mistakes
He knoweth the end of each path that I take
For when I am tried and purified,
I shall come forth as gold.
I hope this song will encourage you as much as it encourages me. Sometimes its wise to just look up at His dear face and not at our circumstances. You don't know how much reality actually hurts, the same way I can't understand how your lot is hurting you. I know the hopes I've pined upon you are nothing compared to those you've pined upon him, but its still a big irony, come to think of it.
I wished I could learn 1 Corinthians 6, "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's"- that it isn't MY life or MY will eventually. Christ died for me, Christ lives through me. I am His and He is mine. What does it take to say, "Not my will but Thine be done"? But a full surrender of our will and life to Him.
"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there, The LORD giveth and the LORD taketh away; Blessed be the name of the LORD." Job 1:21
Such strong convictions from a man who lost all he has in his whole entire life. Not only did he not question God's will, he was perfectly at peace with it and satisfied to be in it. Sometimes I question too, why does God have to raise our hopes only to remove them the very next moment. Herein lies the answer: Job 23:10-14
"But He knoweth the way that I take: When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot has held fast to His steps; I have kept His way and not turned aside. I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food. But He is unique, and who can make Him change? And whatever His soul desires, that He does. For He performs what is appointed for me, and many such things are with Him."
Job questioned too, and his response was this: 13:15 Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.
I have been tremendously foolish to pine all hopes upon men. Yet I will be even more foolish not to learn from my mistake and make the Lord my only strength and trust. Life is really beyond me, and thats why He ought to be my Rock. I shall now wait, expectantly and silently- for His will not mine.
