Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin... 1 Peter 4:1
Brenda was almost halfway to the top of the tremendous granite cliff. She was standing on a ledge where she was taking a breather during this, her first rock climb. As she rested there, the safety rope snapped against her eye and knocked out her contact lens.
"Great," she thought. "Here I am on a rock ledge, hundreds of feet from the bottom and hundreds of feet to the top of this cliff and now my sight is blurry." She looked and looked, hoping that somehow the lens had landed on the ledge, but it just wasn't there!
She felt frustration and panic begin to rise within... and instead of giving in to those emotions, she began to pray. She prayed for calm and she prayed that she might find her contact lens.
When she reached the top of the granite rock, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but it was not to be found. With one eye blurry she couldn't see much of the beauty at the top of the cliff... but with her other eye she could see range after range of majestic mountain tops.
Then this Bible verse came to her, "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth." She thought, "Lord, you can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf... and Lord, You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me find it."
Later, when she and her friends had hiked down the trail to the bottom of the cliff, they met another party of climbers preparing to go up the rocky height. One of them shouted out, "Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?"
Well, that would be startling enough. But you know why the climber saw it? An ant was slowly moving across a twig, on the face of the rock, carrying it!
The story doesn’t end there. Brenda’s father was a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a cartoon of an ant lugging that contact lens with the caption: “Lord, I don’t know why You want
me to carry this thing. I can’t eat it, and it’s awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I'll carry it for You." He wrote at the bottom of the cartoon, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13
Brenda was almost halfway to the top of the tremendous granite cliff. She was standing on a ledge where she was taking a breather during this, her first rock climb. As she rested there, the safety rope snapped against her eye and knocked out her contact lens.
"Great," she thought. "Here I am on a rock ledge, hundreds of feet from the bottom and hundreds of feet to the top of this cliff and now my sight is blurry." She looked and looked, hoping that somehow the lens had landed on the ledge, but it just wasn't there!
She felt frustration and panic begin to rise within... and instead of giving in to those emotions, she began to pray. She prayed for calm and she prayed that she might find her contact lens.
When she reached the top of the granite rock, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but it was not to be found. With one eye blurry she couldn't see much of the beauty at the top of the cliff... but with her other eye she could see range after range of majestic mountain tops.
Then this Bible verse came to her, "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth." She thought, "Lord, you can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf... and Lord, You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me find it."
Later, when she and her friends had hiked down the trail to the bottom of the cliff, they met another party of climbers preparing to go up the rocky height. One of them shouted out, "Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?"
Well, that would be startling enough. But you know why the climber saw it? An ant was slowly moving across a twig, on the face of the rock, carrying it!
The story doesn’t end there. Brenda’s father was a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a cartoon of an ant lugging that contact lens with the caption: “Lord, I don’t know why You want
me to carry this thing. I can’t eat it, and it’s awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I'll carry it for You." He wrote at the bottom of the cartoon, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13
Perhaps my friend you are going through a trial or maybe you are carrying a burden that just seems larger than what you are able to bear.
Other, well meaning Christians may say, "God will not give you more than you can bear." And you begin to think to yourself,
"I'm a spiritual weakling or just a wimp."
I want to tell you, that you are in good company friend!! Let's look at God's Word and see what He says about our afflictions and anxieties. Paul talks plainly about heavy sufferings in 2 Corinthians 7-10.
While in the Asia province, life became very difficult and hard to bear. They felt utterly hopeless and unbearably weighed down. The pressures that befell them where crushing, they were overwhelmed beyond what they could endure and they expected they would die!
What was happening was to teach them... that they could not rely on their own strength, they needed God's strength! Their sorrows forced them to trust God totally! And... wasn't it God who was able to raise the dead?? And wouldn't He be able to rescue them?? Well... He did rescue them from their doom... what's more He can and will do it again... for YOU!
However, part of the deliverance... part of the release is found in prayer! Yes, God rescues and He is able to rescue us as many times as we need it! But, our prayers play a crucial part in our saving and relief!!
When we "let go" and petition God's help... when we give God "all that we are"... then and only then is He able to deliver us from danger and destruction and draw us to Himself for comfort, peace of mind and healing!
When we "forego all worldly advice" and our own "human reasoning" -- when we learn to depend solely on "God's Wisdom and Grace..." we will find complete liberty and saving unity in Him!
I can't stop your suffering... I can't end your trials. But I know who can!!! I know this God who does bring peace... where peace seems impossible. I know Him, because I seek Him and I seek Him to know Him even more... because my friend I too, have been on the battlefield. I too have thought, "This is too much to bear, it is too much to carry!"
Yet, somehow I know that I am not alone! There is one who is with me.... and He is Jesus!! Only He is there... He is in the midst of my storms and my burdens... and I can see Him... I can see my Jesus!!
Other, well meaning Christians may say, "God will not give you more than you can bear." And you begin to think to yourself,
"I'm a spiritual weakling or just a wimp."
I want to tell you, that you are in good company friend!! Let's look at God's Word and see what He says about our afflictions and anxieties. Paul talks plainly about heavy sufferings in 2 Corinthians 7-10.
While in the Asia province, life became very difficult and hard to bear. They felt utterly hopeless and unbearably weighed down. The pressures that befell them where crushing, they were overwhelmed beyond what they could endure and they expected they would die!
What was happening was to teach them... that they could not rely on their own strength, they needed God's strength! Their sorrows forced them to trust God totally! And... wasn't it God who was able to raise the dead?? And wouldn't He be able to rescue them?? Well... He did rescue them from their doom... what's more He can and will do it again... for YOU!
However, part of the deliverance... part of the release is found in prayer! Yes, God rescues and He is able to rescue us as many times as we need it! But, our prayers play a crucial part in our saving and relief!!
When we "let go" and petition God's help... when we give God "all that we are"... then and only then is He able to deliver us from danger and destruction and draw us to Himself for comfort, peace of mind and healing!
When we "forego all worldly advice" and our own "human reasoning" -- when we learn to depend solely on "God's Wisdom and Grace..." we will find complete liberty and saving unity in Him!
I can't stop your suffering... I can't end your trials. But I know who can!!! I know this God who does bring peace... where peace seems impossible. I know Him, because I seek Him and I seek Him to know Him even more... because my friend I too, have been on the battlefield. I too have thought, "This is too much to bear, it is too much to carry!"
Yet, somehow I know that I am not alone! There is one who is with me.... and He is Jesus!! Only He is there... He is in the midst of my storms and my burdens... and I can see Him... I can see my Jesus!!
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