Psalm 84
5 What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord,
who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
6 When they walk through the Valley of Weeping,[b]
it will become a place of refreshing springs,
where pools of blessing collect after the rains!
In reading What good is God by Philip Yancey, I appreciate how he discusses that God can take any horrible situation and redeem it. It’s not that God makes these bad situations happen to teach lessons, but he utilizes every situation for his benefit for good. Romans 8:28 makes more sense to me in this perspective: God uses every situation and so even when awful ones come our way, he uses those “to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose” Likewise the above Psalm creates imagery of our tears of weeping become the rain that blossoms beautiful fields of blessing and rain that creates these pools of blessings in our lives. As a Christ follower I have the wonderful hope that whatever comes my way, my Savior, my God, will redeem it and utilize it to create blessing in my life. I journaled and emailed with a friend a few weeks ago about perspective, mainly about having perspective on others’ situations so I don’t become self-absorbed in my own situation. Well I am continuing to learn about perspective, this is a freeing perspective: freedom from fear or worries of the future and what trials may be out there yet for me to face or that maybe I am facing right now. Freedom to fully live in today because God takes care of my present and my future and will work both today and tomorrow for his glory. And how do I know this? I know this because God tells me this in his word!
Yes, God speaks through his word! I want to acknowledge my appreciation for the work that Brian has on the Daily Audio Bible (dailyaudiobible.com). Through his on-line community that reads through the bible each year I have gotten on board to read the bible on a regular, consistent basis. And the word of God is speaking richly and deeply to me. Yes God's word speaks. It is timeless. I love learning, I love thinking. What better way to do this than through reading the Bible, praying and reflecting/journaling (and now blogging!). It's life transforming. So thank you Brian at Daily Audio Bible for being just what I needed to start consistently reading God's word.
