Sacrifice

In the following blurb (found in a post on the Between Two Worlds blog), Todd Bolen talks about animal sacrifices, and, according to the above-mentioned blog, links to a "Passover Sacrifice video":

[...]We read about sacrifice in the Bible but we don't really understand what that means. We read passages that talk about the "life being in the blood," but those are just words that we don't really consider. We "know" that the wages of sin are high, but we don't get the life lesson that the ancient Israelites received every year.

The point of sacrifice was simply this: you deserve to die because of your sin. This animal is dying in your place. Watching the priest slice his throat and watching the blood drain out drove the point home much better than reading a chapter of Leviticus.

Today New Testament believers know that the blood of bulls and goats is not enough to take away sin. But I think that we can often just take for granted Jesus' death in our place. We don't think about his innocent blood draining away because we can't conceptualize it. We don't always appropriate the idea of substitute because we've never seen a living object die in our place. But our loss can be this: sin is easy because forgiveness (we think) is cheap. [...]

Though I don't want to watch the graphic video now or ever, it is quite sobering to think of animals' blood being shed as a reminder of our sin and to point to the future sacrifice we needed in Jesus Christ...

Wow...precious animals' deaths resulted from the sacrifices...It's easy to just think of 'animal sacrifices' without really thinking that animals were actually dying in the process...

Here is some more information about animal sacrifices from Challies' post T4G - R.C. Sproul:

On the Day of Atonement there are several animals involved in the ritual. The High Priest, before he enters the Holy of Holies, involves two animals, one of which is killed and the other which survives. The one is killed and its blood is sprinkled on the mercy seat. But there is no power in this blood except that it points forward to the blood of the Lamb. What is symbolized is an act of propitiation—a vertical transaction. The other animal is not killed but becomes the object of imputation where the priest now lays his hands on its back, symbolically indicating the transfer or imputation of the guilt of the people to the goat. At the end of the ceremony, he lays his hands on the goat and drives that goat into the wilderness. He is driven outside the camp. To be driven outside the camp, outside the community, was to be driven to the place where God’s blessings did not reach. He was sent into the outer darkness; into the curse. This is expiation. In the cross not only is the Father’s justice satisfied by the atoning work of the Son, but in carrying our sins the Son removes them as far as the east is from the west. He does this by being cursed. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law not just by being cursed for us, but by becoming a curse for us. He who is the incarnation of the glory of God now becomes the very incarnation of the divine curse.

God is too holy to even look at sin. His eyes are averted from His Son. The light of His countenance is turned off; all blessedness is removed from His Son whom He loves. And in its place is the full measure of the divine curse. All the imagery that portrays the historical event of the cross is the imagery of the curse. Jesus needed to be delivered into the hands of the gentiles so He could be crucified outside the camp so the full measure of the curse and the darkness could be visited upon Him. God adds to these details others—God turns out the light of the sun so as God turns His face, even the sun won’t shine on Calvary. Bearing the full measure of the curse Christ screams “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus did not merely feel forsaken; He was forsaken. He was utterly, totally and completely forsaken by the Father.

Thankfully, Jesus paid the price of our sin through the ultimate sacrifice of Himself. Hebrews 9:12: "He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption."

The sacrifices never completely did away with sin. Hebrews 10:1-4 says (boldness added):

The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

But we can now approach the throne of Grace spot-free because of our High Priest Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 4:15-16:

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

3 Things

Thing #1: The Least of These

On Monday I heard a talk on Matthew 25. Note verse 40, NIV, boldness added:

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Note the bold part. Interesting, eh?

Thing #2: Preaching the Gospel to Yourself

Ashleigh recommended the following links in a comment on the Fresh Brew blog:

Preach the Gospel to Yourself
How to Preach the Gospel to Yourself
A Gospel Primer

Thing #3: Claiming God's Promises

Patrick noted the following in a comment on the Talking Out of Turn blog:

I remember Charles Spurgeon telling the story of an older Christian woman who had written the letter “T” next to every Bible verse she’d had to “claim” (as you put it) for a particular situation in her life. And when the Lord kept his promise and brought it to pass in her life, she’d write the letter “P.” Spurgeon tells us that the “T” was for tried and the “P” was for proven, and that she had many Ts and Ps in her Bible. What a faithful God we serve!

Neat, huh? Reminds of me of something Elisabeth Elliot wrote (you can see the blurb here).

The Jailer's Conversion

From Acts 16 (vs. 25-34, ESV):

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here." And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

Notes & Questions:

1) Paul & Silas were praising God in the midst of trial.
2) The non-believing jailer was afraid and temporarily suicidal.
3) Paul cared and tried to prevent it.
4) Requirement for salvation: Belief in Jesus.
5) The jailer and his household heard "the word of the Lord"
6) Did the jailer care for Paul & Silas' wounds?
7) He and his family were baptized. So did his family also believe? They heard the Word. Were they baptized because of a personal faith or because of the faith of the man of the household? Hopefully they had a personal faith in Christ.
8) The now believing jailer fed Paul & Silas.
9) He and his household rejoiced over his belief.

God, please raise my eyes...

From Before the Throne of God Above:

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea.
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in Heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

From Psalm 38:

For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me. (4)

I am feeble and crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart. O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you. My heart throbs; my strength fails me, and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me. My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my nearest kin stand far off. (8-11)

But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear, like a mute man who does not open his mouth. I have become like a man who does not hear, and in whose mouth are no rebukes. But for you, O LORD, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer. (13-15)

Pray for prayer-pray till you can pray; pray to be helped to pray, and give not up praying because you cannot pray, for it is when you think you cannot pray that you are most praying. (in Spurgeon's Effective Prayer)

For I am ready to fall, and my pain is ever before me. I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin. (17-18)

Do not forsake me, O LORD! O my God, be not far from me! Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation! (21-22)

Isaiah 55:8: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.

Psalm 121:1-2: I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Acts of redemption...

So recently Christians all over the world celebrated the ultimate act of redemption: Christ's atonement for our sin through His death and resurrection. And sneak previews of smaller acts of redemption and prophecies sprinkled throughout the Old Testament foreshadow this glorious event.

On Saturday a friend and I talked of one such act of redemption, when Boaz married the widow Ruth. The next day the same friend redeemed me a bit. I could've easily stopped at a store to pick up the fruit juice I was supposed to bring, but she offered to bring hers instead (never mind the fact that we didn't end up drinking it anyway). Another instance of redemption comes to mind. I was at school and the thought of making copies of tests had totally slipped my mind until it was about time to start teaching. A fellow teacher helped me out by making a bunch of copies and bringing them to me so that I could proceed to start my class without waiting for that set of copies. A quick response of kindness that saved my morning.

Last week during Holy Week I attended the morning services that included bits from The Book of Common Prayer. Here is a snippet from a daily prayer from that:

"And, we pray, give us such an awareness of our mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise"

God's 'saves' did not stop with the ultimate save. He has delivered since the beginning of time and will continue to do so until the end. Perhaps if we live with eyes open to His mercies, we will notice and be more thankful for His many acts of deliverance.

And we should strive to redeem others in even small invisible ways in day-to-day life. You never know when those small acts of kindness might 'save' someone's day or 'redeem' the moment. Perhaps some of the tips in the article Practice Non-Random Acts of Kindness can help create a good framework toward this end.

Always be prepared...

...Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have... - 1 Peter 3:15

So Wednesday night I presented the gospel to an AWANA girl, and we prayed together for her to accept. But how deep did the roots go? So much information in so little time. My drawing and explanation may have lacked clarity. Good thing her salvation does not rest upon my measly attempt. The counsel time later that evening was about salvation, but even then I wonder if it was clear enough to someone who may have just heard for the first or second time. Afterwards we received booklets providing information and verses about Jesus. Hopefully she'll read the booklet. The church's children's ministry director later told me that there is a Bible club at the child's school. Also she may talk with her during the handbook time next week. Hopefully there will be follow-up, and hopefully there is or will be a faith that will grow. Perhaps I rushed things? Regardless of whether or not she grasps salvation and the faith enough at this point, God can use anything to plant seeds and accomplish His purposes, and it's neat to think He may have planted or watered seeds in her heart...

We don't always know when an opportunity to share Christ might arise. I should seek to be prepared to speak of this great Hope should opportunities arise again in the future.

"Both righteous and sinful"

"Ligoner National Conference - John MacArthur - We Have Been Raised But We Stink"

In the last part of Challies' synthesis of MacArthur's sermon, which includes discussion of justification and sanctification, he writes:

Putting sin to death is a lifelong process and one that will be perfected only in the day of Jesus Christ. Until then we are and shall remain both righteous and sinful.

Hiding the secret...

I just read a diary (the students had to write diaries for my class) where a student poured out his heart, expressing his negative emotions. Here is part of his entry (not sure if it's all his own words; it's exceptionally good for his level):

I felt sad today but I don't know why? I thought suddenly, I came to one of those bleak periods that many us encounter from time to time, a sudden drastic dip in the graph of living when everything goes stale and flat, energy frightening. The barren days dragged on, and the paralysis grew worse. I don't want to go to school, I don't want to go out with my friend. I only want to sit alone in my bed room. I wish I can walk alone on the beach, stand there and shout. Some times, I think about myself because I'm just kidding when I think everything will be good for me but it's not true. [....] I can't understand the problem of my life. [...]

And in my comment, what do I write? Absolutely nothing about Christ. I keep the solution hidden.

And last month another student wrote that she's a Christian but doesn't go to church in Seattle. She felt sad about this. She hates her host family and wrote: "They never lead me go to church. I bring a lot of crime with Christ. I feel sad about this." I'm not sure if she's saved, but she could be. Did my comments back to her do anything? She never talked to me about her problem. I think I'm okay with the way I handled her situation, though she never verbally opened up about it...

But with the guy who expressed his sadness, I'm keeping the secret to contentment hidden...

Although aspects my faith have leaked out in my interactions with students before, perhaps I should strive to be bolder and more proactive? What would Paul do...?

Now for that grading...who knows what I might discover next...

[...later in the evening....]

Aha! I found something else written by the student I first mentioned in this post...oh...he wrote:

Indeed, seldom do I cling my mind to anything but maybe, I do, do now....It's the first times I've failed to struggle with my conscience, and conceded victory of my heart. God! bless me. Any way, thank you for one times making me not myself. Believe in me, every truth following is guaranteed, go back to my life, and back to the true [or time?].

I suppose now's the chance...I don't know if he meant "God" to refer to "God", or if he meant it like "Gosh"...I don't know who the "you" is...is it "God"? Who knows...okay, so I just wrote a comment that included a bit about God. But really, only God knows if and where that helicopter seed might land...

Now, back to grading galore...

"But God..."

Here is a blogpost entitled The "But God" Gap...There's now an article up at Boundless called Fighting Spiritual Drift. In that article, Ricky Alcantar notes: "Two of my favorite words in scripture are 'But God....'". These two words appear in his closing as well...

My sister has related to me her "But God" experience...she and another girl would reflect upon those two words on their way to school when they were student teaching.

Maybe she'll write out the details and allow me to post them here...

"So what -- I'm saved."

Here's an excerpt from the post What To Do When Your Fig Tree Fails...

Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation. (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

In Habakkuk's day, if you were a farmer, your whole life depended on your crops and herds. He describes a worst-case scenario: all his crops fail, all his flocks and herds die. Yet he says, even if all this befalls him, "I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation." In other words, so what -- I'm saved!

How this honors God! How it blesses him when we say "Lord, even if you don't bless me in any other way, you alone are enough for me. You have saved me to bring me to yourself. Your glory is all I need. I rejoice in you."

So when the mechanic tells you that you need a new transmission, say, “So what -- I'm saved.” Depending on how well you know him, you might want to consider saying it to yourself quietly. When the children break your favorite Ming Dynasty vase say, "I will rejoice in the Lord." When you come downstairs in the morning to discover that Sparky the Wonder Dog left a little surprise in the middle of the living room carpet, you know what to say. And should you be facing something really serious, I would still encourage you to say along with Habakkuk, "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation."

May God teach me to continuously look to Him for the joy in Him and His salvation...May He cause me to genuinely, consciously, and consistently feel, when appropriate: "So what -- I'm saved." May He teach me that that is enough. Enough. Yes sanctification and fruits of the faith are important. But the starting point is not with my efforts but His grace. As Paul was told that God's grace was sufficient for him (2 Cor. 12:9), may His grace be sufficient for me also...

In My Place Condemned He Stood: Celebrating the Glory of the Atonement

...is a forthcoming book by J.I. Packer and Mark Dever

You can see the endorsements here, at the Between Two Worlds blog.

Desperate for Forgiveness

Here's a link to a videoclip from an ER segment: Atonement

It portrays a man desperately, frustratingly longing for answers; he's longing for forgiveness because he's "running out of time"...

How many people may feel this desperate without me even knowing? How many people might want me to share with them how to find forgiveness, or how many people want to know about the gospel or life after death? How often do I hide this vital news from those desperate to know?

I think my mom has described 1 or 2 occasions in her pre-saved days where she wanted to be told about Christianity, where she wanted to be told, to be let in...

How often might I deny people the opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus Christ? How many don't know the basic gospel message:

realizing how great God is and how people cannot match that perfection; we fall short in our sin,

knowing that the consequence of sin is eternal separation from God and punishment after death,

confessing our sin and realizing we need some way outside of ourselves to be made clean in God's eyes; knowing it is only by God's grace that we can be saved,

believing that Jesus (God's Son; fully God and fully man) is the way; He bridges the gap between us and God; His death paid the penalty our sin deserves. He rose again on the third day and is alive today.

Hope in both this life and the one after death can be found through Christ.

John 3:16 --> "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." That verse right there contains the saving message of the gospel.

Remembering the Gospel

Some tips on "How to Preach the Gospel to Yourself"...

With paws raised...

Someone was telling me about a particular animal analogy she had, and I asked her to write a blurb about it. Here is part of her response:

"It's how I remember as a kid seeing cartoons where the animal would 'die' from some cartoon catastrophe, and they would flip onto their backs with all four legs in the air. Equating that to myself before God...

[...] that's just the scene that comes into my head at various times, when I realize yet again, I have nothing in myself, I'm "dead" with all four legs up in the air.

It's then that I breathe out a sigh of a sort of "death" and somehow, as I continue then plodding ahead with daily duties, no one may even know what turmoil I have, He somehow breathes this still small breeze of life into me. I don't try to imagine how He would fix me, or wrack my brain to figure it out, or what I will try to read to fix myself. Because I can't--there are times I just can't. And I'm tired of the clutter in my head.

So I fling my body onto my back so to speak, and stick my legs up in the air. I don't even say, "Do something!!" I just lay down, dying, once again, before God. I just can't do it. I don't have the will to, or the power. I don't have the words to ask for this huge transformation that I need.

And when I do "die", [...] but in my mind I stay there. I don't "die" and then suddenly flip back up and start, okay, now, let's get this show on the road! I stay dead. Until, who knows how long? I may realize later, I am breathing fresh air! I don't know, it's murky."



(edited 2/14, pic changed on 2/18)

"Silent Night, Lonely Night"

Here are excerpts from the article Silent Night, Lonely Night by Carolyn McCulley:

Christmas often staggers under the weight of human emotion and expectation — just as it has from the very start.

From a human perspective, the first "Christmas," so to speak, was simultaneously crowded and lonely. Dispirited Jews shuffled around the region, required to be part of a new, universal Roman census for possibly the first time. (Previously Palestine had been excluded from the Roman census because Jews were exempt from serving in the Roman army.) Among those sojourners was a young couple with a whiff of scandal about them.

Despite her advanced pregnancy, Mary and Joseph traversed 70 miles of difficult, mountainous terrain to be counted and most likely taxed. Her questionable pregnancy may have deprived Mary of the friendship of other women back in Nazareth, but there in Bethlehem, it's very likely she gave birth without the usual crowd of womenfolk there to support her and rejoice with her at the birth of a son. And then, because there was no room at the inn, Mary placed her son in a manger.

Lowly shepherds — excluded from society because their work was dirty and it prevented them from participating in the religious activities of the community — and stargazing pagans from the East were the only people who seemed to note the birth of Jesus. Scripture does not record that any other human beings noticed or celebrated.[...]

At that moment, Mary was experiencing a fulfillment of her cousin's blessing: "Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!" (Luke 1:45). Elizabeth, who bore the reproach of barrenness for so many years, was the one to utter this blessing to her younger cousin with the mysterious pregnancy. As she spoke those words, an elderly widow named Anna who was waiting in the temple in Jerusalem and praying for the redemption of Israel. Three women at different seasons of life but each trusting God for His timetable in the midst of their grief, loneliness, and trials — the weight of human emotion.

The day Jesus was born, many Jews were eagerly expecting a messiah to come one day. Their expectation was for political deliverance, not deliverance from sin. They thought their biggest problem was Rome and thus their solution was an earthly king.

Just like today, expectation and emotion ruled the day. And just like the day Jesus was born, there is a true perspective from heaven that transcends our own parochial outlook. [...]

What I love about this song is that I'm reminded of the one event that can bear up under the weight of human emotion and expectation. [...]

No matter how lonely Christmas feels to any of us this year, we know someone who has endured far more loneliness than we ever will — and He did it to rescue us. [...] in physical misery and torturous pain, Jesus cried out from the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" His loneliness we will never know, but His joy we do know in part now and will know even more in the new heavens and new earth.

Mystery

Wow. "Mystery", on Selah's Christmas album, is amazing (mostly)! I'm currently listening to it on repeat. :) I'd love to listen to a live adaptation sung by a choir singing out from their hearts and with instruments played with power...I'd love to just lay there and listen to a live rendition...anyway, give it a listen!

Here are the lyrics (I know He wasn't necessarily born on Christmas Day, but, His birth is celebrated this season...) :

A child was born on Christmas Day
Born to save the world
But long before the world began
He knew His death was sure
The pain and strife secured

Mystery, how He came
To be a man
But greater still
How His death was in His plan
God predestined that His Son would die
And He still created man
Oh, what love is this
That His death was in His hands

The Christmas trees
They glow so bright
With presents all around
But Christmas brought
A tree of life
With blood that sacrificed
The greatest gift in life

Chorus

I am just a man and
Can't begin to comprehend
When You look into this traitor's eyes
What do You see that justifies the Lamb

God predestined that His
Son would die
And He still created man
Oh, what love is this
That His death was in His plan
Mystery, mystery

Cultural Connections -- the Gospel

So for a journal assignment, my students were to write about one or more of the following topics: superstitions, beliefs, ghosts, the supernatural, cultural “taboos”, etc.

Check out an excerpt from one guy's paper (which he posted on Blackboard):

In my country, there are some stories about ghost, too. Especially in my city, there was a story about the ghost with no head. Every night, it comes out and kidnaps children to eat. No one has power to go against him until a special child was born. His name is Thach. He is the son of the god. He has a super power. He didn’t say any word until he is 3 years old. Then, he grew up very fast and became a strong man. He came out and killed the Ghost. After he killed it, he went to the top of the Hai Son mountain and flew up to the sky.

Wow, huh? Somehow, it reminds me of the story of salvation in a remote way. Jesus, is the Son of God. He came to earth as a special child (of course fully God at the same time). After he defeated death, he went up to heaven...In my response to this particular student's entry, though, I didn't mention how it reminded me of my faith.

I HOPE someone will be caused to think about God, or somehow be drawn to God, the true God, even through this excerpt...or through other journal entries, my comments, or my sample journal entry. Granted it might be a stretch, but God is all-powerful and could work even through something in connection with this if it is His will.

You never know...

Paul declared the true God to a people who had the appearances of being religious and who had "...an altar with this inscription, 'To the unknown god.'..." (Acts 17:23)

I didn't declare who God was in my response, but hopefully someone will, or hopefully he'll read my sample entry where I mentioned my "Christian faith" (though I didn't explain salvation) and possibly pause to consider God.

I don't know, God, but, in some way will You please use (if you haven't yet) this assignment to Your glory? Thank you...

"Before the Throne of God Above"

A beautiful, beautiful song.

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea.
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in Heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there the risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace,
One in Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God!

(lyrics from: http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/b/e/beforetg.htm)

"Looking Above"

Numbers 21:8-9

"Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.' And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived."

John 3:14-15

"'As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life."

God, help me to look to you for abundant life.

God's Deliverance Awaits

Exodus 6:6-9

Here God says, "Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, 'I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you to the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession; I am the LORD.'"So Moses spoke thus to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on account of their despondency and cruel bondage."

In dark times our clarity of vision can be shortsighted. It can be easy to forget the temporariness of life's burdens. Yet what a promise awaits. God will take us to a land...to the Heavenly Land. Nothing can compare. And HE can lighten our load. If we come to HIM, HE promises rest. As the (perhaps) somewhat famous Matthew 11:28 states: "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Another example of a Scriptural passage that notes God's deliverance is found in Psalm 34:17: "The righteous cry, and the LORD hears And delivers them out of all their troubles." However, 'The righteous' is in italics in my Bible, so let me try to find another verse that expresses this idea. Oh. Just verses earlier, in verse 4, it is noted that "I sought the LORD, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears."

God in difficult times please help me not be consumed by them but instead please help me to remember that there is light up ahead. Joy is supposed to come in the morning, right? Isn't there a verse that says something to the extent that sorrow may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning? Help me to turn to you and help my inner being to be renewed daily. 2 Corinthians 4:16-- "Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day." Please help me to be 'renewed day by day' and, if possible, can you help me to be aware of how it is being renewed? Thanks...please help scripture verses come to my mind and help me to think upon YOU more often. Thank you. Please help me to listen to You/Your Word even in the midst of my trials. Please let the difficulties not carry me further away from You.