The Bread of Life

"You are my God; Early will I seek You..." (Psalm 63:1)

There's something about getting up early, at the crack of dawn, watching the sun come up. The house is quiet. The coffee is brewing. The hope and anticipation of a new day stirs the senses. Something causes me to lean forward and listen in the stillness. Draws me closer. Beckons me. Draws me in.

Closer to God. 

Having made their mass exodus out of Egypt, the nation of Israel wandered through the desert, in a dry and thirsty land. From Heaven, God provided their daily food—small, round, wafers of bread—as sweet as honey—as white as snow. 

They called it Manna.

It was there every morning at first light. Theirs for the taking. Free of cost. All they had to do was pick it up and eat it.

The only caveat—to pick it up early while it was still cool out. 

As the sun grew hot, the Manna began to melt and rot. It could not be gathered up in baskets and stored up for a week. They had to gather and eat the fresh Manna early, daily, in the first light of morning.

The Word of God—manna from Heaven for the follower of Christ—is like that. 

The Word is never so sweet as it is when gathered and tasted early, in the light of the dawn.When the mind is fresh, thoughts uncluttered from the cares and worries that will come with the heat of day, one can best ingest and meditate on the timeless truths of God's Word—manna from Heaven.

John; the Apostle of Love, recorded these breathtaking words from Jesus:

"I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." (John 6:35)

What Jesus was saying to an angry mob of religious people, furious that He would take away their precious written code of Law given them by Moses, He is also saying to us today: 

Only He can quench your thirsty spirit. Only He can fill your hungry soul.

The intellectual act of reading the Bible in of itself can never satisfy your hunger, thirst and longing—if you miss life-giving, intimate, spiritual, communion with Jesus in the process. Reading the word of God will be of no benefit to you, unless your hearts' desire is to meet with the God of the Word. Religion is dead without an intimate, personal Relationship with Jesus Christ.

Marriage—the Bride and the Groom—is a picture of Christ and His Church.

Imagine, if, you read a book about your spouse once a day, but never have any actual conversation, laughter, experiences, joy, or intimacy with  them?

What kind of a marriage would that be?

A cold, dull, lifeless one, for sure.

So what makes us think that Jesus is satisfied with that kind of dull, lifeless marriage relationship with us?

He's not. 

Are you?

Just as physical, spiritual, and relational intimacy between a husband and wife is a two-way street—you only get out of it what you put into it—so too, is our relationship with Christ.  

God says, "Draw near to Me—and (then) I will draw near to you."  (James 4:8)

Jesus wants a relationship with us where we freely and willingly choose to draw near to Him—to seek Him out in the first cool light of the morning—to cry out to Him when we feel alone and in need of His touch. 

He wants us to choose spending time with Him over the empty pursuits of life in this fallen world. And yes for me, that means to choose to spend time with Him more than my love for fly fishing. 

For some, it means to choose spending time with Him over watching football. For others, that means choosing Him over addictions to food, over entertainment, over shopping, over cars, over clothes, over money, over position in life, over career, over family, over children—even over spouse—if those things or people come between us and Him.

David wrote in Psalm 63, "You are my God—and I will seek You early." He gave personal priority and preeminence to his God—over everything, and over everyone else.

Is Jesus truly the Lord over your entire life? 

Do you, do I, show Him our daily devotion by giving Him the priority and preeminence over everything, and over everyone?

A friend of mine used to say about Christ's Lordship in our hearts: 

"He's either Lord of all, or not at all." 

This morning, I have to stare into the mirror of that reality and ask myself some tough, soul-searching questions about the state of my relationship with Christ.

Perhaps it's a good time for you to do the same.

As Jesus, the God of Love, says to me this morning, and everyday, so too, does He say to you:

"I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst."

And once again, something causes me to lean forward and listen in the stillness. Draws me closer. Beckons me. 
     —Draws me in...

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

The Last 39 Miles

"My soul longs for You, like a parched land." (Psalm 143:6)

In my job I do a lot of driving. Up to 5,000 miles per month. For some, they may drive much more than that and not think anything of it. But for me, that's a LOT of driving.

My bi-weekly route takes me to the eastern part of the state, and my furthest client is over 400 miles from my home. The drive is through desert and farmlands. But in the blistering heat of August, it's mostly through parched desert.

The countryside gets more arid as I return west, towards a small desert town which includes an Air Force base. On much of that route, there is not even any sagebrush, but only six inch high parched grasses, rocks, the occasional antelope, a few rattlesnakes and red tailed hawk. From that small desert town, it's not too much further to get home.

After a long, arduous, three day journey, vision blurred, back aching, weary of avoiding crazed drivers and kamikaze semi trucks, who all seem to be trying to win some imaginary Baja 500 desert race, all I want to do is get home. 

To arrive alive.

I often stop at this last desert outpost for a cold drink, and a few gallons of gas if I need it, wishing there was an alternate road to get back home. A road less traveled, where there are no semi trucks, no speeding idiots out of control, no roadside crosses reminding me of the craziness and hazards of driving on this interstate. 

But this is the only way to get back to my final destination—to my home. These last few miles seem like they take forever. This crazy interstate seems like it will never end. I'm so tired. I just want to get home. Just a few more miles.

The last 39 miles.

Life is like that for me. 

I think for anyone in their 50's, and older, life in this crazy, fallen world has beaten us up. It wears you down. Makes you weary. The losses and disappointments of this life have left scars on our hearts, and in our souls. 

Oh sure, everyone younger than 50 has also experienced searing loss, disappointment and painful rejection in this life. I'm not in any way trying to minimize your very real pain and suffering. 

But I've discovered after my 53 years, that life gets harder on a person after living 50+ years. The body breaks down, for sure. But the weight of sin, the ugliness and the consequences of sin, and the downward spiral of this wicked world, have worn me down, discouraged my spirit at times and crushed my heart on a daily basis.

But most of all, it's the weariness of soul—from the waiting and longing for my eternal Home and my Eternal Father who waits for me there—that causes my parched soul to ache and thirst, until at last, I see Him face-to-face.

I long for Home.

Today I can totally relate with David as he, with pen in hand, etched out the cry of his heart and soul in Psalm 143, fearful and weary of fleeing from, and being hated and pursued by his enemies, longing for the refreshing of his soul that can only be filled by His Lord:

"My soul longs for You, like a parched land."

Does that resonate with your parched soul today?

The Psalms are perhaps one of the greatest gifts in all of Scripture to all followers of Christ down through the ages. For, even though the road is long, and the journey takes us through a dry and thirsty land, like the psalmist David, we too, have Jesus—The Great Shepherd—to Whom we can cry out, to refresh our parched souls.

Jesus said: (Revelation 21:6)

"It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life."

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

"All who are thirsty... all who are weak... come to the fountain... dip your heart in the stream of life. Let the pain and the sorrow... be washed away... in the waves of His mercy... as deep cries out to deep. 

And we sing...  

Come, Lord Jesus, come..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKu_JjRtvAE

Chosen and Sent

"Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God." - (2 Corinthians 5:20)

What is an ambassador?

"To be a senior, that is, (by implication) act as a representative (figuratively preacher): - be an ambassador."

An ambassador is one who is sent to represent, or re-present the sender. And similar to the photo above, in ancient times, an ambassador was always sent with a signet ring, with the sender's seal on it. That seal carried with it, the authority of the sender.

I've had some great discussions with friends recently where, they as a Christian, have been feeling like they should be "doing more." They are faithfully working hard at their jobs, supporting their families, being a good dad as best they can.

But like so many followers of Christ today, we ask Him, "Should I be doing more?" 

More for the Kingdom?

I recently encouraged a close friend who is struggling with these questions with the following proclamation: "We are not servants in the House—we are sons—sons of God." We don't have to jump through a bunch of religious hoops to be pleasing to our Father. He loves us as sons. 

But as His sons, God also sends us as His ambassadors.

We are sent to represent, or re-present our Sender.

And we are sealed with His 'signet' or seal—the seal of the Holy Spirit. We have been given God's authority to go and re-present Him to a lost and dying world—desperately in need of salvation—in need of the love, hope, peace and  freedom of soul and spirit that only Christ can offer them.

As Gods' ambassadors, often times we feel like being a husband, father, employee at our job, or even a parking lot attendant at the church is not 'doing enough' for the advancement of the Kingdom. We desire to be, we feel like we should be, doing more.

However, if we acknowledge God's sovereignty, we will realize that He has already placed us where He wants us.

The question we need to ask ourselves is, am I content with where He has me right now?

But along with that, we must determine if we are fulfilling the role of an ambassador where He has placed us.

We think of a "calling" as going off to Africa to be a missionary, or planting a church somewhere south of the border. But to think of our calling as just being a dad, or a husband, or working at the job God gave us. That doesn't seem to us like it's our calling.

But it is.

Paul wrote in his letter to his son in the faith, Timothy, that God, 

"Has saved us and called with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, given to us in Christ Jesus before the world began." (2 Timothy 1:9).

When you're saved you're called—wherever God has you at that time.

Now, that doesn't mean God won't send you somewhere else. But that is only according to His timing and His will. The Bible says that if you are faithful over the few things that God has given you to be a good steward over, then He will give you more. Again, only according to His will and timing.

I've learned the hard way that when you try to 'make something happen' for God, that it only causes problems and you make a mess of things. God does not need you to make things happen for Him.  He needs you to be thankful and content with where He has you right now, and then to be still and listen for what He would have you do, moment by moment, and then just be obedient to that direction He gives you.

It's really pretty simple.

The hard part is staying patient and content and not trying to get ahead of God.

Just be still and know that He is God.

The body of Christ—the sum total of all followers of Christ across the world—is like a beautiful tapestry, made up of individual threads—covering the entire planet. We're not a bunch of loose yarns. 

God can't use a bunch of Lone Rangers, off doing their own thing.

God has you right where He wants you.

You may work on a construction site all day.  That's where God has called you. You may lie sick in a hospital bed. That's where God has called you. You may be unemployed and unable to work due to a medical limitation. That's where God has called you. You may drive long haul trucks across the country. That's where God has called you. You may be a mom who takes care of your children and your household. That's where God has called you. You may work in a hospital emergency room 24 hours a day. That's where God has called you.

God can use you wherever you are if you'll let Him.

Your co-workers on the job site already are, or will go through many difficult trials as you get to know them. Will you make yourself available to love them, listen to them and encourage them? Your neighbors across the street who don't know Christ need someone who will be a friend to them and love them through the loss of a family member. Will you put aside your feelings of being uncomfortable talking to someone you really don't know and extend the love and grace of God to them in their hour of need?

You are an ambassador of Christ.

Will you let God use you to re-present Him to those in need?

—God is Love and Love Never Fails.

Down But Not Out

"We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed..." (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)

Have you had one of those days when you just felt pounded and weary? Like you were the fighter on the mat, down for the count, and you just don't feel like you can get up again? Join the club.

The fighter pictured above appears to be all but done. The referee looks like he is ready to begin the final count. As always, I like to include a photo with each blog post, and this photo is rich in symbolism. 

The fighter down on the mat represents you and me. Pounded by our enemy, down on the mat, weary, wondering if we can get up again.

The referee represents the unbelieving world, ready to count us out, laughing us to scorn, mocking our faith.

The boxer standing over us represents our enemy, confident that he has won, daring us to get up again.

But is this the end of the story?

Not by a long shot.

Look again at the passage above from 2 Corinthians.

"Persecuted but not forsaken, struck down—but not destroyed."

Like so many of God's people, you may be at the point where you feel like throwing in the towel. You feel like you're just not winning this battle. "It's too hard." "I can't do this." "I'm not making it."... you lament.

However, what the world does not know, is that we have a Champion in our corner, fighting on our behalf. And the battle is already won.

We are the victors.

In Sunday School the pictures of Jesus portray Him as the gentle Lamb, meek and lowly. But the Lord who is fighting for us is also called The Lion of The Tribe of Judah. 

Read what the Prophet Isaiah wrote about Jesus—the gentle Lamb of God, (Isaiah 42:13):

"The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man; He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war. He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud; He shall prevail against His enemies."

As followers of Christ, we have the Book. We know the end of the story. Like actors in a play, we know the end of the script.

And we win.

During all the many times when you are down on the mat, unable to get up, cry out to your Champion—The Captain of your Salvation; the Victor: Jesus Christ. He is the Lord of lords and the King of kings.

The world has no idea who He really is. They think of Jesus as just a person of folklore, a good teacher, and maybe even a prophet if they believe in Him at all.  "He was a good man" they may say.

Here is what the Prophet Isaiah wrote of the babe born in a manger (Isaiah 9:6):

"For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

The baby boy born in a Bethlehem manger is The Mighty God. He is The Everlasting Father.

He is the Captain of our Salvation. 

And He alone is the One who will pick you up off the mat and dust you off, strengthening you, refreshing you, enabling you for another day's battle—which He will fight for you. 

"Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's." (Isaiah 17:47)

When two and a half million Israelite's were backed up against the Red Sea—nowhere to run—Pharaoh's chariots bearing down—certain death awaiting them; Moses, a man whose faith was in God, proclaimed:

"Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever." (Exodus 14:13)

How many times do we try to run in the face of trouble? Or try to fight our enemy in our own strength?

I love what Moses says: "Do not be afraid. Stand still and see the Salvation of the Lord which HE will accomplish for you."

The battle is the Lord's...not ours. He will fight the enemy. And He will eventually remove them from our sight forever.

So, until the Lion of the Tribe of Judah returns for us, do not be afraid. Stand still, cry out to the Captain of your Salvation, and see the Salvation of the Lord.

Stay close to Jesus and trust in Him fellow believer. 

     —The victory is already won!

—God is Love and Love Never Fails.

Faith That Runs Deep

"It is of no use to hope that we shall be well rooted if no rough winds pass over us. Those old gnarlings on the root of the oak tree, and those strange twistings of the branches, all tell of the many storms that have swept over it, and they are also indicators of the depth into which the roots have forced their way."

C.H. Spurgeon, in his classic devotional work, "Mornings and Evenings," penned these words on July 11th, over 100 years ago. But they ring profoundly true today, as if they were written personally for me, and for several people I know, who are currently enduring painful trials.

One of my character traits (or flaws?) is to question everything. "What could possibly be the purpose for this extremely painful trial?" If I understand the "why" I can accept it. I may not enjoy it, but it at least helps me make sense of the whole thing.

But as I've written previously, we are rarely ever told the answer to "why?"

However, today I was given another glimpse into the reason for our painful trials and suffering. And, oddly enough, the answer was actually found in the Bible. (Go figure!)

"But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus—after you have suffered for a little while—perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you." (1 Peter 5:10)

Spurgeon goes on to write:

"The Christian is made strong and firmly rooted by all the trials and storms of life. [Therefore], do not shrink from the tempestuous winds of trial, but take comfort, believing that by their rough discipline God is fulfilling this benediction in you."

I know that for me—the more severe the storm—the tighter I cling to Jesus, and ever deeper go the roots of my faith in Him.

What a precious gift from God our faith is! And that's the purpose for our trials.

God wants us to cling to Him, rely wholly on Him, trust fully in Him, and be totally dependent on Him. So, is it any wonder that when we seek comfort, pleasure and fulfillment in other things or in other people, that these other little 'gods' in our life are shaken up and sometimes taken away?

Spurgeon writes:

"Seek, oh believer, so that every good thing you have may be an abiding thing. May your character not be a writing upon the sand, but an inscription on the rock! May your faith be no "baseless fabric of a vision," but may it be built of material able to endure that awful fire which shall consume the wood, hay, and stubble of the hypocrite. May you be rooted and grounded in love. May your convictions be deep, your love real, your desires earnest. May your whole life be so settled and established that all the blasts of hell, and the storms of earth shall never be able to move you."

To be "established in the faith," as the writer of Hebrews writes, one has to, "suffer for a little while."

So if you're suffering for God's righteousness' sake, meaning—not because of your own rebellion or stupidity; then take courage; your are being perfected, established, strengthened and settled in Christ.

And here's more good news:

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18)

The trials and sufferings of this life are only temporary. And we, as followers of Christ, are soon heading to a place and eternal existence where God promises there will be no more pain, sorrow or death:

"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." (Revelation 21:4)

Until that Day however, let the painful storms and trials of this life drive the roots of your faith deep into the Rock—Jesus Christ. He can personally relate with your pain. The Bible says He has felt all our infirmities:

"For we do not have a High Priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15)

Although I cannot provide any specific Bible passages to you to categorically prove this, it is my personal belief that part of the reason Christ came to this earth and became flesh and suffered for us, is so that God almighty could feel what we feel and relate with us personally. God is Spirit, and before Christ became a Man, God did not have a physical body like He did when Christ took a physical body upon Himself. God, as Spirit, could not feel exactly what we as humans feel. He could not experience the same kind of human pain, sorrow and anguish we feel and experience in our weakness as human beings. And I believe He became a Man to know us more deeply and personally because of His great love for us individually and personally.

That's how much He loves you and loves me.

Meditate on the following verses from Isaiah 53:3-4

"He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our grief and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted."

Jesus was said to be a Man of sorrows, and was acquainted with grief. He bore our grief and carried our sorrows. If this doesn't break your heart and fill your eyes with tears, I don't know what will.

Because of His great love for us, He chose to personally feel all our pain, sorrow and grief. The Bible says He "carried our sorrows." He knows what it's like to feel the sting of being rejected by His own family. He knows what it's like to feel the loneliness you are feeling. He knows what it feels like to experience the sorrow of losing a loved one. God Himself knows what it's like to experience the pain and weakness of being in a human body. He knows what it feels like to be unwanted.

Doesn't that just make you want to cling to Him, and thank Him, and love Him even more?

It does me. Thank You Lord for Your great love for me!

And thank You for this current trial in my life—through which You are perfecting, establishing, strengthening and settling me—in You.


—God is Love and Love Never Fails.

Footprints

    Where God's presence abides—so too, does the sweet fragrance of Christ linger.

I was looking through an old journal yesterday and came across some poetry that my wife had written in my book in 2007. My wife does not consider her writing poetry, but rather, song lyrics.

You see, she has this amazing relationship with Christ where she spends intimate time reading His Word and talking to Him, and He gives her these incredible, spontaneous songs as part of her worship to Him.

They are love letters to Her Savior.

When I thought of how happy I was that she wrote a couple of her sweet little songs in my journal, I couldn't get over how blessed I was that I still have them here in my little book. I will always have them. They are a part of her. And she is a part of me.

But something greater was unfolding in what God was speaking to my heart about these sweet songs, and the fact that she wrote them down for me. These little jewels were His footprints—traces of His presence in our lives.

Think of all the amazing things that have happened to you since you first knew Jesus.

Think of all the wonderful people you have come to know and be friends with. Think of the many blessings and provision God has bestowed upon you. Think of all the many times when He encouraged you when you were hurting, when He lifted you up when you were weak and when He gave you His peace when nothing in your life made sense.

Think of all the times when you were without hope and you cried out to Him and He met you in your time of need.

Think of those precious times when His presence changed everything.

All these wonderful blessings, people, provision, and peace from His presence are footprints in the sand of your life. They are traces of His presence.

My wife is also a Sunday school teacher for the 4 year old's at our church. She loves these little lambs like they were own. I have seen her get home from work at 9:30 on a Saturday evening, and then stay up past midnight making sure her lesson is just right, and she makes these incredible crafts that she joyfully creates out of pure love for these children—and for her Savior, Jesus.

I told her last night that every little encouragement she gives these children, every creative craft she creates for them in love, every smile that she gives these precious little lambs—are God's footprints—evidence of His presence in her life. In our house we call it "fruitiness."

The same is true in your life.

Every hug you give to a person who is hurting, every hour you spend with a friend who is feeling hopeless, every phone call you make to reach out to someone who feels alone, every prayer you pray for someone who needs God's love—these are God's footprints in the sand of your life.

Evidence of His presence.

The secret to experiencing God's presence the way that my wife does is spending intimate time with Him.

When you spend quality time time loving Jesus, talking to Him, reading His Word, listening for His gentle voice—the goodness of His presence in you—rivers of living water—will overflow out of your life, and touch others with His love.

There is nothing more beautiful.

Jesus said:

"He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." (John 7:38)

The reason I started this blog, and why I continue to write to this day, is I love to share what God has done, and what He is doing in our lives. My hope and prayer has always been that by sharing my stories of God's blessings and grace that He has touched us with, that others will be encouraged and lifted up, and ultimately—they will see the goodness and faithfulness of God and draw near to Him.

Looking back and seeing His footprints throughout my life with Him, I thank Jesus for walking with me—carrying me when I could go no further—and continuously blessing me with the evidence of His presence.

God's footprints reveal the times of His presence with us personally.

And I especially thank Him for blessing me with my wife, who brings His sweetness and sun shine into my life every day.

    —Where God's presence abides—so too, does the sweet fragrance of Christ linger.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

Coincidence?— I Think Not!

Have you ever had a strange experience where, seemingly by chance, you run into someone, and after talking for several minutes, you discover that the similarities in what you've both been going through are so strikingly similar, that it seems like there must be a reason that you bumped into each other today?

Perhaps you turn on the radio on your way to work and the guy is talking in specific detail about the exact same thing that you're going through, and as he lays out some specific passages of scripture to bring comfort to someone who is going through what you're going through, you realize that these passages are exactly the same ones you were reading and meditating on when you got up this morning.

Maybe you're on your way somewhere and you stop at an intersection, and the light turns green and it's your turn to go. But something in you subtly tells you to look again, even though when you looked both ways before, there were no cars coming. And yet, as you look again, a speeding car races dangerously through the intersection, and had you gone when the light turned green, you most certainly would have died.

Coincidence?

All the above instances, and many others too numerous to mention here, have happened to us over the last ten years. We stopped believing in coincidences many years ago. In our house, we have a saying. If me or my wife says "Coincidence?" The other will quickly respond, "I think not!"

Too many strange but wonderful things have happened to us, and to the people we know, since we have become followers of Christ. And they simply cannot be coincidences. You know God has His hand in it.

As my daughter so perfectly stated it the other day, "You know it has God's fingerprints all over it."

I've spoken at length in my last few posts how God is sovereign over all things.The Bible also says He has "ordered our steps." He doesn't make our choices for us, but knowing in advance all the choices we will make, He sometimes orchestrates situations and circumstances that will give us everything we need to know to make the right choices. And if we are on a path to making bad choices, He will sometimes place obstacles in our way to deter us, and to help warn us of the perils of choosing unwisely.

But having been given the gift of freewill, we still have to choose wisely.

Because I love and respect my friend who I am writing about next, I will only speak in generalities, respecting his right to privacy. Back on June 11th when I had my seizure from my neurological disorder, ending up in the emergency room, I wrote a blog entry about the experience two days later on June 13th. I titled it, "The Blessing of Not Knowing Why."

http://marriage-miracles.blogspot.com/2012/06/blessing-of-not-knowing-why.html

I sent out a group email to virtually everyone on my email list, to inform them of this new change in my life, and to ask for prayer. I also included a link to the blog post mentioned above. Some people responded, but not everyone, and that's fine. My primary goal was to get the blog post out to give my testimony of how the Lord is faithful and He is working in and through this difficult trial in our life.

Over a week later, I sent a short email to my friend about something fishing related. He responded to let me know he hasn't had any time for fishing as he had just experienced a personal tragedy of a magnitude that I  could never comprehend experiencing. But in his response he kindly wrote:

"I received your email last week about your condition and your faith in God. I was so very touched by your words. I was so moved and found comfort in your words—very timely. :-) Thank-you."

The fact that my friend was comforted in his time of pain by the simple words that God gave me to write in the blog post is blessing enough. But there's so much more to the story. This is a friend that I have known since the mid- 1980's, and worked with again in 1990.  But we hadn't really seen him much since then. My wife and I bumped into him in the grocery store a few months ago and it was great to see him. Since that chance meeting in the grocery store, I've definitely been praying that God would bless him.

One "coincidental?" fact in this story is that the tragedy my friend experienced was on the exact same day I experienced my seizure. That's odd enough. But what really floors me about this whole story, is I would have never been in the position to write that blog post about "The Blessing of Not Knowing Why" and then email it to my friend unless I had that seizure in eastern Idaho.

Do you see how huge the implications are?

My friend and I are 're-connected' in the grocery store a few months ago. So great to see him, and I began to pray for him. Totally out of the blue I have this seizure followed by a diagnosis of a strange neurological condition that I may be stuck with for life. Through a casual email exchange a short time later, my friend shares his story with me about this life-changing tragedy he has experienced. But God brings comfort to him through my simple little blog where I was able to share my story.

Coincidence?—  I think not!

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way." (Psalm 37:23)

My friend and I have had some good conversations since that initial email chat. I was even able to visit him for almost an hour this week. When we were done talking I reached out to shake his hand but he gave me a great big hug. I know the Lord brought us together and He made a connection. This whole situation is not just a coincidence and God has a purpose for orchestrating it.

When I read my friends email response to my wife she wept, and said, "See, God has a purpose in all of this."

And I know that He does.

His fingerprints are all over it.

The moral of the story is, be sensitive to, and aware of the people that God brings into your life. Chance meetings or what may seem like coincidences may in fact be a divine setup. And in our case, so many have, just like this story I have just shared with you.

Please pray for my friend, and for God's healing during this great tragedy in his life. He's really a great guy and I hope he knows how much we love and appreciate him.

And for all those who are currently going through painful and difficult trials—God has a purpose for allowing you to go through them. Only God knows why. But let Him use you to bring encouragement and hope to others who are hurting—through your trial—not in spite of it.

I would never have been able to say this before, but I can truly count my difficult and painful trial a blessing because of how God has used it to bless others who are hurting, and I choose to count it all as joy—to the glory of God.

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:6-9)


—God is Love and Love Never Fails.