Faith in the Desert

Most of you probably know a couple summers ago I was blessed to be able to take a trip to Israel with the "That The World May Know" ministry on a tour led by Ray Vander Laan. 

As life changing as that experience was, I learned so much that it so easily slips away. So today, I opened up the journal that I kept while I was traveling and one of the first things I read was this:

"What gives you a strong spirit is practicing out your faith in the desert."

It seems like that thought has driven a lot of my blogs these past couple months.... The deserts in life and all the trials you keep going through, are opportunities for you to practice out your faith. 

It's easy to have faith when everything is going your way, but when you get lost in the desert, hanging on to that faith gets more difficult. 

Tenth Avenue North hits the spot with their song "Don't Stop the Madness." 

This song has brought me to tears so many times, because it's so hard to ask God to make us weak so that He can really work within us. But that's what we need. 

That's what I need. 

"Don't stop the madness

Don't stop the chaos

Don't stop the pain surrounding me

Don't be afraid, Lord, to break my heart

Just bring me down to my knees, yeah

All I hear is what they're selling me

That God is love, he isn't suffering

And what you need's a little faith and prosperity

But, oh my God, I know there's more than this

If you promise pain it can't be meaningless

So make me poor if that's the price for freedom"

PAIN ISN'T MEANINGLESS. 

I get so frustrated waiting to see God work in my life. But God isn't the problem. The problem is me. I have to be willing to experience the pain to experience His strength and power. 

How willing are you to ask God to make you weak? 

How often do you ask him to keep bringing on the pain and the chaos? 

The pain you are feeling is God speaking. Are you listening? 

I'm finally starting to see it. I was at a lull this summer in my relationship with Christ. I was going through the motions it often seemed.

And I'm finally starting to see that this pain is exactly what I needed. 

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." 

-Romans 8:18 

"And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." 

-1 Peter 5:10