Author: Eddie Davidson

My personal moments of desperation have never been matters of life or death. Most of the time, it was some financial need or other personal problem that brought me to the point of despair. ‘Desperate’ originally meant to be without hope. What set of circumstances leaves you with a feeling of personal hopelessness?

Jeremiah is my favorite prophet in the Old Testament. I like Jeremiah because he is personally vulnerable about his own feelings in his dealings with God. Sometimes, he passed through periods of deep discouragement. I want to call your attention to one of those times in his life in order to help you see what God may be doing in your own.

Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the second time, while he was still confined in the court of the guard, saying, ² “Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it, the Lord is His name, ³ ‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ Jeremiah 33:1-3

Jeremiah was desperate. He was being held prisoner. You may not be in jail, but you might be a prisoner of your circumstances.

Does God Know the Times of Your Life?

Does God know where you are and what you face? Does He know the timetable you face in the midst of your personal circumstances? Does God know when His people are in desperate times and desperate places and in desperate need?

Desperate times don’t always have instant solutions. Do you find yourself in desperate times?

At This Time in Your Life, What Is Your Greatest Need?

We can’t know the full extent of Jeremiah’s praying. But certainly He prayed for deliverance. However, he was still confined. God didn’t see fit, in that moment, to grant him deliverance. But he did give him what he needed most.

What was it he needed more than anything else? Jeremiah didn’t need an escape! Jeremiah didn’t need deliverance! That was his sense of what he needed, but if God had given Him that He would have missed something far more important. In that desperate place, at that desperate time, to that desperate prophet came the word of the Lord!

When you size up your personal circumstances you may say, “What I need most is to be able to pay my bills!”  “What I need most is a job!”  “What I need most is for God to solve my problem!”  “I need deliverance! I need escape!” “I’m a desperate person, and I need God to get me out of these desperate times.” But God had a different plan for Jeremiah. Instant deliverance is not always the answer. What is the answer? 

Like Jeremiah, what you need most is a word from God in the midst of your circumstances.

In fact, that may be why you are there! That may be the only place God can teach you what He wants you to know. God has a word for you in your circumstances.  Your circumstances have prepared you to receive it.  Are you ready to listen?

If you read this chapter, you can see the startling revelation that God gave to Jeremiah.  But that word came to him while he was still confined. It didn’t deliver him!  In my personal moments of desperation, it gives me great comfort to know that God knows. A word from the Lord brings comfort in desperate times. Our circumstances often shroud our vision of the God we serve. That was true as Jeremiah stood in the midst of his circumstances.

Like Jeremiah, you need a new vision of the God you serve.

Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the second time, while he was still confined in the court of the guard, saying, “Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it, the Lord is His name,” Jeremiah 33:1-2

The measure of your faith will always be your measure of God.  You will never have a faith that is strong until you have a vision of how strong God is!  God holds the worlds in place.  He made all you can see. There are worlds beyond the reach of the lens of the most powerful telescope. God made all that and more! There are tiny microscopic worlds we can’t see even with our most powerful microscopes—things and processes we are yet to understand.  Consider what the Bible has to say about  the macro and micro scale of creation.

For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. Colossians 1:16-17

God had just said to Jeremiah in the previous chapter:  Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?”  Jeremiah 32:27 The God of the Bible is not God Almost. He is, and has always been, God Almighty!

Jeremiah knew that, but he lost sight of it in the midst of his circumstances. Why are you in despair?  Why are you discouraged?  Why do you feel hopeless?  Why have you given up?  Why do you doubt?

At that desperate time, in that desperate place, to that desperate person, came a word from God—an invitation from God.

Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the second time, while he was still confined in the court of the guard, saying, ² “Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it, the Lord is His name, ³ ‘Call to Me and I will answer you Jeremiah 33:1-3a

Like Jeremiah, you need to respond to your invitation from God.

This is not just an invitation that was extended long ago to the prophet Jeremiah! This is your invitation.  This is my invitation.  God extends to us the golden scepter of His grace saying, “Call to Me!  You don’t need anyone else.  You don’t need to look anywhere else. You don’t have to tell anyone else.  Call to Me!”

That is your invitation right now!  God was saying to Jeremiah: “Why are you in despair?  Why are you discouraged?  Why do you feel hopeless?  Why have you given up?  Why do you doubt?  Call to Me!”

Like Jeremiah, you need to recognize your promise from God.

This is the promise God made to Jeremiah: “Call to Me, and I will answer you!”  Jeremiah 33:3a

Put yourself in Jeremiah’s shoes when he heard this promise from God. He was still confined in the court of the guard! He had his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.  He was deeply discouraged.  He was lonely and empty and hopeless and sad.  He was feeling forsaken and forgotten, confused and crushed, helpless and heartsick.  Jeremiah, of all the prophets, was more prone to this than any other.  And in the silence—in the darkness of his personal despair came a voice, a word, an invitation with a promise.

“Call to Me, and I will answer you!”

This is also your promise! Right now, over the noise of worry, comes the invitation of  God and the promise of God: Call to Me, and I will answer you! But there is more! There were things Jeremiah couldn’t see and couldn’t know without God’s wisdom. “Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3

Like Jeremiah, you need God’s wisdom for Your circumstances.

When I am in a moment of desperation, the one overwhelming thought that comes to mind is, “I don’t know what to do.”  I can’t tell you how many times I have said that to God.  “God, I don’t know what to do!”  Do you think God is surprised by that?

That is exactly where Jeremiah was as he sat there confined in the court of the guard.  He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know what was happening around him.  He didn’t know how all of this was going to turn out.  That is when God spoke and said: Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.  Jeremiah 33:3

There is more that you don’t know than you do know.  There is more about tomorrow that you don’t know than you do know.  There is more about the future that you don’t know than you do know.  There is more about your circumstances that you don’t know than you do know. However, there is nothing about any of it that God doesn’t know.  Whatever it is that you need to know, if you will call on God, He will tell you.  He will show you.

Jeremiah needed God’s wisdom in the midst of His circumstances and so do you and so do I! Some of you are concerned about how to salvage your circumstances.  Does God know how?  Jeremiah needed to be reminded the God He served was mighty and awesome and wonderful!  He extended to Him the golden scepter of His grace in the midst of His despair, and gave him this wonderful promise as worrisome thoughts bounced around in His brain. Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.  Jeremiah 33:3

In times of desperation, God has the wisdom you need for the moment. I wonder how many times we find ourselves in desperate circumstances, exasperating ourselves trying to figure it all out ,when God is just waiting for us to give Him the opportunity to do what only He can do?

God had a plan for Jeremiah and Jerusalem during desperate times.  Does He also have a plan for you in your circumstances?

Yes, God has a plan! One of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 29:11. “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” That is God’s promise to all who will trust in Him.

The verses that follow in Jeremiah 33 outline the wonderful plan God had for His people. It was beyond anything Jeremiah could have ever asked or imagined. It included health and healing, an abundance of peace and truth, as well as restoration and cleansing. God had a plan to put back together all that was broken. He has the power to do the same for you and me. He waits for us to respond to His invitation and to claim His wonderful promise.

Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3

Photo by Mubariz Mehdizadeh

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.  “For as the heavens are higher than the earth so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

 I begin with these verses because I want you to see that there is a fundamental difference between the way we do things and the way God does them.  God had a plan and a path by which He led His people through the wilderness.  They never dreamed of walking across the Red Sea.  But that was God’s way to get them to the place where He wanted them to be. They never dreamed of depending on God for bread to fall from heaven day by day. But that was God’s way.  They never dreamed of getting water from a rock, but that was God’s way.

When God calls you, it is not up to you to choose the path by which you travel to that place. You need to go God’s way.  As a matter of fact, unless you go God’s way, you will never get there.  The children of Israel wandered for forty years in the wilderness because early on in their journey, they didn’t want to go God’s way.

Our ways and God’s ways are often totally opposite.  Let me give you an example.  Just say you wanted to get some much-needed rest.  How would you do that?  Perhaps you would take a few days vacation, and go down to the beach, and just bake in the sun.  But a vacation might not be your idea of rest.  Your idea of rest might be sitting with your feet up in a recliner, while taking a nice nap.  Some feel most rested after a routine of vigorous exercise.  I like to get my heart pumping and feel those endorphins kick in! When I finish a good long workout, I actually feel rested.  All of us have our own method to rest.

However, what is God’s way to rest? What is the route by which He leads people to the blessing of His rest? Jesus extended the following invitation in Matthew 11:28-30.

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.  Matthew 11:28-30

That is Jesus’ personal invitation for you to find soul-rest. But how to you get to rest from where you are? It might surprise you. In order to answer that question, I call your attention to what Jesus said just before He issued that invitation to soul-rest.

At that time, Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this waywas well-pleasing in your sight.  All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”  Matthew 11:25-27

Did you notice the ‘way’ Jesus mentioned? He called it a way that was well-pleasing to the Father and a way in which Jesus Himself is able to reveal the Father to those whom He chooses. To whom does He reveal the way to rest?

He reveals it to infants.  That is the way of God.  That way is well-pleasing in His sight. What does Jesus mean? Should we bring the bed-babies into the sanctuary, and let them hear from God?  No!  God is not talking about little babies.  He is talking about mature adults.  What would it take for an adult to become an infant?  What happens when an adult goes back to diapers having to be spoon fed and cared for by someone else?  Do we call them an infant?  No!  We call them invalids!

The way of God is to reveal Himself and His rest to those who come to the absolute end of themselves.

They are not wise in their own minds.  They have come to the end of their wisdom. They are not strong people. They have come to the end of their strength. They are not righteous people. They have come to the end of their righteousness and have discovered how sinful they are.

Infants are totally helpless. They can’t feed themselves. They can’t clothe themselves. They can’t help themselves. They are totally dependent on someone else to provide what they need.

The way to rest is to realize the point of utter exhaustion.  I didn’t say that it was rest.  I said it was the God appointed way to rest!  Before God can give you rest, He must bring you to the end of your self—the end of your strength—and the end of your resources.  God can only give you His rest when you are ready to receive it. You will never be ready until life leaves you weary and heavy laden. It is then you realize you can’t make the journey without help from God!

These are the people to whom Jesus extends this invitation. They are weary and heavy laden. Life has worn them out. They are not able to go on physically, spiritually or emotionally. They are worn out from worry. They are worn out from stress. They are worn out from sin. They are worn out from sickness.They are worn out from sorrow.

Perhaps you feel like you are on the verge of some kind of collapse.  But I have good news for you.  You are on the verge of rest!

On the other hand, you might who feel as if you have life by the tail.  You are the wise and intelligent that Jesus talked about. You don’t need Him.  You will never need Him—unless He brings you down the road to rest. The road to rest for you will involve a major crisis in your life where you will run out of answers, out of wisdom, out of resources, and out of strength.

Maybe you’re there right now. You find yourself in the middle of some crisis You can’t go on. You don’t have any hope.

Even though you stand in the middle of a crisis, I suggest that you are on the verge of the sweetest rest and the sweetest peace you have ever known.  Look at the invitation that Jesus gives. There are four parts to this invitation.

Come to Me. Submit to Me. Learn from Me. Receive from Me.

I don’t know where you go to find rest.  Maybe you go to the beach.  Maybe you escape your exhaustion by numbing your mind with some drug until you go to sleep. Maybe you think if you just worked harder and longer, you could fix it all and you could rest. The wise and intelligent will always seek a way of their ownto find rest.  But Jesus said that in order to find soul-rest, you must travel God’s way. God’s way is to become an infant, an invalid, totally helpless and totally dependent. It is those standing in such a position to whom Jesus calls, “Come unto Me.”

Have you heard Him whisper those words to your heart? “Come to Me!”   Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” John 6:44

How is it that God has been drawing you to come to Jesus? More often than not, God brings a man to a wilderness experience in his life, stripping him of his strength and his pride, until he is ready to come to Jesus.

But there is more.  You must submit to Him.

He says, “Take my yoke upon you.”  A yoke is an instrument of labor.  In those days, one ox was yoked with another.  Usually a younger ox was yoked with one already trained.  Both of them pulled the weight of the plow or the weight of the wagon together.  However, in order to be yoked, an ox had to bend its powerful neck.  It had to submit to the yoke.

Are you willing? Do you dare bend your neck and bow your knee before the Lord Jesus today? Why would you want to do that?

Do you ever get to the end of your day and wonder why you are so tired?  Do you wonder sometimes if you will be able to get out of bed the next morning?  Have you been to the doctor and gone through a battery of tests to find out the problem? I can tell you what it might be.

It might be you are trying to carry that load of stress and worry all alone.  You are pulling the weight of it all, and it has worn you out.  Jesus is offering to help you shoulder the burden! But before He can, you must be willing to submit to Him.The best of us come to the end of our own strength.  Let me tell you the story of Derek Redmond.

Derek entered the 1992 summer Olympics in Barcelona Spain.  Derek was a champion.  He broke the record for the British 400 meters when he was only 19.  Injuries kept him out of the 1988 Olympics four years earlier.  ’92 was his year.  Derek’s dad made the journey to Barcelona to watch his son run.  In anticipation, Derek’s dad took a seat near the top of the Olympic so he could have a clear perspective of the race.  The stadium was packed with 65,000 fans, all sitting on the edge of their seat as the race began.

Derek took an early lead, rocketing past the competition.  But with only 175 meters left, Derek stopped as if shot and fell to the track.  His left hamstring was torn, and Derek was in agony.

The race was over for Derek. Emergency personnel ran toward him with a stretcher, but he motioned them away.  And then, in a moment that became Olympic history, he rose to his feet and began hopping on one leg toward the finish line.  Tears streamed down his face from pain and disappointment.  The eyes of 65,000 people were fixed on him. Although everyone else already finished, Derek kept hopping along. As he did, the crowd slowly rose to their feet.

But no one noticed what was happening way up in the top of that stadium, Derek’s dad was making his way down. He pushed himself past people, oblivious to their presence.  As the crowd cheered Derek onward, Derek’s dad jumped over the fence, dashing past security guards and out onto the track.    He knew Derek would never make it to the finish line on his own.

Jim Redmond reached his son at the curve of the track with 120 meters still to go.  He wrapped his arm around Derek’s waist, and father and son finished the race those last 30 meters together. Much of the time, Derek was crying on his father’s shoulder.  As they crossed the finish line together, Derek fell sobbing into his dad’s arms with many in the crowd sobbing with them.

You and I are in a race we will never finish alone. We need to be yoked with Jesus so that He can give us His strength.  Have you heard His whisper, saying, “Come to Me.  Submit to Me?”

He also said, “Learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart.”

That younger ox, his neck now bent, in submission, willing to be guided and led, is yoked with the older, more experienced ox. Now,  he simply must follow his lead.

God brings us to the end of ourselves, not so that He can tell us the way to go, but so that He can connect us with Jesus who knows the way.

The way to where? The way to rest! The way to relief! The way to an absence of struggle or stress or worry!

In the yoke with Christ, I no longer shoulder the responsibility—it is His.  I don’t have to know the way.  I have only to follow Him—to lean on Him, to learn from Him, to allow Him to bear the weight of that which has worn me out.

In reality, getting in the yoke with Christ, is taking off the yoke I have been wearing around my own neck.  It is being set free from the burden’s I have been carrying.  It is relief and it is rest.

Finally, I hear Jesus saying to those of you who have come to a point of total helplessness: “Receive From Me.”

He says, “I will giveyou rest.”  It is not earned.  It is not something you strive for.  It is not won in a contest of wills.  It is given.  It is something that you receive from Him.  His rest is like the air you breath.  It is easily acquired, and it refreshes the spirit, soul and body.

You don’t need a vacation.  You don’t need more sleep.  You don’t need less hours.  You don’t need less stress.  You need rest, and it is only found in Him.

Some of you have already encountered these verses this week. It may have been in your daily devotion.  You may have heard them on the radio or read them from your Bible.  Whenever God puts His word before me again and again, He is trying to tell me something.  In this case, God is trying to give you something—something He could only give you when you come to the point where you are right now—the point of absolute exhaustion.

When the point of absolute exhaustion becomes the point of absolute surrender then Jesus will give you REST.

Photo by Scott Webb

Astronomers tell us the universe is dotted with black holes. There are so many it is impossible to count them. Black holes are formed at the death of a massive star. The star collapses and becomes so dense, its gravity allows nothing to escape, not even a beam of light.  Therefore, a black hole is essentially an invisible, inescapable, mass of matter.  It is, without a doubt, one of the most mysterious parts of our universe. The term, black hole, has become symbolic for some bottomless pit kind of problem that sucks you in and takes you down and seems impossible to escape.

How do you escape the black holes of life?

A number of biblical characters become examples of what it is like to fall into one of these black holes. The Bible tells of a man named Job who encounters a series of calamities that came into his life one right after another. In a matter of hours, he lost his family, his health, his wealth and his hope. He found the gravity of his circumstances sucking him into a place of inescapable darkness and despair.  He described it as though here were entering “the land of darkness and deep shadow, the land of utter gloom as darkness itself, of deep shadow without order, and which shines as the darkness.”  Job 10:21b-22

Job was in one of the black holes of life!

Your circumstances may not be as severe as those of Job.  But there are times when the trials of life border on overwhelming. One thing seems to pile up on top of another, until before you know it, you are engulfed in darkness. Does God understand the gloom of your darkness? Yes.

God has always had a plan to deliver you from the black hole where you are!

Are you being sucked into one of the black holes of life? Is your life engulfed in the darkness of gloom and despair? God sent Jesus into the world to be the light of life. Jesus came as God’s answer to all the black holes of life. God promised:

On that day the deaf will hear words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.  The afflicted also will increase their gladness in the LORD, and the needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 29:18-19

Are you passing through a period of discouraging darkness? Is it the darkness of despair, the darkness of uncertainty, or the darkness of sin?

It is the Lord Jesus Himself who will lead you out of darkness!

He came to end your gloom and increase your gladness. He came to deliver you from the black hole of sin and shame, from the black hole of sadness and sorrow, from the black hole of discouragement and despair.   The Holy One of Israel is your escape from all the black holes of life. There are untold numbers of black holes in the universe ye we have no idea where they all are.

 If you have fallen into one of the black holes of life, God knows exactly where you are!

When you fall into one of the black holes of life, you are bruised and broken, helpless and hopeless, and locked in the dark dungeon of despair. According to Isaiah, the mission of Jesus is: “To open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from the prison. Isaiah 42:7

God not only knows where you are, He knows the way out of your darkness. God is not surprised by your despair. He is not shocked that you are shackled in a dark dungeon of sin and shame.  He is not shaken by the fact that you don’t know the way out of your circumstances.  He knows your darkness and He is the only One who can lead you out of darkness into the light.

“I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, in paths they do not know I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them and rugged places into plains.” Isaiah 42:16

Have you fallen into the bottomless pit of some black hole of life? Does there seem to be no way out and no light in your darkness. Listen to what David said in Psalm 139:

If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,” Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.  Psalm 139:11-12

The darkness of your circumstances can’t hide you from God. God has night vision.  He can see in the dark, through the dark, and beyond the dark to the deliverance He has ordained for you.

Who is among you that fears the LORD, that obeys the voice of His servant, that walks in darkness and has no light?  Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.  Isaiah 50:10

The way out of the black holes of life is to trust Jesus and follow Jesus!

There is only one way to walk in the darkness. You walk by faith. You trust God. You seek His presence.  You hold His hand.  You follow His guidance.

“It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him.  Daniel 2:22

Is it dark in your circumstances? I know it is. But He also knows! He knows what lurks in your darkness. He knows how to lead you through this dark time in your life.

The enemy would like nothing more than to see you go down the drain into the darkness of one of life’s black holes.  He wants the gravity of your circumstances to drag you deeper and deeper until you give up and let go.  But God, who rules the universe, rules the all the black holes of this universe and He is sovereign over the black holes the enemy has placed along your path.

Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will rise; Though I dwell in darkness, the LORD is a light for me.  Micah 7:8

When you feel that you are being engulfed by one of the black holes of life fix your eyes on the Lord Jesus.  Look to Him. Cry out to Him.  Wait for Him.  Follow Him.

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”  John 8:12

God sent Jesus as a Light into the darkness of this world.   He came to deliver you from the black hole of sin and shame, from the black hole of sadness and sorrow, from the black hole of discouragement and despair.   Jesus is the one who can deliver you from all the black holes of life.

The same Lord Jesus who called Lazarus from the darkness, deadness, and despair of the tomb, is speaking to your heart calling you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Turn your face away from your circumstances and turn your eyes upon Jesus.

For He rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.  Colossians 1:13

This is God’s promise to any one of you who seems to be swallowed up by the darkness of one of life’s black holes.

Until God brings you out of the darkness, He will be with you in the darkness!

There is a man in the Bible whose name was Joseph. Joseph was thrown into a pit by his brothers. Some of the worst  black holes of life are those we experience when we have been hurt by someone we love.

Now it came about, when Joseph reached his brothers, that hey stripped Joseph of his tunic, the varicolored tunic that was on him; and they took him and threw him into the pit.  Now the pit was empty, without any water in it.   Genesis 37:23-24

That may be where you are right now. You may be in a pit of despair because of some hurt someone else has brought to your life. Joseph had been down in a pit. Then, he was taken down to Egypt as a slave. He had been taken down against his will.  But the downward spiral of his life was being monitored by God’s eye and being moved by God’s purpose.  All the hurt that came into Joseph’s life did not escape God’s notice. Joseph’s circumstances were under God’s sovereignty and so are yours. What made the difference in Joseph’s circumstances?  The Lord was with Joseph!

Joseph is not the only person in the Bible whose call carried him through the dungeon of disappointment. Life has twists and turns, deep valleys, and dark moments, all incredibly lonely places. Sometimes, when following God carries us into one of those places, the disappointment and discouragement can be overwhelming.

Later, Joseph found himself spiraling even deeper into this black hole. It seemed to suck him further and further in. He was put in a dark dungeon prison where he spent two years. But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with Joseph; Genesis 39:20b    The clear witness of Scripture  was that the Lord was with Him. However, it might not have always been clear to Joseph. But it was always true. God was with Joseph, and His providence was governing the course of Joseph’s life. God had a purpose for Joseph and a plan to deliver him from that black hole of life.

There is another side to the black holes of life!

Artists often portray the image of a black hole always “sucking things in” because of its powerful gravity. Yet, at the same time, they portray it sending things out the other side. Black holes in space have a creative power. God uses them as star factories. There was also another side to Joseph’s black hole. God brought him through to the other side. Joseph would ultimately become the second most powerful man in all of Egypt, but first, he had to go through one of life’s black holes.

What is God doing in your life as you pass through one of the black holes of life?

I can’t give you the answer to that question. However, I believe God is doing something. I know that because it is the witness of Scripture. But I also know that because it has been my experience. More than once, I have experienced one of life’s black holes. As you see, I came out on the other side and lived to tell the story. If what I have said has been a blessing to you, then know that God’s plan to bring you through your own black hole includes blessing your life as well as the life of others! May the Lord be with you, guiding your way through the darkness!

 Photo by Magne Træland

Now Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho…. ⁵So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. ⁶ And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but no man knows his burial place to this day. Deuteronomy 34:1; 5-6

It happened on his 120^th birthday. His final encounter with God this side of heaven took place on a lonely mountain just east of Jericho.  Forty years of following God through the wilderness brought him to this place.  He was close enough to the Promised Land to smell the breeze and see the land, but he would not enter.  His own disobedience robbed him of that opportunity.

Moses had come so far and stood so close, but he could go no further. There is a great sadness in this story that is almost overwhelming.  Yet, at the same time, there is a sense of awe at the relationship that existed between God and Moses.  Moses is standing alone with God on top of yet another mountain. From Pisgah’s lofty height, he would view the land, and there he would die.

But there was more to Moses’ last day than this.  Moses’ last day was a busy one.  We see its beginning back in Deuteronomy 31:1-2

So Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. ² And he said to them, “I am a hundred and twenty years old today; I am no longer able to come and go, and the Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not cross this Jordan.’ Deuteronomy 31:1-2

Moses came to the end of his term of service before the Lord. However, we know that it was not the end of his ability, because  in Deuteronomy 34:7 we read:  ^“Although Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died, his eye was not dim, nor his vigor abated.”

 This was not the end of Moses’ relationship with the Lord. It was the end of Moses’ relationship with the Lord’s people. Can you imagine the panic that would rip through your heart if on your next birthday, God spoke to you and said,  “Happy Birthday!  Make the most of it.  It will be your last!”

The confidence with which Moses went about his activities is a testimony to the relationship that he had with the Lord. There was no panic. There was no self-pity. Moses simply trusted God. What would you do if tomorrow was the last day of your life?  What activities would mark that day for you?

Moses’ Last Day Was Marked by an Act of Worship

¹⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, the time for you to die is near; call Joshua, and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, that I may commission him.” So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the tent of meeting. ¹⁵ The Lord appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood at the doorway of the tent. Deuteronomy 31:14-15

Moses spent part of the last day of his life at the Tent of Meeting. The last forty years of his life were characterized by fellowship with God, so was the last day of his life.  On that last day, he and Joshua spent meaningful moments in God’s presence.

With the full knowledge that he was about to die, he took time to visit this gathering place of God’s people.  The Bible tells us that Whoever sought the Lord went out to the tent of meeting. Exodus 33:7b Moses sought Him there that day.

What would you be doing if you knew that today was the last day of  your life?  Would you be seeking the Lord?

Moses didn’t spend that day selfishly. The last day of his life was a day of encouragement.  He knew he had little time left to impact the lives of others.  For that reason, he turned to Joshua.  ⁷ Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance. ⁸ The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:7-8

 If today was the last day of your life, who would you encourage?  What person would you point toward the Lord?

Do you know what else Moses did on his last day?  He wrote a song and held a choir practice.  ¹⁹ “Now therefore, write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the sons of Israel; put it on their lips, so that this song may be a witness for Me against the sons of Israel…. ²² So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the sons of Israel.… ³⁰ Then Moses spoke in the hearing of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song, until they were complete. Deuteronomy 31:19; 22; 30

 The song itself consumes the greater part of Deuteronomy thirty-two. In chapter thirty-three. he sang a song of blessing over God’s people.

Several years ago, I stopped at a little church in Gatlinburg while on vacation. We were only a few words into the pastor’s sermon when I knew he must be leaving. It was, in fact, his last Sunday.  He lambasted those people unloading his bitterness on his last day.

Not Moses!  It was his last day with the most obstinate group of people a pastor could ever have. Even God said they were obstinate! Moses had been a shepherd for forty years, and then he was a pastor for forty years. Across those years, he determined that sheep had more sense than people.  But he did not lambaste them.  He blessed them!  That says something about his heart.

Across those years, he interceded for them in moments when God was ready to destroy them. He taught them the word of God.  And on this day, when he could have spoken his mind, he spoke his heart! The last day of Moses’ life was marked by an act of worship.  He blessed the Lord and he blessed the people.

 Moses’ Last Day Was Marked by an Act of Obedience

⁴⁸ The Lord spoke to Moses that very same day, saying, ⁴⁹ “Go up to this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab opposite Jericho, and look at the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the sons of Israel for a possession. ⁵⁰ Then die on the mountain where you ascend, and be gathered to your people… Deuteronomy 32:48-50a

 It was on Moses’ 120^thbirthday that God said, “Go up… and die.”

Turning back now to our main text we read:  Now Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. Deuteronomy 34:1

There is a degree of severity here.  The Lord was unbending in His decision.  Moses had previously pleaded with God for another opportunity.

 ²⁵ Let me, I pray, cross over and see the fair land that is beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.’ ²⁶ But the Lordwas angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me; and the Lord said to me, ‘Enough! Speak to Me no more of this matter. ²⁷ Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift up your eyes to the west and north and south and east, and see it with your eyes, for you shall not cross over this Jordan. Deuteronomy 3:25-27

 There is a severity in God’s response. Moses, however, never lost his composure.  No man ever faced death with more dignity, more clarity of mind, more active anticipation, more faith than did Moses. When the day comes for him to die, there is no question from the mouth of Moses. There is no complaint. There is no fear. Make no mistake, although Moses’ entrance into Canaan was barred, his entrance into God’s presence was not!

Moses viewed this call to die as a call to go up the mountain and be in God’s presence. And so he did!  He went up the mountain.  Moses was obedient to God in his final hour.

Will the last day of your life find you living a life of obedience to God? Moses last day was marked by worship and it was marked by obedience.

Moses’ Last Day Was Marked by an Act of Grace

 And the Lord showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, ² and all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, ³ and the Negev and the plain in the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. ⁴ Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.” Deuteronomy 34:1b-4

I picture Moses surrounded by swirling mists on top of Pisgah.  He was shrouded by the cloud of God’s presence yet afforded the opportunity to see the land of promise with great clarity. God did not owe Moses this opportunity! It was an act of grace!

Imagine what an awesome experience that must have been for Moses to stand on that mountain-top with God.  Perhaps God showed him where the temple would one day stand—where the Messiah would one day be born—and Calvary, where He would one day die.

For many years, I thought that God cheated Moses. Moses followed him faithfully for all of those years.  Yet Moses was not allowed to even set a foot in the Promised Land?  Did that mean that Moses was also shut out of heaven?

No! In fact, God was so gracious as to grant Moses a more awesome mountain-top experience than any he had experienced up to this point.  It was yet future.  But did we not say that Moses died on this day?  He did die! And yet, thousands of years later he reappears. He reappears on a mountain-top in the Promised Land.

It was the Mount of Transfiguration and he came there to stand with Jesus. What an awesome moment.  There on that mountain the Bible says that Moses and Elijah talked with Jesus about his coming death. That story is found in the ninth chapter of the Gospel of Mark.

On his 120^thbirthday, nothing could have been a better gift for Moses than to stand on the holy soil of the Holy Land. But it was not to be. It was the desire of Moses’ heart. It was the prayer of his soul.

But it was not to be. God didn’t grant it. Moses had no greater desire—no higher goal. However, God had something greater for him. God knew the day would come when his feet would stand on the holy soil of the Holy Land on another mountain.  And just as it had happened every time in the wilderness—on that day, the cloud of God’s glory descended and Moses and Elijah and Jesus and Peter and James and John stood together on a mountain-top within the land.  Moses didn’t know that on his last day. But God knew!

For every saint of God, there is more to life than their last day. There is another part to the story. There are more journeys with God. There are more moments of glory.

You may be standing at an end of one of the chapters of your life—or even in the final chapter. You may be asking for something that God has not granted. You may feel that God has not been fair to you in light of your faithfulness. You may feel disappointment that God has not allowed you to reach your goal. But I suggest God has a better gift, a greater joy, and a higher goal for your life. I challenge you to trust him.

On the last day of Moses’ life, he still trusted God. Will the last day of your life find you trusting God’s wisdom and guidance?

Moses’ Last Day Was Marked by an Act of Love

 ⁵ So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. ⁶ And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but no man knows his burial place to this day. Deuteronomy 34:5-6

Do you see what a tender picture that is?  God gently laid Moses to rest.  God took a personal interest in the burial site of Moses. According to the New Testament, God even sent an angel to protect his body from Satan.

Moses walked with God through life, and now, when it came time to die, God was by his side.  God was his only pall-bearer, and God alone knows the cemetery where his body lies. Moses laid his body down, and he and God left there for a Promised Land far fairer than Pharaoh’s palace that was once his home.  Moses went to live in the Father’s house.

That day is coming for every true child of God. And whoever you are and whatever your situation—if you are one of God’s children He will be by your side when the time comes for you to die. He will not leave until your funeral is over. And when your family leaves the cemetery, God’s own heart will mark the spot and wait for the day when He can call your body forth from the ground.  But according to Scripture, you will not be in the ground, you will be with God until that day.

What a legacy left to us by Moses. Since then no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew fact to face… Deuteronomy 34:10

Tell me about the last day of your life. Is it a day that holds no fear for you? Can you by faith, look forward to that day, and know that you have a home beyond the skies? Only those who walk with God today have the hope that Moses had on his last day. Are you ready for yours?

Photo by Joshua Earle

Over and over in Scripture we see God responding to times of weariness in the life of His people. Sometimes we feel like God is unmoved by our circumstances—or maybe even unaware.

In Isaiah 40:29 God promises to give strength to the weary.  That is His promise, but when will God come through? How do I access that strength? How will I survive until I do?

The last part of Isaiah 40 promises that those who wait on the Lord will walk and not faint. But what if I feel as if I’ve fainted already? What if I am overwhelmed to the point of exhaustion, and I’m just about ready to give up?

As you read this, you might find yourself prayed out, worshiped out, tired out, from your personal burden. Are you weary from some burden you carry on behalf your family—or even the burden of your own sin which you can’t whip—instead it has whipped you.

Do you have an exhausted, weary, languishing soul? Are You are worn out from exhaustion? Are you worn out from worry? Are you worn out from stress and struggle? Are you worn out from devotion because you prayed, and God is yet to come through?  If so, consider God’s promise:

²⁵ For I satisfy the weary ones and refresh everyone who languishes.” Jeremiah 31:25

The word languish means to melt or to pine away in extreme weakness or weariness. The word refresh is written in such a way in the original Hebrew which means it is an intensive superabundant refreshment above that which is needed.

I remember the first time I read these words. I was worn out spiritually and emotionally.  God spoke to my heart and reminded me that He knew my grief. He understood that I was weary from my circumstances and from my sin, and He was ready to send the refreshment I needed!

God Knows About Your Weariness

When the children of Israel were worn out from their bondage in Egypt, God knew.

²³ Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God. ²⁴ So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ²⁵ God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them. Exodus 2:23-25

One single Hebrew word is translated by the English phrase “God took notice of them”. But the Hebrew word states very simply and powerfully, “God knew!” He knew about their weariness and their bondage.He knows about your physical weariness and your spiritual weariness.

⁷ The Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. ⁸ So I have come down to deliver them… Exodus 3:7-8a

In their extreme weariness God came, and God will come to you in your weariness. The question we all have in our weariness is when? How long will it be?

These verses not only tell us that God knew their weariness but—God heard the cries of their weariness.

God Hears the Cries of Your Weariness

 I have always been moved by the story of Hannah, who went to the place of worship greatly distressed,  There she prayed and wept bitterly.  The burden that she bore for years she could bear no longer. That day, in her extreme weariness, she poured out her soul before the Lord.  The Lord sent a messenger who told her He had granted her petition. God was watching and listening. His heart was moved by her grief.

Is the same true for you? Yes!

All through my childhood, and well into my adult life, Psalm 56:3 served as a wonderful promise from God to my heart. “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” But it took many years for me to discover a verse just as tremendous two verses down in that same Psalm.

You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. Psalm 56:8

Imagine that! Your tears His bottle! That is how intimately God is involved in your personal journey.

God Will Respond to the Prayer Prayed in Weariness

 How long will I have to cry? How many times will I have to pray before God will hear me? Consider this passage from Daniel:

²⁰ Now while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, ²¹ while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering. ²² He gave me instruction and talked with me and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding. ²³ At the beginning of your supplications the command was issued, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed; so give heed to the message and gain understanding of the vision. Daniel 9:20-23

When did God hear Daniel?  He heard him the first time. Daniel didn’t know that till later. You may not have any evidence that God is hearing you—but he heard you the first time.

But didn’t God promise to give strength to the weary? Yes! He gave strength to Daniel in a supernatural way.

How often has it been true for you that in your extreme weariness—when you were worn out and exhausted—when you didn’t think you could go another step or make it through another day—when you were just about to give up—the Lord came through! God sent somebody! He sent a messenger, or a minister, or perhaps it was a card or letter, a phone call, an email, or just a verse of Scripture that you saw in your open Bible. But you knew it was, as it were, sent from God!

There have been times in the midst of difficulty that through some Divine Appointment, I came to know that God knew! I didn’t have to tell anyone. God knew, and in His time He responded.

Daniel was praying in a time of extreme weariness and waiting for the Lord to send an answer.

Daniel said, “It was while I was praying, confessing my sin, and pouring out my soul before the Lord, that just about the time of the evening sacrifice,  in the midst of my extreme weariness, God sent Gabriel!

I don’t know where you are or what you face.

I don’t know what your needs, your fears, or your heartaches.  I just know there is a God who hears the cries of your heart.  I know that He knows.  I know that He cares.  I know that if you will just keep waiting on Him, He will come through!

Did you notice when Gabriel told Daniel that God heard him? It was at the very beginning of his petitions. Daniel prayed for many days, but God heard him the first time.

It may be past your deadline.  It may already seem long overdue, but you serve a God who heard you the first time! In His perfect timing, He will send confirmation that He has heard your cry.

God Will Come to You in Your Weariness

 Even the greatest of God’s servants face weariness. The prophet Elijah once became so worn out spiritually and physically, that he went a days journey into the wilderness, sat down under a juniper tree, and prayed he could die.  What did God do?  In the midst of Elijah’s extreme weariness, God sent an angel to refresh his spirit soul and body.  God knew.

What about you? Are you just before giving up on God? Have you gone just about as far as you can go? Did God arrange for you to read this because He knows where you are and what you need?

How do I know He knows? Three years ago, on a Wednesday night, I used this passage from Daniel in our church devotion time. That night, I was a year and a half into caring for my dad who had was on a feeding tube and in the last stages of Parkinson’s. I was overwhelmed and weary. I had been crying out to God for direction to help me know what to do and where I needed to be from day to day. After prayer meeting, I told my wife that I felt like I just needed to go home and spend the night with my parents. I drove three hours to my parents. I arrived at midnight. My dad was sick that night, and I sat up all night with him. Just before nine the next morning, my dad slipped into a coma. He died the next day. I was home with my dad because God heard me, and strengthened me, and guided me in ways I couldn’t see or understand. I was in the right place at the right time because of God’s providential involvement in my life.

Sometimes we feel imprisoned by our circumstances.  We feel like life has locked us in some dungeon of despair and thrown away the key. Gloom and depression hangs over us like a dark cloud so that no ray of hope that can break through.

Daniel said, “I was praying and confessing my sins,and in my extreme weariness God came through.”   I don’t know how.  I don’t know when. I don’t know what it will look like when it happens. But I know that God will do the same thing for you!

Photo by Anh Nguyen

Where is God when you need Him? Why isn’t God answering your prayers? And why is it the answers He has given, seem not to be the answer you wanted or needed?

Have you ever needed God’s guidance or His provision, and prayed for it, and sought after it, and waited for it, but there was no answer?  The Bible says that God knows what we need before we ask—and God certainly knows when we need it.  But what if my deadline has passed, and my answer has still not arrived, and my need has not been met?

Sometimes I feel as if God knows I have a need—knows that I have a deadline—and yet purposefully waits.  There have even been times when I felt as if God relished watching me dangle at the end of my rope.

In Scripture, God’s timing is always perfect—although sometimes rather dramatic.  It was only when Israel was trapped between the Red Sea and the crush of Pharaoh’s army, that God came through.  God didn’t deliver Daniel from the Lions’ den, or Shadrach, Meschech, and Abednego from the fiery furnace.  He chose not to deliver them from their trials, but in their trials.

Even now, someone is reading this article in the perfect timing of God. The Bible teaches the very clear truth that God wants to bless, but sometimes God waits to bless.

Why does God wait? Consider two different versions of Isaiah 30:18.

And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.   Isaiah 30:18 (KJV)

Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you.  For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.  Isaiah 30:18 (NASB)

God’s timing is always perfect.  What we truly need, God will provide at the time He sees fit for us to receive it.  God’s gifts are not ours to command.  We can request His blessing—but it is His decision if, and when we will receive it. What are some possible reasons for the waiting of God.

1. The Waiting of God May Reflect a Period of Spiritual Discipline Imposed on Your Life. 

Although the Lord has given you the bread of privation and water of oppression… Isaiah 30:20

Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink… Is. 30:20a NLT

Some blessings God withholds because our hearts are not right with Him.  Anytime we take a problem or  need to God, and feel as if He is silent, God’s delay ought to cause us to examine our lives to see if the delay is due to sin.

Can your pastor answer that question? Can He tell you if God’s delay is due to sin? No! Only God is qualified to answer that question. But it is a question God won’t answer until you ask. It could be the very need we find ourselves asking God to meet has been imposed upon our lives as an act of God’s discipline.

Once we respond to God’s discipline and turn from sin, then God can respond to our prayer.  God will meet that need—but not until we respond according to His expectation.

Consider the interplay between repentance and blessing that appears in the context of this passage.

²² And you will defile your graven images overlaid with silver, and your molten images plated with gold. You will scatter them as an impure thing, and say to them, “Be gone!”  ²³ Then He will give  you rain for the seed which you will sow in the ground, and bread from the yield of the ground, and it will be rich and plenteous; on that day your livestock will graze in a roomy pasture. Isaiah 30:22-24

The blessings of God rain down upon us when we turn from our sins and return to Him.  Only then can God bless. So, these verses tell us that while God wants to bless, He waits to bless. When God waits, the delay could be on your side, not on God’s side.  God is waiting for you to humble yourself before Him in true repentance.

2. The Waiting of God is Often a Call to Earnest Prayer—a Call to a Deeper Fellowship with Him. 

O people in Zion, inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will weep no longer.  He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you.  Isaiah 30:19

Beth Moore, in her study, A Heart Like His, relates the story of Jesus taking Peter, James and John with Him into the garden to pray.  He took them further than the others. They were exposed to the great outpouring of His heart in prayer. They watched Him weeping and groaning before the Lord. But even our Lord—as He prayed—went to a place in prayer that even His closest disciples could not follow.    He went further still into the garden—alone—to be with His Father. Beth Moore calls those deep, intimate moments with the Father, “the place of further still.”

There are times when God waits to take us deeper into His fellowship. He waits so that He might bring us to a place of earnest prayer and deep desire so that there, in the place of further still, He can show us the secrets of His heart and meet our needs.

Is God waiting as you pray? Pursue Him! Go further and further! Allow Him to take you to place that friends and family can’t go and can’t fathom. Cling to Him! Wait with Him, as He waits to answer you. There is something He wants to show you that you can only see as He waits and you wait!

Sickness invaded the home of a family in the little village of Bethany. Sickness and death were not unknown to them. In those days, without physicians and medicines, death came suddenly and often.  This little family knew and loved the Lord Jesus.  In fact, it seems they were three of the closest friends that He had outside the circle of His own disciples.

The Bible explicitly says of these that Jesus loved them. When Lazarus got sick, and it became apparent that it was serious—the sisters sent for Jesus.  They knew Him well!  They knew He could meet their need.  They were confident in His power and in His concern.

When Jesus received the news—He failed to respond. He waited. Lazarus died. Jesus never even called on His friends until four days later. He didn’t even come to the funeral. Why did He wait? And why did he wait until their deadline had passed and it was too late from all human perspectives?

The purpose of our Lord’s waiting was not to destroy this family’s faith.  His purpose was to strengthen their faith.  When He arrived—to their utter amazement—He raised Lazarus from the dead.

You may be the person who has an approaching deadline.  You prayed.  And God still waits! You set your life in order. And God still waits! Your deadline has passed.  And God still waits! He may be waiting to call you deeper into His fellowship and to show you an aspect of His character or some glimpse of His glory You will never see without His waiting.

Jesus said to Martha—did I not say to you if you believe you will see the glory of God? What is God waiting to show you?

3. The Waiting of the Lord Brings You to the Place of His Perfect Guidance. 

²⁰ Although the Lord has given you bread of privation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher.²¹ Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left. Isaiah 30:20-21 (NASB)

²⁰Though the Lord gave you adversity for food  and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. ²¹ Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.  Isaiah 30:20-21 ( NLT)

God’s timing is perfect. God’s wisdom is perfect. He knows where you are, and what you need, and when you need it. But to give you the guidance you need, He must bring you to the place of His presence. That place may be a place of despair. It may be the end of your rope. It may be—as it was for Moses—the backside of the wilderness. But it will be the place of further still—a place where God waits for you… and you wait for Him with such a longing—such a yearning that you cast away all that hindered you, so that you might enjoy His fellowship and receive His guidance.

How long have you been waiting in desperation? All that time—God has been waiting—perhaps waiting to this very moment so He could reveal His heart to you and show you the path of His perfect guidance.

So what are you to do while God keeps waiting? Wait! How blessed are all those who wait for Him. Isaiah 30:18c

4. The Waiting of the Lord Reflects the Eager Desire of His Heart to Meet the Deepest Needs in the Lives of His Children. 

Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you…  Isaiah 30:18a

These verses picture a God who stoops, eager to hear—eager to answer—eager to meet the needs that exist in the lives of His children.    This passage of Scripture reflects the heart of a God who is so concerned about the needs in the lives of His people that it is the passionate longing of His heart to bless them.  He is just waiting for you to cry so that he can come to your aid.

If there is a delay in His answer—that delay is for your good.   It may reflect a need in your own life deeper than you know—a need to repent of some sin. It may reflect God’s own desire for you to come further still into His presence.  It may reflect His desire to give you His perfect guidance which can only come when you come to the backside of you own wilderness—and find, as did Moses, a divine appointment waiting with your God and friend.

What do you do when you experience a divine delay in your life?   When the Lord waits— wait for Him!

Photo by Warren Wong

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels… 2 Corinthians 4:7a

Jars of Clay often held a treasure far more valuable than themselves. Even today, a treasure is usually far more valuable than the container that holds it. What treasure did Paul have in mind when he wrote these words? Is the treasure our salvation, or is the treasure something else? We look back one verse to discover the treasure. Consider Paul’s words: For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6

The treasure is something given. It is something our lives contain. So what is it? It is the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God that has been revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ! This is the treasure these clay jars carry. Would you not agree that this is a glorious treasure to be contained in something so fragile? But there is purpose in God’s choice of these containers.

The containers God has chosen are not meant to conceal this treasure. They are meant to display it. How is it then, that these clay jar lives of ours are meant to display the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God revealed in the face, the person of the Lord Jesus Christ? What does God know that we don’t know? How will people come to see what He has placed inside us? How will His glory be revealed?

The discussion Paul offers is really an explanation of what happens when clay jars crack. It is a Christian perspective of difficulty. Time and use cause these fragile containers to reveal the secret they contain.

⁷But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; ⁸we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; ⁹persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰ always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. ¹¹For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 2 Corinthians 4:7-11

Paul uses the following words to describe his own life experience: Afflicted in every way; perplexed; persecuted; struck down; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus. He also describes his life as constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake. Opposite each one of these, is a rather unusual result. The result is to display that the surpassing greatness of the power belongs to God and comes from God and not from us.

Paul’s perspective has much light to shed on our own experience. Why is it that God allows these clay jars, containing the Light of the knowledge of the glory of Christ, to be so roughly treated? What is Paul is saying to us about his own experience that can help us as we face difficulty?

First, consider the mystery of affliction.

Affliction is not once and done. It isn’t an experience that comes never to return. It may leave us for a time, but it returns again and again. It comes at us from every direction. It is an ongoing struggle. Each affliction wears on the integrity of the container, chipping us here and there. We come through each experience a little more weathered and stressed.

But for Paul, the great miracle is that we come through at all! It seems that for all affliction and trouble has to throw at us—somehow we are given the strength to bear it. What threatened to crush us, didn’t crush us after all!

In the heat of the trial, we wonder how we will ever survive. When the storm has passed, we realize we survived only by the grace of God. The excellency of the power was of God and not of us!

Second, consider the puzzle of perplexity.

Life is confusing? What should I do? Which way should I turn? There is a frantic search for answers and direction for the journey. How will we ever get to where we are going? Where are we headed anyway?

Who would dream that Paul was ever perplexed or puzzled? How did he find his way through life’s maze of uncertainty without throwing up his hands in despair? In fact, his perplexity put him in greater dependence upon God for direction. His life displayed the glory of God’s guidance.

How was Paul smart enough to know what to do and where to turn. He wasn’t. Neither am I! Neither are you!  But guidance comes! We get to where we are going. And when we look back, we see that the surpassing greatness of the power was of God and not of us!

But we grow grey due to the stress of it. Worry lines deepen. The weariness takes its toll. The container gets chipped in a few more places. The glaze begins to show signs of crackling. Why would God allow such to happen to the container that holds the treasure of the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God revealed in the face of Jesus Christ?

Third, consider the pain of persecution.

When people throw rocks at jars of clay, something is bound to be broken. Once Paul was stoned and left for dead. But he didn’t die! How did he not? How did he survive? What brought him through? But the container was left damaged! Now, not just weathered on the surface, but cracked and broken. Why?

Paul wants us to know it was so that the treasure could be revealed. It was so that the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God revealed in the face of Jesus Christ could shine forth from Paul’s life!

Just as when Stephen was stoned, and Paul held the garments of those that threw stones, the people saw Stephen’s face like the face of an angel. The light of the knowledge of the glory of God revealed in the face of Jesus Christ was shining through the cracks in the clay!

Paul did survive many of his difficulties. He lists some of them in 2 Corinthians 11. …beaten times without number, often in danger of death. ²⁴ Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. ²⁵Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. ²⁶I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; ²⁷I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.  ²⁸Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. 2 Corinthians 11:23-28

Paul could bear witness to all of those troubles. He could testify that even when he was struck down, he was never forsaken. The Lord stood with him on each occasion and brought him through, so that the excellency of the power might be of God and not of Paul himself.

Fourth, consider the peril of being pinned.

This word struck down is an athletic term or military term meaning to be thrown face down. Paul said, I have been pinned down but never counted out; Punched, but never knocked out of the fight; Knocked face down but never failed to get up! And how did he keep getting back up and keep on keeping on? It was by God’s grace! His strength was made perfect in Paul’s weakness. And every time there was a new crack in the clay jar that was Paul, there was another spot where the Light of the glory of God revealed in the face of Jesus Christ shined through!

What of the clay jar that is you? Has the stress of life taken its toll? Does it seem there are more chips and cracks and gaping holes in the container that is you? Is your life becoming more weakness than strength?

What is the Plan of Providence? Here is how Paul summed up his struggles: …always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus… Paul yielded himself to these struggles, and realized he was called to yield up his fragile clay container so that it could be broken. Every time it was, the life of Jesus was manifested in his body. The Light of the glory of God was revealed in and through Paul’s difficulty. That is also true in your life and mine!

Do you remember the story of Gideon and the three-hundred fighting men. They distributed clay pitchers and torches to each of the men. They put the torches inside the pitchers. But at a given moment in the battle, the pitchers were to be smashed. When they were, the brightness of the torches was revealed. In order for the light to shine, those clay jars had to be broken. Judges 7:16ff

Do you understand what Paul was saying? These clay jars are meant to be cracked! There is a glory in us that will not be released unless they are. Please, don’t misunderstand! I don’t mean to say that cancer or diabetes or whatever calamity that has come into your life is not hard. It is hard! Those things do leave people broken! I am only asking you to see the opportunity that exists in your brokenness.

God has placed a treasure inside that clay jar life of yours! Cancer is a crack in the clay. Affliction chips away at the container. Sometimes, something comes along, like the loss of someone we love, that leaves a huge, gaping hole in our lives. Yet out of the cracks in the clay, it is possible for God’s glory to shine!

For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 2 Corinthians 4:11

In all their affliction He was afflicted; and the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and His mercy He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old. Isaiah 63:9

This is one of the most beautiful verses in all the Bible. It is beautiful to me because it reminds me God is not distant from my hurt and heartache. He is intimately involved in my struggles and sorrows. Permit me to make some simple observations about this verse and its truths.

First, the verse looks back to a time of difficulty in the life of God’s people. They were hurting. They were suffering. Was God with them only part of the time? No! He was present in all their affliction.

All is a big word. It is more than I can promise my children and more than you can promise yours. I can’t be involved in alltheir afflictions. I was there to rescue them from as much hurt and heartache as I could. Once, on a daughter’s birthday, I called.I got her answering machine the first time and left this message. “I was there the day you were born, and I am still here today. As long as I am here, I will always love you and be wherever you need me to be whenever you need me. I promise tobe here as long as I can!”

My promises, as sincere as they might be, are limited. My ability to help is limited. My ability to understand is limited. There are hurts and heartaches in the lives of my children that I can’t see. There are times when I am separated by distance and I can’t be there to embrace them or hold their hands. There are times when they choose to suffer in silence because there are things they don’t want me to know.

You don’t know hurt until your children hurt. You don’t know disappointment until you see your children disappointed. Something inside you grieves at what grieves them. Could it be the same with God and His people? This verse says that it is! “In all their affliction He was afflicted…” Isaiah 63:9

I have seen that demonstrated in recent days in the lives of different people. I have seen God prove Himself and His faithfulness in unmistakable ways in the worst of circumstances. God is hurt by what hurts you. God knows the end from the beginning. He knows you will lose a child before the child is ever born. He knows the day you will lose your spouse before you are ever married. He carries that hurt before you do. He carries it in anticipation of the event and how it will hurt you.

He walks with you through the experience when it happens, and He continues when there is no one left to share that hurt but you. For he who touches you touches the apple of His eye. Zechariah 2:8b

In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them; Isaiah 63:9

Don’t miss the great truth revealed here! It doesn’t say God sent an angel. It says that the Angel of His Presence saved them. This is that mysterious figure known as the Angel of the Lord. Whenever He appears in Scripture, it becomes clear that He is a manifestation of God’s own Presence.

When you are in trouble God doesn’t just send somebody. What better illustration of that do we have than the cross? Jesus was not someone God sent to save us. The Bible says God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself. He came into the midst of our suffering, caused by our own sin, and suffered not just with us, but for us.

In all our affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them…. Isaiah 63:9

Have you ever had a child in trouble? I mean really in trouble. Was it trouble that hurt you emotionally? Was it trouble that hurt you financially? Was it trouble that required the sacrifice of your time, energy, and emotions? How much did it cost you to get them out of trouble? Maybe it only cost you your pride—your ego. Maybe it cost you so much money that you had to take a loan from the bank. In some cases, you couldn’t fix it. You couldn’t solve it. But you would have gone to any length and made any sacrifice to do so!

Why do we take those steps? Why do we make those sacrifices? It was because of your love and your mercy. It was not something they deserved, but you couldn’t turn your back, even though you wanted to hide your face. You did it because you loved them. And if you were able, you rescued them!

How many times do parents redeem the circumstances of their children? In this verse, we have the picture of the vastness of God’s love. It is a love so great that He would go to  the pain and expense of the cross to redeem you—to buy you back—to bring you back to Himself.

In all their affliction He was afflicted; and the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and His mercy He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old. Isaiah 63:9

What a beautiful picture of God stooping to help those that He loves. Is He stooping to help you at this moment? Is He reaching out to you in the midst of your circumstances? Is He reaching out to you to dry the tears from your eyes? How often can we expect the God that we serve to respond in this way? How often did He treat His people that way in the wilderness? All the days of old!

What can I tell you about the God that you serve? Does He care about you? Does He see what’s going on in your life? Does He watch over you? Does He watch you cry? Is He there on your good days? Is He there on your bad days? Will He be there tomorrow? He won’t be there on just some days. The God who has carried you all the days past will carry you through all the days that are future.

Where is God when you hurt! He is there. He was there before you knew the hurt was coming. And He will be there for you for everyday for the rest of eternity!

The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

Photo by Madi Robson

The Perfect Storm was a best-selling book written by Sebestian Junger.  Later made into movie, The Perfect Storm relates what might have happened to the fishing boat, the Andrea Gail, during a violent east coast storm in October of 1991.  Actually, two storms came together to produce a single storm so huge that it caused a massive blizzard a thousand miles away.  Once those fisherman sailed into that storm, there was no escape. The Andrea Gail and its crew were never found.

Has your life journey brought you into the middle of a time of severe difficulty?  Are you facing a storm you can’t escape? Is the storm that threatens you caused by a combination of circumstances beyond your control? Some storms seem so intense, that they will certainly destroy us and everyone we love. How do you survive the perfect storm?

There is a story in the Bible of one man’s faith in the midst of a storm. The storm seemed intent on claiming his life and the lives of those who were with him. His name was Paul. Paul was a world traveler. In his day, he would have benefited from frequent flyer miles if there had been planes.  But there were ships, and Paul used that mode of transportation on numerous occasions. In fact, by Paul’s own testimony he lived through three different disasters at sea.

One of those disasters is described in the book of Acts. Paul found himself a prisoner on board an Egyptian ship sailing for Italy.  First, Paul was on board because he was a prisoner for his faith. That was crisis enough! But being on board a ship sailing into the jaws of disaster only complicated his circumstances.

As the story unfolds, Paul expresses his concern about the timing of the trip. It was a time of year when weather patterns were unpredictable. Have you ever had a bad feeling about a trip before it started? Have you ever had a bad feeling about a decision or a direction your life was heading?  You can see your family sailing right into the jaws of disaster, and there is not a thing you can do about it.   It was out of Paul’s hands.  Paul was a prisoner and not the captain. No one was interested in his opinion, so the ship set sail.

The Andrea Gail was a twenty-foot fishing boat that found itself facing winds over a hundred miles an hour and waves ten stories tall. I don’t know the size of the ship on which Paul was travelling. But the circumstances are described in vivid detail in Acts 27.

Because the harbor was not suitable for wintering, the majority reached a decision to put out to sea from there, if somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.  When a moderate south wind came up, supposing that they had attained their purpose, they weighed anchor and began sailing along Crete, close inshore.  But before very long there rushed down from the land a violent wind, called Euraquilo; and when the ship was caught in it and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and let ourselves be driven along. Running under the shelter of a small island called Clauda, we were scarcely able to get the ship’s boat under control. After they had hoisted it up, they used supporting cables in undergirding the ship; and fearing that they might run aground on the shallows of Syrtis, they let down the sea anchor and in this way let themselves be driven along. The next day as we were being violently storm-tossed, they began to jettison the cargo; and on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. Since neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm was assailing us, from then on all hope of our being saved was gradually abandoned.  Acts 27:12-20

They had no strength against the storm. There will be times when the storms that you face will be stronger than you.  There will be times when the problems that you face in life will be bigger than you and more than you can handle.  Is that where you are right now? In spite of all your efforts to salvage the situation, the ship is still sinking, the marriage is still crumbling, the business is still failing, the finances are still shrinking, and there seems to be no way out except to go down with the ship.

Those with Paul gradually lost hope. They were ready to give up.They resigned themselves that they all were going to die!

Life’s storms can be intense. In the midst of them, it’s easy to grow discouraged. It’s especially discouraging, when you hardly sail out of one before you encounter another. It’s even worse when two or more combine to create the perfect storm—that one that seems designed to destroy your faith and your family.  In the face of that kind of crisis, some people just give up.

But Paul didn’t! Paul refused to be controlled by the crisis.  He understood that the crisis itself was controlled by God.  He knew God was aware of his predicament.  God also knows where you are, and He doesn’t need GPS to find you.  The clouds of your circumstances can’t hide you from His eyes.  Paul understood he belonged to God, and there was no reason to despair.

There was a man on board who was captain of the ship.  The captain didn’t know what to do.  The captain of the ship didn’t have any answers.  Moms and Dads can feel just like that captain.  You and your family are sailing headlong into one of the storms of life.  You are scared because you are the captain of the ship, and you don’t know what to do or where to turn.

Paul didn’t look to the captain of the ship for answers.  Paul looked to the Captain of the Storm. Paul looked for God’s presence in midst of difficulty. Are you seeking a word from God in the midst of your circumstances? Have you told Him that you don’t know what to do? Have you asked for His help and His direction? You may be captain of the ship, but He is Captain of the Storm. After seeking God’s help and God’s guidance, Paul encouraged those on board with these words:

³“For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me,⁴saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.’ “Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told.  Acts 27:21-25

Paul told those men that there was no reason for despair. Paul chose to believe God. Will you? Can you surrender your circumstances to the Captain of the Storm?

I am no stranger to difficulty. I understand what it is like to encounter a string of calamities that combine to form the perfect storm. Some of you have been wrestling with your situation for a long time. You have exhausted all your resources. You are about ready to let the ship sink, and just sink with it!  You are in the middle of a perfect storm.  The winds and waves of life are tossing your family to and fro. You are the captain of the ship, and you don’t know what to do.  I’ve been there before. I’m sure I’ll be there again. I don’t know what circumstances have come together to form the perfect storm in your life. However, I do want to encourage you as you battle the storm, to look to the Perfect Savior. His name is Jesus, and He is Lord of the Storm.

Photo by Ben White