“There shall no evil happen to the just:” Proverbs 12:21a

When we read verses like this it is hard not to ask, Why?

If the just is supposed to be exempt from evil then why? Why are evil people allowed to hurt the Christians?

When we see a brother in Christ going through a troubling time… when we experience one ourselves… when we turn on the news and see the horrific things that happen to people it is hard sometimes not to read verse 21 and say, is this really true, because it doesn’t seem to be?

Stress and Strength: When God tests you

The other night we had some friends over and we got to praying.  During the prayer I felt the Lord say very clearly to my heart two words:

Stress and Strength

It is through stress that strength is revealed.  It is not until the weight to be lifted or carried is in our hands or on our backs that we realize the strength of the Lord – His joy – within in us.

We make judgments as to how strong people are.  That is why we refer to “super-human” strength when we see someone who lacks the physical appearance of strength lift something that we feel is too heavy for them.

Some people we expect to be stronger than they are because they look like they should be able to carry the weight.

We need stress to reveal strength.

The next picture I received was of a fire and a waterfall.  I asked if anyone felt that the Lord was putting something on their heart about these two pictures.

The Buggy Whip

God has a funny way of speaking to us.  He often uses images and metaphors that we understand in order to speak directly to us.

It was that way with me this Sunday.  He spoke to me in a way that I get… at a time that I needed it… and it encouraged me.  But I felt that this word was not just for me and so I shared it with a few people.  And they, too, seemed to get encouraged by it.

So I will share it with you.