God lives and works today, but that doesn't
mean that the lives of those who believe
in him will be all sunshine and flowers.
Even his dearest children are not spared difficult
paths.
But God has given us a watchword, a
key to a tremendous help.
Listen to today's meditation by Basilia Schlenk.
Almost everyone has something in his life which
he would like to wish away, a burden
of some kind which he longs to be
able to shake off his shoulders.
In a small way, our lives are like
the Israelites when they were imprisoned in Babylon.
What did God say to them then, through
his prophet?
Build houses and live in them.
Plant gardens and eat their produce, Jeremiah 29.
In other words, he was saying, don't constantly
try to avoid your suffering.
Say yes to your present situation.
Settle down there and make the best of
it.
But what does this mean for our lives?
Perhaps you are sick and miserable.
You can't do many of the things that
made your life happy before.
Then the Lord's words mean, adjust yourself to
the present circumstances.
Make the best of what you have.
Or perhaps you have a job that you
don't like very much.
Then the Lord is saying to you, first
settle down.
Make the most of it.
Begin to love your job.
And what you are able to accomplish there,
that too, with total commitment and joy.
Gladly for thee, dear Lord, what thou dost
ask, I'll give.
And never rest until how thou dost bid,
I live, thy holy will fulfill.
But God tells us something else too.
For he's a Father who always has the
best advice to teach us how to cope
with life.
When we've settled down and made our home
in our present Babylon, that is, when we've
said yes to the difficult leadings of the
Lord, then the Father will answer us, you
will experience, I've already thought up a definite
date when I'll set you free.
For Israel, this meant a definite time when
God would bring them out of Babylon and
back to their own country.
Satan promises a short-lived happiness.
But with God, it's just the opposite.
First comes a cross and suffering.
But then comes happiness and joy, blessing and
the solution to our difficulties.
This is true for now here on earth
and for all eternity.
What a heart of love the Father has.
Loving Father, Father of everlasting love, I
sing and rejoice of your unending love, Your
planning, leading, counsel.
Loving Father, Loving Father, Father of everlasting
love, Eternal love.
You have been listening to a program written
by Basile Schlenk of the Little Land of
Canaan.
To learn more about how God lives and
works today, visit us at our website, www
.canaan.org.
That's K-A-N-A-A-N dot
org.
If you contact us, we would be happy
to send you a free inspirational booklet.
If you do not have access to the
Web, please contact this radio station for our
postal address.
God bless you.