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“Every challenge, large or small, can equip you for a future opportunity.”

A thought by Max Lucedo, from his book, God Will Carry You Through (p. 70). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Thanks, Max, that’s good news!

The Bible in Jeremiah 30:24 (NIV) says, “The LORD will not turn back until he fully accomplishes the purposes of his heart.” 

Max says, “There is nothing trite about your wheelchair, empty pantry, or aching heart. These are uphill, into-the-wind challenges.  But nor are they random. God is not sometimes sovereign. He is not occasionally victorious. He does not occupy the throne one day and vacate it the next. This season in which you find yourself may puzzle you, but it does not bewilder God. He can and will use it for his purpose.

“God is in all days.  Stay focused on God.  ‘Be still and know that I am God’ (Psalm 46:10 NKJV) reads the sign on God’s waiting room wall.

“You can be glad because God is good.
You can be still because He is active.
You can rest because He is busy.”

Max continues, “To wait, biblically speaking, is not to assume the worst, worry, fret, make demands, or take control. Nor is waiting inactivity. It is a sustained effort to stay focused on God through prayer and belief. To wait is to ‘rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; . . . not fret’ (Psalm 37:7 NKJV).”

Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV) says, “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength;  They shall mount up with wings like eagles,  They shall run and not be weary,  They shall walk and not faint.”

Max then says, “Fresh strength. Renewed vigor. Legs that don’t grow weary. Delight yourself in God, and he will bring rest to your soul.”

Romans 8:18 (PHILLIPS) says, “Whatever we may have to go through now is less than nothing compared with the magnificent future God has planned for us.”

Max says, “What is coming will make sense of what is happening. Let God finish his work. Let the composer complete his symphony. The forecast is simple. Good days. Bad days. But God is in all days. He is the Lord of the famine and the feast, and He uses both to accomplish His will.”

Max later says, “And you? You. . . may be infertile or inactive or in limbo or in between jobs or in search of health, help, a house, or a spouse. Are you in God’s waiting room? If so, here is what you need to know: While you wait, God works.

“‘My Father is always at his work,’ Jesus said (John 5:17 NIV). God never twiddles his thumbs. He never stops. He takes no vacations. He rested on the seventh day of creation but got back to work on the eighth and hasn’t stopped since. Just because you are idle, don’t assume God is.”

And that is such Good News in whatever we are going through, isn’t it? 

Yes, yes!
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