An Upside-down Thanksgiving

"O give thanks to the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endures forever."
1 Chronicles 16:34 AKJV

Every Thanksgiving we have a delicious meal of turkey and stuffing with all the trimmings. I then invite our guests to make their way to the dessert buffet. I’m always accused by someone of saving the best for the last.

I wonder what would happen if we started with the dessert buffet? I know for a fact it would make my grandchildren happy and many of the adults as well! It’s not that they don’t enjoy the main meal it is just that they would like to have what pleases them the most first.

If you are like me you live each day in a spirit of gratitude and thanksgiving. However, on Thanksgiving Day most of us will pause, at least a few moments to think about what it is that we are thankful for. Hopefully that thanks will be directed toward God because it is God who provides all things.

When you ask a child what they are thankful for they usually say, their toys, or their electronic games. Sometimes they are thankful for mommy and daddy. Their list is usually very short and self-centered. I am appalled when I realize that far too often I fall into that same pattern of thanksgiving.

Why is it that when someone asks me what I am thankful for my mind goes immediately to things that are self-centered and right in front of my face. High on my list of thankfulness is my family, my home, my job, my health, my food, my friends, my church, my, my, my, everything. This is not wrong because we should be thankful for all that God has so richly provided for us. I know beyond a shadow of doubt that God is not amazed by my responses because he knows that I am human. The Bible tells me that I think on things below rather than things above. My thoughts are without a doubt upside - down thinking.

Sooner or later I finally do get around to being thankful for my salvation and for all the many blessing that come my way because of my faith. I am thankful for peace and joy. I am thankful for wisdom and understanding. I am thankful for God’s amazing love and faithfulness. I am thankful for the hope I have in heaven. I am thankful for God’s guidance in my life. I am thankful for God’s grace, his compassion and mercy towards me. His marvelous mercy that says, Paula, I know you are dust. I understand that your thinking is upside down. I love you regardless of the order in which you give thanks. I know your heart says things that your mouth does not speak. I love you unconditionally with a love that never ends.

Yes Lord, I am privileged, blessed and thankful! I’m glad that you understand that I save the best for last even though it is the sweetest of all!

Questions:

Have you ever experienced upside-down thankfulness?

What are you most thankful for?

Are you thankful for God’s love and mercy that endures forever?


Prayer:

Dear God,

Thank you that you are a God of never ending love and mercy towards all those who love you. Forgive me Lord when I express self centered thanksgiving. Help me God to be more conscious of my intangible blessings. Today I want to express my thanks for those blessings first of all. In addition, thank you for all the things that you give me to see, hear, taste, smell, touch, love, and personally enjoy. God, from the bottom of my heart I want to thank you for all of my temporal blessings. God you are amazing! Thank you for your merciful love that understands and covers all my upside-down thinking.

In Your Son’s Name I Pray. Amen.

Incrediable Joy In A Long Awaited Answer!

“Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
John 11:40 NIV

I have found that there is incredible joy in a long awaited answer to prayer! I believe that the longer the wait for an answer to prayer, the greater the joy when God finally delivers the answer. Although I desire a quick answer to my prayer there are many reasons that God may choose to delay his answer.

God may choose to delay an answer to prayer simply because all things are not ready. For instance you may be praying for a job but the job that God has in mind for you is not available yet. Or if you are married and your prayer request involves both you and your mate, you may have to wait until you are both ready for God to work. Maybe God is trying to accomplish something different in each of your lives that will require two different types of obedience. It is possible that maybe your mate is ready and you are still lacking. In another instance you may be praying for someone to accept the Lord, but you must wait until that person is willing. Other times God delays an immediate answer to our prayer because he has a much greater blessing in mind.

The manner in which we choose to wait for an answer can either bring God glory or it can show our lack of trust in God. I guess we could say that our waiting is a bit of a test. It is during the times of waiting that I must choose to be faithful and believe God no matter how long it takes for the answer to come. Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” John 11:40 NIV

The above scripture was spoken to those that witnessed Lazarus being raised from the dead. After Jesus had learned of Lazarus’ death he waited four days before he showed up at Lazarus’ home in Bethany. He was greeted by Lazarus’ two sisters, Mary and Martha. Both of the women expressed to Jesus that if he had gotten there earlier Lazarus would not have died. Now these women were friends of Jesus. They had witnessed him healing many people. I’m sure they were a bit put out because now when they needed Jesus, he was nowhere to be found! The point was that Jesus did not rush on the scene and heal Lazarus because he had chosen the death of Lazarus as an opportunity to perform a greater miracle. It would be a miracle that would bring greater glory to God. I can only imagine that when Jesus said “Lazarus come forth!” and Lazarus came out of the tomb throwing off his grave clothes, the people set up and took great notice because God was at that moment being glorified in an amazing way. You see, Jesus’ delay was a delay of love. It was for the greater good that he waited.

I prayed eleven years that my husband, who traveled weekly, would get a local job. I had friends and family all over the country joining me in that prayer. I believed with all my heart that God was more than able to answer my prayer, yet I did not know if God would choose to do so. I made up my mind that no matter what the outcome of my prayer I would remain faithful to my husband and my God.

Finally, from a heavenly perspective, all things were ready and God answered my prayer. Not only did God provide Joe with a local job in North Carolina, he gave him a home office and now he is home 24/7!

I cannot tell you the incredible joy that I experienced when this long awaited answer to prayer came! I was thrilled! God had not forgotten us; he knew our names and our address. It really did seem to my spirit that there was glory all around! It has been a few years now, but remembering this surprising answer to prayer still sends shivers up and down my arms!

When Joe gave me God’s good news, I immediately began making phone calls and sending e-mails to all the people who had been faithful in praying for us for eleven long years. You see, God could most likely have blessed us by finding my husband a local job sooner, but God did one better, a greater blessing indeed. Yes, there is great joy and a glorious witness as we shared the news of a long awaited answer to prayer. I’m so glad I didn’t miss out on the marvelous experience of what great joy feels like in a long awaited answer to prayer. I can only tell you it was and still is awesome!

This morning as I am leaving the garden my secret thoughts reveal that I wish that learning to wait on God was a one time experience. But I am finding that each situation walks me through yet another process of waiting. Today I want to remember that prayer is indeed a privilege and as I wait on God I will be prone to frustration. I don’t ever want to forget that the required sacrifice of submission is never easy but it is God’s plan for my peace. God commands me to keep praying and to not grow weary in doing the good work of prayer. With God’s help I also want to make good choices as I wait for his answers. I want to choose to wait in a spirit of peace rather than a spirit of impatience and frustration. Above all, I want to live in anticipation of the great joy that I will experience when my long awaited answer to prayer is delivered. I know that the answer will be a loving answer straight from the heart of God. Even if the answer is a heartbreaking no, I want to still choose to rejoice in the eternal value of God’s Divine answer, even if the value is veiled to me.


Questions:

Have you been praying for something for a long time?

Are you discouraged because God has not yet answered your prayer?

Can you now think differently about why God may be taking his time in answering your prayer?

Have you ever experienced great joy in a long awaited answer to prayer? If so try to recall the events of how God showed up and answered that prayer.

Prayer:

Dear God,

Thank you for reminding me that there could be so many reasons why my prayers continue to go unanswered. I just want to take time now to tell you that I trust you as you make all things ready regarding my prayer request. I know that you desire to bless me and those around me when your glory is revealed in the answer to my prayer. I am choosing this day to be faithful as I wait on you. Help me to bring glory to you in the way that I wait for your answer. Help me to wait peacefully rather than impatiently. I take enormous joy in knowing that your answer was released in heaven even before I finished praying that first day I brought my request to you. I know that you will know when all things are ready.

In Your Son’s Name I pray. Amen.

Joy As We Wait

“Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks,
and send some to those who have nothing prepared.
This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve,
for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10 NIV

Today I decided to have lunch in the garden. The sun was high in the sky and the huge fluffy clouds reminded me of the white filling that is used for stuffing soft pillows. The autumn air had a chilling nip that caused me to zip up my jacket. Nonetheless, today the flowers were exceptionally beautiful! The wonderful thing that I love about the garden of my heart is that all species of flowers bloom every single day for my enjoyment. As I sat down on the garden bench and began to eat my sandwich I seemed to sense a tug on my heart to move closer to an area of the garden where the peace lilies bloomed profusely. I immediately got up and started walking toward the peace lilies. These pure white lilies seemed to be stretching their long slender necks toward heaven in joyful praise to their creator. I especially loved looking at the peace lilies today because my heart seemed to be at peace and joy seemed to be bubbling inside my spirit. Yes, today was a “no worry” day.

Satan tried his best to spoil my mood by reminding me that I still had many unanswered prayers. He also reminded me that I hate waiting. I didn’t like those thoughts so I shouted, “Satan, in the name of Jesus Christ, be gone!” He left.

After Satan left I felt the presence of the Master Gardner but he seemed to be staying out of my sight. That was not a major concern because I again began to feel joy bubbling up inside of me. I was amazed that I was so happy when I still had so many unanswered prayers sitting on God’s desk.

The truth is that I am waiting for God to answer many prayers. I am praying for my friends who are in need of jobs. There are prayers for successful surgeries and for good medical test reports. There are prayers for the healing. There are unanswered prayers regarding my family. There are at least a hundred unanswered prayers for people who do not know the Lord and seemingly don’t want to know him. There are many prayers for people who are walking away from God instead of walking with God. There are specific prayers for provision, reconciliation, and emotional healing. There are so many seemingly unanswered prayers and yet I am still experiencing the joy of Jesus. Even with the burdens I carry I am experiencing peace and the joy of the Lord and that is where I find my strength.

Waiting for God’s answers is hard. I have found that when I focus on the waiting I become discouraged. Today in the garden I begin to read God’s Word. I am reading and rereading the words of Nehemiah and I am finding them especially meaningful. Nehemiah had some very good advice regarding how I can make the most of every day I live, even if it is a day of waiting or rejoicing. Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy some choice food and sweet drinks.” Now I don’t know about where you live, but here in North Carolina that means barbecue and sweet tea! Then Nehemiah said, “Send some to those who have nothing prepared.” I have yet to knock on someone’s door with muffins or a casserole and have them send me away. No, it’s just the opposite. Folks respond in joy when someone brings them food that they don’t have to cook themselves. When I experience their delight then before I know it I’m smiling too! Sharing is always something that breeds joy. Nehemiah also said, “This is a sacred day to our Lord.” No doubt this was a very special day for Nehemiah because he was reading the law to the Israelites. The law had not been read to them for the many years that they were in exile. For them it was a day for rejoicing. As for me this event is also a reminder to me that all my days are sacred in God’s sight. I am lavishly loved by my Father. This is a reason for incredible joy.

Nehemiah now waves the red flag of caution and tells the people DO NOT grieve. God was with them. If I remember that I have an unanswered prayer it is not because it is in the trash basket or because it has been lost. No way! I can be certain that God has my prayer in his “in box” and that some day he is going to move my request over to his “out box.” Wow! That is one more reason for joy. Nehemiah’s words also remind me that the joy of the Lord is my strength. It is good for me to remember that grief is common after loss, but prayers in process do not qualify as loss.

Without a doubt, Satan will try to be a joy buster! But how I wait for an answer to prayer is my choice. I can wait in frustration and fear or I can choose to wait patiently and in peace. But I must believe that God is completely able to accomplish what I have asked him to do. If God’s final answer is “no” then I must believe that God will be my strength and that his grace will be sufficient.

So today I am in the garden dancing the dance of joy! My delight sends me twirling around in circles until I fall into a cluster of bright golden lantana. What a coincidence, the flowers that I have landed in remind me of a “basket containing gold.” It has been my experience that when I joyfully wait for an answer to prayer and when that answer is finely delivered it is like receiving a basket of gold! This blessing is so incredible that it shines in golden radiance because it has God’s name written all over the answer. Usually, God even throws in a bonus surprise making the answer even more precious. God loves to make his answer so exceptionally unique that he often goes above and beyond what I have requested. God does this so that there is absolutely no way that I could ever doubt that the answer came from any source other than my heavenly Father. It is also God’s way of being glorified!


Questions:

What prayers do you have sitting in God’s “in box”?

Are you experiencing joy or frustration as you wait for answers?

How do you feel about Nehemiah’s antidote for waiting?


Prayer:

Dear God,

I pray that you will teach me to wait joyfully. Thank you that you do not want me to waste my days sitting around in fear or pacing back and forth in impatience. What great ideas Nehemiah had for celebrating as I wait for your answers. God you want me to eat and drink and to continue living my days in a spirit of joy. You want me to share with others from my resources. You caution me not to grieve for grief is the salve for loss. I am comforted to know that my prayers are not lost but rather they are a work in progress. God, I thank you that all of my days are precious to you and that not a single hair on my head goes unaccounted for. God this day I pray that you will give me a fresh anointing of your oil of joy as I wait. Protect me from Satan discouragement and help me to remember that he is a “joy buster”. May I never forget that your joy is my strength as I wait for your perfect answers.

In Your Son’s Name I Pray. Amen.

Do Not Grow Weary in Doing Good

Photo of impatiens...not to be confused with impatience

...but always a gentle reminder not to be impatient.

“Let us not become weary in doing good
for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Galatians 6:9 NIV

Today I’m at my breaking point! Frankly, I’ve had it!! As I stomp out to the garden I realize that I am in such a tizzy that I have forgotten my coffee! Oh well, too late now. Today is the day that the Master Gardener and I are going to have it out about a few things. You may remember, I am a list maker and in my opinion lists are made so that finished projects can be crossed off. Today I am clutching in my hand a very well worn, crumpled up, tear stained prayer list. Needless to say many entries on this list are NOT crossed off. Frankly, I’m tired and weary of hauling this list around in my pocket. I want some answers and I want them now!

As I enter the garden, Jesus is almost laughing at my ridiculous, self-centered approach. I speak a gruff good morning as I plop myself down in the middle of a beautiful flower bed, hoping that somehow the beauty of these flowers will rub off on me. Jesus reaches down and takes me by my hand and pulls me up. Jesus’ tone of voice is calm and loving but his message is clear. “Paula, I don’t think you will be sitting here today. Today the “impatience” garden is far more suitable.”

And so the complaining begins, “Jesus, I am tired of praying for the same things over and over again. Are you even listening? Do you care? Are my prayers not worthy of your answers? Why is this taking so long? Don’t I have enough faith? If that’s the problem then exactly how much faith do I need and how much am I still lacking? Frankly Jesus, I’ve got to tell you that I’m frustrated. You tell me that it is good to pray but I am growing very weary. Lord I’m in desperate need of understanding prayer because I am next to giving up.”

Jesus looks into my eyes with the love and understanding that only he could possess and he begins teaching and I listen. Jesus begins by saying, “do not become weary in doing good,” Galatians 6:9 NIV After spending a good bit of time in the garden I start my walk back to the demands of life, but I will take away some wonderful words spoken by Jesus this morning.

“…I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” John 16:23b NIV I’m now starting to process the fact that perhaps I have been asking for my will not Jesus’ will. It is possible that they could already be the same, but according to this scripture I am compelled to search my heart with regards to my request. Have I been seeking God’s will or my will? Have I left the outcome up to him? It is very much like presenting a requisition list for supplies to the CEO of a company. The question is will my request for supplies be approved? Will Jesus be able to sign his name to my prayer request? Will Jesus read the list and know that what I have asked for is not really what I need? Will God’s eternal plan for my life override my personal desires? No doubt, there are times when my request is not in my best interest or in the best interest of the one for whom I am praying. Tears of sorrow and fear often cloud my vision with regard to God’s eternal answers.

“Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder.” Genesis 24:15 NIV Today I learned something new. The answer to a prayer prayed according to God’s will begins to be accomplished even before I stop praying. In this case Rebekah came out immediately, but I must also realize that even though the answer to my prayer begins the moment I pray it may not be fully released at that time. As a result, my prayer now should be thank you God that the answer is on the way and a future prayer will hold the thanksgiving of the completed answer.

“Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” John 11: 40 NIV This type of thinking will present me with the challenge of exhibiting faith and trust as I wait for God’s answers to my prayers. This exercise in believing God is already at work will also be a time when I must learn the lesson of waiting on God. I must not assume that a delayed answer to prayer is a “no” but rather see it as simply a sign that God is on the job but all things are not ready. Very simply put I must “hang in there!” I must also learn to accept the fact that some of my prayers may never be answered in my lifetime, but that fact does not make those prayers any less important.

So a few final thoughts, today I am treasuring the prayers that my deceased parents have prayed for me. They did not live to see the person I have become or am becoming in Christ Jesus. I love knowing that even though my mother only knew our children briefly her prayers for them are stored in heaven. My two grandchildren are blessed because of the prayers that their great grandmothers and great grandfathers have prayed for them even before they were born. And so I too will continue to pray for the faces of loved ones that I may never know. God has promised me that he is carving out blessings for a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. (Exodus 20:6) I do not want to grow weary in doing the good work of prayer. Long after I am gone, God will continue to call the souls of those that do not know him to himself. God will continue to call his children who are not making their walk with God a priority. The prayers that I have prayed for those people will never go unnoticed by God. He will continue to draw those individuals to himself because caring people have prayed. The events in life may not fall into place until I have left this world, but still I will continue to persevere in prayer.

“Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.”
Isaiah 40:28-31 NIV

Questions:

What have you prayed for that you think will never be answered?

Are you growing weary in doing the good work of prayer?

Are you comforted in knowing that even when you grow weary in doing good, God does not grow weary?

In the future how will you view your answered prayers that have not yet become sight?

How does it make you feel to realize that your prayers will out live you?

Prayer:

Dear God,

Thank your for today’s lessons learned in the garden. It is very clear that this day I have been in need of an attitude check. Forgive me God for my impatience. God, I am amazed to know that even before I finish praying that you have placed my prayer in a pile marked “To Be Accomplished!” Today God, I release to you my time table and I embrace your promise that you will answer me according to your perfect will. God I am counting on you. I am waiting in anticipation for the day that you will show up with the answer in your hand. I accept the fact that I may never see the answer to my prayer but I will continue to completley trust you and believe that my prayers are stored in heaven and will out live me.

So it is…
In Your Son’s Name (according to your perfect will) that I bring all my requests. Amen.

The Sacrifice of Submission

“I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.
For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
For what I do is not the good I want to do;
no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing.
What a wretched man I am!
Who will rescue me from this body of death?
Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Romans 7:18-19, 24-25 NIV

Today I have come to the garden with a struggling heart. I know what I should do but I don’t want to obey. I am overcome with anger because of my situation. I want to be the one in control, not God. It’s my life, why don’t I get to call the shots? Why do things keep happening to me that I have to struggle with and work through? It seems at times that God is setting up there in his beautiful heaven while I am here on earth making all of the sacrifices. So today with more than my fair share of anger bubbling up within me I come to the garden and go directly to my cooling down spot. I love this precious little waterfall that trickles down the rocks and splashes into the pond. Here I am surrounded by the soft gentle ferns and the striking hosta that is displaying many beautiful shades of green. I have been to this cooling down spot many times before. Believe me, this place is very familiar! There are no surprises here; I know exactly what is coming next. Two words immediately flood my mind. Those hard to swallow words are sacrifice and submission.

When I think of sacrifices I immediately remember the Old Testament sacrifices and Jesus’ sacrifice for our salvation. As believers we are also told to offer up to our God and King sacrifices of praise and worship. But today I am faced with yet another sacrifice; it is the sacrifice of submission. God’s will for my life, not my will.

For me the sacrifice of submission is very difficult because it involves the personal relinquishment of the very thing that my heart and my will tenaciously cling to like moss on a tree. It is the people, the relationships, and the circumstances in life that in my own strength I am unable to surrender to God. Satan battles with me on an extremely high level regarding those issues that I must surrender to God in order to live victoriously. Satan fills my mind with lies, he fills my heart with fear, and he straps burdens on my back that I must carry all day and even as I sleep!

It is true that I will never be perfect in this life, but it is also true that God wants me to experience victorious living on every level while I am alive. This victory comes to me when I am able to relinquish my will to God’s great power and authority.

You may be terminally ill, or you may live in constant pain. You may now be putting your life on hold in order to be a caregiver for someone you love. You may be grieving the loss of a loved one. Your finances may be a matter of deep concern. Perhaps you have lost your job and are at your wits end looking for another one. You may have a difficult child or an adult child that is a prodigal. Perhaps war has separated you from a loved one. You may be someone who has experienced a broken relationship or maybe you are involved in a marriage that has gone south. Perhaps you have been separated from a loved one due to false accusations. Maybe you have suffered abuse. You may be uneducated, unemployed, unmarried, childless or unfulfilled. You may feel that you are alone in your circumstances but trust me, God is there!

The truth is that we are surrounded by trouble on every side. BUT GOD… has overcome the world and he gives that same power to each of us who belong to him. Jesus has opened the throne room of God and given us direct access to the Heavenly Father. Through prayer we petition the Father, Jesus also intercedes for us, and when we pray, God’s power is released to us through the power of the Holy Spirit. With God’s help, becoming a person who overcomes the adversity and the heartache that is found in life is a very real possibility.

I am here in the garden today because this is to be a day of letting go! I want to do what is right but I struggle to do it because I am a slave to my sin nature. Poor wretched woman I am, who will sit me free? Jesus Christ will set me free one day at a time. No matter what I have been through, or what I am going through, or what I will go through in the future, God wants the sacrifice of my submission. God wants me to hand him the “what if” the “what is” and the “what will be”. God wants my faith response to be, God, I trust you completely with my life and with the lives of those I love.

I am so grateful that my righteousness is not based upon my immediate obedience to submission. When life knocks me off my feet I must spend time in the garden. I must either return to the garden or stay in the garden until I am able to relinquish my will to God’s will. I am not any different than Jesus. The struggle of the flesh vs. the spirit takes place in my garden of Gethsemane just as it did for Jesus. It is my faith and trust in Jesus that is accounted to me as righteousness in God’s sight. It is having faith that believes that God is able to work in my behalf and that he will work in my best interest no matter what the results in this life may look like. In this present world God chooses many times to bless us, but eternity is always his priority! Our eternal good always overrides this present life. Because of God’s great love for me, today I choose to let go.


Questions:

Is there anything in your life that you need to let go of and give to God?

Are you experiencing a struggle of your flesh vs. the spirit?

Are you feeling anger or fear regarding your situation?

Are you afraid to let go?

Do you want to experience God’s peace and victory in this struggle?


Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

I come before you today and readily admit that I am angry and I am afraid! But the fact is there is no where I am safe from this torment except in your arms. Why is it so hard for me to trust you? I know you love me. I know you love those I love more than I do. Yet, I am so afraid! God I need your power and your strength to fill me so that I will have the courage to trust you. God, I know that you are looking out for my eternal good. I have been told that hard times and brokenness are used in my life to make me into your likeness. Oh to be like you Lord, pure and sinless as you are. Today Lord, I am going to take a leap of faith. I know full well it could go either way. I could gain or I could loose. But this day I will choose to let go and say, “…the LORD gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Lord I also know that the sacrifice of submission is necessary for my peace. I also realize that sometimes I must “let go” before I can “have”. Either way Lord, today I release my tight grip to you as I choose to let go of _________________.

In You Name I Pray. Amen.

The Winds of Adversity

“Awake, north wind,

and come south wind!

Blow on my garden,

that its fragrance

may spread abroad.”

Song of Songs 4:16 NIV

Do I welcome adversity? Absolutely not! In fact I dread adversity. Do I dread the process and fear the outcome? Yes, in fact adversity sends my heart immediately straight to worse case scenario. But I do believe that Jesus understands those feelings. The Bible records that Jesus dreaded the cross but he also choose to say, "not my will but thy will be done." Fear seems to be so natural. It usually is my first response. Yet God has provided an antidote for fear. God’s antidote is his wonderful peace.

Some days when I am in the garden I feel that all of the flowers have faded except for the bleeding hearts that surround my feet. If I continue to look downward at my bleeding heart I may succumb to fear, worry, and even depression. Many times in life I have experienced deep sorrow that has caused me extreme grief. Grief is the emotional mechanism that God uses to cleanse our sorrow. However, grief is meant to last only for a season and then God gently moves us ahead. Refusing to move on with God is dangerous.

Sometimes the winds of adversity carry the destruction of a tornado but God says, take my hand. I must admit that there have been times that I did not feel that I could even reach up to God let alone take his hand. But God doesn’t require much, he only requires faith the size of a mustard seed. When we take a chance on God he rewards even the smallest mustard seed of faith. Because sin has entered our world I can be sure that the winds of life will blow and that trouble will find its way into my life. It will be the kind of trouble that will cause me to dig deep into my soul and look to God for his help and strength. Without a doubt, God will be there waiting to take may hand.

Today I am sitting in the garden reading from the Song of Songs. I am surprised to discover that Solomon is actually asking for both the north and the south winds to blow on his garden. Why? Solomon understood that the strong winds of adversity were sure to be followed by God’s pleasant and temperate breezes of peace for those who trust in the Father. Solomon knew that he would never know the blessing of God’s peace in his life if his life was always without trials, nor would he ever experience the sweet fragrance that emits as the Holy Sprit blows is sweet peace into our heart if we never experience need. Solomon prayed for both the northern cold winds of adversity and the balmy southern breezes of peace. He prayed that the fragrance of that peace would be spread abroad so that God would be glorified.

As I consider that thought I reach down and pluck a dandelion that has been spent. Nothing but the frail fluffies remains. I take a deep breath and blow all of the white feathery particles into the air. This weed-flower that was once brilliant with golden yellow petals is now blowing abroad. I’m not really sure where they go or where they will land. But one thing for sure is that this one dandelion will multiply.

I am captivated by the thought, blow wind blow over my garden so that its sweet fragrance may multiply. I begin to realize that my life is just like that of a dandelion. Frankly, if I remember correctly dandelions don’t smell very sweet. But without Jesus in my life neither do I. Oh sometimes sweetness comes easy especially when things are going my way and when I am surrounded by like minded people, a nice paycheck, good health and wonderful kids. But in adversity my sweetness starts to fade. I need the sweet breath of Jesus to blow on my garden his peace into my heart, because only then will the winds blow Jesus’ sweet fragrance abroad.

So it is in being crushed by adversity that God offers me an opportunity to release his fragrance to others. It is by needing forgiveness that I learn the sweet fragrance of forgiving. It is in needing provision that I learn to give to others. It is in experiencing sorrow that I learn to comfort. When I am feeling backed into a corner it is then that I learn how to be merciful. It is when others judge me wrongly that I learn not to judge. It is when I am sick and suffering that I learn how to show loving compassion to others who are sick and suffering.

Awake north wind and come south wind! Blow on my garden. I pray, change me Lord so that when you allow adversity into my life I will not become bitter but rather better. My heart’s garden belongs to you. Blow on my garden according to your will so that its fragrance my spread your love abroad through me.

Frankly the thought of adversity still scares me to death! But God has promised me that his grace will be sufficient for me and that he will never leave me or forsake me. It has been my experience that God always gives me exactly what I need the very moment I need it and not a single minute before. So I will continue to pray for God’s grace in my life in all circumstances.

Before I leave the garden I will pick some dandelions to carry back into the house with me. I will place this small nosegay on my breakfast table and later I will carry it into my office. Tonight I will place it on my night stand and I will sleep in peace knowing that when the winds of adversity blows on my garden God has a purpose and a plan to make something beautiful come from my pain and brokenness. I believe with all my heart that God is able to take the stench of the dandelions and in good time blow the fluffies of his love and grace abroad and miraculously change the stench into a sweet fragrance that only comes from knowing and trusting Jesus.

Questions:

When was the last time you found yourself in the middle of a situation that made your heart pound with fear? Are you there now?

When adversity comes into your life is your first response to try and fix the situation yourself?

How long is it before you pray?

How does the thought of welcoming adversity strike you?

Can you see that trusting God in all things is a response that will spread his sweet fragrance to others?

Prayer:

Dear God,

I do not welcome adversity. In fact, I hate it! Thank you for not expecting me to embrace the hard times in life. However God, I do desire to embrace you as I deal with my adversity. I ask that your Holy Spirit give me daily strength and grace as I walk through life’s difficulties. God I pray that through your mysterious ways you will shape my character and help me to become a person who depends on you as I endeavor to overcome life’s adversities. God I don’t know about the future but I know you and you are the one who holds the future. Father, give me your grace to trust you today and tomorrow. Awake, north wind, and come south wind! Blow on my garden that your fragrance may spread abroad.

In Your Son’s Name I Pray. Amen.