A couple years ago, a
woman named Katrina in Youngstown, Ohio, grabbed her mail from the mailbox and
was shocked to find a card addressed to her in her mother’s handwriting. The
envelope had her mother’s return address on it. But Katrina’s mother had passed
away in 2018. The postmark said, “June 20, 2015.” It was a birthday card, lost
in the mail, delivered more than five years after it had been mailed. Katrina
opened the card and there in her mother’s handwriting was a Bible verse: “I
know the thoughts I have towards you sayeth the Lord. Thoughts of peace and not
of evil.” Katrina took it as a message from heaven and that moment totally
changed her understanding of God.[1]
It never ceases to amaze how God’s Word can break into our lives unexpectedly and yet at just the right moment. Sometimes it seems as if God waits till the last second, or even delays in answering that prayer, opening that door, or getting us unstuck.
Isaiah 55:10 says, “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven…so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth.” Just as melting snow and rain bring much needed water to a thirsty land, so too God’s Word floods our souls when we are a dry wasteland.
The Message paraphrases Proverbs 25:11, “A word spoken at the right time is like a custom-made piece of jewelry.” When God’s Word speaks to you personally and specifically in your moment of need it’s like it was crafted just for you, even though it was written thousands of years ago.
Psalm 119:130 adds, “The entrance of Your words gives light.” We’ve all needed to know which direction to take at one of life’s crossroads. We fret, lose sleep and run through all the options in our mind till we are frazzled. Then God speaks and the way forward becomes clear.
What does this teach us? First, we see that God’s Word is always fresh, always true and always applicable. Charles Spurgeon wrote, “God never gives his children a promise which he does not intend them to use. There are some promises in the Bible which I have never yet used, but I am well assured that there will come times of trial and trouble when I shall find that that poor despised promise, which I thought was never meant for me, will be the only one on which I can float”[2]
Second, we see that God knows, God sees and God cares. When God’s speaks to you about a specific need in your life it shows that He is intimately involved in the tiny details. I can attest that when that timely word arrives you will feel humbled that the God of the universe spoke to you – an undeserving waif – and you feel the need for unabated praise because He’s that good. I may never receive a letter from the President, or a rich and famous celebrity, but I have One better who speaks to me - My Heavenly Father.
Third, it shows that often we are not ready to receive truth and so God wisely withholds revelation until our spirits are teachable and we are open to His Word.
We never face a situation for which God has not supplied specific promises that provide mercy and grace to help in time of need. Are you currently facing a problem or pressure? Between the covers of your Bible, God has a specific promise to aid you. Search the Scriptures, find that promise, and focus your heart on its truth. -DM
No comments:
Post a Comment