God is Good in All Things

Sorry if that last post scared some of you. It's been a very rough month and when someone quoted that verse to me, it really had an impact so I thought I'd share. Job's faithfulness completely shamed me when I compared his suffering to my own.

Thank you to everyone who has prayed so diligently for my recovery. I am getting better slowly but steadily. Please continue to pray that I'll have perseverance and will look to God for strength and healing. He has shown me that He is in control and He cares for me. The devotional, "Streams in the Desert" has provided much comfort and so I quote two particularly encouraging passages:

"Not many of us are living at our best. We linger in the lowlands because we are afraid to climb the mountains. The steepness and ruggedness discourage us, so we stay in the mist of the valleys and never learn the mystery of the hills. We do not know what is lost by our self-indulgence, what glory awaits if we only have the courage to climb, or what blessings we will find if we will only ascend the mountains of God!"

~ J.R.M.

"We should never be content to rest in the mists of the valley when the summit of Mount Tabor awaits us. How pure is the dew of the hills, how fresh is the mountain air, how rich the food and drink of those who dwell above, whose windows look into the New Jerusalem!

Many saints are content to live like people in coal mines, who never see the sun. Tears sadden their faces when they could be anointed with heavenly oil. I am convinced that many believers suffer in a dungeon when they could walk on a palace roof, viewing the lush landscape and Lebanon.

Wake up, believers, from your lowly condition! Throw away your laziness, sluggishness, coldness, or whatever is interfering with your pure love for Christ. Make Him the Source, the Center, and the One who encompasses every delight of your soul. Refuse to be satisfied any longer with your meager accomplishments. Aspire to a higher, a nobler, and a fuller life. Upward to heaven! Nearer to God!"

~Charles H. Spurgeon