“On the far reef the breakers recoil in shattered foam,
Yet still the sea behind them urges its forces home;
Its chant of triumph surges through all the thunderous din—
The wave may break in failure, but the tide is sure to win! . . .

The reef is strong and cruel upon its jagged wall.
One wave, a score, a hundred, broken and beaten, fall.
Yet in defeat they conquer, the sea comes flooding in,
Wave upon wave is routed, But, the tide is sure to win!

O mighty sea, thy message in changing spray is cast;
Within God’s plan of progress it matters not at last,
How wide the shores the evil, how strong the reefs of sin—
The wave may be defeated but the tide is sure to win.” (Priscilla Leonard, The Religious Herald 94, no. 3, January 20, 1921).

No matter how hopeless the situation seems right now, the tide is sure to win. God will not be defeated. Those who serve Him will not go down in ultimate defeat but will share in God’s victory at the end. I’m thankful that as in the case of Joseph from Genesis, God is able to turn what was meant for evil and turn it into something good.

If God is able to orchestrate the evil intentions of 11 brothers against one man into the saving of an entire nation, imagine what He can do through the trials of your own life? Can you see in your mind’s eye the look of awe and wonder on your face as you see how God took all those circumstances that seemed dire and made something beautiful out of them?

Trust God even amidst the surging waves and know that eventually and inevitably, the tide is sure to win!

I heard a joke once that went something like this: I’m really good in bed. I could sleep for days. I get that.

These days, my ultimate fantasy is to sleep in. That’s it. Nothing racy or exciting. For me, it’s turning off the alarm and rolling back over instead of crawling out at 5 am.

Even as I type these words, I’m yawning. It’s funny how those things that seemed like cruel and unusual punishments as a kid — having to go to bed early, staying inside, going to your room — now almost seem like rewards. At this point in my life, I’d rather be in bed and asleep before 10 than to be downtown somewhere until the wee hours of the morning. That to me sounds like a punishment these days.

I used to be more of a night owl. I confess that I’ve never been an early bird, even with the waking up early. I endure solely because of caffeine.

So I have one more sleep until I get to sleep in? I think I can do that.

“Whatever You may do, I will thank You.
I am ready for all; I accept all.
Let only Your will be done in me…
And I’ll ask for nothing else, my Lord.“

That’s another good prayer for when you have nothing else to bring to God. I know sometimes I don’t know what to ask for. I don’t know the best way to pray for other people. Sometimes, I can barely string together a sentence in prayer. But God knows.

I wish I knew who first prayed this. I’d like to give proper credit. But it really doesn’t matter. What matters is that the best prayer that honors the heart of God most is to pray to God for God’s will to be done without any kind of conditions or provisions.

Lord, may Your will be done. Period.

I think sometimes we overthink God’s will. We make it into some mystical kind of futuristic endeavor where we can never really be certain of what God wants from us. This passage from 1 Thessalonians spells it out in black and white.

1. Be joyful.
2. Pray continually.
3. Give thanks whatever happens.

Not overly complicated, but not necessarily easy. It takes intentionality and discipline to have a constant mindset of prayer and thanksgiving. We naturally default to complaining and anxiety. Or at least I do.

But God’s will is the opposite. God isn’t trying to get us to follow rules for the sake of following rules. His way is the way that leads to joy. His way is the way that leads to real life and real prospering (as in the kind that can’t be measured in dollars and cents).

As always, I point out that God doesn’t say for us to give thanks for everything. We’re not masochists who are happy when our loved ones suffer and die or when crises strike. We give thanks in everything because God is able to work in everything and turn it from bad to good. Case in point: Joseph from the Old Testament.

So that’s it. I’m not saying that this passage is a list of what to follow that guarantees instant victory. But this is an attitude and a mindset to adopt that leads to us better perceiving and obeying the whole will of God in all matters. It’s always a good place to start.

That’s a timely reminder for us as we prepare to enter into the Lord’s Day tomorrow. May we remember we are deeply loved as we worship and adore the One who counts the stars and calls each and every one by name. May tomorrow be the day that the gospel goes forth and many come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. May tomorrow be the day that many will publicly declare their faith and symbolize it through baptism. Speak, Lord, for Your people are listening!

“The test of sanctification is not our talk about holiness and singing pious hymns; but, what are we like where no one sees us? with those who know us best?” 9Oswald Chambers, Disciples Indeed)

It’s one thing to raise your hands in worship on Sunday, but it’s quite another to raise your hand when God calls you to a difficult assignment or to love an unlovable person. It’s one thing when you know all the Sunday School answers, but quite another when you have to show integrity when no one else is watching.

It’s one thing for you to be super spiritual in a church setting, but then quite another to treat well those who see you and know you best on a daily basis.

The one way to find out how pious and spiritual you really are is to see what you are like in the dark when no one else can see you. I imagine most of us probably aren’t as holy as we’d like others to think we are.

But in that case, remember this. You’ll never outsin the grace of God, and when God sees you, He doesn’t see your sin but your Savior’s perfect righteousness.

I just saw the forecast for the next few days. The high for tomorrow is 96, followed by 97 on Saturday and 98 on Sunday. To quote the famous theologian Paris Hilton, “That’s hot.”

In Tennessee, we have more than four seasons. I believe this season is called the Front Porch of Hell where you step outside and immediately feel like you’ve stepped into an oven — or with the high humidity, into a sauna.

I’m not a huge fan of super hot weather, especially when it’s humid. My sweat glands go into overdrive, so I’m sure the people around me don’t appreciate summer as long as they can stil smell me.

But I keep reminding myself that all this steamy weather will help me to appreciate the cooler temperatures of fall. I will cherish those pumpkin spice beverages. I will once again be ready in my heart for spooky season.

At this point, I’ll take a day or two with low humidity and a good breeze. Just sayin’.