and all God’s people said . . . . AMEN!

“He said to me, ‘My grace is enough for you, because power is made perfect in weakness.’ So I’ll gladly spend my time bragging about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power can rest on me. Therefore, I’m all right with weaknesses, insults, disasters, harassments, and stressful situations for the sake of Christ, because when I’m weak, then I’m strong” (2 Corinthians‬ ‭12:9-10‬ , CEB‬‬).

I’m thankful I don’t have to be strong all the time, or even pretend I’m strong when I’m clearly not. But this flies in the face of the All-American pull yourself up by your own bootstraps mentality.

The familiar motto says that if it is to be, it is up to me. As if I had any power to create or change reality. A better saying might be that if it is to be, He, i.e. God, is up to it.

I’m learning that true strength lies not in stoic gritting your teeth but in surrender and submission to the true power of God. It’s saying, whatever the outcome, I want Your will instead of my own.

In God’s economy, I can overcome not in spite of weakness but because of it. That very weakness is the platform where God’s strength is made manifest the most and shows up best. So why do I try to hide my weaknesses or pretend they don’t exist?

Lord, help me not to try to be strong in my own power but to rest and work from the perfect strength You already provide. I know apart from You I can do nothing but through You I can do all things in the name and power of Christ who is my strength. Be glorified in me today. Amen.

I love Radnor Lake State Park, and I can attest to the truth that difficult roads do lead to beautiful destinations. Sometimes, the journey itself is worth the price of admission.

My two favorite trails are the hardest to hike, but those are where I get the best views and see the most variety of wildlife. I feel like I’m no longer in Nashville but in a place that feels a bit like Narnia or Middle Earth. I can appreciate God’s creation most there.

As a believer, I know that Jesus never promised easy. He said all things are possible but not easy. I know the way that leads to life is narrow and hard. The road to easy is not the road I want to be on. It may be paved with good intentions but the end is not good.

The older I get, the more I know that the only road I want to walk is the road where Jesus has gone before and where He is leading me. I’d rather be in the center of God’s will than be rich and famous without God.

I’m thankful that I already know my final destination. I know that the best is truly yet to come because that’s what Jesus promised. In the meantime, I can learn to be content wherever I am and appreciate what I already have instead of striving to be something else or somewhere else.

Lord, I thank You that if I submit to You and resist the devil, he will flee from me. Please show me any areas where I am trying to be lord of my own life. I surrender to You. Make me more like You today than I was yesterday. Be glorified in me today and every day. Amen..

I thought this was clever:

“The World Cup and the 250th anniversary of America’s birthday has reminded us of how unique our country is. For example…

1. Only in America can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance.
2. Only in America are there handicap parking places in front of a skating rink.
3. Only in America do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.
4. Only in America do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke.
5. Only in America do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put junk in the garage . . . Hello!
6. Only in America do we have answering machines to screen calls and have call waiting so we won’t miss a call from someone we didn’t want to talk to in the first place.
7. Only in America do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.”

“Lord, all that I long for is known to you,
my sighing is no secret from you…
I put my trust in you, and leave you to answer for me’ (Elizabeth Elliott).

Betty Elliott was a wise woman, not because of any inherent intelligence or moral superiority but because she knew where to go to find wisdom.

Proverbs 9:10 says “The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10, LSB).

Wisdom starts not from a phobia about God and who He is but a reverent awe of Him and a right understanding of ourselves. We don’t cringe in fear but bow in adoration.

James 1:5 says, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and ^[a]without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5, LSB).

It seems easy but often the last place we look for wisdom is the first place we’re commanded to seek it. We should never be afraid to ask God for what we need because He’s never stingy or miserly but always gives generously what we need exactly when we need it.

Ultimately, Elizabeth Elliott found that all her longing found its ultimate fulfillment in God alone. She knew that no desire for marriage or family or purpose superseded her great need for God to guide and direct her path.

Her life wasn’t easy or simple, but her God was (and is) faithful to His children who are so often prone to wander. May we never fail to come boldly before the throne of grace in our time of need — which if we’re honest, is all the time.

“What is darkness? Darkness is merely the absence of light. The only way there can be darkness is for the light to be withdrawn. Who is the light? God is the light. But sometimes God may just back off and leave His servant in darkness. If you read biographies of great Christians, almost all of them will talk about something they call the dark night of the soul. They’re serving God, they’re loving God, and then things come, perplexities they can’t understand.

There’s going to come a time when all your theology will go upside down. There will be a time when you won’t understand where God is and you’re going to be in such darkness you won’t see your hand in front of your face. What do you do then? Isaiah says stay upon your God; trust Him” (Dr. Adrian Rogers).

As Corrie ten Boom once said. If you’re on a train and it goes through a dark tunnel, you don’t jump off but stay on and trust the conductor. You hold on to hope for a light at the end of that tunnel because the conductor has been there before.

In Psalm 23, I’m still amazed that the valley of the shadow of death is where King David shifts from referring to the Lord as He and changes to using the pronoun You. That’s where faith becomes real and personal.

The dark is where the precious secrets are like diamonds or gold down in a deep mine. That’s where God speaks a word to you for you to share with others once you find daylight again. That’s where God THE Shepherd becomes God YOUR Shepherd.

Keep stayed on the Lord. Trust Him in the dark and he won’t fail. He will keep you in His care. You will be safe. Amen.

This one is from Henri Nouwen:

“Dear Lord, you have sent me into this world to preach your word. So often the problems of the world seem so complex and intricate that your word strikes me as embarrassingly simple. Many times I feel tongue-tied in the company of people who are dealing with the world’s social and economic problems.

But you, O Lord, said, ‘Be clever as serpents and innocent as doves.’ Let me retain innocence and simplicity in the midst of this complex world. I realize that I have to be informed, that I have to study the many aspects of the problems facing the world, and that I have to try to understand as well as possible the dynamics of our contemporary society. But what really counts is that all this information, knowledge, and insight allows me to speak more clearly and unambiguously your truthful word. Do not allow evil powers to seduce me with the complexities of the world’s problems, but give me strength to think clearly, speak freely, and act boldly in your service. Give me the courage to show the dove in a world so full of serpents” (Henri Nouwen).

Above all, help us never to be ashamed to speak Your name, Jesus. It is still the only name with the power to save from the only One who is the only Way, the only Truth, and the only Life. Amen.