are you afraid of the unknown?

Are you Afraid of the Unknown?

Uncertainty can be unsettling!!! Who knows what we will find?
- New experiences?
- Changes?
- New needs?

God has a comforting answer.

Deutoronomy 11:11-12
“The land you are to take possession of is land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land that the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.”

What is there to fear? The Lord is to be our "source of supply". In Him are "springs and fountains and streams that will never be cut off or run dry". If He is the source of our mercies. mercy will never fail us.

For sure we will go through valleys and hills - "not flat or forever downhill"!!! Can you imagine a life with boring sameness of smooth plains and valleys protected from the storm? That may be comfortable. That may be bliss - for awhile. Then life will take it's course again. The hills are sure to loom in the horizon. And we wouldn't know how to climb up and down that hill because we got too comfortable in the valley of our lives.

What are the hills and valleys?

HILLS are the "Cold, seemingly barren circumstances" in our lives. They are difficulties, things we question and complain about. They are situations that are "stern" and hard to bear, the "rugged terrains", the steep climb that can sometimes seem endless. Have you experienced "loss, sorrow or trial"? Then, you have been blessed with God's hills of life.

A valley. as defined by the Contemporary english dictionary of Collins Webster, is a "long depression in the land surface, usually containing a river, formed by erosion or by movements in the earth's crust". Valleys are our times of rest, our fruitful years, times of peace and abundance, where blessings, from our human point of view flow like a river. Our valleys can become our wilderness, if we fail to recognize where they come from,if we make them the masters of our existence.

We need the valleys and hills. The hills "collect the rain" for hundreds of fruitful valleys. God’s hills are a "gracious protection for His people against their foes". That's easy to say - especially if you've always been in a valley and have no idea what a "steep climb" means.

The hills will come. And when that happens - Just TRUST, even if you "can’t see what the hills are accomplishing". Our Father is always near to take our hand and lead us on the way.

My thoughts

Life cannot and will never be a “bed of roses”. God has so designed life to have its ups and down. What do we learn by just traveling on a plain of comfort and luxury? It is when we’ve been tested, when we’ve been humbled, when we’ve gone through pain and hardship that we become strong, when we are able to let go of the sin that is pride, when we become more compassionate to the pain and hardship of others and when we most feel that God truly loves us.

It’s not easy to go up and down the hills and mountains of life. Sometimes you feel like giving up. Sometimes you feel like you’re being punished. Sometimes you experience such self-pity you wonder if there’s a God.

But there is a God. We don’t know exactly why God has taken us from the valley and into the hills. We don’t need to know why. We just need to know that God will not forever leave us on the hills. Somewhere, someday, he has reserved a valley for us to rest until we need to climb another hill again, then down another valley. Each hill and each valley a preparation, a sign that God is in control, that He can do as He pleases with our lives. And this is the best thing that can happen to us – to just let go and let God take over. His plans for us are far better than ours. We’re bound to make mistakes. But God never will.

So, look forward to your hills. Wait patiently for your valleys. God will always be there to lead you, to uphold you, to love you. Life cannot be and will never be a “bed of roses”. God loves us too much for just roses. He always has something better for us.

finding a gift in a second hand gift

As I said, "Streams in the Desert" is a daily devotional by L.B. Cowman. It was first printed in 1998. I have the 2007 copy. This was given to me by a dear dear friend when I celebrated my nth bday! (Go ahead, waste your time doing your math!!!). It was a second hand gift. I know because my friend's dedication reads "a gift I must share with you - one of the very best devotional guide that really touched my life". And my friend was right. "Streams in the Desert" has touched my life - from Day 1 of the 366 devotionals. I don't even know how to begin sharing how I found countless of "streams", overflowing hope in the sometimes barren "desert" of our lives. I didn't find a single gift from this second hand gift. I found numerous, valuable, priceless gifts. And these gifts I want to share with you. I hope and pray you will find your own "streams", too.