Impossible Situation

Thou hast caught us in a net,

Thou has bound our bodies fast;

Thou hast let men ride over our heads.

We went through fire and water (Ps. 66:11-12).

We all know the feelings the psalmist described here. Our contexts of experience differ greatly, but the same Lord rules our world now and works through what seems to us insoluble. He is “tremendous in His dealings with mankind,” (v.5), or, as an older translation has it, “terrible in His doings with the children of men.” Whether it looks tremendous or terrible to us just now, we can take our peace from the knowledge that it is our God who has “caught us,” “bound our bodies,” allowed men to “ride over our heads” ---because He has a loving purpose. As in ancient myths and fairy tales, the prize is always gained through some fearful ordeal, some dark and dangerous passage, some encounter with fire, water, or dragons.
“But Thou hast brought us out” (He is bringing us, every minute. He is not off somewhere else, but beside us, protecting, leading) “into liberty.” That is what he wants for us: Freedom at last, release from ourselves, entrance into the broad meadows of His love.
“Blessed is God who has not withdrawn His love and care from me” (v.20).

The Music of His Promises by Elisabeth Elliot

I Can't Take It

Some of us think this quite often, and some of us go right ahead and say it out loud: I can’t take it! I’ve had more than enough of this Lord ---could You let me off the hook for awhile?
Timothy was a young minister who, Paul knew, would have to bear more than seems humanly bearable. “Now therefore, my son, take strength from the grace of God which is ours in Christ Jesus…. Take your share of hardship, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 2:1,4).
Whether you can take what life dishes out, and the difficult people life puts you into contact with, depends on what you take first. If you take from the grace of God the strength offered, you will find it absolutely sufficient to cover any need. You will find yourself quite amazingly able to bear the hardship of life’s bitter battle as a good soldier. But the soldier has to be trained, prepared, and equipped first. Don’t rush into the fray and try to “take it” without first taking strength.
Lord, for the needs of hardships of today, I come for Your strength. I receive it with thanks in Jesus’ name. You, Lord, are my Strength.

The Music of His Promises by Elisabeth Elliot

I Cannot Act By Myself

These are startling words, coming from the lips of Jesus (John 5:30). We tend to think of Him as all-powerful, yet here He is, telling us He is all-helpless. His authority and power were not His own, but given by His Father. His aim was not His own will (see John 5:30) but the will of Him who sent Him. It is a piece of huge arrogance in us to think we can manage by ourselves. We’ll manage, all right, but all we shall ever succeed in doing by ourselves is making a mess of our lives. If our aim is the same as our Master’s, to do the will of the Father, we cannot act by ourselves. This means we must be consistently asking for help and accepting whatever help God sends.
“Lord, this is not quite what I meant,” is sometimes our response to His answer.
“What is your aim?” He asks us then, “Your will or Mine?”
“Then remember: you cannot act by yourself.”

The Music of His Promises by Elisabeth Elliot

He Will Find A Place

Uncertainty is surely, for most of us, one of the harder lessons in faith. We look ahead and see only darkness, or what may seem more frightening ---possibilities we’re convinced we can’t cope with.
This is where I am this morning as I write ---the possibilities of what may happen are daunting. Asking the Lord for some help in resting my case with Him, I found these words: “You saw ….how the Lord your God carried you all the way to the place, as a father carries his son. In spite of this you did not trust the Lord your God, who went ahead on the journey to find a place for your camp” (Deut. 1:31-33).
Has He, in fact, carried me all the way to this place? Of course He has.
Did He look after my needs as attentively as a father his son’s?
Of course He did.
Have I reason to doubt that He is even now going ahead of me on my journey, to find a place for me?
No reason whatever.
Shall I trust Him then? Lord, forgive my fears. I will trust, and not be afraid. The place You find will certainly be a place of peace.

The Music of His Promises by Elisabeth Elliot

He Stood His Ground

Two of the men called “David’s heroes,” Eleazar and Shammah, are remembered because they stood their ground. Eleazar was with David at Pas-Dammim in battle with the Philistines. “When the Israelites fell back, he stood his ground and rained blows on the Philistines until, from sheer weariness, his hand stuck fast to his sword” (2 Sam. 23:10).

Shammah, in a battle which took place in a lentil field, also “stood his ground, saved it, and defeated the Philistines.” The significant thing is that in each case the story says, “So the Lord brought about a great victory.” Another case of how God and man cooperate --- the man doing what he could do, and God therefore doing what the man could not do.

So it is when we pray. We have taken ground for God, and there we stand --- sometimes so tired of praying for something that it becomes almost automatic --- the hand sticks to the sword --- and yet we stand. We will see the Lord arise in response to our prayer. He will give victory because we have done the only thing we could do --- held the ground for Him in prayer.

The Music of His Promises by Elisabeth Elliot

Having Done All, Stand

There are times when we want desperately to tear into a situation and do something. We wish God would do something, and when He seems to be paying no attention to the mess that we are worried about, we are tempted to take things into our own hands. “Stand still” is what He says to us. This morning He reminded me of David’s word to Goliath, “The battle is the Lord’s” (1 Sam. 17:47). We are to be ready to do anything the Lord our God directs, but if direction is not given, or if we have done all He has said and still the battle is unresolved, then we are simply to stand. Standing our ground in prayer means standing by faith against “cosmic powers, against the authorities and potentates of this dark world, against the superhuman forces of evil in the heavens” (Eph. 6:12). It means standing strong with Christ for His victory.

Mighty Captain, show us our part today in Your battle. Make us strong to stand.

The Music of His Promises by Elisabeth Elliot

Gods Message or Satans

It is not always clear to us, living down here in the murk of a fallen world, whether thing comes from God or from Satan, whether “God did it” or “the devil did it.” Let us be very clear about one thing ---God never does evil, but any evil that touches us can be turned to His own good purpose. He is sovereign. He’s got the whole world in His hands. Nothing can ever happen to separate us from His love.

The “thorn” or “sharp pain” given to Paul was a messenger of Satan to bruise him ---but he goes right on to show why God permitted it: “to save me from being unduly elated” over a certain thrilling spiritual experience (see 2 Cor. 12:7).

Satan is given leeway in the lives of Christians. Make no mistake about that. But God is always setting limits, always in control, always drawing us toward holiness. Trust Him for that. Believe in the Love that will never let go.

The Music of His Promises by Elisabeth Elliot