January 14th
Read: Isaiah 35:8-10 and James 1:2-5
Affliction, strife, fear, and doubt seem unpleasant and difficult at the moment we experience them. After they are over, however, we often see the growth in our lives and the lives of those around us! Because God does all things well, He carries us over or through these hurdles and sets us on the other side. We find that we are refined just a little more after each fiery trial. As ransomed souls, we find ourselves on His highway, which takes us through desert places safely.
ROSES IN THE DESERT
Roses in the desert–
Sweet songs sprung from strife–
Strength from our affliction–
Growth from thorny life–
Rivers of salvation–
Courage born of fear–
Faith begun in doubting–
Joy when skies are drear.
A highway for the ransomed
Paves the lonely place,
Clear and safe and holy,
Founded on God’s grace.
Dragons lie defeated.
Lions can’t devour.
Highwaymen don’t enter.
Desert places flower.
Prayer: I thank You, Father, for the uneven paths of our lives which lead us eventually to Your paved highway.