“Our pasts are no excuse to not excel in our future, and painful circumstances don’t negate favor. The key is walking with God through the pain before you reach ‘the palace.’” — Lenita Reeves
Joseph, the governor of a nation, survived an attempted murder by his brothers. He was human trafficked into slavery in a foreign country, sexually assaulted by a married woman, and wrongfully convicted and thrown into prison. But that’s now how his journey began.
In Daniel 9, Daniel read Jeremiah’s prophetic words and discovered that there was a set time for the captivity of his people to come to an end. But he needed the angel of the Lord to help him understand what he was reading and what actually needed to happen for the Jews to experience true liberation—in practice. Jeremiah had pronounced it, but it had not come to pass.
Similarly, the United States had lawfully pronounced the freedom of slaves in the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation. Still, it did not happen in practice—it was not fully enforced until two and a half years later, on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas.
Two weeks ago, we celebrated Pentecost. Most believers commemorated the coming of the Holy Spirit and the launch of the New Testament church—and they were right to associate Pentecost with those things. But it was also the beginning of the Feast of Weeks or the Feast of Harvest, which is the Jewish celebration of the beginning of the wheat harvest. That’s why the Jews were in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost anyway.
Our conversations are sometimes robotic when we discuss prayer. Like humanoid android machines programmed with appropriate responses, we say things like “You’re in my prayers,” “Pray for me as I pray for you,” and the classic, “Keep me in your prayers.” But do these phrases reflect a genuine desire and belief in prayer—and a belief that the person will indeed pray for us? Think about it. Do we really expect people to pray for us when we make the frequently robotized request, “Keep me in your prayers?” Let’s concede that we sometimes say these things without thinking.
Since 2014, it has been my privilege to counsel God’s people and see Him heal trauma, grief, abuse, and more. I have come to understand that God is near to the brokenhearted. He is near–even when life is like a box of trauma. I’m grateful to have this article in Reclaim Today magazine. This article was originally published by Reclaim Today at https://reclaimtoday.org/life-is-like-a-box-of-trauma/. Republished with permission.
It’s in the air; they say spring has sprung. Like a public service announcement, the weather is dictating that it’s upon us. Like a king to a scribe, the sunshine and temperatures decree change has come. But what do you do when you don’t feel the newness of spring or see any evidence that God is doing something new in your life?
Purposeful people’s lives have a cadence—a rhythm of work and rest. Even their daily routine moves to its own beat. They move with direction. Their steps are deliberate. But without purpose, life’s everyday routine lags to drab monotony. Humdrum . . . Hmm.
One count, one beat makes a difference in life’s cadence—discouragement, delay, and disappointment from unwelcomed circumstances can bring your life’s march to a standstill. And without the proper response, circumstances can hinder your mental attitude and ruin a whole day, week, or year if you let it.
