When we have been brought very low and helped,
sorely wounded and healed, cast down and raised again,
have given up all hope--and been suddenly snatched from danger, and placed in safety;
and when these things have been repeated to us and in us a thousand times over,
we begin to learn to trust simply to the word and power of God,
​beyond and against appearances.
                                                                                                                                                         John Newton

Things are not always as they appear.  When the circumstances of life seem less than favorable, when our hearts and troubled and understanding does not come easily, when hope fades and there seems to be no light in the darkness, when the voices I hear all around me seek to lead me to a place of doubt and fear, I have to remind myself, God is still at work, unfolding His purposes, for His glory.  I have to cycle back to the rock-solid truth that I am in a covenant relationship with Him and, as Newton states, to learn to trust simply to the word and power of God beyond and against appearances. I must learn to shut out the voices that would lead me to despair and hear the voice of truth.

The Apostle Paul reminds us...that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).  And to the believers in Philippi, he would write...it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose (Philippians 2:13).

Jeremiah writes, Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. Great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord Almighty, great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds.

Sometimes, we have to recognize that God's purposes may not always mean favorable circumstances in our lives, we have to remind ourselves that the hard things we may be facing are for His glory, and that He is with us and will see us through those challenges.  He is the God who says to us: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you (Isaiah 43:1-2).  David would confidently declare: Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me (Psalm 23:4).  

The hymn-writer reminds us:  God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust him for his grace;
behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour.  (William Cowper)

So, I will trust, the hands that made the starry heavens
And I will trust, the wounds of Calvary
And I will trust, and I will not be afraid
For all His ways are love (Graham Kendrick)

Even when my heart and mind struggle to understand, when the voices around me seek to lead me to a place of doubt and fear, the voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!"  And the voice of truth says, "This is for My glory!" Out of all the voices calling out to me, I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth (Casting Crowns - The Voice of Truth).  

​I will proclaim the name of the Lord. I will praise the greatness of our God!  He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just (Deuteronomy 32:3-4). 

In 2 Timothy 4:17, the Apostle Paul writes, the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength; his words have resonated deeply with me in this season of my life.  His circumstance was much different, Paul was on trial, facing a death sentence, but the truth of God’s abiding presence is one that transcends any and all human circumstances.
 
As I have meditated on the presence of God in my life, I found myself returning again to a familiar promise given to Moses in Exodus 33, My presence will go with you and I will give you rest. (Exodus 33:14)
 
God’s presence, which brings us rest is at the very core of Elijah’s experience as he encounters God on Mount Horeb as recorded in 1 Kings 19:11-13:
 
The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
 
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind.
 
After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.  After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.  And after the fire came a gentle whisper.  When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.  

​Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
 
I often wonder what that moment must have been like for Elijah as he experienced the manifestation of God’s presence in the wind and earthquake and fire, it must have been terrifying.  But then, to hear the gentle whisper of God, inviting him to draw near, ‘Elijah, let’s talk about what’s going on in your life’; how awe-inspiring that must have been!
 
Asaph writes in Psalm 73:28, As for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge, my safe place, my hiding place.
 
That the God of the universe would say to you, to me, ‘come’, to be invited into His presence, is almost beyond our comprehension.  But, He does invite us to come to Him, and promises that as we come, He will in turn draw near to us; to reveal Himself to us that we might experience what it is to know Him and experience His great love, mercy, grace and kindness; to find in Him, that place of comfort, rest, peace and joy.
 
Come near to God and he will come near to you.  (James 4:8)
 
God says, you come into a relationship with Me through the miracle of grace, because Jesus has opened a way for us to be reconciled to the Father.  When we enter into such a relationship, He then says to us, ‘we'll walk together all the days of your life’. What an amazing truth, God walks with us through all of the ups and downs of life, through all our joys and sorrows. And when life on this planet comes to an end, He says, ‘take My hand and we’ll continue to walk together, to a home I have prepared for you in heaven.
 
Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23:6)
 
My friends at Valley, as you read these words, may you find rest in His presence, may He speak words of affirmation and love into your life and may you find a renewed joy as you walk by faith in the days ahead.