Open My Eyes to the Truth

OPEN MY EYES TO THE TRUTH

"Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, 'Did God really say ...''' Genesis 3:1

The pressures appear to be mounting. And not just for me. It seems that so many of my brothers and sisters in ministry are being hit with stuff that is overwhelming.

Last night I was ready to crawl into bed after a very long and stressful day, when my cell phone rang with the news that there was a major leak in the lobby of our main building. It certainly wasn't the straw that broke the camel's back, but it sure felt like it.

During the night I found myself being restless and trying in that "in-between" stage of sleep to ask the Lord to take control of my worry and stress. It seemed like it was getting worse than better. I found myself saying, "Is it really worth it? Does God really know and care about what is happening? How much more does He want to pile on us?"

As I sat down at my desk this morning to be in His presence, I pleaded with Him to speak to my heart and He did just that. Here are several verses from the Word that spoke to my heart:

"But I will trust in the Lord. I will rejoice and be glad in Thy lovingkindness, because Thou hast seen my affliction; Thou hast known the troubles of my soul, and Thou hast not given me over into the hand of the enemy; Thou hast set my feet in a large place." - Psalm 31:6-8

"O love the Lord, all you His godly ones! The Lord preserves the faithful and fully recompenses the proud doer. Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the Lord." - Psalm 31:23-24

"Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to Thee in a time when Thou mayest be found; surely in a flood of great waters they shall not reach you. Thou art my hiding place; Thou doest preserve me from trouble; Thou dost surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah!" Psalm 32:6-7

After reading those verses, the devotional I am reading had a quote from Amy Carmichael and this commentary:

"Often when we pray there is a wrestle. A thousand invisible enemies will seem to fill the air and crowd between you and your Lord. Each of them has a stinging or depressing word. We shall be reminded of our prayers to which no answers have come yet (or what we call answers), and told that it will make no difference whether we pray or not [exactly what went through my mind during the night]. We shall be shown our own dreadful nothingness so clearly that we shall hardly be able to bring ourselves to believe that such prayers as we can offer will rise to God at all. Our wrestling is with these whispering or shouting spiritual foes. We must press through, fighting through, and the sword with which to fight is the word of God." - Amy Carmichael

"When we pray, the accusations of the enemy are endless. Either we're not worthy to have our prayer answered, or God isn't listening or can't do what we want, or worse yet, hears us but won't give us what we need!

It is the Word of God that we must use in such times to rout the enemy from our prayer closets. At the first hint of doubt or accusation, find a relevant Bible verse and stand unflinchingly on it. Don't let Satan respond. He has no standing when the Sword of the Spirit pierces Him."

I needed that this morning, Lord. Thank You for opening my eyes to the truth! With Your help, I can and will press on! - Bill Welte is President and CEO of America's KESWICK

God's WORD for TODAY: Psalm 31-32

Think About This: Love means to love that which is unlovable, or it is no virtue at all; forgiving means to pardon that which is unpardonable, or it is no virtue at all. -- Gilbert Keith G. K. Chesterton

Please visit our website for information about the Memorial Service for Pastor Bill Raws on Friday, July 25, 2008. Live stream webcasting will be available.