“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes–“–Revelation 21:4   “Human hands are poor at removing tears. If they succeed one time, other tears will come that they cannot wipe away. Only the hand that made the spirit can reach the deep sources of its sorrow or dry up the streams that issue from them. God’s handkerchief is embroidered with love and tender sympathy, and it is the pierced hand of Jesus that puts it to the eyes of the weeping ones. He will dry every tear; tears of misfortune and poverty, tears of bereaved affection, tears of doubt and discouragement, tears of pain, tears of neglect, tears of yearning for what cannot be ours now. Yes, each tear will be fully wiped away by Him who knows our every sorrow.”(Dr. Howard Ferrin)   Is that not a glorious thought! And it is true. That ought to encourage you as you are forced to face the struggles of life. Your present situation might seem impossible, unending, and unbearable, but it isn’t. Jesus knows, He cares, and He can help. His promise is true–tears will not last forever, “–weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”(Psalm 30:5). Hang on and never give up hope!

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” —Romans 8:18 “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” –2 Corinthians 4:17   Romans 8 and 2 Corinthians 4 are two of my favorite chapters in the Bible. The older I get the more meaningful they become. That’s why the following thought from Turning Point caught my attention and thrilled my soul. I hope it does the same for you:   What if you were to win an all expense paid, first-class trip around the world, but while checking your baggage at the airport you stubbed your toe? Would you say, “I wish I had never won this trip! Look! I’ve stubbed my toe!”?

No. You’d say, “This momentary discomfort cannot compare to the enjoyment of the trip we’re about to take.”

The Bible says that all our earthly problems fall into that category. They aren’t worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed when we get to heaven. Paul wrote, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” (2 Corinthians 4:17).

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. Whatever our situation here on earth, we know that our eternal quality of life will be beyond anything we can imagine or think about. We’re looking for the glory to be revealed, the eternal glory that far outweighs all the stubbed toes and broken hearts of earth.

When Christ calls me Home, I shall go with the gladness of a boy bounding away from school.
Adoniram Judson, Missionary   Compared to what awaits us in glory, it’s all small stuff here below–don’t sweat it!–HDS

“But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.”

Luke 8:23-24

Sometimes the Lord calms the storm; sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child.

I once read this story about the last few hours of a five year old boy’s life: “A nurse with whom I worked, named Gracie, took care of this lad during the latter days of his life. He was dying of lung cancer, ——-. This little boy had a Christian mother who loved him and stayed by his side through the long ordeal. She cradled him on her lap and talked softly about the Lord. Instinctively, the woman was preparing her son for the final hours to come. Gracie told me that she entered his room one day as death approached, and she heard this lad talking about hearing bells. ‘The bells are ringing, Mommie,’ he said. ‘I can hear them.’

“Gracie thought he was hallucinating because he was already slipping away, and said to his mother, ‘I’m sure you know your baby is hearing things that aren’t there. He is hallucinating because of the sickness.’

“The mother pulled her son closer to her chest, smiled and said, ‘No, ma’am. He is not hallucinating. I told him when he was frightened-when he couldn’t breathe-if he would listen carefully, he could hear the bells of Heaven ringing for him. That is what he’s been talking about all day.'”

In the midst of all that was going on, this little boy had fixed his eyes on Heaven and was ignoring the pain filling his body. Rather than crying out or giving into fear, he looked to God to welcome him home to Heaven.

What if you were in that little boy’s position? How would you react? I’m sure many of us would be fearful and uncertain, but the peace of God filled such a young boy to the point that he ignored the pain.

In any fearful time, it is easy to focus on the pain and uncertainty around us rather than focusing on Christ. Notice today’s verses. The disciples were so focused on the storm around them that they failed to realize the Creator of the storm was in their boat.

What trial or fearful time do you have in your life? Is it a life direction, a lost job, a tight budget, or the pain of a wayward loved one? Don’t allow yourself to focus so much on the problem that you forget that Christ is in your boat. He is on your side and is working everything for your good. Take time now to be with the Lord. Allow Him to calm the storm in your life by focusing your heart back on Him. –Dr. Paul Chappell

“–My grace is sufficent for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness–” 2 Cor. 12:9 He was a wise man who said, “Rather than saying ‘God here is my problem’,we should put the problem into perspective by saying,’Problem, here is my God!” Indeed, we should introduce our problems to God. He is able to conquer everything that threatens us.   When we focus on our problem we get discouraged. But, when we shift our focus to God our view of the problems begin to shrink and we see them as manageable. However, it is not just our view that enables us to conquer our trials, as though we have the strength to overcome them. It is the greatness of God’s grace that provides the victory. Regardless of what you are facing today you can be assured that His grace is sufficent.   One man put it like this: “He comes to us in the brokenness of our health, in the shipwreck of our family lives, in the loss of all possible peace of mind, even in the very thick of our sins. He saves us in our disasters, not from them.”(Robert Capon).   That’s true. No one is exempt from problems, but everyone who puts their faith in Christ can have the assurance that God’s grace will be sufficent. After all, He who cannot lie has promised. I rest my weary soul soul on that. So can you!

“The LORD is my shepherd—he leadeth me–” Psalm 23:1-2   Commenting on this blessed thought, William Plumer (1802-1880) wrote:   He leads me. I certainly need someone to lead me.
I am so poor, so blind, so weak, so foolish that, if left
to myself, I would fatally err. Lord, never leave me nor
forsake me, lest I be undone. 

My Shepherd leads me gently and wisely. He makes no
mistakes. He knows the way I ought to go. He knows
how much sweet and how much bitter, are best for me.
He understands me fully. Oh, how He mingles mercy
with judgment!

True, He leads me often in a mysterious way. I see
not the end from the beginning. I cannot see afar off.
His footsteps are in the sea; clouds and thick darkness
surround Him. He gives account of none of His matters.
His judgments are a great deep. But He never does
wrong. He leads me in the paths of righteousness.

He leads me always–in prosperity and in adversity;
in joy and in sorrow. If He left me even for an hour I
would be undone. When I sleep, You, Lord, keep vigil
over me. When I awake, I am still with You. On the
land and on the sea, I am kept by Your mighty power.

He leads me–and I will follow Him. I will put my hand
in His–and go wherever His prudence shall direct.