We all say dis:
Da stuff bout God, dat befo time was secret, dass importan fo real kine.
Christ wen come, wit one body jalike us.
Godʼs Spirit wen show proof dat Christ stay right.
Da angel guys from God wen see him.
His guys wen teach da diffren peopos all ova da world bout him.
Get peopo inside da world dat trus him.
God wen take him back to da awesome place inside da sky.

- Numba 1 Fo Timoty 3:16 – da Jesus Book

Training Journal – 2/4/12:

• Current plan: 10K Training
  
• Today’s session: Rest
  
• Comments: Slept in!
  

¹⁹ I remember my affliction and my wandering,
   the bitterness and the gall.
²⁰ I well remember them,
   and my soul is downcast within me.
²¹ Yet this I call to mind
   and therefore I have hope:

 ²² Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
   for his compassions never fail.
²³ They are new every morning;
   great is your faithfulness.
²⁴ I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
   therefore I will wait for him.”

The handwritten note in the margin near verses 22-24 reads: “Respnsv Trust“

I wrote that back in 2009 while reading the Bible in 90 Days at church…I recall blogging about it as well:

August 5, 2009 · 17:53

Responsive Trust. 3:22-24. How can the writer say “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.”?  The statement about His great love, compassion, and faithfulness are from a heart that has experienced them and heard about them in the lives of ancestors of old.  How can we say this?  The same way – we’ve probably experienced them and heard about them in the lives of those we know.  It is easy to forget these testimonies in the midst of trials, but we must cling to the TRUTH of God’s unchanging character! THANK YOU GOD!!

Good stuff…

…true Stuff…

…Faithful God!

O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

- George Matheson

I find these quotes comforting.  Not solely for their content, but the identity of the person who thought/penned them:

“The burden is too heavy for me.”

– Moses, Numbers 11:14

“Life’s been nothing but trouble and tears”

– Jeremiah, Jeremiah 20:18

“How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and
day after day have sorrow in my heart?”

– David, Psalm 13:2

“When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought me joy.”

– Psalmist, Psalm 94:19

We are in good company.  In Mark 9:14-29, we see that Jesus’ disciples (the ones He picked to follow Him first), still occasionally defaulted to primarily relying on their own ability (sound familiar?).  In this passage, we read that they couldn’t cast out a demon from a possessed child…and the crowds and the boy’s father are not happy.  The bible doesn’t describe that scene, but can you imagine the disciple’s frustration and repeated attempts?  Not to be sacrilegious, but the image of trying to start a lawnmower repeatedly comes to mind…

Anyway, Jesus arrives, casts out the demon, and then we read:

²⁸…his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”  ²⁹And he [Jesus] said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

Silence.  Crickets in the background. Blank stares. Nervous clearing of throats. Peter, James, and John shaking their heads, glad they were with away Jesus during this whole event; then thinking, “man, I would have done the same thing!”

The note from my ESV Study Bible reads:

“Besides lacking understanding, the disciples lack[ed] the ability to fully carry out their commission from Jesus.  Their failure [was] an occasion for encouragement to more prayer, implying that more time and effort in prayer (and therefore in closer fellowship with God) leads to growth in faith.

After Jesus counseled the disciples, I wonder if His exchange with the boy’s father resounded in their minds:

²³And Jesus said to him,” ‘If you can’!  All things are possible for one who believes.”  ²⁴Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

While I (and probably you) would like an easy button in life, we know it’s not possible…nor is it practical if we truly are to grow as Christ followers.

Remember:

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Romans 12:12

…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

. . . . . . .

me: “Where’s that button?”

GOD: “STOP LOOKING, IT DOESN’T EXIST!”

me: “I believe; help my unbelief!”