Are you Looking?

By  Helen Knueven

Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter.

I wonder why God would want to hide something; only for a king to discover it. By the way, in the book of Revelations, it says that God has made believers kings and priests unto Him.

Have you ever felt a strong calling on your life and then wonder why things seem to take so long? Why so many obstacles have blocked you? Ever wonder if you really heard right?

Have you ever had a strong desire to achieve a goal, worked hard at it, only to still see it out of your grasp?

I kept asking myself: Why would God hide something that He wants me to discover it? Is it possible that He wants to reward our passionate pursuit? Does He enjoy our quest and delight in our finding the treasure?
Come to think of it, why do coal miners have to go deep into the earth to find coal?
America’s deepest coal miners are about 2,220 deep, while gold and copper mines in America go down 9,000 feet. http://www.livescience.com/11169-chile-collapse-facts-amazing-survival-story.html
In South Africa, hard rock gold miners go down into the earth 12,800 ft. underground. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_mining_(hard_rock)
I would rather have a diamond ring than a coal ring, how about you? Coal is precious, but diamonds are even better. I am not a diamond expert – but I could get an A in a diamond appreciation class. I have heard that the diamonds from South Africa are even better.

My dad was a coal miner and one thing a good coal miner has to have is a good deal of courage. I only pray that I will keep that kind of courage in my heart.

Following our calling and the zigzag trail it often takes us requires a great deal of courage. The better the treasure, the deeper we have to go.

Sometimes when it seems we are so close to where we should be, roadblocks of all kinds seem to come out of nowhere. The inner voice confirms that we are on the right track; while our mind tells us we are wrong and probably crazy.

And only God knows how close we are to our goal – how many more feet down we must go before we find the treasure. It could be really close! Or we could have a long way to go. Is it worth it? I believe it is.

Miners’ lights are pretty intense. But I’m sure that the light on the helmets of salvation are brighter than the sun.

Don’t leave things to chance; because chances are you’ll stop short if you do. Remember it is our honor to search things out. You just might find yourself at the Cross again, this time to enter in the fellowship of His sufferings and the power of His resurrection.

Psalm 105: 3 Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.

Summer’s Beauty

By Jeannette Doran

In Iowa, the corn grows, and the fields green.  Summer’s beauty enfolds us in God’s love.  We breathe in our Creator’s presence which surrounds us.  By mid-July, the corn reaches to the sky straight and tall as it stretches for the light. After the long days of  relentless heat leave the land parched, the summer storms are welcomed with their streaks of lightning which stir up the necessary nitrogen to nourish the roots. The corn’s roots sink deep down searching for life-giving water and nourishment in the rich black Iowan soil.  The leafy stalks gain strength swaying in the wind.

Just as the light and rain storms grow and beautify the corn, so our souls need the light of God’s grace and waters of daily compassion.  As our Creator cares for the corn, we, too, are provided for abundantly.  All of creation grows in the balance of sunlight and darkness, summer’s heat and thunderstorms to water the parched land.  In our busy lives, we also thirst for intervals of deep silence and listening .  We crave the space to sink into that silence of our inner being to listen to the whisper of God’s presence, letting the light spill over the shadows of yesterday’s tears.   The warmth of God’s love intensifies our experience of our Creator, which deepens and expands as we spend more time in quiet prayer.

When we sit still in the warmth and light of the divine presence, we nurture a deeper confidence and intimacy with our Creator, who is always with us, calming our fears.  Light, warmth and rain storms are needed to cultivate the corn in summer, and we need the warmth, light and rains of the Holy Spirit to wash over and envelop us each moment.    God’s compassion is new each morning and is always there for us.  Take time to hold onto God who waits in silent spaces, and joy and peace will pervade your day.  Breathe in Jesus and breathe out mercy.  In contemplating the rich beauty of the cornfields in summer, recall the necessary stages of growth it has experienced along the way, and the care it has received. 

Believe in the divine tender love and mercy surrounding you.  Live in the consciousness of this tender presence through your own experience of God’s unconditional love for each one of us.   May we all grow in grace, washed in the Spirit and bathed in God’s everlasting and compassionate love.