Quiet Desperation?

"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation."  Henry David Thoreau 

From Sparknotes.com:

“Desperation” is also a word with deep religious connotations, the “lack of hope” that, according to Dante (one of Thoreau’s favorite writers), was inscribed on the gates at hell’s entrance. The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan’s Protestant spiritual classic and a bestseller in the New England of Thoreau’s day, features a hero who passes through a bleak lowland called the Slough of Despair on his way to meet God. By asserting that most humans have gotten stuck in despair, Thoreau is implying that they are unable to continue farther on their pilgrimage toward true redemption.

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Are you living a life of quiet desperation?  Are you stuck in despair?  There is hope through the Lord.  Ask God to lift you out of the Slough of Despair and look for the answers that He shows you.  Reach up.  Take God's hand and let him pull you out of the slough.

TV~
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.  [Psalm 40:2]

Reservations Made

When planning to dine at a nice restaurant, reservations are required. Did you know, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, that God has made reservations in heaven for you?  Not only do you have reservations for the marriage supper of the lamb, (Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb. Revelation 19:9) but there is a mansion reserved there for you. (In my Father's house are many mansions.  John 14:2)  Wonderful things for us to look forward to............

TV~
To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.  
[I Peter 1:4]

Butterfly Bush

There is a beautiful butterfly bush outside my kitchen window.  Every time someone visits, they comment about the beauty of this bush, and they marvel at the number of butterflies that are always sipping nectar from the long purple blooms.

Do you know why that butterfly bush is so beautiful?  Every year in October, I take pruning shears and cut off every single chute, leaving just three barren, plain trunks that look like they are dead.  When spring comes the energy and inner growth, that has occurred in the winter months, springs forth and the bush grows many new branches, all loaded with beautiful, fragrant, purple flowers.


TV~
I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 
[John 15:1,2]

Why Walk in Obedience?

When difficult things happen to us, things like illness or job loss, or just generally things aren't going "our way,"  we should make sure that we are doing things according to God's best way in every area.  There are some sinful behaviors which are blatently spelled out in the scripture. 

If we walk in disobedience,  we may be like Jonah where God used difficult circumstances to get his  attention.

Walk in obedience.  That way you can rest assured that any trial you go through is not a measure of discipline from God.

TV~
Because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son."
[Hebrews 12:6]

Liberty

He brought me forth also into a place of liberty. (Psalm 18:19)

Merriam Webster describes liberty as "the quality or state of being free... Freedom from despotic control."  A despot is one who exercises power tyrannically.  Spiritually, that despot is Satan.

Taking the straight, broad highway seems to make sense.  It can look attractive, yet it can lead to spiritual death.   Broad is the way that leads to destruction.  Narrow is the road of God.  As we seek Him, he will help us to find the narrow gate.

TV~
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
[Matthew 7:13,14]

God's Way

Doing things God's way requires daily actions that are consistent with scripture.  It involves trusting God with the results.  We can trust Him.

 TV~
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? [Romans 8:32]

Praying Scripture

The Bible provides great ideas of what to say when praying to God.

A very common prayer of many is, "Lord, show me what your will is.  Make the path clear regarding the decision I face."  "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."  (Psalm 119:105)

Here's my new favorite way to ask God for direction:   "Make thy way plain before my face..."  (Psalm 5:8b)   Don't let me miss this one, Lord.  Make thy way plain before my face.

TV~
He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake.  [Psalm 23:3]