Something I know I’ve already said — God already knows what we need. 2017 was a very difficult year for me. I had prayed with open hands asking God to take anything out of my hands that was standing in the way of our relationship or even just not his best for me. And little did I know the pain I would endure losing so many things that I loved more than I realized.
It felt like instead of removing things from my hands that God had cut my arm off. I didn’t understand at the time, but I just laid face down in his presence and surrendered again. My hands were empty. He had answered my prayer, but it hurt more than I imagined it would.
2017 ultimately ended with me determined to leave those broken fragments of glass lodged in my heart behind. I was resigned to leave my heartache in 2017 — and I did. But God used the L.B. Cowman devotional called Streams in the Desert to help me through to the other side. The pain and suffering written into the pages of this book are more beautiful and hopeful than I ever imagined they would be.
“Above all, remember — when God hides His face from you, do not say that He has forgotten you. HE is simply waiting for a little while to make you love Him more. And once He comes, you will rejoice with the inexpressible ‘joy of the LORD’ (Nehemiah 8:10). Waiting on Him exercises your gift of grace and tests your faith. Therefore continue to wait in hope, for although the promise may linger, it will never come too late.”
God knows what we need before we even need it. God knows what we will need in a certain season. He places it in our paths at just the right time. If you are suffering or going through heartache, this devotional is a great choice. I hope and pray that God speaks to you through this book in the same way that He has me.
♥︎Jenna
This blog post is a part of a series called Rediscovering God for the Write31Days challenge to write every day in October. You can find links to all posts in my series here. If you want to know more about the Write31Days challenge, you can find out more at www.write31days.com.