Elastic Faith

“Where can I go from Thy Spirit? Or where can I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend to heaven, Thou art there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, Thou arth there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Thy hand will lead me, and Thy right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, and the light around me will be night.’ Even the darkness is not dark to Thee, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to Thee.” Psalm 139:7-12

“My friend Richard found the word ‘faith’ a central obstacle to belief: ‘Just have faith,’ other Christians would counsel when he doubted. What did they mean? ‘Faith’ seemed to him a method of avoiding questions, not of answering them.

“Some of the difficulty comes, I think, from the elastic way in which we use the word. First we use it to describe great, childlike gulps of faith when a person swallows the impossible; the other is ‘fidelity’ for that hand-on-at-any-cost faith.”*

In the brightest day and the deepest darkness, God is with us. Whether we have huge faith or faith the size of a mustard seed, that is all we need to remember, at the very least, His gracious sacrifice for sinners such as I am!

Take care with love, especially His! Your servant and friend in Christ, Darlene

PS: ANY PRAYER UPDATES TODAY?

For any of you who wonder if prayer is worth taking time for, just page back through previous entries and see the hand of our loving Father in action!

URGENT NEW PRAYER REQUESTS: For those devastated by the amazing power of the earthquake and Tsunami in Japan, where the situation with nuclear meltdowns continue to escalate. For all those suffering, confused, lost, hungry, thirsty, afraid, trapped, feeling hopeless; and for the rescuers who are battling unbelievable scenes to save lives. For Middle Eastern nations dealing with unprecedented internal conflicts.

For the rest of the world to stay calm with regard to the economy and most of all for all who are believers to pray and help others have peace during this time. What a time for believers!

OTHER PRAYER REQUESTS: For those dealing with aftermath of the earthquake in New Zealand and with the extreme weather in USA, UK, NZ & Australia, especially Adrian & Jo & Steve. For Elaine. For Darryl & Paul N as they regroup. Help for Cris. Isaias (family safety and his mission work in Philippines); God’s grace on USA. For Kevin (Godly wisdom with his son), Michael.

ONGOING JOB RELATED: That Tim might also find satisfying work. Randy needs a new job in Canada or Australia.

PRAISE & THANKSGIVING: My brother & his wife, Barb are doing better. They’ve adjusted David’s meds and he’s improving. Pursuing a new publisher in the UK for my book! Reg for his ministry and patience.

PRAY FOR THOSE WITH HEALTH CONCERNS: Deb, special friend with multiple Myeloma (please see her blog at this LINK. (http://debdarley.blogspot.com/) Wisdom for doctors caring for Tim, Doris, David, Poetry and Gary.



*Disappointment With God, by Philip Yancey