December 2nd, 2013
Dear Friends,
Every season of the year offers natural beauties we look forward to seeing. Whether it is the bright red cardinal on the winter white snowdrift, the new leaves budding in the spring, or maybe the orange pumpkins we are enjoying right now, we feel the wonderful anticipation of the sights, smells, and sounds of what we expect. Our expectations come from previous experiences. Have you considered that we function the same way in our spiritual lives? What do we expect when we pray? What have our previous experiences of God’s grace taught us? So often we receive many blessings from God’s hand, but when we pray we fear or doubt that He will answer us or we are hesitant to look forward to an answer with confident joy. For some of us, our experience has been one of disappointment because when we prayed, things did not turn out as we had hoped. Have we been willing to step back and consider that God has a bigger plan, one that is greater than we can comprehend? At times such as these it is vital to take a look, as Joshua did when Israel settled into the Promised Land, at all the things God had done in His faithfulness. Joshua wrote, “And the Lord gave them rest round about….the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand…there failed not aught of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.” (Joshua 21:44-45) Joshua had waited long to see and to say this and it probably gave him a deep joy to testify to the truth that, yes, God is absolutely faithful. Jesus said, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you.” (John 15:7) As we draw close to Jesus and we spend time in His Word learning from Him, He will show us His perspective and will, He will purify our hearts from selfish desires which fall short of divine wisdom, and we will know what to pray for in the situations we face. When we pray this way we can look forward with confident joy to the answer God gives and we will say with Joshua, “all came to pass”.
We have enclosed such a testimony with this newsletter with the hope that it encourages us all to continue to pray for those we love and for God’s blessing in their lives. Let us remain constant that we might rejoice when we see the mighty ways God answers prayer.
Dan and I are moved deeply as we see God working in the hearts of those who have come for help. We are greatly aware that it is His delight to draw men and women to Himself and He does this often through answering the cries of those in distress. The trials we all experience have purpose. God allows them in His divine wisdom so that we will turn to Him. We have a tendency to go it alone, until we find ourselves in a place that is too overwhelming for us to find our way out. We do not realize all that we are missing when we leave God out of our lives. He wants so much more for us. As we anticipate the Christmas season, let us give Him that chance to bless us with Himself. Can we let Him into our lives to heal and to love us? He will be that absolutely faithful One to you.
We thank you all for your unfailing support in friendship and prayer. We so need your prayers for us for wisdom in working with those who are sick and those who have needs in their personal lives. God meets each one individually where they are and we must continually surrender to Him in the unique way and place Christ desires to reveal Himself to them.
May God bless you and manifest His faithfulness through you and to you.
In the grace of Christ,
Marie and Dan Thomson