Press On

By the light of a flickering woodwick candle, with the sound of pouring rain through heavy winds, above the flap, flap, flapping of the loose shingles (those that haven't given up and flown into the yard yet) I am reading Gods word. This is a new experience for me. I don't believe I have ever done this before. I am excited to find out what God is about to show me. It does seem like so many trials have hit our family - Carson, Avery's birth, job trials, clogged pipes, plumbing troubles, money issues, Hurricane damage... But I am reminded of that verse in the song that says" It never really ever crossed my mind to turn my back on you O Lord, my only shelter from the storm." What a shelter He is. Now to Gods word, next to a candle to see what it is He will show me through it's light.
..."Count it all joy when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. Let steadfastness have it's full effect that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." The testing of your faith will produce steadfastness. You don't give up, you stick to the plan. When you have trial after trial and you learn to wait on the Lord, and when you learn to press on and on and on it does have the effect to help you to learn to trust and wait and lean on Him over and over again. That's the steadfastness in it. For what else can we lean on but Him. He is the rock, the steady part. If we were to lean on anything unstable we could fall and be injured.
I love Psalm 85:5-7 "Blessed are those whose strength is in YOU, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs: the early rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength." Its HIM who we should lean on. It's His strength. This says we are blessed as we put our strength in Him. Our hearts are set toward Heaven. He is our focus. But yes, there will be times when we go through the Valley of Baca, which is to say the Valley of weeping. There will be those times. But as we go through them they will be made (through Him) a place of springs. "Refreshing Springs" There will be puddles of refreshing there, as we step through, and we push through, as we press on, there will be puddles here and there of that refreshment, where we gain our strength from Him. I love the part that says "They go from strength to strength." Through all this rain, believe me there are puddles everywhere. I got out this morning just to get a few needed things, and I even had to drive around a very large puddle. If there had been grass and ducks, I am sure it would be considered a pond. You know when there are puddles around and you go this way and that to avoid them? This verse just makes you want to wade right through them, going from strength to strength.