I shared the story with you a couple of days ago.

Living by faith differs greatly from living by sight.

It’s a lot harder to believe what you can’t see.

But if you and I can trust God when we can’t see, hear or understand what He’s up to, we will indeed please Him.

I want to do that. How about you?

Today’s Verse:

Rather than reviewing Bible passages I’d already learned, or returning to targeted verses I hoped to memorize, I selected the word “Faith” from the menu of topics, and “Building Faith” from the submenu.

The escalation (and repetition) of the disappointing circumstances that drove me to boost my endorphins with exercise that morning also threatened to knock my faith flat. I knew God’s Word would encourage me.

But as I scrolled through the list of verses, my hopes to find strength vanished when my eyes fell on Hebrews 10:36. To be perfectly honest with you, seeing that particular “address” made me mad.

Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.
Hebrews 10:36 NLT

The NIV puts it like this:

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

I knew it both ways and didn’t care to hear it either way.

“I can’t believe You’re telling me I need patience,” I muttered as I involuntarily stepped up the pace on the cross trainer. “I HAVE been patient!” I placed my iPhone back on the book holder, grabbed the handles on the endorphin-boosting contraption and exerted my upper body strength.

“God, You know how long I’ve persevered in doing Your will.” I pushed harder and watched the heart rate monitor creep from green to yellow. “I’ve already demonstrated ‘patient endurance’ a million times. So when do I get to receive what You promised?”

My pounding heart entered the danger zone, so I breathed deeply and eased up a little. From a distance my eyes properly focused on the verse offered by the iPhone app.

It didn’t say Hebrews 10:36. It said Hebrews 10:38. 

I suddenly felt both old and foolish. I should’ve known a verse like that would never be listed as a “Building Faith” verse. I tapped on the address to bring it up.

(When a verse interrupts your negative thinking with the word “But,” you know God’s Word is alive.)

But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him. Hebrews 10:38 NIV1984

Tears immediately gathered in my refocused eyes. “Anything but that, Lord,” I whispered. “I live to please You, anything but that.”

My pace slowed but my heart rate didn’t. My vision blurred as tears joined the sweat running down my face. “I promise not to shrink back,” I said. “I’m so sorry.”

I picked up my iPhone and tagged Hebrews 10:38 as a targeted verse.

In the noise and activity of that gym, God quietly responded to my confession with undeserved love. And my faith grew stronger.

Having the means to pass on great riches, silver and gold would be nice, but I can give my kids something of much higher value.

The memory verse I chose for today challenges us to consider what kind of treasure we want to leave our heirs.

Today’s Verse:

Sarah didn’t say anything. Perhaps she reflected on the fact she’d been responsible for much of that pain.

My daughter is the “puppy” I blogged about earlier this week. Despite the warning God gave her through my dream, she left the protection of her godly upbringing and set up house without her shield of faith or her sword of the Spirit.

Satan didn’t wait for an invitation to move in.

“By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.” Matthew 7:16-18 NIV1984

When Sarah had to reach up to take my hand, I saw a piece of framed artwork at a Christian bookstore. I can still visualize the tiny black figures painted on clear glass. The silhouette pictured an apple tree towering over a woman swinging her little girl up into her arms. The caption below read: Every good tree bears good fruit.

I remember sending up a quick prayer. As a young and inexperienced mother, I dared to hope. “Lord, could that be me and Sarah?” I sensed God’s peace fall on me, accompanied by an absolute assurance. “Yes,” He seemed to say. “You are a good tree and Sarah is good fruit.”

I never let that promise go. Even when Sarah’s lifestyle appeared rotten to the core.

Such hope—hope that pushed back the evidence of a broken promise—was hard.

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into the grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” Romans 5:1-5 NIV1984

Perhaps the intensity of the pain in my life gave me the power to push.

January 1^st comes just once a year, but Mondays come every week. (I regularly start a new diet on Mondays.)

Mondays offer a clean slate and a promise that this week will be better. I’ll be more productive. I’ll make fewer mistakes. (I’ll go to the gym every day!)

This week I’m going to blog about hoping when it’s hard. Often our own failures cause us to lose hope.

I love the promise in the memory verse I’ve chosen for today. Don’t be tempted to lose hope or grow discouraged. God is faithful—not just on Sundays when we’re in church, but also on Mondays when we’re back at work and every day in between.

Today’s Verse:

The Bible says we have reason to hope.

“Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us.” Romans 5:5 (AMP)

Such hope—hope in times of trial—can be hard.

A little over a year ago I blogged about a dream that recently came up again. I’m reposting major portions of it today to provide a backdrop. In the days to come I’ll explain why it relates to hoping when it’s hard.

My Dream happened just like this…

Picture a huge outdoor amphitheater like the ones at Disney’s MGM theme park or Universal Studios. The stadium seating formed an enormous arc around the stage. Several thousand spectators were glued to the action below.

I sat in a row way up high near the back. A grassy hillside sloped gradually away from the theater.

I turned from the high-octane entertainment on the stage far below me, and gasped at the sight of a lion on the prowl. He slowly crept up the hill toward the amphitheater.

Like a wildfire, an awareness of the approaching danger spread through the crowd. I stood up and shouted, “Do not be afraid.”

Who knows why, but my voice rang throughout the stadium and the panicked people quieted. I’d gained the attention of everyone, even the actors far below.

“Believers in Jesus have authority over this lion,” I declared with calm assurance.

By now the lion paced along the last row. Terrified eyes shifted from me to the lion and back again to me.

I walked up to the lion and in a loud voice ordered, “In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to leave this place.”

The lion froze and stared me down. “You cannot harm those belonging to Jesus,” I declared. “Go away and leave us alone!”

The lion turned and walked away.

I wish the dream had ended there, but it didn’t.

If you want to read the full-length version you’ll find it here.

Back when I posted the story of this dream, I couldn’t tell you what had happened to the poor little puppy appearing in the next scene of that dream. Now I can, and I will in the days ahead.

If you followed me over there, you know I had a regular feature every Monday called “Memory Verse Monday.”
I plan to continue it here.

My rationale for posting a memory verse every Monday is found in the Scripture I chose for this week.

Today’s Verse:

Prior to this day last year I didn’t have a boss—and I hadn’t had one for over 25 years. Now I have a pretty new keychain etched with the Children’s Hospital logo to remind me of God’s often unexpected and always sufficient provision.

A little over a year ago I sat with my writer’s critique group in the restaurant where we gathered every three weeks for lunch. “Children’s Hospital posted a job for a full time writer,” said one of my writing friends.

“Why don’t you apply for it?” I asked. Certain she’d be perfect for it.

“You have to have a college degree,” she replied.

My “what-about-you?” inquiries around the table revealed most didn’t have the required education. “Well, I guess the job’s for me!”

We all laughed at the joke.

I already had a job. Two actually, if you count my speaking and writing ministry. My husband and I have been in business together for almost as long as we’ve been married. But in this economy our little company was barely keeping its head above water.

I’d prayed fervently for God to provide and promised I’d go through every open door. As the laughter died that day I heard God’s still small voice. “Yes, Shawna. That job is for you.”

I usually love hearing God’s voice. But that day, as I looked around the table at my writing friends, and thought about letting go of my writing time to take a full time job…writing… my heart broke.

When would I ever find the time to write my blog, my book, my Bible studies?

This past year has been full of surprises. It turns out God knew what He was doing when He gave me this job.

Now that I’ve acclimated to my new schedule, I’m excited to start blogging again. I look forward to sharing some of the lessons I’ve been learning.

It’s good to be back.

I love how He meets my needs before my last drop of hope evaporates, but I hate the dry desperation of facing the “impossible.”

I love how He orchestrates circumstances to occur beyond coincidence, but I hate the wait that often accompanies His “perfect” timing.

I love how He eventually works things out exactly the way He promised, but I hate the doubt that grows bigger and deeper the longer I wait.

I figure since the thing I think He promised hasn’t happened—and doesn’t seem like it ever will—I must have misunderstood God.

In my unbelief I start believing God never actually promised what I’m hoping for.

Doubt grows stronger the longer I wait.
But God wants me to hold on and keep believing.

If waiting didn’t take strength, God wouldn’t tell us to be strong.
If waiting didn’t bring doubt, God wouldn’t tell us to take heart.

God knows waiting takes strength and brings doubt.
That’s why He told us to be strong and take heart.

And in case you didn’t know, God never commands us to do something without empowering us to do it.

Today’s Verse: