Bishop Wills’ Life Journal Entry for March 5, 2008, “The Choice Is Mine To Make Today And Everyday”
S: Deuteronomy 1:27
You complained in your tents: “God hates us. He hauled us out of Egypt in order to dump us among the Amorites – a death sentence for sure. How can we go up?"
O: Moses is giving a sermon before the people go into the promised land. He is talking about 40 years ago when they got to the Jordan river and became afraid of the people on the other side even though God had promised them to have this land.
A: Eugene Peterson makes the observation that: “some time or other, we all find ourselves huddled in tents under dismal conditions, even desperate conditions. Though we cannot choose our circumstances, we can choose how we will respond to those circumstances. We can talk in our tents and find something to gripe about (the way the wilderness generation did) or we can find something to be grateful for, giving thanks in all things, (the way Paul did in Philippians 2:14-15”
I do not know why it is so hard to trust God in hard times. I think the reason I list, at the beginning of my prayer list, all the times God intervened in my life when life seemed to be the hardest, is to help me remember the many good things God has done in my life. I want to make sure to thank God for each of these times of seeing me through hard times because I know today something hard may come my way. My temptation is to sit in my little tent and complain about how bad things are now.
I have found with this long list of times when God has delivered me when I could see any positive end, I find strength to thank God even in the hard times because I know even though this time seems like Friday that Sunday is coming!
P: Father no matter what today brings into my life, thank you. Help me never forget all those times when you were with me and saw me through hard times. Forgive me if I, in my tent, complain about what cannot happen and how bad things are. Help me see what can be and will be by trusting you completely. With great thanks for what will come today. Love, Dick
Y: I give up my gripping about how bad things are and will seek to live my life with great gratitude.
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