Literature Ministries International


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April 13, 2019

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You Knew My Path

"I poured out my complaint before him; I showed before him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then you knew my path." Psalm 142:2-3

The many encounters David experienced with Saul's men as they were constantly in hot pursuit of him brought him humbly before God, realizing his weakness and utmost need to find his refuge in the Lord. He learns to lean upon God for his strength, intervention, and sufficiency. Completely overwhelmed, David cries to the Lord, and bares his heart and soul. Convinced that the Lord knew all about his devastating circumstances and would be his comfort and companion through it all, he goes forth in renewed courage. He trusts God to work in and through him for His glory, regardless of the circumstances.

We can learn from David's varied experiences. Although he fell to great depths, he found through heart-rending repentance the merciful grace of God to forgive and raise him up to be a "man after God's own heart."

How often we cry out for deliverance, because of our difficulty or devastating circumstances, discouraged in spirit, weak in faith, resting in our own weakness, and mulling in defeat. May we know the strength and power of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us and makes us triumphant wherever we are placed by God. He enables us to reflect His love and grace, amidst the ugliness and sin that surrounds us, to keep us pure and radiant for His Glory. Forbid that we should turn from His working, or shun that which will conform us to the image of His Son and into a deeper and a more intimate relationship to the Lord.

God has given you a ministry in which He will enable and empower you to be an effective channel of blessing where you are. Let Him fill you with His presence in a new and living way by His Spirit. He knows our hearts and will faithfully guide us in the "path of righteousness for His name's sake."

Often the path leads us into areas of deep concern, danger, and perplexing circumstances. This was the challenge of five devoted young missionaries who "dared to believe" in God's hand and purpose in it all. God had laid upon their hearts to carry the Gospel to the Stone Age tribe of Auca Indians in the dense jungles of Ecuador. With thorough preparation and planning, they were ready to make contact with savage Indians they had never met, for whom they had prayed for six years, and for whom they were willing to give their lives to reach with the saving grace of God's Word.

As they waited on the white sand on the banks of the Curaray River, they were in the silent world of hostile Indians who were feared by everyone because of their instinct to kill anyone who invaded their forbidden land. But they were "under the shadow of His wings" on a mission that would resound throughout eternity.

Then on Sunday, Jan. 8, 1956, the men they sought to reach killed them. Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, and Ed McCulley had been classmates of mine at Wheaton College. You say, "How tragic!" No, this was the path of life God had chosen for them. Through their martyrdom, the Gospel has been planted into the hearts of countless souls around the world, and untold doors of opportunity have been opened. Only eternity will reveal the impact of their lives and the reality of Jim Elliot's words: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose."

© 2007 by Ed Powell. Used by permission.


This page was reprinted by permission from: http://litmin.org/dare.php?date=2019-04-13


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