Some time ago, I was blessed enough to attend a wonderful weekend retreat. The speakers were moving, the choir infectious, and, as for the women who attended — well, they were inspiring. The love of God was shining so brightly in them, I was tempted to wear my shades every time they entered a room! Their testimonies were some of the most moving testaments of faith that I've ever heard. When one listened to what some of them had been through, one was humbled. Some had that "knock-you-off-your-feet" kind of testimony. Others had a quiet, everyday testimony similar to what is expressed in an anonymous poem that came my way:

Hidden Blessings

We always seem to find the time
To grumble and complain,
To think of all our troubles,
Our sorrows and our pain.

Yet if we would but stop and think,
I'm sure we would be glad
If we counted all the troubles
That we never had.

The loved ones we still have with us;
Our house that didn't burn;
Our automobile that wasn't wrecked;
The money we still earn.

When we're counting all our blessings
God gives us by His grace,
Let's think today of all the trials
We were not asked to face.

Sometimes the church's testimony is that we have, very simply, been blessed — not because we made it through dangers and trials, but because we didn't have to go through them at all. Sometimes the testimony is that we have wonderful parents, and a good education, with mentors and helpers, with victory after victory. Sometimes our story says that we've always known the Lord and didn't have to find Him after having been through the battle of our life and almost lost. Sometimes, we can witness that our best friend of youth is still our best friend and that we are happy right where we are.

Sometimes this is our testimony, and it is just as beautiful as the difficult struggle others may speak of, because it shows the glory and the grace of God: that He kept us safe for another night; that He gave us breath for another day; that when we raised our hands to praise Him our limbs co-operated and our voices chimed in. We can say that we were blessed to be part of the new day that started this morning, and after our eyes beheld the arrival of the Son we have had all day to bask in His presence.

Prayer: Father, what can we say except, "Thank You." You take such good care of us; You watch over us so carefully. You listen to our dreams and bring them into reality in colour so vibrant and rich that it is hard to believe we are not sleeping. Thank you for blessing us with Your presence, touching us with Your joy, holding us with Your peace, raising us with Your love. Thank You for the breath that runs through us, giving us power enough to say: Amen!

I have to put up a Christmas tree. Not for the commercial reasons that you think, but for what I see when I look at it. You see, to me the tree represents Christ.

We choose a tree because Christ was nailed to a tree; we remember He died for us. The trunk is Christ; we of course are the branches. The tree needs water, just as we do when we are baptized. We place a star on the top, to represent the star that led the wise men and the shepherds to kneel at His feet. The lights signify the light of world, Jesus. The red balls represent His blood that was shed. Each special ornament reminds us of how special we are to Him, of His attention to detail used in creating our lives. The gold garland is representative of the richness in our Father's house that trims our life with riches and blessings. The presents beneath the tree are the gifts that we give to each other. Not a sweater or a pair of slippers, but the gifts of love, patience, support, understanding, forgiveness, peace. We give these to each other, just as the wise men gave Him gifts, because we are to love each other as He loves us. We put them under the tree, at the foot of the cross.

So, I place this lovely reminder of our Lord in my home, and at night I sit in front of its light and take in the glory of it.

Prayer: Help us, O God, in our preparations, to point to Christ, who is the light of the world. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Over the past year, I have awakened to this hymn and gone to sleep singing it:

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

The truth of its words have wrapped around me like a warm quilt, I'm covered in it. This year has bought so many changes in my life; things that I thought I would never see I've witnessed up close and personal. Friends have left, jobs have changed, rules have been broken, foundations overturned. God has remained the same, day in and day out. His mercy has been there, despite my actions or lack of faith. His love has carried me and saved me and comforted me time and time again. He has been faithful to me, faithful to His word. God is faithful!

Our family has experienced four deaths this year. Those who have gone on before me were trailblazers of my faith. They sacrificed, saved, worked, prayed and believed all their lives, and that river of faith flowed down to me. God was loving me and watching over me through them. He set me in their family tree, in the receiving line of their faith. He was faithful to me before I ever was.

Our family was blessed with a new life yesterday; again in his birth I see God's faithfulness. This baby's presence is a marvellous testament to God's faithfulness to all of us. We gather around him in recognition of all who came before him, in appreciation of all who will help to form him, in celebration for all that he will be.

Recently, my father experienced a massive heart attack that followed a kidney transplant. He has been in a coma over the past two and half weeks. There have been days when they told us he would not pull through, but he is still here. Although he is unable even to recognize us or speak, his testimony is being heard loud and clear, and, once again, God's faithfulness is evident. As I reminisce about my childhood at my father's bedside, I realize, even more, how faithful God has been to him and to us. For whatever we've been through before this, it has brought us to where we are right now, and we're with God and with each other. Who could ask for more?

As your day progresses, think about God's faithfulness to you. Think about where you were, about where you are, think about the things that God has brought you through. You'll realize when everything else changes, our Lord stays the same, His love is more constant than the sun rising, His grace more stable than the earth beneath your feet. You'll see that even though things are the way they are, you are drinking from the saucer because your cup has overflowed with His love.

Prayer:

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father!
There is no shadow of turning with Thee.
Thou changest not – Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.
Amen.

One day, a couple, visiting in a small town, stopped in a quaint little shop to browse around. In the center of the store was a display of teacups. Some were small, some large, some were quite ornate, others were plain, but in the center was the most beautiful of all. The couple was overwhelmed by the dainty shape of the cup, the slight curve of the handle, the ornate and detailed painting and the delicate nature. They stared at it while they contemplated who could have made such a beautiful piece of work.

As they stared, suddenly the teacup began to talk to them. "I wasn't," it stated, "always like this. If you had seen me in the beginning, you would not recognize me and you would never think I could ever look as I do now. But because my Master worked on me constantly, I appear before you as I am.

"I started out as a piece of clay. Nothing special, I sat in a lump along with my other clay friends (you really couldn't tell us apart). He pulled me away from them, it was painful. I cried because I was lonely.

"He pulled me and rolled me. I screamed, 'Stop it! You're hurting me!' But He said, 'Not yet.' He changed my shape and smoothed my form with his hands. I was happy when he was finished. I thought, 'Finally, that's over.'

"But then he lifted me up and put me in an oven. It was soooo hot! I started yelling, 'Get me out of here! I don't want to do this!' I could see him watching me through the window and he said, 'Not yet.' I wasn't sure if I'd make it through the oven, but I did.

"When it was finished, he took me out to cool. Ahh, the air felt good to me. I sat beside him and smiled. 'Finally, I can relax.' Then he picked me up again! 'Oh no!' I thought, 'what now!' He started painting me. I couldn't believe it. Totally changing my appearance. It smelled so bad! I kept fussing, 'Stop it, stop it!' But he didn't. I was covered in paint! I asked if he was finished, if he was satisfied with what he had done to me. He smiled and said, 'Not yet.'

"And do you know what he did after that, even though I kept fussing the whole time? He put me back in the oven! He put me back, and this time it was even hotter! I cried. I begged. I pleaded, 'Please stop!' But he just kept smiling and said, 'Not yet.'

"Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he pulled me out of the oven. I gasped for air. I was so thankful that it was over. He set me on a shelf and let me cool. Later he gently wiped me with a soft cloth until my surface was shiny and sparkled. When he lifted me again, I thought, 'Oh no, what now?' He placed me in front of a mirror so that I could see myself and I cried at the beauty that I beheld. I was perfect. I was clean. My form was graceful and elegant. My shape was unique. I noticed a bit of Him in my form. It was strong, but delicate. The detail of the painting was amazing. Even down to the smallest detail, He had made me beautiful. He had made me reflect Him.

"I thanked Him for all He had done and I felt ashamed because I had questioned Him during my transformation. I had questioned my strength during my time in the oven. I had complained when He pulled me away from my friends. I fought Him while He tried to change my form and had refused to bend at His command. Now I beheld myself and I regretted fighting and doubting everything He had tried to do for me.

"I wanted to do something for Him, but it looked as if he was finished with me. Surely, nothing more needed to be done. But I asked Him, 'Lord, are you done? Will you now leave me to sit on a shelf?' and He said, 'Not yet. I will not leave you; I will not forsake you. I will not give you more than you can bear. I will reward you for your patience; I will bless you for your tenacity; I will shower you with gifts for your trust in me; I will honour you for your willingness to do my will. I will use you, yes I will use you, time and again, to glorify me. Am I finished with you, Beloved? Not yet.'"

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up. (James 4:10)

Prayer: Use me Father. Mold me, hold me, shape me, bend me, stretch me to my utmost. I know that I am not worthy, but I submit myself to you and kneel ready to be changed. Amen.

There's a story about a man who was slowly losing his memory. After an examination, the doctor said that an operation on his brain might reverse his condition and restore his memory. However, the surgery would be so delicate that a nerve might be severed, causing total blindness.

"What would you rather have," asked the surgeon, "your sight or your memory?" The man pondered the question for a few minutes and then replied, "My sight, because I would rather see where I am going than remember where I have been."

In Philippians 3, the Apostle Paul made the same choice spiritually. His past, with its success and its shame, he chose to forget. He said that all that had been done before had the value of dung. What mattered to him most was keeping his eye on the goal of gaining Christ's approval.

That kind of mindset is one sure mark of Christian maturity. It's what God is working to develop in our lives (Philippians 3:13-15). We can't forget our past, or course, but we don't have to live in it. Any good we may have done is from God, so we can only be thankful. When we confess our sins, they are buried in the deepest sea. Let's not keep dredging them up.

What do you choose? To see or to remember?

I have come too far
I have come too far
I've come to far to turn around
A higher plain I've found
This I know, I'm going to make it
I can't turn back now.

Though the storm may rise
Though the wind may blow
I know the Lord is on my side
To comfort and to guide
I'm going to make it,
I can't turn back now.

Forgetting those things which are behind me
I reach to those things which are before me
I set my eyes to prize of the highest calling
Of God through Jesus Christ.

I have come too far
I've come too far to turn around
A higher plain I've found
I'm going to make it
I can't turn back now.

Prayer: Help me, Father, to truly leave the past behind me. Remind me that the life I led before we met has ended and I am truly reborn. I always ask that others see you when they look at me; help me to see the same. Amen.

What was the first thing the angel said to Mary and to Joseph? "Fear not…" (Luke 1:30; Matthew 1:20)

What was the first thing the angel said to the shepherds in the fields? "Fear not…" (Luke 2:10)

What was the first thing uttered by the angel to Mary at the tomb? "Do not be afraid…" (Matthew 28:7)

Fear is tool of the devil. He uses it every chance he gets, in every part of life: fear of not being liked, fear of not being loved, fear of losing your job, fear of not doing a good job, fear of being lonely, fear of being hurt; the list goes on and on.

But the Bible tells us not to fear, in fact it states that we have nothing to fear. Our Lord is King and His love is unending; what have we to fear? Each time we are asked to step out on faith, we are in fact being asked to say no to fear. Oh sure, God can part the Red Sea, but can He help me pay my rent? Oh yeah, the Lord has closed the mouths of lions to protect His own, but will He protect my home while I'm sleeping? Oh definitely, one touch from Christ healed the woman with the 12 year issue of blood, but can He heal my headache, my sore throat, my sore muscles? He said He came to heal the broken hearted, but does He really understand how much I've been hurt? Dear one, do you realize who it is we speak of? King of Kings, Lord of Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, guide across Jordan, the one for whom all things are possible: "Jesus said to them, 'With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'" (Matthew 19:26) What have we to fear? Enemies, sickness, loneliness, poverty, illness, man, beast, death and the devil have all been conquered; indeed what is there left to fear?

My friend, do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. Do not be fooled by appearances. Do trust Him; His ways are higher than ours. What He has in store for you is greater than you can imagine!

Isaiah 35:4 – Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; He will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.

Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
There is no searching of His understanding.
He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
–

Isaiah 40:28-31 NKJ

Prayer: Be with me Master, for today I've decided to step out of the boat and walk across the water to your loving arms and everlasting life. I've been practising long enough; getting my feet wet on the side of the boat just won't due. Here I go….splash!

Have you been struggling and planning, worrying and sweating, crying and running at a furious pace, trying to move that mountain by yourself again? God asks that you "cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7). Think about what your worrying says to God when you refuse to give things over to Him.

When you worry about money, you're telling Him that He is unable to provide for His children, that although He has riches beyond belief in heaven, He is too stingy to share them with you.

When you worry that no one understands you, you're telling Him that although He has been with you since before you were formed in the womb and has carved you into the palm of His hand, He doesn't know you.

When you worry that you will not have enough food, you're telling Him that although He rained down bread from heaven in the desert to feed His children, you are the one He's forgotten.

When you worry that your enemies will have victory over you, you're telling God that, although He has given you spiritual battle gear to defend yourself, that despite His track record of being a giant slayer, a Red Sea divider, a lion mouth closer, and a furnace cooler, He can't handle your co-worker, your neighbour, your former friend.

When you worry that your children have decided to follow the world instead of your example, you're telling God that He doesn't keep His promises, that, despite the fact that you have raised them up in the way they should go, they'll stray because, basically, He lied.

When you worry because the doctors told you that children are impossible, that a cure is impossible, that healing is impossible, you're telling Him that this world controls your fate. You're saying that prayer time with Him is merely something to pass the time. You're saying that although He can raise the dead, make a virgin conceive, open the womb of a woman well past eighty, heal a 12 year issue of blood, make the blind see, and the lame walk, He can't help you.

When you worry that you won't be able to do enough to earn forgiveness, you're telling Him, "That's okay, Lord; no need for Your Son to die, I can earn my own forgiveness." You're acting like Jesus never died, or like there was no need for Him to go to the cross.

When you worry that no one will love you, that you'll be lonely for the rest of your life, you're telling Him that His love is insufficient, that He couldn't possibly love you enough to ward off loneliness. You're saying that, although He has promised life more abundantly, He was lying, that despite the fact that He started off saying that it is not good that we be alone, He's changed His mind.

When you worry and refuse to give the problem over to Him, you're telling Him that although He could create the world, He can't handle what's going on in your world, so you will. You are saying that He won't work things out, that obstacles cannot be overcome, that mountains can't be climbed, that healing cannot occur, that what is lost will not be found, that joy does not come in the morning, that He is not the God of a second chance, that the promised land has been swallowed up by the desert, and that you have explored the height, depth and width of His love and found it to fall short of your needs.

Think about all that you're saying to the one who loves you the most and who has all power. Really think about it. Then open your hands and release what you've been holding onto. Bow down on your knees and ask Him to forgive you for doubting Him. Walk away with a peaceful heart and note the footprints that go before you to straighten the crooked places, prepare a way in the wilderness and make water spring forth in the desert.

"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, forgive my nearsighted nature and pride. That is You around the bend, Lord; how could I not see You? How could I not trust You? Let me tell you, Jesus, all that is on my mind. I'm tired of standing in the rain. Allow me to find shelter under Your wings. My list of worries is long but so is Your patience. Allow me to begin…