Stevemidkiff's Blog

When all kinds of trials & tests

crowd into our lives,

don’t resent them as intruders,

but welcome them as friends!

Let him begin by treating the Patriotism
or the Pacifism as a part of his religion.

Then let him, under the influence of partisan spirit,
come to regard it as the most important part.

Then quietly & gradually nurse him on to the stage at which
the religion becomes merely part of the “cause”, in which faith
is valued chiefly because of the excellent arguments it can produce
in favour of the U.S. war-effort or of Pacifism.

The attitude which you want to guard against is that in which
temporal affairs are treated primarily as material for obedience.

Once you have made the World an end, and faith a means,
you have almost won your man, and it makes very little difference
what kind of worldly end he is pursuing.

Provided that meetings, pamphlets, policies, movements, causes,
and crusades, matter more to him than prayers & love,

Now, he is ours & the more “religious” (on those terms)
the more securely ours.

I could show you a pretty cageful down here.

C. S. Lewis’s diabolical advice in Screwtape Letters, chapter 7

“In the day of prosperity rejoice”

Eccles. 7:14

Rejoice in our God of all our mercies,
who does us good in His patience & forbearance,
notwithstanding all our unworthiness.

But we may add to it, from the same fountain of wisdom,

Consider, also, lest evil lie at the door.

A man in that state is in the midst of snares.
Satan has many advantages against us;
he forges darts out of all our enjoyments; and,
if we watch not, we will be entangled before we are aware.

John Owen

“Skin for skin,” said that heartless snake
“Though land and kin his God may take,

But Job replies ‘Blessed be God’
Face down upon the tear soaked sod

‘He gave and He may take away’
Touch flesh! Will he respond that way?

No. I have seen this all before
Strike bone with rod and flesh with sore

Then soon this man will curse his Lord.”

So Job blistered from sole to crown
Took broken pot and sad, sat down

Scraping flesh with its’ jagged piece
In ashes, aching for relief-

Pitiful sight to which his wife
Suggests “Integrity subside.

This is your lot; Curse God and die.”

Job shook. “We must not speak as fools
Both rod and staff may be God’s tools”

And as he itched and burned and ached
Grasped for resolve, said “Shall we take

God’s good and yet refuse this plight?”
So well began the coming fight-

Not a war of strength and might
Not loud, but silent day and night

For seven days by silent friends
Whose sympathy would soon find end.

He wore his suffering as a cloak
In such a way that no one spoke

Poor Job was barely recognized
Offering none else than tear filled cries

Choked back, what was he thinking then?
Would God deliver? How and when?

On God his weary soul did wait
‘Till seemed that God had marked his fate,

Filled him with dread,
Left him for dead

No vindication drawing nigh,
No answers to the question ‘Why?’

Thought Job “How did that ancient foe

Know striking flesh would be the woe

To test my faith with last hard blow?”

What shock fell when silence broke
When finally righteous Job had spoke

Answerless with bitter complaint
No longer could he hold restraint,

But cursed his very day of birth
Asked why he could not join in earth

Those buried, hidden from the sun
Whose troubling days had ne’er begun.

‘Twas this same man of whom God said
When His lamp shone upon Job’s head

“There’s none like him in all the land
Who fears God, walks straight, takes a stand
Against sin.” Yes, he was God’s friend.

‘Twas Job who by the long day’s end
Guided the blind, met orphans cries

Men covered their mouths and called him wise
He made the widows heart to sing

Opened his mouth with words like spring
Rain, with a smile for the fainting

But when with cries his soul confides
In friends, he’s met with harsh replies

As if surprised a righteous man
Could ever question God’s good plan.

“Hear how he speaks? ‘Tis no wonder
God has set his life asunder,

Roared at him with peals of thunder-
Job is a plant lacking water

Like all who have forgotten God.
Job’s righteousness has been a fraud

Within was sin, hidden disdain
‘Tis wicked men who writhe in pain.”

“I would seek God if in Job’s place
Repent in dust, bury my face

For God does not pervert the right
Abundant evil caused this plight.”

So went the torrent ’till Job cried
“Miserable comfort you’ve supplied!

Do you not know I could speak as you do
If you had everything taken from you?”

“I was at ease;

Then He broke me,

Glad, then He took.

Prostrate before

Him, there I shook.

I waited for

A brighter morn

It has not come

I am undone.”

“If I’ve withheld the poor’s desires
Watched the naked, cold, expire

Struck the fatherless, held back pay
If my step turned haste from the way,

My heart gone after neighbor’s wife
Rejoiced at my enemies strife

By sun and moon my heart enticed
Trusted in gold and self for life-

Then yes, I would deserve this day
Before God guilty, none to say

But as it is, I’ve made my case
Will God not hear me and erase

My shame? Integrity restore?
I cannot bear to endure more.”

It seemed the grave would come before
An answer, but Elihu came

And found Job’s friends with answers lame,
“Not one of you could refute Job

Into his complaints I will probe.”

“Job complains God is not speaking
For a voice he strains in listening

Could it be that Job is missing
The word spoken through his suffering?

Job has said, ‘I am in the right’
‘God has taken away my right!’

‘To joy in God there is no gain’
‘Though right, God treats me with disdain.’

Job, would you charge God with wrong?
Condemn the righteous and the strong

King, by whose own Spirit you breathe?
And yet you asked this King to leave.

Does Job not know that he is flesh?
Does God gain from man’s righteousness?

Should clay cry ‘Make me not this way?’
But sadly there are none who say

“Lord teach me what I do not see
Unveil my dark iniquity.”

Do not long that you would vanish
Humble men God will not punish

Prefer affliction to your sin
Perhaps He will restore again.”

See what a picture Job has made?
Blameless man, all frailty displayed

Laid waste, bare and empty handed
Asking, “Has God too abandoned?”

Suffering not for sins committed
Friends turned foes have not acquitted

Him of guilt deserving torture
His eyes seek for an arbiter.

Suffering not for sin but instead
Sinning as Elihu had said.

Yes, when pressed, godly men at best
Are still men, fickle, needing rest,

Balking when faced with abasement,
For deliverance impatient.

Both searing pain and senseless loss
Bring faith through fire, clearing dross

Revealing pride and doubt and fear;
Righteous men fall- but God draws near.

See Him answer from the whirlwind?
See Job’s hand on his mouth chastened?

God put His power on display
‘Till Job had little left to say.

“God owes no word to any man
Nor answers, and none thwart His plans.

Of you my ears had only heard
I thought this portion ill-deserved

But now I see you and repent
My hand once more takes what you’ve sent.”

See God’s hand exalt the lowly
Call Job right, a servant holy

Rebuke Job’s friends for their error
Restore twice more than was before.

Was Job a champion of faith?
Only, entirely, of grace.

What was the purpose of the Lord?
‘Tis care and mercy shown toward

Faltering, feeble, struggling saints
Rescued- in spite of our complaints.

Take heart, the hero of this story-
God- who works all things for glory.

Charlene M. Nelson

Make the eyes of our heart
alive with Your presence

Help us hear Your hope
in every situation

Surround us with Your
glorious riches in every circumstance

Enable us to see the value
of each diverse peculiarity

Bless us to grasp
Your gifts of inheritance
Your estate provisions
For us of priceless wealth

And what is the exceeding greatness
of His power to us-ward who believe,

according to the working
of His mighty power,

Well:

We’ve had this stuff

This affliction

This unique blessing

For over 3 weeks

I feel out of the tall grass

Jill is still under the burden, but amazingly full of joy

We’re grateful That our struggle

Can’t dethrone your faithfulness

Thank You That our lies

Cannot topple the truth

Mary Demuth

And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines.
And he bowed himself with all his might;

and the house fell upon the lords,
and upon all the people that were therein.

So the dead which he slew at his death
were more than they which he slew in his life.

Judges 16:30

Your power is irresistible
the operations of it
cannot be controlled

We know, O God,
that You can do everything,

We know that no thought
can be hidden from You

We’re convinced:
You can do anything
You can do everything.

Nothing & no one
can upset Your plans.

No thought can be
hidden from You

Job 42:2

Power belongs to You;
Strength comes from God.

You Lord are the
source of all power

God has spoke once;
twice have I heard this;
that power belongs to God.

Psalm 62:11

With You nothing is impossible.

Luke 1:37

All power is Yours both
in heaven and in earth.

Jesus said, All power is given
to Me in heaven & in earth

Matthew 28:18

You kill & You make alive,
You wound & You heal,
neither is there any that
can deliver out of Your hand

Deuteronomy 32:39-40

We are persuaded
What You have promised
You are able also to perform.

Romans 4: 21

Celebrate God all day, every day.

Focus on Him, revel in Him!

Make it as clear as you can
to all you meet that you’re
on their side, working with them
and not against them.

Help them see that Jesus
is about to arrive. He could
show up any minute!

His presence is with us
Soon He’ll burst on the
Scene physically

Don’t fret or worry.
Instead of worrying, pray.

Let petitions & praises shape
our worries into prayers,

Give God know our concerns.

Before you know it, a sense of
God’s wholeness, everything
coming together for good,
will come & settle us down.

It’s wonderful what happens
when Christ displaces worry
at the center of our life.

Do the best we can by filling
Our minds by meditating
on things true,
on noble things,
on reputable, authentic,
compelling & gracious things—

Think the best of others,
not the worst;

Think beautiful things,
not ugly impressions;

Concentrate on things to praise,

Don’t yield to cursing others
Let God work together,
His most excellent harmonies

Philippians 4:4-9 MSG

In Under utterly hopeless circumstances
he by God’s grace hopefully believed.

Rom. 4: 18 WEYMOUTH

When God is going to
do something wonderful,
He begins with a difficulty.

If it is going to be something
very wonderful,
He begins with impossibility.

CHARLES INWOOD

O God of the impossible!

Since all things are to You
On soil in which Omnipotence
Can work almightily,

Each trial may to us
become the means
that will display

How what seems impossible
Our God has perfect sway!

The very storms
that beat on
Our little bark
so frail,

But manifest Your
power to quell
All forces that assail.

The things that are
to us too hard,

The foes that
are too strong,

Are just the very ones
that may Awake
a triumph song.

O God of the impossible,
When we no hope can see,

Grant us the faith
that still believes
ALL’s possible to Thee!

J. H. S.