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Length of Days - Search for Freedom

Monday, October 27, 2014

COAL OR DIAMONDS

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.”  2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

Some people look at their lives and see only lumps of coal. Disappointment, losses, even betrayal sum up lives of regret, sadness and anger.

Beautiful, translucent black obsidian, which we called Apache tears when we would go out on the dessert after a New Mexico sand storm to look for them, is like coal that has been placed under such stress it turns to a glass-like stone. They are gorgeous and can be used in making jewelry. There’s another coal-stone that becomes even more precious when events in the world press in tightly and change it into . . . diamonds.

That is just like our lives. I know that stress can cause illness, damage to the body and a crippled will to change our circumstances. Many of us are not strong enough to withstand the pressure of loss and repeated set-backs. Jesus Christ told Paul, he did not have to be strong because His strength is made perfect in his weakness, and in ours. Jesus would be strong for Paul and for us.

No, God may not give us the desires of our hearts. He may not give us diamonds. But, my friend, to refuse the beauty of obsidian because it does not hold the power we want, is to refuse the gift of sparkling jewels, designed just for us. Let us pray:

“Father God, your name brings strength to my body and my will. It is the precious diamond I had sought when I thought I received only coal. I never looked for the jewel at the center of the lump of my life, because I believed I could not correct my weaknesses. And, I refused to let you find the obsidian that glistened just beneath the storms of my life. Today, I give you my weakness and place my life within your strength. Forgive me when I have let negative emotions weaken me. You are strong and in you I will find my strength. May I help a stranger find freedom from weakness as well, and rest in the secret places of your heart. In the power and strength of Christ’s love, I pray. Amen”

Doris
"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Copyright 2014 Doris Gaines Rapp

Prayer Therapy of Jesus  should be available on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.  Only the eBook version is up so far.  It will be on Cokesbury.com soon.
Waiting for Jesus in a Can’t Wait World - Advent 2014, is now available at www.amazon.com, www.cokesbury.com, www.barnesandnoble.com and others. This Advent devotional uses the Prayer Therapy of Jesus in prayer formation.
Lincoln’s Christmas Mouse has been reformatted to fit in a Christmas Shoe Box ministry container. It should be available to order on Amazon in a week. Watch for progress on www.dorisgainesrapp.blogspot.com

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