Retreat. Slowing down. Stepping away from the busyness of life. Do you need a retreat with the Lord right now in your life? We all need those times when we answer the invitation of Jesus. “Come away with me by yourselves to a quiet place and rest a little while” (Mark 6:31 Williams). Maybe the stresses you’re experiencing right now have become like a mountain to you that cannot be moved. Maybe you’re in a desperate place with no answers. You need a fresh perspective filled with truth from God’s Word. You need God’s perspective. And when you hear Him speak in His Word, new life is breathed into your soul. You discover that the point of desperation gives God His chance. “The ‘wit’s end’ of desperation” is the beginning of God’s power (Streams in the Desert). So will you take time for a retreat with the Lord?

Find a quiet place. Drink in a new view. Gather together some choice devotional books. Take your Bible. Bring a journal to write out all that God teaches you.

Then, watch for God’s hand in your retreat. Look for His beauty. He may surprise you with something you did not expect.

His light from His Word will shine light into your heart. You will gain a new view. And your faith will grow. You will believe. The mountain can be moved. Nothing is impossible with God.

Linger long in the warmth of His Presence. Bask in the comfort of His love.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat. The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19 NIV

May your soul be revived as you draw near to God in His Word in a retreat with the Lord.

Blessings and Grace to you,

Have you ever longed for escape, wishing you could fly away from those things that seemingly weigh you down? Your world has seemed to lose its color and there are only shades of grey in the contrasting black and white. There is a paradox in heaven, according to a devotional writing in Streams in the Desert. The very things that weigh us down can actually lift us up to God. Mary Butterfield is quoted by Mrs. Charles Cowman: “Oh, paradox of Heaven. The load we think will crush was sent to lift us Up to God! Then, soul of mine, Climb up!..Within His word is found the key which opens His secret stairs; Alone with Christ, secluded there, we mount our loads, and rest in Him.”

There can be a certain powerful beauty even in the black and white. Trials can give us wings where we soar above adverse circumstances. Isaiah discovered the secret to flying above trials:

Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God.”? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:27-31 NIV

Have you learned to fly with wings like eagles above the circumstances? “Our burdens are our wings; on them we soar to higher realms of grace; without them we must roam for aye on planes of undeveloped faith, for faith grows but by exercise in circumstance impossible” (Streams in the Desert). David discovered how to fly when he wrote, “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you” (Psalm 55:22). Today, whatever it is that seems to weigh you down and press your feet deeper into the ground, cast it onto the Lord. Resolve along with David, “But as for me, I trust in you” (Psalm 55:23). You will discover the trials suddenly beneath you, and you will find yourself lifted above and carried through by the Lord. Take flight my friend, and trust in Him.

Blessings and Grace to you,

How can a desert place look so beautiful, enough to cause you to stop and drink in the colors? I was on my way out of town. In a hurry to get home. But I stopped, grabbed my camera and captured some of the majesty of the desert. Marc Riboud says that “Photography is savoring life at 1/100th of a second.” I wanted to savor those moments. Even the bushes and shrubs seemed important under a canopy of cloud-bursting sky. If you ever wonder what the best camera is for shooting photos in the desert, it’s the one you have with you. The worst time for any photographer, amateur or professional, is reaching for the camera and it’s not there. Thankfully, mine was with me.

So why was the desert so beautiful on this particular day? I knew the answer because I had been in the area for several days. And I had experienced the unique, refreshing desert rain. You always know when the rain is coming in the desert. You can smell what we always called the ozone in the atmosphere. Nothing like it. Growing up we would sit outside just waiting for the rain when we smelled the ozone. Then, the clouds roll in.

Oh the clouds in the desert are a beautiful thing! Big black clouds with patches of white.

And in the desert place when the clouds bring rain, it’s always darkest before the rain stops. Just when you think the clouds are really dark, the sky gets black and the rain falls so hard that everyone runs for cover.

And then, the sky clears. The clouds are magnificently white and full. You feel as though you could walk on those clouds, they’re so beautiful. And the desert glows with the majesty of God.

When God wants to make a man or woman glow with His glory and majesty, the rain must come. The clouds will roll in. We are meant to be vessels “for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:21). It’s the preparation that we never quite understand. Only God knows when and how the rain will fall.

Watson says in his book, Soul Food —

“We must be alone with God in the matter of suffering. The One who loves us best fits the furnace to our frame, and never once duplicates the pattern for any other soul. There are innumerable degrees of suffering among God’s chosen ones, yet in each case it is unique and personal. The ingredients of suffering are of infinite variety in kind and mixture, but the end to be accomplished is the same…our very choicest sufferings, those that accomplish God’s individual purpose in us, those that most thoroughly test and unite us to His will, these are private property, into which no other ever enters but our sympathizing Jesus.”

There is purpose and pattern in our days, even when it rains in our lives. But understand that as quickly as the rain comes and pours down, the black clouds will recede. Peter knew and understood this when he wrote, “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10). And there is a secret to making it through all storms. All grace. His grace is equal to every rain and every black cloud. Swim in His grace and you will find out for yourself.

So today, dear friend, know that God is working in you, both to will and work for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13) and is preparing for Himself a vessel for honor. Draw near to Him and drink in the refreshing water of His Word in your heart, and you will experience His all-sufficient grace, enough for every rainstorm in the desert.

Blessings and Grace to you,

As soon as I saw the veranda I remembered. So many years ago I had sat in that very place and enjoyed the beauty of Fiesole, a small village in the hills of Tuscany. I recognized the flowers along the wall. The same lights and stained glass window. Memories flooded my mind of joyous moments of conversation and companionship. A lifetime ago, but present in the moment. But it looked smaller than I remembered. Maybe that’s what time does to the mind. It enlarges things that are so very important to us so we don’t forget.

I remember walking up the steep road wondering if we were really going anywhere.

And then we came upon this charming restaurant inviting us to experience a piece of life we had not known.

We sat outside awash with the Tuscan sun and delighted in the beautiful scenery of Fiesole.

Then we saw the view that took our breath away. Florence, the jewel of Tuscany, glittering in the distance. I’ll never forget.

God calls us to remember those things that help us live each day.

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Exodus 20:8

You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you…Deuteronomy 8:2

But you shall remember the LORD your God…Deuteronomy 8:18

Remember His wonders which He has done, His marvels and the judgments uttered by His mouth. Psalm 105:5

O LORD, I remember Your name in the night. Psalm 119:55

Put Me in remembrance. Isaiah 43:26

Do this in remembrance of Me. Luke 22:19

Remember the way the Lord has led you. Remember His Word. And remember Him. The big difference in remembering God is that your memory is always smaller than the reality, the truth of Him. He is more than we know and greater than we can even imagine.

Remembering God, day by day, gives us far more treasure than memories of earthly travels. For when we remember God, we experience Him anew. “You meet him who rejoices in doing righteousness, who remembers You in Your ways” (Isaiah 64:5).

So today, take time to remember God. Look up and drink in His magnificent creation. Open His Word, and discover His treasure that revives a heart. May you experience the rewards of remembering God — the joy of meeting with Him day by day.

Blessings and Grace to you,

Days. Our lives are lived out in days. No day is the same. One friend has a calendar where she writes one word to describe each day of her life as she journeys through the hours and minutes — joy, victory, challenge, trust, loss, big, busy, peace. And you know how it is. Sometimes clouds move into the landscape of our days. We see them coming. And the clouds make trusting God a challenge because clouds sometimes obscure truth, the reality of the Lord in our situation.

And when it gets really dark, we can be tempted to let go of hope and sink in despair. Paul said, “Therefore we do not lose heart.” And he goes on to explain why: “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:16-17). There is purpose in our days. John Oxenham says, “The thread we see, but the pattern is known to the Master-weaver alone.”

In the dark days, how can you find the light from the Lord? When Moses blessed the people of Israel he gave them a promise from God in Deuteronomy 33:25, “Your strength will equal your days.” God promises to meet you in your dark days and provide everything you need. Run to His promises in His Word and find one you can live in that is equal to your circumstance. Here are some that I love:

After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you (1 Peter 5:10).

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

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).

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).

The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-23).

Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5).

There is a day when the clouds recede and sunlight breaks through the darkness. And you realize that the sun was shining behind the clouds even in the darkness. So it is with the powerful presence of the Lord. He promises, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Because of His presence in your life, you can say with the psalmist, “This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).

So how are your days these days? Are there some clouds or is the sky clear and bright? Open God’s Word today and grab some of those precious promises. You will discover that “as your days so shall your strength be” (Deuteronomy 33:25). And you will find great joy in knowing, by faith, that the Lord is accomplishing an unbelievable work in your days (Acts 13:41). May you experience His power and grace in increasing measure as you live out your days.

Blessings and Grace to you,