seasons like these

Do you ever have those times in your life where you are just overcome by the continual surprising blessings and goodness of God?  It might be a specific day, or it could continue over weeks or months, but it's just one of those times where your eyes are continually opened to His greatness.

That's where I've been over this past week.  As I adjust to being here at Glorieta, living away from my family, God continually surprises me with blessings.  I wrote about how He led me to read the mercy chapter in "Attributes of God" here.

On Monday I was feeling pretty nervous about going back to job training the next day, and was just really having a hard time resting and being at peace in God.  Every morning I read a daily devotional from "Edges of His Ways" by Amy Carmichael, and am always so encouraged by it; it's like it's perfect for every day, no matter what's happening.  Anyway, it was the 4th, so I opened it up to that day and began to read.  Here's the excerpt:

*John 16:33:  That in Me ye might have peace.

   These words have brought peace to me this morning.  Sometimes our circumstances are so peaceful that without knowing it we slip into finding our peace in them.  Then something happens to disturb them and our peace is disturbed.  Sometimes those bout us are so dear that our hearts rest in them, and this is good, but it is not enough, for what if one in whose love we trust should disappoint us?
   Our Lord did not say, "These things [the things of John 16] I have spoken unto you that in your circumstances ye might have peace"; but He did say, "These things"--things of wonder, joy, sorrow, preparation--"I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace."  "Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his Lord;...if they have kept My saying they will keep yours also."  Is there any surprise of grief that our dear Lord has not foreseen?  Is there any wound to love that His love has not suffered?  "These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace."

I was amazed at how perfect the devotional was for what I was feeling, especially since I had just prayed that God would bring me some encouraging word about having peace in Him.  I had a much better day because of this.

The thing I think is the coolest, though, is that yesterday when I came to read in "Edges of His Ways" I realized that it's not May anymore; it's June!  And it was then that I realized that I had actually read the excerpt for May 4 the previous day, rather than the one for June 4.  The one for June 4 was actually about patience, which was also a good devotional, but what I really needed for June 4th was the excerpt on peace from May 4th.  It was just amazing how God worked that out so that, even through a mistake like that, I was given the exact word I needed for the day.

    Now bid me run

And I will strive with things impossible,

Yea, get the better of them.

* excerpt taken from "The Edges of His Ways" by Amy Carmichael, page 89