Unvented Words

A walking tree once walked;

It came across a man,

But continued to walk,

Without even stopping by

It walked and walked

Passed the same road

Again and again

Without hesitation

The girl remained

As quiet as she is

Curiousity was stirred

So the tree asks:

"Why so quiet my dear?

Why even the littlest noise

What our puny ears can hear

Cannot harken your voice?"

For a moment,

she was hesitant;

But still she uttered

not a single word

As tears began to fall

The tree decided to stay-

Though that is all

there is to say

-Janna Sevilla

Trials

But then sometimes God does this to prepare us for something. It is a rule of the Scriptures, and a rule which is confirmed by and exemplified in the long history of the Church and her saints, that when God has a particularly great task for a man to perform, He generally does try him. I care not which biography you pick up, you may take the life of any man who has been signally used by God and you will find that there has been a severe time of testing and of trial in his experience. It is as if God would not dare to use such a man unless He could be certain and sure of him. So one may have to pass through this kind of experience because of some great task ahead.

Look at Joseph, and at the things that happened to him. Can you imagine a more dismal kind of life? Everybody seemed to be against him. His own brethren were jealous of him and got rid of him. He was taken to Egypt and there people turned against him. He had done nothing wrong but because he was what he was things went against him. But in all this God was only preparing the man for the great position that He had in store for him. And it is the same with all the great men of the Bible.

- D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Trials, Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure

Praying with the Right Motive

"And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure." -James 4:3, NLT

It is clear from God's view (or Word) that He delights in giving His children blessings, but it is also clear that He is not a genie who will grant our every wish. We may pray, "God, please give me that promotion at work," not so we can have a more strategic position in which to witness for Christ, but because we want more power and prestige. We may pray, "Lord, help this deal to go through," not because we think it will glorify God, but because it will bring us lots of money to spend on our pleasures.

-Falling in Love with Prayer by Mike Macintosh