Perfect Love Casts Out Fear: Breaking the Stronghold of Fear in Islam

Hello, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus. Today I want to talk about the most powerful weapon Satan uses against humanity—fear. And I want to show you how this weapon is particularly effective in the Islamic world, but also how God is breaking through that fear in remarkable ways, especially in Iran.

Listen to these powerful words from 1 John 4:18-19: "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us."

[A story of courage - Mohammad Mostafaei]

Let me tell you a story that illustrates the grip of fear in Islam. In 2010, an Iranian lawyer named Mohammad Mostafaei defended an Iranian woman named Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani who had been sentenced to death by stoning for adultery. Her case became an international human rights story.

Mohammad Mostafaei became a marked man—a man who dared to question the wisdom of Sharia law in Iran, supposedly the very heart of Islam. He fled for his life after his wife was imprisoned in Iran's notorious Evin prison because of his choices. Eventually, the family was reunited in Norway.

Can we comprehend the fear that enveloped this family? Can we understand the fear that consumes entire nations under Islamic law?

[The role of fear in false religion]

Reza Safa, a former Muslim who became a Christian, writes: "Fear is the stronghold of any false religion and the very foundation of any demonic cult. If a false religion stands strong, it is because that religion exercises great fear over its adherents. In other words, fear is the life sap of a false religion.

Fear is a darkroom in which Satan develops his negatives. Fear is the strongest weapon Satan has used against mankind. Fear of death is the strongest form of bondage. The purpose of fear is manipulation and control. The person caught in the snare of fear is controlled by the forces of darkness."

Think about the different kinds of fear operating in the Islamic world: Fear of punishment for breaking religious laws. Fear of hell for not praying five times daily or not fasting during Ramadan. Fear of honor killing if you dishonor your family. Fear of death for converting to Christianity. Fear of demons and evil spirits (jinn). Fear of curses. Fear of Allah's wrath.

This fear permeates everything—from daily decisions to family relationships to entire legal systems.

[God's answer - "Do not fear"]

God, in His infinite wisdom and love, knew that fear would be Satan's main weapon of choice against the human race. It is no wonder, then, that the Bible says more than 365 times—one for every day of the year—"Do not fear."

God does not want us to live in fear, to be paralyzed by fear, or to be slaves to sin and Satan because of fear.

Now, the Bible does say to "fear" God. Deuteronomy 10:12 says, "And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul."

But this fear that the Bible speaks of is completely different from the fear Islam produces. The "fear of the Lord" means reverent awe at God's mighty power, respect for His holiness, recognition that walking in His ways is the best way to live, and a healthy understanding that life without God is meaningless and dangerous.

[God is a servant King - not a dictator]

God is not akin to a human dictator. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords—but He is a servant King! All one has to do is look at the life of Jesus, His servanthood, compassion, and willingness to suffer and die for mankind, to see that this fear of God is quite different than the fear that Satan uses to hold the world in his clutch.

Let me give you an example from the Old Testament that shows the compassion of God. Some critics claim the God of the Old Testament is different—harsher—than the God of the New Testament. But look at this:

God was the King of Israel. He brought them out of Egypt and fought their battles through numerous miraculous interventions. Yet during the time of Samuel, the people told God that they no longer wanted Him as their king but wanted a human king instead (1 Samuel 11-12).

Can there be any greater wickedness than to tell the God of the Universe that you don't want Him to be your king? One would think that God would thunder and rage at them.

But the God of love and compassion did not! In fact, God's first response through Samuel was: "Do not be afraid. You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart...For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own" (1 Samuel 12:20-22).

That's our God! Even when rejected, His response is "Do not be afraid. I still love you.”

[Fear as Islam's foundation]

It only takes a quick look at other religions to see that fear is the basis for the hold they have on their followers' lives. This truth is very apparent in Islam.

Reza Safa writes: "Observing the fruits of Islam and the Muslim communities, one will realize that Islam is a force that holds people in the stronghold of fear. From its beginnings to this day, fear of death has been the strategy of Islam in expanding and making converts."

Consider Sura 9:5 of the Quran, which says: "When the sacred months are past, kill those who join other gods wherever you find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them with every kind of ambush; but if they convert and observe prayer and pay the obligatory alms, let them go their way."

That's "convert or die." That's fear as a conversion strategy.

From the time of Hijra, when Muhammad and his followers emigrated from Mecca to Medina in A.D. 622, up to this hour, terror and fear have been the strategy of Islam. The Bible says in Hebrews 2:15 that through fear of death, people are subject to bondage all their lifetime.

By creating terror and death, Islam has been able to control approximately 1.9 billion people around the world. This has been the very strategy of Islam throughout history. Islam holds its followers in the bondage and shackles of fear. They fear Allah, and they fear the devil and demons (jinn) and many women fear men. Islam plunges Muslims into a state of fear where denial of Islam means death and the wrath of Allah.

[Christianity in Iran - where fear is being broken]

But here's the incredible news: God is breaking the power of fear in the Islamic world, and nowhere is this more dramatic than in Iran—the very heart of Shia Islam, the nation that was once Persia in biblical times.

Iran today has approximately 88 million people, almost all of whom are officially Muslim. Christianity is heavily restricted. Converting from Islam is illegal and can result in imprisonment, torture, or death. Church buildings are monitored. Bibles are banned. Pastors are arrested.

And yet—despite all this fear and persecution—Christianity is growing faster in Iran than almost anywhere else in the Muslim world!

According to various estimates from mission organizations and researchers, there may be anywhere from 500,000 to 1 million Iranian Christians today—most of them underground, most of them converts from Islam. Just 40 years ago, at the time of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, there were only about 500 known Muslim-background believers in Iran.

That's exponential growth! From 500 to potentially a million in just four decades, despite intense persecution.

[How God is working in Iran]

How is this happening? God is using multiple strategies to break the power of fear in Iran.

First, dreams and visions. As I've mentioned in previous podcasts, many Iranians are encountering Jesus in dreams. When Jesus appears to them and speaks to them personally, the fear begins to break. They discover a God who is not distant and angry but near and loving.

Second, satellite television. Despite government attempts to jam signals, millions of Iranians watch Christian satellite broadcasts like SAT-7 Pars, which broadcasts in Farsi 24/7. They're hearing the Gospel, seeing the love of Christ demonstrated, and discovering that God is not like Allah—He can be known, He loves them, and He sent His Son to die for them.

Third, the internet and social media. Young Iranians are incredibly tech-savvy and use VPNs to access blocked content. They're watching YouTube videos of testimonies from former Muslims. They're reading the Bible online. They're asking questions in forums and finding answers from Christians.

Fourth, disillusionment with Islam. Four decades of Islamic rule in Iran has produced widespread disillusionment, especially among young people. They've seen the hypocrisy, the oppression, the economic failure, the corruption—all justified in the name of Islam. They're searching for something better, and they're finding Jesus.

Fifth, the witness of Iranian believers. Despite the risks, Iranian Christians are boldly sharing their faith. House churches are multiplying. Believers are making disciples. And when Muslims see the radical difference in Iranian Christians—the joy, the peace, the freedom from fear—they want what they see.

[The demographics of Iranian Christianity]

What's particularly striking is the demographics. The Iranian church is young—the average age is in the 20s and 30s. It's highly educated—many converts are university students and professionals. And it's passionate—these believers are willing to risk everything for Christ. Plus, the majority may be women! 

House churches typically have 10-30 members meeting in homes, constantly changing locations to avoid detection. They worship quietly, share communion, study the Bible together, and pray fervently. When someone is arrested, the church scatters temporarily and then reforms.

Iranian Christian leaders estimate that if persecution were to lift, the visible church could grow to 5-10 million within a decade, because there are so many secret believers who would come out of hiding.

[The cost - persecution continues]

But the cost is real. The Iranian government regularly arrests pastors and church leaders. Evin prison in Tehran—the same prison where Mohammad Mostafaei's wife was held—houses dozens of Christian prisoners at any given time.

Believers face interrogation, psychological torture, long prison sentences, and sometimes execution. Families disown converts. Jobs are lost. Properties are confiscated. Some have been assassinated.

Yet they keep believing. Why? Because perfect love casts out fear. When you encounter the love of Jesus, the fear of death loses its power. As Hebrews 2:14-15 says: "Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death."

[What this means for us]

So what does this mean for us? Several things:

First, pray for Iran! Pray for protection over Iranian believers. Pray for those in prison. Pray for boldness for those sharing the Gospel. Pray for the Iranian government to soften its persecution. Pray for revival to continue and accelerate.

Second, support ministries reaching Iranians. Organizations like SAT-7 Pars, Elam Ministries, Transform Iran, and others are doing effective work reaching Iranians with the Gospel and discipling new believers. Your financial support makes this possible.

Third, befriend Iranian immigrants and refugees. There are Iranians living in Western countries who are far from Islam's grip of fear and more open to the Gospel. Build relationships. Show them the love of Christ. Share your faith.

Fourth, don't fear Muslims—love them! The message of this podcast is that fear is Satan's weapon. Don't let him use it against you. Don't be afraid of Muslims. They're not our enemies—they're captives who need to be set free. Love them and pray for them.

Fifth, share the message that God is love. This is the antidote to fear. 1 John 4:8 says "God is love." This is revolutionary to Muslims! They've never heard that Allah is love. When they discover that the true God loves them personally and passionately, everything changes.

[The Iranian example - hope for the whole Muslim world]

The Iranian example gives us hope for the entire Muslim world. If God can break the power of fear in the Islamic Republic of Iran—one of the most restrictive, oppressive Islamic regimes in the world—He can do it anywhere!

If Christianity can grow exponentially in a country where conversion is illegal and punishable by death, then no Muslim country is too hard for God to reach!

The same thing is happening to varying degrees in Afghanistan, Algeria, Turkey, Central Asia, Indonesia, and other Muslim-majority nations. God is on the move in the Muslim world, breaking the chains of fear and setting captives free through the love of Christ.

[Jesus came to set captives free]

Jesus came to set the captives free. We are to be His hands and feet. We cannot turn and look the other way when it comes to Islam and the grip it has on this world. We must be concerned for Muslims, pray for them, and do what God calls us to do in this eternal battle for souls.

Christians serve a God who is not a god of fear but of love. The world, especially Muslims, needs to know this. Let your heart be broken for Muslims. Do not fear them—love them and pray for them.

[Closing prayer and charge]

Let me pray: 

Thank you for joining me today. Please pray for Iran—one of the greatest revival stories happening in the Muslim world today.

Until next time, remember—keep your eyes on the nations, and love without fear!

Why God Commands Praise: The Purpose of Missions

Hello, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus. Today I want to answer a question that trips up a lot of people—both Christians and non-Christians. Why does God command us to praise Him? Doesn't that make Him sound vain and egotistical? And what does this have to do with missions?

These questions are at the heart of Psalm 117, that shortest chapter in the Bible we looked at before. Let me read it again:

"Praise the LORD, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!"

Today I want to focus on that command: "Praise the LORD, all nations! Extol him, all peoples!" This is God's purpose—that He be praised by all the peoples, that He be made much of, that He be seen and savored and shown to be great. But why? This insight comes from John Piper's sermon "Everlasting Truth for the Joy of All Peoples."

[What is missions? - the definition]

Piper defines missions this way: "Missions is a cross-cultural movement aimed at helping people stop making much of themselves and start making much of their Creator."

Think about that! Missions isn't primarily about helping poor people or building schools or drilling wells—as good as those things are. Missions is about transforming people's hearts so that God is felt to be more praiseworthy than sports stars or military might or artistic achievements or anything else He has made.

Missions is helping people experience God as their Treasure above all earthly treasures forever. To see Him as the Pearl of Great Price. It's a life-and-death struggle to give people eternal life, which consists in knowing and enjoying God forever.

[How missions works - not just commands]

So missionaries don't just say, "Praise the LORD, all nations!" They also explain why. Piper writes: "We give reasons. We explain who He is and what He is like and how He has worked in history and spoken to us in the Bible and in His Son. We give reasons for why praising God is the only safe and satisfying response to God. We make clear: Not to praise is to perish."

This is crucial! We're not just barking commands at people. We're showing them the beauty and greatness of God. We're giving evidence that praising Him is good. We're explaining how Jesus made a way for sinners to approach God and worship Him.

[The objection - doesn't this make God vain?]

But here's the problem many people have. Piper quotes Michael Prowse, writing in the London Financial Times: "Worship is an aspect of religion that I always found difficult to understand. Suppose we postulate an omnipotent being who, for reasons inscrutable to us, decided to create something other than himself. Why should he expect us to worship him? We didn't ask to be created. We know that human tyrants, puffed up with pride, crave adulation and homage. But a morally perfect God would surely have no character defects."

Do you hear the objection? When human leaders demand praise, it's because they're insecure, vain, needy. So doesn't God's command to praise Him suggest He has the same character defect?

[The breakthrough - praise completes our joy]

But what if we have it backwards? Piper asks: "What if we have the need, and the need is to see infinite beauty and enjoy it so much that it spills over in authentic praise? What if admiration really is the highest pleasure and God is the most admirable being in the universe? If that were the case, wouldn't God's demand that we praise Him be a demand for our maximum joy. And do we not call that love?"

This is the breakthrough! God isn't seeking praise because He needs it. He's seeking our praise because we need to give it! He's not trying to fill some deficiency in Himself—He's trying to fill the God-shaped hole in us!

[C.S. Lewis's discovery - praise completes enjoyment]

C.S. Lewis struggled with this same question and made a profound discovery. He writes: "I thought of praise in terms of compliment, approval, or the giving of honor. I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise unless shyness or the fear of boring others is deliberately brought in to check it."

Think about it! When you enjoy something, you naturally praise it. Lovers praise their beloved. Readers praise their favorite books. Sports fans praise their teams. Food lovers praise delicious meals. Hikers praise beautiful mountains. When we experience something wonderful, we can't help but talk about it!

Lewis continues: "I had not noticed either that just as men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it: 'Isn't she lovely? Wasn't it glorious? Don't you think that magnificent?'"

When we love something, we don't just praise it—we want others to praise it too! We want them to experience the same joy we're experiencing. That's exactly what the Psalmists are doing when they tell everyone to praise God!

[The key insight - praise completes enjoyment]

Then Lewis says something brilliant: "I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation."

Did you catch that? Praise doesn't just express our enjoyment—it completes it! You haven't fully enjoyed something until you've praised it, until you've shared it, until you've celebrated it with others.

[Why God seeks our praise - for our happiness]

So here's the answer to our question: Why does God command us to praise Him? Piper writes: "The reason God seeks our praise is not because He won't be complete until He gets it. He is seeking our praise because we won't be happy until we give it."

God is complete in Himself. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have enjoyed perfect love and joy and glory from all eternity. God doesn't need anything from us. But we desperately need to praise Him because that's what we were created for! We'll never be fully happy, fully satisfied, fully complete until we're praising the One who is infinitely praiseworthy.

Psalm 147:1 says, "Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant." Praising God is good for us. It's pleasant. It brings us joy!

[Missions is love, not arrogance]

Piper writes: "Therefore when we say that missions is the cross-cultural effort to help the peoples praise God, we mean that missions is love not arrogance."

We're calling the world to do what they were created to do—to enjoy making much of God forever. If missions doesn't reach a people with the Gospel, God will be dishonored and the people will be miserable forever.

[Two motives that are really one]

Piper concludes: "Therefore we are driven by two motives (which turn out to be one): the glory of God, and the good of man. They are one because praise to God is the consummation of pleasure in God."

We care about missions because we want God to be glorified—praised by all nations. But we also care about missions because we want people to be happy—truly, deeply, eternally happy. And those two things are the same! People are most happy when they're praising God. God is most glorified when people are most satisfied in Him.

[Practical application - worship and witness]

So what does this mean practically? First, examine your own heart. Are you praising God? Not out of duty, but out of delight? If you're not enjoying God, you won't be effective in calling others to enjoy Him. Missionaries can't export what they don't possess.

Second, understand that worship is the fuel and goal of missions. We worship, and that worship overflows into mission. We go on mission so that others can join us in worship. John Piper famously said, "Missions exists because worship doesn't. Worship is ultimate, not missions."

Third, when you share the Gospel, don't just give commands. Give reasons! Show people who God is. Explain what He's like. Tell them what He's done in history and in your life. Help them see that God is beautiful, glorious, worthy of praise. Make them hungry to know Him!

[Closing challenge]

As we close, let me challenge you: God is calling all nations, all peoples to praise Him. Not because He's a cosmic egotist, but because He's an infinitely loving Father who knows that we'll never be happy until we're praising the One we were created to praise.

So praise Him yourself! And then, like those Alpine shepherds we talked about, call out to others: "Praise the LORD! For it is good! For it is pleasant!" Invite them to experience the joy you've found. That's what missions is—love in action, calling the world to the happiness found only in making much of God.

Let me pray: 

Thank you for joining me today. Until next time, remember—keep your eyes on the nations and help them discover the joy of praising God!

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Streams in the Desert - God Knows

Your heavenly Father knows (Matthew 6:32).

A visitor at a school for the deaf and dumb was writing questions on the blackboard for the children. By and by he wrote this sentence: "Why has God made me to hear and speak, and made you deaf and dumb?"

The awful sentence fell upon the little ones like a fierce blow in the face. They sat palsied before that dreadful "Why?" And then a little girl arose.

Her lip was trembling. Her eyes were swimming with tears. Straight to the board she walked, and, picking up the crayon, wrote with firm hand these precious words: "Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight!" (Matthew 11:26)

What a reply! It reaches up and lays hold of an eternal truth upon which the maturest believer as well as the youngest child of God may alike securely rest -- the truth that God is your Father.

Do you mean that? Do you really and fully believe that? When you do, then your dove of faith will no longer wander in weary unrest, but will settle down forever in its eternal resting place of peace. "Your Father!"

I can still believe that a day comes for all of us, however far off it may be, when we shall understand; when these tragedies, that now blacken and darken the very air of heaven for us, will sink into their places in a scheme so august, so magnificent, so joyful, that we shall laugh for wonder and delight.

--Arthur Christopher Bacon

No chance hath brought this ill to me;

'Tis God's own hand, so let it be,

He seeth what I cannot see.

There is a need-be for each pain,

And He one day will make it plain

That earthly loss is heavenly gain.

Like as a piece of tapestry

Viewed from the back appears to be

Naught but threads tangled hopelessly;

But in the front a picture fair

Rewards the worker for his care,

Proving his skill and patience rare.

Thou art the Workman, I the frame.

Lord, for the glory of Thy Name,

Perfect Thine image on the same.

--Selected

Taken from Streams in the Desert devotional 

Streams in the Desert - When God is Silent

He answered her not a word (Matthew 15:23).

He will be silent in his love (Zephaniah 3:17).

It may be a child of God is reading these words who has had some great crushing sorrow, some bitter disappointment, some heart-breaking blow from a totally unexpected quarter. You are longing for your Master's voice bidding you "Be of good cheer," but only silence and a sense of mystery and misery meet you --"He answered her not a word."

God's tender heart must often ache listening to all the sad, complaining cries which arise from our weak, impatient hearts, because we do not see that for our own sakes He answers not at all or otherwise than seems best to our tear-blinded, short-sighted eyes. The silences of Jesus are as eloquent as His speech and may be a sign, not of His disapproval, but of His approval and of a deep purpose of blessing for you.

"Why art thou cast down, O… soul?" Thou shalt yet praise Him, yes, even for His silence. Listen to an old and beautiful story of how one Christian dreamed that she saw three others at prayer. As they knelt the Master drew near to them.

As He approached the first of the three, He bent over her in tenderness and grace, with smiles full of radiant love and spoke to her in accents of purest, sweetest music. Leaving her, He came to the next, but only placed His hand upon her bowed bead, and gave her one look of loving approval. The third woman He passed almost abruptly without stopping for a word or glance.

The woman in her dream said to herself, "How greatly He must love the first one, to the second He gave His approval, but none of the special demonstrations of love He gave the first; and the third must have grieved Him deeply, for He gave her no word at all and not even a passing look.

"I wonder what she has done, and why He made so much difference between them?" As she tried to account for the action of her Lord, He Himself stood by her and said: "O woman! how wrongly hast thou interpreted Me. The first kneeling woman needs all the weight of My tenderness and care to keep her feet in My narrow way. She needs My love, thought and help every moment of the day. Without it she would fail and fall.

"The second has stronger faith and deeper love, and I can trust her to trust Me however things may go and whatever people do. 

The third, whom I seemed not to notice, and even to neglect, has faith and love of the finest quality, and her I am training by quick and drastic processes for the highest and holiest service.
"She knows Me so intimately, and trusts Me so utterly, that she is independent of words or looks or any outward intimation of My approval. She is not dismayed nor discouraged by any circumstances through which I arrange that she shall pass; she trusts Me when sense and reason and every finer instinct of the natural heart would rebel;--because she knows that I am working in her for eternity, and that what I do, though she knows not the explanation now, she will understand hereafter.

"I am silent in My love because I love beyond the power of words to express, or of human hearts to understand, and also for your sakes that you may learn to love and trust Me in Spirit-taught, spontaneous response to My love, without the spur of anything outward to call it forth."

He "will do marvels" if you will learn the mystery of His silence, and praise Him, for every time He withdraws His gifts that you may better know and love the Giver.
--Selected

From Streams in the Desert devotional 

Streams in the Desert - Comfort from the Lord

Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me (Psalms 23:4).

At my father's house in the country there is a little closet in the chimney corner where are kept the canes and walking-sticks of several generations of our family. In my visits to the old house, when my father and I are going out for a walk, we often go to the cane closet, and pick out our sticks to suit the fancy of the occasion. In this I have frequently been reminded that the, Word of God is a staff.

During the war, when the season of discouragement and impending danger was upon us, the verse, "He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord," was a staff to walk with many dark days.

When death took away our child and left us almost heartbroken, I found another staff in the promise that "weeping may endure for the night, but joy cometh in the morning."

When in impaired health, I was exiled for a year, not knowing whether I should be permitted to return to my home and work again, I took with me this staff which never failed, "He knoweth the thoughts that he thinketh toward me, thoughts of peace and not of evil."

In times of special danger or doubt, when human judgment has seemed to be set at naught, I have found it easy to go forward with this staff, "In quietness and confidence shall be your strength." 

And in emergencies, when there has seemed to be no adequate time for deliberation or for action, I have never found that this staff has failed me, "He that believeth shall not make haste."
--Benjamin Vaughan Abbott, in The Outlook

"I had never known," said Martin Luther's wife, "what such and such things meant, in such and such psalms, such complaints and workings of spirit; I had never understood the practice of Christian duties, had not God brought me under some affliction."

It is very true that God's rod is as the schoolmaster's pointer to the child, pointing out the letter, that he may the better take notice of it; thus He pointeth out to us many good lessons which we should never otherwise have learned.
--Selected

"God always sends His staff with His rod."
"Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be" (Deut.33:25).

Each of us may be sure that if God sends us on stony paths He will provide us with strong shoes, and He will not send us out on any journey for which He does not equip us well.
--Mclaren

from Streams in the Desert devotional 

Streams in the Desert - Why, O Lord?

Why standest thou afar off, O Lord? (Psalms 10:1)

God is "a very present help in trouble." But He permits trouble to pursue us, as though He were indifferent to its overwhelming pressure, that we may be brought to the end of ourselves, and led to discover the treasure of darkness, the unmeasurable gains of tribulation.

We may be sure that He who permits the suffering is with us in it. It may be that we shall see Him only when the trial is passing; but we must dare to believe that He never leaves the crucible. Our eyes are holden; and we cannot behold Him whom our soul loveth. It is dark--the bandages blind us so that we cannot see the form of our High Priest; but He is there, deeply touched. Let us not rely on feeling, but on faith in His unswerving fidelity; and though we see Him not, let us talk to Him. Directly we begin to speak to Jesus, as being literally present, though His presence is veiled, there comes an answering voice which shows that He is in the shadow, keeping watch upon His own. Your Father is as near when you journey through the dark tunnel as when under the open heaven!
--Daily Devotional Commentary

What though the path be all unknown?
What though the way be drear?
Its shades I traverse not alone
When steps of Thine are near.


From Streams in the Desert devotional 

Streams in the Desert - The Living God

O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee? (Daniel 6:20).

How many times we find this expression in the Scriptures, and yet it is just this very thing that we are so prone to lose sight of. We know it is written "the living God"; but in our daily life there is scarcely anything we practically so much lose sight of as the fact that God is the living God; that He is now whatever He was three or four thousand years since; that He has the same sovereign power, the same saving love towards those who love and serve Him as ever He had and that He will do for them now what He did for others two, three, four thousand years ago, simply because He is the living God, the unchanging One. Oh, how therefore we should confide in Him, and in our darkest moments never lose sight of the fact that He is still and ever will be the living God!

Be assured, if you walk with Him and look to Him and expect help from Him, He will never fail you. An older brother who has known the Lord for forty-four years, who writes this, says to you for your encouragement that He has never failed him. In the greatest difficulties, in the heaviest trials, in the deepest poverty and necessities, He has never failed me; but because I was enabled by His grace to trust Him He has always appeared for my help. I delight in speaking well of His name. --George Mueller

Luther was once found at a moment of peril and fear, when he had need to grasp unseen strength, sitting in an abstracted mood tracing on the table with his finger the words, "Vivit! vivit!" ("He lives! He lives!"). It is our hope for ourselves, and for His truth, and for mankind. Men come and go; leaders, teachers, thinkers speak and work for a season, and then fall silent and impotent. He abides. They die, but He lives. They are lights kindled, and, therefore, sooner or later quenched; but He is the true light from which they draw all their brightness, and He shines for evermore. --Alexander Maclaren

"One day I came to know Dr. John Douglas Adam," writes C. G. Trumbull. "I learned from him that what he counted his greatest spiritual asset was his unvarying consciousness of the actual presence of Jesus. Nothing bore him up so, he said, as the realization that Jesus was always with him in actual presence; and that this was so independent of his own feelings, dependent of his deserts, and independent of his own notions as to how Jesus would manifest His presence.

"Moreover, he said that Christ was the home of his thoughts. Whenever his mind was free from other matters it would turn to Christ; and he would talk aloud to Christ when he was alone -- on the street, anywhere -- as easily and naturally as to a human friend. So real to him was Jesus' actual presence.

God, not man - Hosea 11:9

 "For I am God, and not man" Hosea 11:9

The longsuffering, forgiveness, and compassion of the Lord toward His people seems unbelievable until we recognize that He is not man, but God. His love and forgiveness are of a different order. Charles Spurgeon observed that there are many differences between God and man in the matter of forgiveness.

· Man cannot hold back his anger very long.

· Man cannot bear with others when he is tired, stressed, or annoyed.

· Man will not reconcile if the person who offended him is a person of bad character.

· Man is often only willing to be reconciled if the offending party craves forgiveness and makes the first move.

· Man is often only willing to be reconciled if the offending party will never again do the wrong.

· Man, when he does reconcile, does not lift the former offender to place of high status and partnership.

· Man, when he is wronged, does not bear all the penalty for the wrong done.

· Man, when he attempts reconciliation, will not continue if he is rejected.

· Man will not restore an offender without a period of probation

· Man will not love, adopt, honor, and associate with one who has wronged him.

· Man will not trust someone who has formerly wronged them.

What passes for forgiveness among men is nothing like the amazing forgiveness of God. “Suppose that someone had grievously offended any one of you, and that he asked your forgiveness, do you not think that you would probably say to him, ‘Well, yes, I forgive you; but I – I – I – cannot forget it’? Ah! dear friends, that is a sort of forgiveness with one leg chopped off, it is a lame forgiveness, and is not worth much” (Spurgeon).