{"id":36111,"date":"2023-12-29T03:30:23","date_gmt":"2023-12-29T11:30:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=36111"},"modified":"2023-12-17T16:51:12","modified_gmt":"2023-12-18T00:51:12","slug":"december-29-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2023\/12\/29\/december-29-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"December 29, 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Shifting Expectations<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/em>“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.\u00a0When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.\u00a0When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.\u00a0For I am the Lord your God.”<\/em> Isaiah 43:1-3<\/p>\n

It can be hard to find our sense of peace and happiness with so much happening in our world these days.\u00a0It’s so unsettling and grievous.<\/p>\n

I read about a young woman who had been crippled with polio from a young age.\u00a0She said that, in her experience, she had found suffering and pain to be great character builders. Suffering isn’t good in itself, but it helps us shift our expectation of happiness from without to searching for it from within.<\/p>\n

That has definitely been my experience in the trials of recent years.\u00a0My sense of peace, stability, and happiness has come from within\u2014from my personal walk with the Lord.\u00a0The path of trust and obedience kept me centered and at peace.\u00a0Time and time again, when something new was “thrown” at me, I immediately went to the Lord.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, it meant offering up a silent prayer while I sat in the doctor’s office.\u00a0Other times, it meant sitting with tears pouring down my face as I cried out to the Lord.\u00a0Often, it meant sitting by Floyd’s bed and praying “with” him as I spoke out our needs. Many times, it meant doing my “deck walking” as I sang and prayed everything out to the Lord.\u00a0And, of course, I asked for the prayers of others. The “outward” circumstances were crushing, but God met me repeatedly in my “inner” being.\u00a0How good and faithful He’s been.<\/p>\n

Peace, stability, and happiness aren’t found by pursuing them.\u00a0They are found by pursuing an ever-closer-and-closer walk with the Lord.\u00a0He gives peace and happiness that no person or thing can give.<\/p>\n

I have walked through some waters, passed through rivers, and been in flames all around me, but God has led me, protected me, and covered me with His peace.\u00a0In the midst of many, many hard things, my heart has been filled with joy, with happiness even, because of His love and grace.\u00a0There aren’t even enough words to express how thankful I am!<\/p>\n

Father, our lives are lived in You. You have always kept Your promises to us. It is especially noticeable when we are walking through floods and flames. Thank You for Your great love for us. We need not fear the future when we walk with You. In Jesus\u2019 name, Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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