Nothing gives more pleasure than disappointment turned to hope.
It’s like the budding of a flower, petals which were shrunken in withdrawal, unraveling and stretching in beaming beatification.
There is no blush — Just a brave display of approval by Him; the face-lightener, joy bringer, chin-lifting Christ.
The Prize seen, we mirror Him –- reflection as in still water.
Jacob looks upon his once dead son; he is alive, he is alive! Peter looks upon the once dead Christ; He too is alive.
The countenance of the two is shining, a fire is lit.
A narrow.
Many yearn, they’re disenchanted. Others set their hearts on things, to
Disparagement. The world is cruel toward certain dreams. Why?
There is no furtherance, no continuance, no story-end.
But, there is more to come, my friends; it is too early to quit.
Here is the mistake, the hardening center, the darkening of mind.
Here is the alienation from God –the impasse.
Doors slam shut, time stands up a warning hand – a fire wall, a mountain.
Chagrined, we say, “Oh, Oh, my.” Baffled, we retort,
“Impossible!”
Opened eyes
We must think more, there is more to think on — A big view, a larger picture. Thomas was not with the others when Jesus came. “Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
The need for tangible evidence — this attitude lies behind world crisis; then eight days pass.
A person emerges who walks through walls; there are nail-prints in His hands. He beckons, O Thomas doubter, touch my side.
Scales fall off the eyes. Belief dawns, “I once was blind, but I see, I see.”
“My Lord and my God!” (leaping).
“Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” Jesus seriously teaches.
Thomas needed evidence, he got it.
A CBN report
“Fatima Devanbeigi was curious about God. She had questions. But she could not ask them openly… “On the inside, I felt like there was a huge rock hanging in my heart. It was real, and it was painful. It was like something that would draw me down and wouldn’t let me live. There was no hope in it. And there was no hope for the future,”
Questionings
“At a very young age, I started questioning whether there was a God or not. I would spend hours and hours thinking, ‘What would God look like? Where would He be?’ Fatima wanted to know God herself. “I remember every day, I would cry and cry, and ask God to show me Himself. I would look at the sun. Are you the sun? Where am I supposed to look?” she would ask.
The Dream
“Fatima’s interest to know the one true God led her to Him. One day she saw Jesus in a dream walking with her. “And He said, ‘Then follow me.’ … She wanted to have the same joy and peace that he experienced. She was invited to Church as she accepted Jesus as her Savior.”
Hope
“That night, the Lord just took his hand in my heart and took that rock out permanently. The one significant thing that Christ did for me was He put hope in my heart. A permanent hope,” she says. Fatima’s mother, brother, and two sisters have also accepted Jesus.”
Friends, don’t go just half way, there is much more yet to come. God visited a girl in Iran with a dream. He will surely visit you. Practice His presence, and He will take you beyond disappointment.
Love Ya