We Will Have Trials

While we can’t predict the future, we can know as long as we live in this world, we will have trials. I’ve traveled through many difficult times so far, and I expect I’ll travel more difficult days. Here’s some good news: I’ve discovered Jesus provides streams of refreshing water in the midst of our desert journeys. Sometimes these streams come in the most unusual ways. Today, I have a surprise. I hope you’ll read to the end. 

There are shelves of books in my writer’s room. Many I’ve read, many I haven’t. Some I’ve read partially and some I’ve read more than once. To my surprise, with so many books to read, the LORD leads me to a handful of books repeatedly with great purpose:  to help me navigate through my life with more understanding, knowledge, wisdom, and insight. Streams in the Desert falls into this category of books.

For years God has used a particular strategy with me when He really wants me to pay attention to something. He provides the message to me three times from different sources in a very short timeframe.

Sometimes it’s been a particular Scripture or sermon topic. Sometimes it’s a direction He wants me to go, and He confirms through three different people. Sometimes, it’s the name of someone He wants me to know about.

For example, earlier this year Andrew Murray, a South African Dutch Reformed Church minister, theologian, evangelist, and mission organizer, was presented to me three times in one week from three unrelated sources I was reading. I had never heard of him before. Now, I have, and I know God wants me to read his works.

When this three-time strategy started happening to me back in 2002, I didn’t notice the trend at first. But over time, it became so obvious God wanted my attention that when something came to me two times, I’d make note of it. Then I’d wait expectantly for the third presentation. 

Always, the third time comes.

So it was with Streams in the Desert.

A Blue Book

I’ll never forget the day or the challenging season. My husband had been diagnosed with Amyloidosis, an incurable blood disorder. 

With three children between ages of 12-18, a recent job change, working on my bachelor’s degree, and now a sick husband with a life-threatening illness, my life was spinning like fallen leaves caught in a whirlwind.

To top it off, about 10 days before my husband was to undergo a stem cell transplant at Mayo Clinic, his father passed away. 

To say a storm was brewing is an understatement. 

After a week of major testing at Mayo to make sure my husband was healthy enough to even have a stem cell transplant, he was. Then the doctor gave him permission to come home for a couple of days before starting the 100-day journey of stem cell transplant and all that entailed.

Exhausted, I still went to work on one of the days home.

When I arrived at work, there was just one other person in the office: Sarah. In modern Hebrew, Sarah means, “woman minister.” She is, and she was on this particular morning.

Sauntering in and setting my belongings down, I must have looked horrible because Sarah came out of her office and greeted me. Clearly, she noticed my appearance because she asked me some questions. 

I shared with her I felt more than just exhausted. I felt distraught, discouraged, and unable to carry the burden I was now given to carry. I was more than weighed down, I felt squashed. I didn’t understand why all these trials had to happen to me at once. 

I remember sharing with her that it seemed like God never just let one little trial at a time in my life. Nope. He’d let them pour down on me like hurricane rain.

After a few minutes of conversation, she led me into her office where she pulled a blue book off her shelf. She asked me if I had ever read this book before. I hadn’t. She highly recommended I read it. She felt strongly this book would help me understand the trials I was facing. 

I wasn’t going to take her copy even though she offered it to me. I thanked her for sharing the information and moved on with my day.

After work, my husband picked me up from work, and we ran a couple of errands before heading home. He wanted to buy a book to read while he would be in the hospital, so we headed to a nearby bookstore. 

I love books. I especially like hardcover books. While my husband looked for a book he wanted to read, I looked for the book Sarah showed me nine hours earlier. My mind was full of so many tasks and things to organize that I could not remember the name of the book. I only remembered it was blue.

Can you believe I found it? One copy was tucked between two larger books. I pulled it from the shelf, paged through it, and told my husband this was the book Sarah recommended. It was hardcover too. 🙂

With all the financial obligations ahead of us, I knew I should not spend money on a book for me. I put it back on the shelf.

After stopping at a couple more places before heading home, we pulled into our driveway. My husband loaded up his arms with things from the car while I walked down the driveway to get our mail. 

Inside the mailbox lay a box. I called out to my husband and asked him if he had ordered something from Amazon. He shook his head no. I shrugged my shoulders as if saying, “Neither did I.”

Once inside the house, I grabbed the scissors and started opening the box. It definitely had my name on the address, but I did not remember ordering anything. Then again, my mind was in a whirlwind, so I thought maybe I’d forgotten I ordered something. Surprises are always fun. I wondered what it could be.

A blue, hardcover book lay inside.

Three times in the same day Streams in the Desert was brought to my attention. The last time, God made sure I had my own copy. 

My sweet sister-in-law Brittany gifted me with Streams in the Desert. She lived in CA. We live in MN. Brittany was a strong Christ-following woman. Like Sarah, Brittany was a “woman minister.” Brittany felt I needed this book during this difficult season of life.

Looking up toward heaven, I laughed and said, “You obviously want me to read this book!”

That evening, I read the dedication and the introduction to the book. Because the editor suggested reading the February 19 devotional to see how providential it was to his personal life at the time he was assigned to be the editor, I had to read that also.

It was providential for my life too. 

Have you ever questioned God about the trials in your life? What’s their purpose? 

“How come, God? Why me? Again God, really? How am I going to handle all this, God?”

If you have, then you and I are alike, and I believe you may want to get a copy of this incredible devotional book too. 

Giveaway

God has used Streams in the Desert in my life in a profound way. I’m constantly recommending it. In fact, I’ve given this book as gifts to many people over the last decade.

This 366 Daily Devotional written by L. B. Cowman and edited by Jim Reimann helps show God’s faithfulness even in the trenches of life’s sorrows. The devotions help bring truth to a downcast soul and rich understanding why we face trials in this life.

Jesus keeps leading me to read this blue book. To date, I’ve read it at least six times through. This should tell you I keep having trials in my life to navigate. This blue book has been a major companion with my Bible. Both are marked and flagged!

With all the challenging times we’ve had in 2020, it only seems fitting that once again I gift this amazing book. With prayerful consideration, I’m excited to announce, I will give away three copies of Streams in the Desert. Of course, you can always purchase the book. I’ve linked to it many times in this blog to make it easy to find it. This is an amazing book that has helped me tremendously.

To enter this giveaway, all you need to do is subscribe to my mailing list before July 1, 2020. I will do a random drawing on July 1. If you want to help someone win this, encourage them to subscribe to my mailing list too. I’d love to encouraged as many people as possible in faith, purpose, and perseverance.

Friends, as long as we travel this world, we will have trials. But I want you to know there is purpose in our trials and always there are streams in the desert.

“Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.”

~ Isaiah 35:6 (NIV)