Seeing Beyond the Fog — Resting in God When Circumstances are Difficult

History is so full of stories that choosing which one to write about can be a difficult assignment. One of my favourite ways to find subjects for my articles is by asking others which stories have inspired them. It’s even better when they share why!

I’ve asked Kaitlyn if she would share a story that has impacted her recently. The story she chose is one that I hadn’t previously known, but, in the short time that has passed since Kaitlyn first shared it with me, it has become both a challenge and a blessing in my life. 

Now, I’m super excited to have her share this story and the lessons she has learned from it with you!

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The captain paced back and forth on the ship’s deck. All around him swirled a dense fog. For twenty-two hours, he had not left the bridge. The fowl weather was making sailing perilous and the safety of his crew and passengers was weighing heavily on his mind.

A tap on his shoulder made him jump. 

“Captain,” said the man, whose name was George Muller, “I have come to tell you that I must be in Quebec on Saturday afternoon.”

“It is impossible,” said the captain, looking again at the dense fog that was surrounding his ship.

“Very well,” replied George Muller. “If your ship can't take me God will find some other means of locomotion to take me. I have never broken an engagement in fifty-seven years.”

“I would willingly help you,” said the captain. “But how can I? I am helpless.”

“Let us go down to the chart room and pray,” said George Muller turning to lead the way.

The captain stood staring after him. What lunatic asylum could the man have come from? I never heard of such a thing.

Following behind, the captain called, “Mr. Muller, do you know how dense this fog is?”

“No,” he replied, “my eye is not on the density of the fog, but on the living God, who controls every circumstance of my life.”

Once inside, the captain followed George’s example and knelt. 

“O Lord,” George Muller prayed, “if it is consistent with Thy will, please remove this fog in five minutes. You know the engagement You made for me in Quebec for Saturday. I believe it is Your will.” 

The captain shifted uncomfortably. That prayer would suit a children's class, where the children were not more than eight or nine years of age, but it seems rather foolish coming from a grown man.

Clearing his throat, the captain began to pray but George Muller put his hand on his shoulder and shook his head.

“First,” he said, “you do not believe God will do it; and, second, I believe He has done it. And there is no need whatever for you to pray about it. 

“Captain, I have known my Lord for fifty-seven years and there has never been a single day that I have failed to gain an audience with the King. Get up, Captain, and open the door, you will find the fog is gone.”  

Getting up, the captain opened the door. Just as George had said, the fog was gone! 

On Saturday afternoon George Muller was in Quebec.

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Do you have the kind of faith George Muller had? A stubborn faith? A faith that is fixed on God regardless of circumstances?

Psalm xlvi.10a says, “Be still, and know that I am God;”

When I read this passage I often think of a physical position of stillness. But this passage seems to be getting at a position of the heart. We are called as Christians to have a quiet heart, a heart that is at rest. 

How can we keep a quiet heart in the midst of the chaos of our world? 

We must know who our God is. When we know our God - His heart, His power, His love -  no matter what is going on around us we can be still.

George Muller lived this out. In the middle of thick fog and raging waves, it would have been so easy to give way to frustration or worry. Instead, his heart was at rest in his God. He knew who his God was. He knew that God had ultimate control over every situation and so, his heart was at rest.

Psalm xcl.1 says, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”

The Greek word translated ‘abide’ in this passage conveys the idea of stubbornness and obstinacy. We are to obstinately abide under the shadow - the protection of our God - no matter what circumstances come our way. Nothing should move us from that position of abiding, of trust in God.

Do you have that? 

I know that all too often, I don’t. Circumstances easily overwhelm me and rob me of faith. I’m so quick to forget how great my God is.

All too often the circumstances of my life set my heart ablaze with worry. But our call as believers is to have the child-like trust of George Muller that says, in every circumstance, “my eye is not on the density of the fog- the horrible situation I am facing - but on the living God, who controls every circumstance of my life.”

In Christ 

Kaitlyn

As a child, Kaitlyn Donihue loved writing and dreamed of becoming an author one day. Later, she gave her life radically to the Lord and began to use her pen to encourage other believers to know and serve Him. Although she writes about a variety of things, she especially loves writing to those who, like herself, experienced the pain of an absent father and encouraging them to find hope and healing in Jesus. To find more of her writing, go to www.simplydevoted.org and subscribe! 

The Surest Thing - What C.T. Studd Built His Life Upon

It is easy to read Christian biographies and feel inspired. To look up to men and women of faith and admire their willingness to take God at His word. But then what? What do we do with that inspiration, that admiration? 

Written Lives is devoted to sharing the stories of history- the stories of those who lived and learned before us. But as you read these stories, I'd encourage you to ask yourself if they just entertain you, or if they challenge and change you? Do you merely admire your heroes, or do you want to become like them?

In today’s post, Katie is sharing the story of a man’s incredible faith and practical obedience and she has done a great job of bringing it to application. So, I want to challenge you, as you read this article, look for application as well as inspiration.

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“One of these days some simple soul will pick up the book of God, read it, and believe it. Then the rest of us will be embarrassed.” - Leonard Ravenhill

C.T. Studd was one such simple soul. 

“By his father’s will he was to inherit a large sum of money at the age of twenty-five, and the simple reading of the Scriptures had led him to definite and far-reaching conclusions on the matter. The words of Christ, ‘Sell your possessions, and give to the needy’ (Luke xii.33), and ‘Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth’ (Matt. vi.19); the example of the early church at Pentecost, of whom it says, ‘They were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need’ (Acts ii.45); and finally the story of the rich young man to whom Jesus said, ‘You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me’ (Mark x.21), seemed to him to be as equally binding on himself as a present-day disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ as on those whom they were spoken. Therefore, in the light of God’s Word, he decided to give his entire fortune to Christ.” (Norman Grubb, C.T. Studd - Cricketer & Pioneer, p 67)

“This was no fool’s plunge on his part. It was his public testimony before God and man that he believed God’s Word to be the surest thing on earth and that the hundredfold interest which God has promised in this life, not to speak of the next, is an actual reality for those who believe it and act on it.” (p 69) 

He Believed God’s Word 

Do you hold God’s word in such high regard? Do you believe that every word written in the Bible is reliable, trustworthy, and true? 

We often refer to Christians as “believers” - people who believe the Word of God. But how often, when faced with passages like those mentioned above, do we esteem the word of God as true, without actually living like it is? 

C.T. did not merely believe God’s word was good or true. He believed that the Bible was the very words of Jesus Christ, and therefore actual reality that he could build his life upon.

Because he believed God’s word, Studd gave away his entire inheritance with the exception of just three thousand and four hundred pounds. This he gave  to his new wife in obedience to 1 Timothy v.8 which says, “If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

However, Studd’s wife was also a believer in the Word of God. 

“She, not to be outdone, said, ‘Charlie, what did the Lord tell the rich young man to do?’ ‘Sell all.’ ‘Well then, we will start clear with the Lord at our wedding.’” (p 70) 

For she regarded “heaven as the safest bank, and moreover [thought] it is so handy; you have no trouble about checks or rates of exchange, but just ‘Ask and receive, that your joy may be full.’” (p 71) 

In a letter to General Booth of the Salvation Army, C.T. Studd wrote, “Henceforth our bank is in heaven … And this step has been taken not without most definite reference to God’s Word, and the command of the Lord Jesus, who said, ‘Sell that ye have and give alms. Make for yourselves purses which wax not old.’ And He also said, ‘If ye love Me, keep My commandments.’ And again, ‘He that saith I know Him and kept not His commandments is a LIAR.’” (p 70)

What Would You Have Done?

After giving away his entire inheritance, C.T. set out for China as a missionary. He had no money of his own and no one knew of his need except the Lord. 

So what happened? Did C.T. Studd and his wife get to China and have to take out a loan? Did they have to beg and borrow from friends, or return to England early?

Or was God faithful to them?  

Since you’re reading his story you can probably guess the answer - God was faithful. 

But for just a minute, imagine you are in C.T. Studd’s place - young, about to inherit a fortune, called by God to go to China and preach the gospel. You read the same scriptures he read and can’t deny their clear teaching - give away your riches and trust God to provide. 

What would you do? 

Would you simply believe God’s word where it says ‘give and you shall receive’? Would you humbly obey it, putting your trust in Jesus Christ alone? 

Or would you keep your inheritance, reasoning that it is God’s means of sending you to China? After all, isn’t it irresponsible to move to a foreign country empty handed? Isn’t it foolish to presume that God will supply every future need if you give away His present blessing? 

It’s easy to look at the lives of missionaries and rejoice that God provided for them. But do you realize that C.T. Studd had the same God and the same Bible as you do? 

The One who commanded Studd to give away his inheritance, trust only and fully in Jesus Christ, and seek first His Kingdom, is the same God who has commanded you to lay down all idols, trust only and fully in Him, and seek first His Kingdom. 

The One who promised to abundantly provide all that C.T. Studd needed for life and godliness, is the same God who has promised to be faithful to you if you simply trust His word and obey Him. 

He hasn’t changed.

Yes, it is irresponsible and foolish to this world. But “the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Corinthians i.25) 

God is Always Faithful and True to His Promise 

Everything about C.T. Studd’s life was absolutely impossible by earthly standards. He started his family in the middle of China with no salary and no support. He preached the gospel in the middle of Africa when doctors said he should be dead due to the numerous diseases he had contracted. Studd defied earthly impossibilities because he built his life upon one simple fact - God cannot lie. 

If God cannot lie, and if the Bible is God’s word, then it only makes sense that every word of scripture is absolutely true. 

Including Jesus words, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.” (Mark x:29-30)

Because he believed the word of God to be true and the Lord Jesus Christ to be faithful, C.T. experienced that “hundredfold interest” which God has promised to those who believe His word and act on it. 

Over and over again, Studd experienced God’s miraculous provision for his family. On one occasion he wrote, 

“My own family knew nothing of our circumstances, only that we were in the heart of China. The last of our supplies was finished, and there was no apparent hope of supplies of any kind coming from any human source. … We had looked facts in the face. If the return of the postman brought no relief, starvation stared us in the face. We decided to have a night of prayer. We got on our knees for that purpose. I think we must have stayed there twenty minutes before we rose again. We had told God everything that we had to say in those twenty minutes. Our hearts were relieved; it did not seem to us either reverence or common sense to keep on talking to God as though He were deaf or could not understand our simple language, or the extremity of our circumstances, or the weight of the words of His Son, who said that God knew everything before we told Him, or as He said Himself, ‘Before they call I will answer.’ And verily He did. The mail-man returned at the appointed time. … This was the letter - I looked at the signature first, one wholly unknown to me - ‘I have,’ he said, ‘for some reason or other, received the command of God to send you a check for 100 pounds. I have never met you, I have only heard of you, and that not often, but God has prevented me from sleeping tonight by this command. Why He should command me to send you this I don’t know - you will know better than I. Anyhow, here it is and I hope it will do you good.’” (p 101) 

A Life of Faith

I am not suggesting that C.T.’s decision to give away every last penny and never speak of his need is prescriptive for all Christians. However, his decision to believe the word of God implicitly, trust it, and act upon it, is. The Bible calls this “a life of faith.” 

Later in his ministry, C.T. was offered a small salary for his work and he gladly accepted it. But even with this income, he continued looking to God alone to provide for every need he had. 

In a letter to his wife he wrote, “Only now let us remember once more that God is to be our portion, and that knowingly and willingly we trust our lives and those of our children to Him; if He fails, we are done for; but how can He fail? It is blasphemy on my part to suggest such a thing. Glory be to Him for allowing us this second privilege; only it must be trust in Him and in Him only, not one little bit in any society; if they pay our expenses, well and good, but I am not going to trust in God and them, I shall trust only in God, and so will you.” (p 124) 

Will You Trust Only in God?

C.T. Studd was a man who placed all of his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. A “simple soul” who picked up the Bible, read it, believed it, and as a result has “embarrassed” many Christians who hear of the life he lived. 

Would you also be willing to place all of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? Would you be willing to sell your worldly inheritance and give to the poor? To break your bottle of costly oil, as Mary did, and pour it out on Jesus’ feet? To pick up your Bible, read it, believe it, and act upon it?

Would you simply trust that God cannot lie and build your life upon the surest thing on earth?

In Christ,

Katie

Katie Stone is a girl who has a passion to declare the sufficiency of Jesus Christ with words. Through an online magazine, she first glimpsed the depth of joy and fulfilment that is found when we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ. Simple truth, communicated through writing, changed her life. And ever since, Katie has had a desire to write and share this same powerful gospel with others. You can read more of her writing and support her at girlofjoy.org

They Kept on Praying

Part 3 in a Series on Persistence

Seven times in a row, Elijah fell to his knees.

Grooves were worn into the boards upon which John Wesley knelt.

John Hyde’s heart shifted from one side of his chest into the other, so great was the intensity of his intercession.

Amidst a generation of people who are ‘too busy’ to pray, stories like these seem more like fairy tales than real life accounts. We can hardly find minutes, let alone hours, for prayer. So when I hear about men who devoted significant time and energy into prayer, I can't help but wonder,

Why?

What made them pray like that? Why did they pray for a thing over and over?

Were they afraid God hadn’t heard them? Did they have nothing better to do with their time? Or is it that they knew something about prayer that we, modern day Christians, have forgotten?

Elijah Prayed Like This:

At the end of 1 Kings xviii, we find Elijah praying on the top of Mount Carmel.

He prayed that rain would return to the land, but, when he raised his head, nothing had changed. I think most of us know what that feels like.

How many times have we prayed without answer? Asked without receiving?

We generally get discouraged when that happens. Not Elijah. Elijah got back down on his knees and prayed again.

Why? Why would he do that?

·       Did he think God hadn’t heard him?

This mountain prayer session directly follows the contest between Elijah and the four hundred prophets of Baal. God had just sent down fire from heaven at Elijah’s request, consuming not only the sacrifice but the water and the stone altar besides. Clearly, Elijah knew God was listening.

·       Did he have nothing better to do than pray?

No, he didn’t. King Ahab was feasting, all Israel was gathered together, and Elijah was the victorious prophet who could have been celebrated among them. But Elijah didn’t consider anything more important than prayer.

·       Did he know something that we don’t?

Apparently. Because Elijah kept praying long after most of us would have given up. He prayed though he was tired. Long after we would have assumed that God just didn’t want to answer, long after we would have given way to distraction, Elijah was still praying.

Seven times he told his servant to ‘go again’ and look towards the sea.

Finally, on “the seventh time, [the servant] said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!”

So [Elijah] said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’ ”

Now it happened, in the meantime, that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain.” (1 Kings xviii. 44 - 45)

Do you know what Elijah did?

He prayed again and again and again. He prayed seven times. Most importantly, he prayed until he prevailed.

In the Hebrew culture, the number seven symbolized completion. Elijah prayed until he no longer needed to pray because it was done.

The Prophet persisted in prayer.

Can We?

It would be so easy to say that times have changed, that we live in a different world. While things may be different in some ways, I’m sure the Christians of old had their fair share of long and busy days as well – Elijah included.

 It would be so easy to say that people have changed, that those Christians had something special that we don’t posses. Though we may not have tasted this kind of prayer yet, James v.17 tells us it is possible – for Elijah was just a man, with a nature like ours. 

“Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.” (James v.17)

The verse says that Elijah prayed fervently. The Greek word, translated fervently here, conveys the idea that Elijah prayed until he prayed. He didn’t pray once, he prayed, and prayed, and prayed, and prayed, and prayed, and prayed.

Praying until he was praying earnestly. Praying until he prevailed in prayer.

It took time. It took persistence. But it wasn’t something that only Elijah could do.

Praying with Persistence

Elijah isn't the only example of persistent prayer in the Bible. Scripture is filled with men and women who prayed until they prevailed.

They knew something we seem to have missed: Prayer takes Persistence.

In Luke xviii, Jesus told a parable about a widow who went again and again to plead for justice from an unjust judge. Luke xviii.1 says that Jesus told the people this parable ‘to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.”

Notice that He didn’t say that they should pray until they lost heart – as many of us do or have done. Rather they were always to pray and not to lose heart. You could say, that He told the parable so that they would learn to persist in prayer. This is consistent with the lesson we find in the parable itself:

 “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And [Jesus] said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to His elect, who cry to Him day and night? Will He delay long over them?” (Luke xviii. 2-7) 

‘Will not God give justice to His elect, who cry to Him day and night?’ This question that Jesus asked leads us to another question: Are God’s elect (which would be us) crying to Him day and night?

D.L. Moody said, “Next to the wonder of seeing my Savior will be, I think, the wonder that I made so little use of the power of prayer.”

In Christ 

quiana