June.12.02: Lftd - " Going Through Spiritual Confusion."

-- Matthew 20:22
"Jesus answered and said, 'You do not know what you ask' " ....

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There are times in your spiritual life when there is confusion,
and the way out of it is not simply to say that you should not
be confused. It is not a matter of right and wrong,
but a matter of God taking you through a way that you
temporarily do not understand. And it is only by going through
the spiritual confusion that you will come to the understanding
of what God wants for you.

The Shrouding of His Friendship (see Luke 11:5-8):
Jesus gave the illustration here of a man who appears not to
care for his friend. He was saying, in effect, that is how
the heavenly Father will appear to you at times. You will think
that He is an unkind friend, but remember-He is not.
The time will come when everything will be explained.
There seems to be a cloud on the friendship of the heart,
and often even love itself has to wait in pain and tears for
the blessing of fuller fellowship and oneness.
When God appears to be completely shrouded,
will you hang on with confidence in Him?

The Shadow on His Fatherhood (see Luke 11:11-13):
Jesus said that there are times when your Father will appear
as if He were an unnatural father-as if He were callous and
indifferent-but remember, He is not. "Everyone who asks receives "
(Luke 11:10). If all you see is a shadow on the face of the Father
right now, hang on to the fact that He will ultimately give you clear
understanding and will fully justify Himself in everything that
He has allowed into your life.

The Strangeness of His Faithfulness (see Luke 18:1-8):
"When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"
(Luke 18:8). Will He find the kind of faith that counts on Him in spite
of the confusion? Stand firm in faith, believing that what Jesus said
is true, although in the meantime you do not understand what God
is doing. He has bigger issues at stake than the particular things
you are asking of Him right now.

-- Oswald Chambers

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-- Luke 11:1-13 (NIV)
1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished,
one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as
John taught his disciples."
2 He said to them, "When you pray, say:
"'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation. '"
5 Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend,
and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three
loaves of bread,
6 because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me,
and I have nothing to set before him.'
7 "Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me.
The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed.
I can't get up and give you anything.'
8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread
because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness
he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
9 "So I say to you:
Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
10 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds;
and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

11 "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish,
will give him a snake instead?
12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?
13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts
to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give
the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"