08 13 07 No Better Place

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us , and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

There’s NO BETTER PLACE TO BE I have realized, than at the mercy of Almighty God. Read this excerpt from the late Ruth Bell Graham:

Sunk in this gray depression I cannot pray.
How can I give expression when they’re no words to say?
This mass of vague foreboding of aching care, love with its overloading short-circuits prayer.
Then through this fog of tiredness, this nothingness, I find only a quiet knowing that He is kind.1 (September 1980)

At this juncture in life, I find myself at His mercy as well. Many times, I don’t know what to say to Him and I find myself yelling out, “GOD!” Whether it’s concerning one of my prodigals (as with the case of Mrs. Graham), one of our TSN kids, our finances, or family issues, I find myself with no answers except what He provides. Mrs. Bell calls it gray depression, vague foreboding, short-circuited prayer, a fog of tiredness; yet He is kind! I fully understand her words.

If we read the discouraging circumstances of life—the people who do us in, the job that doesn’t work out, and the other struggles that seem to engulf us—we will surely crash.
But if we would keep our eyes on Jesus Christ and stay grounded in His word, then we will make it safely through the storm.
Maybe you’re in a storm. God has a purpose in leading you into the storm. He has power to preserve you through the storm. And, He has a plan to eventually lead you out of the storm. Put your eyes on Christ. Trust His Word.2

So how do we keep from short-circuiting, crashing, and drowning in the storm? We MUST fix our eyes on Christ each and every day, even minute by minute! Many have been through more trying circumstances than you and I presently face. All that Jesus went through, He endured the cross, despised the shame, and then sat down next to the Father! That’s the example I and we all need to follow. As we endure, we count it a privilege to be tested and look forward to the time God Himself rewards us, because to tell the truth, that may be the only “well done” we ever hear! At His mercy; NO BETTER PLACE TO BE!


1 Prodigals and Those Who Love Them, Ruth Bell Graham, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI, 1991, 1999, P. 86
2 When All Hell Breaks Loose (You May Be Doing Something Right), Steven J. Lawson, NavPress, Morning Glory, July-August 1995, p. 27.