08-10-2004, 08:22 AM
Morning
This arriving today is quite relevant to me and where I am at the moment...re-shaping and sharpening is not easy, but so very necessary for us to be used in this world to any great affect.
Sue
ANVIL TIME ------
by Max Lucado
On God's anvil. Perhaps you've been there.
Melted down. Formless. Undone. Placed on the anvil forÂ… reshaping?
I know. I've been on it. It's rough. It's a spiritual slump, a famine.
The fire goes out. Although the fire may flame for a moment, it soon
disappears. We drift downward. Downward into the foggy valley of
question, the misty lowland of discouragement. Motivation wanes. Desire
is distant. Responsibilities are depressing.
Passion? It slips out the door. Enthusiasm? Are you kidding?
Anvil time.
It can be caused by a death, a breakup, going broke, going prayerless.
The light switch is flipped off and the room darkens. “All the
thoughtful words of help and hope have all been nicely said. But I'm
still hurting, wonderingÂ…Ââ€
On the anvil.
Brought face-to-face with God out of the utter realization that we have
nowhere else to go. Jesus in the garden. Peter with a tear-streaked
face. David after Bathsheba. Elijah and the “still, small voice.†Paul,
blind in Damascus.
Pound, pound, pound.
I hope you're not on the anvil. (Unless you need to be, and if so, I
hope you are.) Anvil time is not to be avoided; it's to be experienced.
Although the tunnel is dark, it does go through the mountain. Anvil
time reminds us of who we are and who God is. We shouldn't try to
escape it. To escape it could be to escape God.
God sees our life from beginning to end. He may lead us through a storm
at age thirty so we can endure a hurricane at age sixty. An instrument
is useful only if it's in the right shape. A dull ax or a bent
screwdriver needs attention, and so do we. A good blacksmith keeps his
tools in shape. So does God.
Should God place you on his anvil, be thankful. It means he thinks
you're still worth reshaping.
_____________________
From On the Anvil
Copyright 1985 Max Lucado
http://maxlucado.com/shop/detail.php?pid=B101H
This arriving today is quite relevant to me and where I am at the moment...re-shaping and sharpening is not easy, but so very necessary for us to be used in this world to any great affect.
Sue
ANVIL TIME ------
by Max Lucado
On God's anvil. Perhaps you've been there.
Melted down. Formless. Undone. Placed on the anvil forÂ… reshaping?
I know. I've been on it. It's rough. It's a spiritual slump, a famine.
The fire goes out. Although the fire may flame for a moment, it soon
disappears. We drift downward. Downward into the foggy valley of
question, the misty lowland of discouragement. Motivation wanes. Desire
is distant. Responsibilities are depressing.
Passion? It slips out the door. Enthusiasm? Are you kidding?
Anvil time.
It can be caused by a death, a breakup, going broke, going prayerless.
The light switch is flipped off and the room darkens. “All the
thoughtful words of help and hope have all been nicely said. But I'm
still hurting, wonderingÂ…Ââ€
On the anvil.
Brought face-to-face with God out of the utter realization that we have
nowhere else to go. Jesus in the garden. Peter with a tear-streaked
face. David after Bathsheba. Elijah and the “still, small voice.†Paul,
blind in Damascus.
Pound, pound, pound.
I hope you're not on the anvil. (Unless you need to be, and if so, I
hope you are.) Anvil time is not to be avoided; it's to be experienced.
Although the tunnel is dark, it does go through the mountain. Anvil
time reminds us of who we are and who God is. We shouldn't try to
escape it. To escape it could be to escape God.
God sees our life from beginning to end. He may lead us through a storm
at age thirty so we can endure a hurricane at age sixty. An instrument
is useful only if it's in the right shape. A dull ax or a bent
screwdriver needs attention, and so do we. A good blacksmith keeps his
tools in shape. So does God.
Should God place you on his anvil, be thankful. It means he thinks
you're still worth reshaping.
_____________________
From On the Anvil
Copyright 1985 Max Lucado
http://maxlucado.com/shop/detail.php?pid=B101H