Devotional Thursday – Finding Joy

At the end of January, my husband was temporarily re-assigned to a corporate facility five hours away.  Tim’s company initially believed he would be there for 6 to 8 weeks.  Now it’s looking like the assignment will last months.

With God, there’s a purpose to everything.  Perhaps someone at the facility needs my husband to witness to them.  Maybe my husband will benefit from the testimony of someone else.  One thing’s certain:  God has a need for Tim to be there.

My husband is a gift to me from the Lord, and I miss him terribly.  But I’ve learned to be grateful in all situations.  Truly, there is something good in everything that is bad, albeit we sometimes have to really look for it.

How can you say that?  you ask.  Because adversity has taught me to look beyond the difficulty that I face, to seek what God would have me learn through the situation.  God is teaching me to allow my trials, great and small, to deepen my relationship with Him.

I know, without question, that no matter what situation I’m in, God is right alongside me and He wants me to draw closer to Him, not to the TV, not to the computer.

Although it would always our first choice, God won’t take us around trouble.  No, He escorts us right through the middle of it, staying by our side all the way to the exit door.

As much as I miss my husband, I know that no difficult situation lasts forever.  The Scriptures and my experiences have taught me that.  When Tim’s assignment is complete, the Lord will bring him home to me.

But I’m not waiting until then to rejoice.  I have reasons to celebrate now:  God has given Tim a job.  Thanks to Him, we have a steady income, we have a house, we can buy food.  God is seeing to it that all of our needs are being met no matter where one of us is assigned or where the other lives.  The Lord is crossing every “t” and dotting every ”i.”

No matter where my husband might be, I know he loves me and is counting the minutes until he can come home.

And I am here waiting patiently, keeping my focus on the One who placed every star in the sky and the love in our hearts.

Delight yourself also in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.  Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.  Psalm 37:4, 7a.  NKJV.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY

Cynthia Howerter © 2012