DISTRESS IS GOOD

DISTRESS IS GOOD                                    Thursday - September 9, 2010

“From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. He said: "In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry.” – Jonah 2:1-2

In 1854, J. Hudson Taylor first landed in China. For more than fifty years the English missionary worked with Chinese. He founded the China Inland Mission that at his death included 205 mission stations with over 800 missionaries, and 125,000 Chinese Christians.
Taylor was a man of faith and a man of prayer. He said: “Perhaps if there were more of that intense distress for souls that leads to tears, we should more frequently see the results we desire. Sometimes it may be that while we are complaining of the hardness of the hearts of those we are seeking to benefit, the hardness of our own hearts and our feeble apprehension of the solemn reality of eternal things may be the true cause of our want of success.”

Distress is good when it drives us to a closer walk with Jesus. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that in our distress, our faith in Christ can grow.

“Our extremities are the Lord’s opportunities.” – Charles H. Spurgeon

God’s Word:  “In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.” – Psalm 18:6