He put Himself in the bow

The god of love had shot all his arrows, but could never pierce his heart, till at length He put Himself into the bow.

[Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man]

To testify His affection

When all His other gifts could not prevail, He at last made a gift of Himself, to testify His affection and engage theirs.

[Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man]

God Wanted a Broken Vessel

“David was caught in a very uncomfortable position; however, he seemed to grasp a deep understanding of the unfolding drama in which he had been caught. He seemed to understand something that few of even the wisest men of his day understood. Something that in our day, when men are wiser still, even fewer understand.

And what was that?

God did not have - but wanted very much to have - men and women who would live in pain.

God wanted a broken vessel.”

[Gene Edwards, A Tale of three Kings: A Study in Brokenness]

God Has a University

“God has a university. It’s a small school. Few enroll; even fewer graduate. Very, very few indeed. God has this school because he does not have broken men and women. Instead, he has several other types of people. He has people who claim to have God’s authority ... and don’t—people who claim to be broken . ... and aren’t. And people who do have God’s authority, but who are mad and unbroken. And he has, regretfully, a great mixture of everything in between.”

[Gene Edwards, A Tale of three Kings: A Study in Brokenness]

Pursuading the Soul that Repentance is Easy

Satan's Device: persuading the soul that repentance is easy and that therefore the soul need not scruple about sinning. For remedies, consider that ... Satan now suggests that repentance is easy, but shortly he will drive his dupes to despair by presenting it as the hardest work in the world.

[Thomas Brooks, Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices]

The Root of the Righteous

It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply.

[A. W. Tozer, The Root of the Righteous]

Healing Grace

Christians are often good at confessing sins and notoriously bad at receiving forgiveness.

We are not permitted to nurse a sense of guilt: we must fully and completely accept and embrace God's forgiveness and love.

Guilt feeling and inferiority before God are expressions of selfishness, or self-centeredness: we give greater importance to our little sinful self than to His immense and never-ending love.

We must surrender our guilt and inferiority to Him; His goodness is greater than our badness.

We must accept His joy in loving and forgiving us.

It is a healing grace to surrender our sinfulness to His mercy.

[James Borst]

Pray as you can, not as you can't

Pray as you can, and do not try to pray as you can't

[Spiritual Letters 109, Dom John Chapman O.S.B. 1865-1933]

You Were Never Meant To Hold All Things Together

You were never meant to hold all things together.

You were never meant to depend on your plans, your health, your freedom, your future, your finances.

You were always meant to hold on to those things loosely, and cling tightly to the One who holds it all together. Jesus holds all things together (Col 1:17).

Maybe all the things that are falling apart right now can be a reminder of what we actually have the ability to hold and what we do not.

Maybe through this we can learn to place our trust in something far greater than ourselves and the things we so often depend on.

Maybe through current heartache, disappointment, and fear, we can find that we don't need to hold things together. He can.

And maybe, just maybe, through all this, we might find just how held we are.

[Torchbearers International]

Tasting the Fruit of Suffering

 If we humble ourselves beneath the hand of God, we shall emerge from every chastening richly blessed and soon taste the fruit of suffering.

He allows suffering to enter our lives, so that we might reap great joy, fruit, and glory now and for all eternity - a blessed "afterwards".

God will be honored and His name as Father will be glorified when we consider how He has chastened us and think of the fruit, joy, and blessing His chastenings have brought us.

[Basilea Schlink, In Whom The Father Delights]