Does spending individual time with the Lord make a difference in a busy woman’s life? Oh yes! Reading His Word strengthens and equips us for our day’s tasks and teaches us how He wants us to live. Most of all, a few moments of quiet time in His presence reminds us that His loving and faithful presence is always with us. This devotional’s daily readings will help you:

• Manifest an attitude of praise when difficulties strike.
• Experience heightened confidence and contentment with your unique talents and gifts.
• Turn a difficult season of waiting on God into joyful anticipation and trust.

Sample

Cave Dwellers

…And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 KINGS 19:13

Upward Gaze

My eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign LORD. In You I take refuge (Psalm 141:8). You are faithful and righteous and able to come to my relief (Psalm 143:11). Thank You for being all I need in times of trouble. Amen.

Caves aren’t the prettiest places to hang out. Cold. Dank. Dark. If I had to choose a temporary dwelling place, I guarantee it wouldn’t be a hole in a rock. I’d settle for the sandy South Pacific and sip fresh pineapple juice from sunrise to sunset.

I recently spent several months in a cave. Not a physical one, thank heavens. It was a spiritual and emotional cave. And believe me, it wasn’t my idea of a good time. Despite the discomfort, however, I learned that cave dwelling offers some amazing perks.

Remember the story about our car’s transmission dying on the day my daughter and I left home for college? The repair bill totaled about $3500. Well, the story didn’t end there…

During Stephanie’s senior high school year, Gene and I prayed regularly that the Lord would provide for her upcoming college education. Living on a missionary’s salary doesn’t leave much for big bills, so we couldn’t offer significant financial assistance. When college acceptance handed us a $10,000 expense, our faith felt feeble. We knelt on our knees to keep them from knocking and bolstered each other with Scripture promises. The transmission’s death, however, took our faith-test to a whole new level. Now we were looking at $13,500, and we moved into the cave of fear and discouragement.

The morning after the transmission incident, I felt angry at God for allowing this additional cost. There I was, brushing my teeth (with a little too much force, perhaps?), when suddenly a chunk of one molar flew from my mouth. I’d lost a piece of the same tooth many months prior, but because I’d had no pain, I’d avoided the dentist. Now, minus half a tooth, I needed dental work and a crown. The bill? About $700.

Two days later, we retrieved our car from the repair shop. “It needs a wheel alignment now,” said the mechanic.

“Just watch,” I said to Gene. “We probably need new tires, too.” I was right. Another $500. And so it went. Within six weeks, we’d incurred nearly $6,000 in expenses above the college tuition.

Gene and I compared our bank account to our expenses and pondered leaving the ministry. Has God forgotten about our needs? Perhaps it’s time to move on. Remaining at the camp seemed an impossibility but we knew we couldn’t leave without God’s go-ahead.

In desperation, we set aside a day to fast and pray. And God answered through Kay Arthur’s booklet, The Sovereignty of God:

“Do you sometimes even wonder if there is a God who cares, who loves, who sees, who knows what is going on in your life? At times does it all seem so frustrating, so futile that you just want to run away?…Where are you? He knows. He sees. Your God is omniscient, all-knowing. You don’t have to run away. Stay. He will meet you where you are.”

We asked. God answered: “Stay in the cave. I’ll meet you there.” And He did.

Month by month, He taught us to be content. He reminded us of His presence. He granted faith to believe that He would provide. He even prompted someone to write a check for $500-enough to pay for the tires! And through scholarships, donations, and unexpected student employment, He provided Stephanie’s full tuition.

John Ortberg says,

“Sometimes you are in a cave, and no human action is able to get you out. There is something you can’t fix, can’t heal, or can’t escape, and all you can do is trust God. Finding ultimate refuge in God means you become so immersed in his presence, so convinced of his goodness, so devoted to his lordship that you find even the cave is a perfectly safe place to be because he is there with you.”

Sooner or later we all experience cave dwelling. Sometimes it happens when we make a poor choice or when we’re stripped of all our props. Sometimes it happens when, try as we might, we simply can’t attain a goal we’ve set for ourselves.

Like I said, cave dwelling isn’t something I’d choose. It’s not my idea of a good time. But it’s a rich time. Why? Because God meets us there. As Ortberg says: “God does some of His best work in caves. The cave is where God resurrects dead things.”

Inward Glimpse

Dear Father, thank You for meeting me in the cave. Help me be content to stay there. Amen.

• What can you learn about yourself and about God when you’re in a cave?
• Jesus spent three days in a cave, then God did His best work ever! How does Christ’s resurrection and departure from the cave give you hope?

Outward Glance

Lord, thank You for being ______’s God. Teach her to do Your will. May Your Holy Spirit lead her on level ground. Rescue her from her enemies because she hides herself in You (Psalm 143:8-10). Amen.

One More Peek

I cry to you, O LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living” (Psalm 142:5).

Taken from: 10-Minute Time Outs for Busy Women
Copyright © 2005 by Grace Fox
Published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon
Used by permission.
harvesthousepublishers.com

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