• “Heaven is not here, it’s There. If we were given all we wanted here, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next. God is forever luring us up and away from this one, wooing us to Himself and His still invisible Kingdom, where we will certainly find what we so keenly long for.” – Elisabeth Elliot

Praise in the Midst of Trouble – Streams in the Desert 02/28

“Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually” (Heb. 13:15).
A city missionary, stumbling through the dirt of a dark entry, heard a voice say,
“Who’s there, Honey?” Striking a match, he caught a vision of earthly want and suffering, of saintly trust and peace, “cut in ebony”–calm, appealing eyes set amid the wrinkles of a pinched, black face that lay on a tattered bed. It was a bitter night in February, and she had no fire, no fuel, no light. She had had no supper, no dinner, no breakfast. She seemed to have nothing at all but rheumatism and faith in God. One could not well be more completely exiled from all pleasantness of circumstances, yet the favourite song of this old creature ran:

“Nobody knows de trouble I see,
Nobody knows but Jesus;
Nobody knows de trouble I see–Sing Glory Hallelu!
“Sometimes I’m up, sometimes I’m down,
Sometimes I’m level on the groun’,
Sometimes the glory shines aroun’
Sing Glory Hallelu!”

And so it went on: “Nobody knows de work I does, Nobody knows de griefs I has,” the constant refrain being the “Glory Hallelu!” until the last verse rose:

“Nobody knows de joys I has,
Nobody knows but Jesus!”

“Troubled on every side, yet not distressed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.” It takes great Bible words to tell the cheer of that old negro auntie.
Remember Luther on his sick-bed. Between his groans he managed to preach on this wise: “These pains and trouble here are like the type which the printers set; as they look now, we have to read them backwards, and they seem to have no sense or meaning in them; but up yonder, when the Lord God prints us off in the life to come, we shall find they make brave reading.” Only we do not need to wait till then. Remember Paul walking the hurricane deck amid a boiling sea, bidding the frightened crew “Be of good cheer,” Luther, the old negro auntie–all of them human sunflowers. –Wm. G. Garnett

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1 Responses to Praise in the Midst of Trouble - Streams in the Desert 02/28

  • Margaret Henderson says:

    I read these lovely devotions every day and I find them inspiring and so very comforting and I thank you for them. Can you give me some information on Wm G Garnett..I can find nothing online about him.. I would be very grateful and appreciative. I am leading a womens fellowship at times and I want to read today,s streams in the desert..(February 28th 2017 )..I like to tell them a little about the people who wrote the devotions if possible . Thank you and God bless you Margaret

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  • “Can we follow the Savior far, who have no wound or scar? ” – Amy Carmichael

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You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. — Deuteronomy 13:4 (NKJV)

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