Into the Fire

If you read my “Reflections . . . Part Three”, you know the difficulties I faced yesterday. So, it brings me great joy to tell you how wonderful (as if you didn’t know) the Lord is in meeting the supply, of providing what I needed to be reminded of how glorious He is, how faithful and wonderful His plans, how sometimes meaningless all my efforts can be when He’s so far ahead of me—which I greatly appreciate.

Some of you know I self-published my first novel about horse racing (Hope Of Glory) after spending over 30 years in the industry. That book was written in complete obedience to the Lord’s instruction to me, very close to being audible. It was begun in 1993, finished in 2002, published in 2005. Today we received a Christmas card from someone who read and loved the book, expressing their pleasure in abundant praise. I haven’t seen this person in a few years and didn’t know they had obtained a copy of the book. Later on my oldest son called to tell me he’d run into another person who’s reading the book and was anxious to tell him exactly where they were in the story—another person we haven’t seen for years who bought the book from the racetrack kitchen where I’d dropped off some copies for the lady who operates the backstretch restaurant to sell. Last week I got a call from a friend who told me the book was being passed around in the jock’s (jockey’s) room down in Oregon and a mutual friend was now reading it. It caused the previous reader to reconsider their relationship with God and prayer. God is the best marketer in the business!! Thank you, Jesus, for reminding me of purpose, perseverance, and pleasure. You are the ultimate reason I rejoice, I regroup, I rage on! I love you, Lord.

Press on, friends. Jesus is the Lord of all Creation. Able to do far more than we can even ask or imagine. These things we do are for Him, after all.

Father, you give life to our spirits when the world drains it out of us. I pray for those who are drained right now—who are on the verge of feeling hopeless. I pray you would give them a glimpse of your glory, fill their spirits with your Spirit, and let your very essence spill out over and into them, reminding them of who you really are. How big, how magnificent, how faithful, how powerful. Please, God, look upon them with your ever present love and give them a dose they can feel from their heads to their toes. I ask it in the Name of Jesus, Amen.