"When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will raise up a standard against him."
This is another verse that has been comforting me lately.  We have had at least 3 families in our small fellowship really hit with some anguishing tests lately...in that each has a child either going  through something very painful; or one that is turning his back on the Lord to embrace a destructive life style that the Lord says He can never bless.    In times like these, oh how we need strength, wisdom and  ALL that He is, to take us through the valleys.  I am reminded of the verse also that says, "Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound."  And again--"greater is He that is in you that He that is in the world."

We are seeing how much HE has to arrange pressing circumstances, so there will be more of Him through us, and less of our selves.  And none of us is so spiritual that we don't need this kind of help.  Yet--sometimes the Lord does not rescue His child "out of" a test, but simply supplies His abounding grace "in it."   He did leave John the Baptist is Herod's prison, to die while He was performing all kinds of amazing miracles at the same time. When John sent Him  a message, basically the Lord responded by saying, "Yes, many miracles are happening. I am the Lamb of God that you baptized earlier--and blessed is he who is not offended in Me."  And He left John where he was.  Sometimes I can see that He does that with us.  Instead of miraculous deliverance out of the test--there is HIS supply in it.

How very,  very dependent we are on His life!! In order to obey we need Him to empower!  Even to write a letter of concern, then to go across the street to give it to my neighbour I needed His boldness.  How pathetic to be so fearful of a simple verbal rejection for sharing concern about a friend's spiritual well being.

To faithfully follow our Saviour IS impossible without His divine supply--but we do have it, if we will take what He offers.  Then I do believe we will experience and see the Spirit raising up His standard in these days! We will taste the greatness of the grace abounding to us!  And we will not be offended by Him.