Heaven Preview Foundation, Inc.

We are often tempted not to be thankful for what hurts us or for what we do not have. But in God's economy, all things (including loss and pain) work for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). This means there is purpose in our afflictions even if we do not immediately see it. Last night, I heard a wonderful story that illustrates this. Enjoy this story and be thankful today! :) Once upon a time, there was a king who had a vi...zier who always said that good comes out of every affliction. One day, the king, his vizier, and many servants went hunting. The king lost two fingers that day in a hunting accident. The vizier repeated that something good will come out of the king's pain, but the king, infuriated, threw the vizier in jail. On the way to his prison cell, the vizier said something good will come out of his incarceration. Some time passed, and the king went hunting with all his men again. This time, the king's horse went mad and started running wildly entering the territory of a tribe of cannibals. All the king's men followed, trying to rescue their king. The cannibals killed and ate all the king's men, but they did not eat the king because he was imperfect - he had two missing fingers. So they let the king go, and when he finally made it back to his palace, the first thing he did was to call his vizier from jail to tell him, "Forgive me; you were right. The pain I endured when I lost my fingers actually saved me from being eaten by cannibals. But I still don't understand what good came out of your time in prison." And the vizier answered, "Oh, Your majesty, if I had not been in prison, you would have taken me with you hunting, and the cannibals would have eaten me just like they did to all men who were with you." :) See more

God has made a major miracle in my life this week in a battle in which I was aware I had no chances of prevailing. He showed me one more time in a powerful way that His love and His power are greater than everything on earth and in the heavens. Do not ever think God is too busy to listen to your prayers. Do not ever think He will not intervene. He will show His glory at the right time in a miraculous way, and nobody and nothing will stand against His children. He will make a way in a manner as majestic as the parting of the Red Sea. If we live in purity and pray with faith, we will see all the Red Seas parting in our lives!

Yesterday I read Genesis 18 from my Portuguese Bible, one of my favorite chapters. It's about living life peacefully under the shade of trees, welcoming guests, good food, the miracle of life, and intercessory prayer. Verse 14 is imprinted in my heart for all my prayers asking for the impossible: "Is anything too marvelous for the Lord to do?"

There comes a time when we experience Job's trials - everything precious is taken away, and the people closest to our heart are not there to help. Christ also felt this in the garden of Gethsemane. Both Job and Christ were innocent and still endured suffering for a higher purpose. What is healing in the midst of trials is pouring our heart before God in prayer, and knowing that our case is before God, and we must wait for Him (Job 35:14).

This prayer should be the desire of our hearts every morning. Beautiful summary of how a follower of Christ should live life. Saint Francis Prayer Lord, make me a channel of your peace. That where there is hatred, I may bring love.... That where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness, That where there is discord, I may bring harmony, That where there is error, I may bring truth, That where there is doubt, I may bring faith, That where there is despair, I may bring hope, That where there are shadows, I may bring light, That where there is sadness, I may bring joy. Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort, than to be comforted, To understand than to be understood, To love than to be loved. For it is by forgetting self that one finds. It is by forgiving that one is forgiven, And it is by dying that one awakens to eternal life. Amen. See more