Journal entry March 10, 2026

This made the trials of the following summer an opportunity for God's grace to triumph, turning "the valley of weeping" into "a place of springs" from which streams of blessing are flowing still. Hudson Taylor

Heavenly Father, Hudson Taylor had found the secret of soul-rest. In this experience there had come to him not only a fuller apprehension of the Lord Jesus Himself and all He is for us, but a fuller surrender-yes, indeed a self-abandonment to Him.

Taylor had long known surrender to Christ, but this was more; this was a new yieldedness, a glad, unreserved handing over of self and everything to Christ.

From this place Taylor learned that by Your grace the valley of weeping can be turned into a place of springs from which streams of blessing flow.

Completely yielding everything into Your providential care! I think of the hard seasons in life we know as the valley of weeping... Like the young couple I've been praying for who recently birthed their first child, a daughter. Beautiful, yet with a heart defect that required immediate surgery. She passed from this life into the next on the operating table. Only for a few precious moments did they get to hold their newly born baby girl. They are truly in the valley of weeping. Only by completely yielding to Your providential care will they be able to experience streams of blessing.

Father the same goes for others within my congregation who I know are in very hard seasons of life. Valleys of weeping. Seasons of crying out. I know they have surrendered to you and I pray that they would yield their situation and everything in their lives to you completely. That from these hard seasons streams of blessings would flow. That they would lose all fear that somehow Your resources will not be equal to their trial.

Father, only by complete surrender can we ever get to the place that James talks about where we "count it all joy when we fall into various trials." James used a greek word that meant count it all "a source of joy" which gives a better perspective. Father may we have a loyal and loving acceptance, a joyful meeting, of Your will in all things, little and great. May we we come to the place of appreciating that all Your resources are ours, for You are ours, and You are with us, and well within us. I pray in Jesus name. AMEN

Trials - Source of joy??