If you’ve been reading my blog for very long, you already know my affection for the updated version of the classic devotional, Streams in the Desert, by LB Cowman & edited by James Reimann. (And by the way, the Kindle version is only $1.99 at the moment.)
The entries in this devotional have helped carry me through the most difficult times in the past decade. The book was first recommended to me by a dear friend who had lost her mother and it helped her through that time of grief. When by “chance” I got my hands on a copy, I never dreamed that a violent storm was just around the corner. I believe God, in His mercy, made certain I would have it, knowing that the words would speak to my heart.
The July 7th entry is just one of many “favorite” entries in Streams in the Desert:
Pebble Beach, on the California coast, has become quite famous for the beautiful pebbles found there. The raging white surf continually roars, thundering and pounding against the rocks on the shore. These stones are trapped in the arms of the merciless waves. They are tossed, rolled, rubbed together, and ground against the sharp edges of the cliffs. Both day and night, this process of grinding continues relentlessly. And what is the result?
Tourists from around the world flock there to collect the beautiful round stones. They display them in cabinets and use them to decorate their homes. Yet a little farther up the coast, just around the point of the cliff, is a quiet cove. Protected from the face of the ocean, sheltered from the storms, and always in the sun, the sands are covered with an abundance of pebbles never sought by the travelers.
So why have these stones been left untouched through all the years? Simply because they have escaped all the turmoil and the grinding of the waves. The quietness and peace have left them as they have always been—rough, unpolished, and devoid of beauty—for polish is the result of difficulties.
Since God knows what niche we are to fill, let us trust Him to shape us to it. And since He knows what work we are to do, let us trust Him to grind us so we will be properly prepared.
Nearly all of God’s jewels are crystallized tears.
I am one of God’s jewels made from crystallized tears.
~robin
Dear Robin,
I wanted to let you know that I have also recently gotten “Streams in the Desert” Kindle edition. I believe it’s the older version but it has refreshed my soul in so many ways. I’ve been going through a really long hard storm in my life and God continually reminds me He is there. And helps me to just keep walking and reminds me to keep on trusting no matter how I feel in the moment. It’s amazing how God works the littlest things for the greatest Good! Thank you for sharing your heart today. I’m glad I’m not the only one 🙂
No, you are not the only one. God bless you as you continue through the storm, trusting God to bring you through to the other side.
I have been turning to Streams in the Desert for my morning wake up call since 2007. This devotional speaks to me like no other book except for the Bible. I have used this as a tool to remind me I am not alone and that God is always there for me.
Judy, we are kindred spirits. It is the go-to devo for me and has been since 2005. Like you, only the Bible speaks to me more than this devotional has.
I am on my third copy of the book. I wore out the first paperback copy. The second paperback I gave away to someone who needed it right then when it was still almost brand new. My present copy is a lovely soft leather-bound edition with the thin paper used in Bibles. Lots of notes and highlights and dates and tabs added to it by now. Plus I have a copy on my Kindle so that it is always with me.
Oh, Robin… Thanks for sharing this one. It made my eyes mist up. 🙂 Jesus did say we (His children) would be tried in the fire. It’s cool to think that, when we come out the other side of the trials, we are crystallized tears. I love that visual.
It’s wonderful, isn’t it? The devos never fail to lift and inspire me.