ODB Canada newsletter fall 2015 by ODB Canada

INSIDE

Do not fret! Here’s why

Waiting for God to answer

God’s love amidst loss

ENCOUR AGING STORIES & NE W S Rita Chretien, on her own in the Nevada wilderness.

“The only way I could get through it was by praying and trusting the Lord to be with me.” RITA CHRETIEN

LOST FOR 49 DAYS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF RITA CHRETIEN

ITA CHRETIEN SPENT 49 days stranded in the cold Nevada wilderness, living in her van with no cell phone, no gas, no battery–and no help. Surviving on only a small amount of trail mix, candy, water and snow, Rita’s story of survival would challenge the faith of anyone, yet it was Rita’s faith that kept her going. The trip started like most trips, a decision to drive from Penticton, BC, to a trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada. Rita and her husband, Albert, owned an excavation business in Penticton. The trip should have been a short break and scenic drive to visit the show and then return home. (continued on page 4)

Read Devotional Thought

One of God’s Great “Don’ts” Do not fret—it only causes harm. PSALM 37:8 (NKJV)

This is an excerpt from My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. Visit utmost.org to read devotional thoughts from Oswald Chambers each day.

MICHAEL SCHWARZENBERGER / PIXABAY.COM

FRET TING MEANS getting ourselves “out of joint” mentally or spiritually. It is one thing to say, “Do not fret,” but something very different to have such a nature that you find yourself unable to fret. It’s easy to say, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him” (PSALM 37:7 NKJV) until our own little world is turned upside down and we are forced to live in confusion and agony like so many other people. Is it possible to “rest in the Lord” then? If this “Do not” doesn’t work there, then it will not work anywhere. This “Do not” must work during our days of difficulty and uncertainty, as well as our peaceful days, or it will never work. And if it will not work in your particular case, it will not work for anyone else. Resting in the Lord is not dependent on your external circumstances at all, but on your relationship with God Himself. Worrying always results in sin. We tend to think that a little anxiety and worry are simply an indication of how wise we really are, yet it is actually a much better indication of just how wicked we are. Fretting rises from our determination to have our own way. Our Lord never worried and was never anxious, because His purpose was never to accomplish His own plans but to fulfill God’s plans. Fretting is wickedness for a child of God. Have you been propping up that foolish soul of yours with the idea that your circumstances are too much for God to handle? Set all your opinions and speculations aside and “abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (PSALM 91:1 NKJV). Deliberately tell God that you will not fret about whatever concerns you. All our fretting and worrying is caused by planning without God.

Watch

From Hopelessness to Freedom

Stories of God at Work

OE GREW UP in a dysfunctional family with alcoholic parents, and as a young man he ended up in prison facing a 10-year sentence. Feeling utterly hopeless, one night Joe picked up a Bible that had been left in his cell and tried to “In spite of the life make sense of the words he I led, God has been read. God set him free as the with me all along message of the Bible came to life in his heart. “In spite of the way—never leaving the life I led and the sinner or forsaking me.” that I am, God has been with me all along the way—never leaving or forsaking me. The freedom He gave me in that jail cell, He continues to give me today.” Stories of God at Work is a new part of the Our Daily Bread Ministries website designed to encourage you on your journey of faith. Stories of God at Work shares the testimonies and stories of people—just like you—who have experienced the movement of the Lord in their lives. Do you have your own story of God at work? Share it with us! ourdailybread.ca/stories

Visit ourdailybread.ca/ stories to hear more of Joe’s story.

Exciting Devotions for Kids!

365 MEANINGFUL MOMENTS WITH GOD Short and engaging devotions, easy-to-remember Bible verses, fun illustrations, and exciting facts make this kids-only version of the wellloved Our Daily Bread devotional an excellent way to teach your children more about God. Our Daily Bread for Kids is available from Discovery House and can be purchased online at: dhponline.ca/odbkids. Visit the Discovery House website for a full selection of books, DVDs and music that will be sure to enhance your walk with the Lord.

(“Lost for 49 Days,” continued from page 1)

Heading out on March 19, 2011, Al programmed the GPS to find the shortest route. Crossing the border from Canada into Washington State, they safely found their way to the highway heading toward Nevada. After a short stop in Baker City, Oregon, Al and Rita continued their trip. Sometime during the course of the trip, the GPS directed them down a country road that Last photo: Al left to look for help on day 3 turned into a back-road trail. Sensing something and never returned. amiss, Al rerouted the GPS to find the closest She didn’t know it would be the last time she would see her husband alive. destination. Rita patiently awaited her husband’s It was getting dark, so Al continued to follow the GPS, trusting it would get them back to a main return. She lived on a spoonful of trail road. Suddenly, the van came to a halt and the mix and a small candy each day and wheels began to spin. They were stuck in a mud filled her time reading her Bible. “Psalm bog. After trying to push 86:2-7 was very special to me: ‘Preserve the van free in the cold my soul. . . . Be merciful unto me, O Lord: darkness with no success, for I cry unto thee daily. . . . Give ear, Al and Rita decided to O Lord, unto my prayer; and attend to the sleep in the van and try voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou again the next morning. The next day, using wilt answer me.’” “I was very alone,” commented Rita. only a small snow shovel and rocks, Al worked to “The only way I could get through it was by praying and trusting the Lord to be Stuck in a mud bog: Any get the van free. It finally effort to free the van only moved, but only briefly with me.” made them sink deeper. After the first week, the trail mix as it sank deeper into the mud. The van was hopelessly stuck, and no one ran out. Rita tried to eat little pieces knew where they were. In fact, they weren’t sure of what seemed like wheat growing in the ground, but it was hard to swallow. either. Calls to 9-1-1 wouldn’t connect. Cellular She took stock of her supplies: fish oil service was nonexistent. Al and Rita decided to capsules and some candy. She decided try walking to find help, but the freezing rain and to live on one capsule of fish oil and Rita’s swollen knee ended that attempt and they one candy each day. A nearby stream returned to the van. They spent another day and provided water, and snow was plentiful. Rita lived like that for the entire month night in the van praying for help to come. On the third day, Al decided to go for help of April, and still no help arrived. Rita’s faith kept her strong. A dediwhile Rita stayed in the van. Later Rita shared, “We prayed, and we had Our Daily Bread devo- cated routine of reading her devotions tion as we do every morning. And we prayed . . . first thing in the morning helped her and we prayed and cried, and he went. It was very each day. “There were days I would wake emotional. We hadn’t cried so deeply for years.” up starving and want to grab my candy As Al walked away, Rita took a picture of him. and eat it,” Rita said. “But I knew I had

to put the Lord first. So I would pick up my Bible and my copy of Our Daily Bread and spend my time with the Lord first.” “There were times I broke down and bawled. But other than that, I just kept my mind on what I needed to do and I enjoyed my books. I just thought I’ll pass the time and, as long as it takes, I’m just going to hang in there.” By the forty-ninth day, Rita was very weak. When she went to get water, the

Home: Rita lived in her van, with water from a stream and one candy per day for food.

return trip to the van was difficult; she was almost crawling. Her chest was sore and she was out of breath. Rita feared a heart attack. “I thought maybe I was going to die. So I got myself cleaned up a little bit, wrapped a blanket around me, and lay on the back bench of the van. I prayed the little child’s prayer: Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. I was quite contented with that, and I went to sleep.” That date was May 6, 2011, 49 days since Rita and Al’s van had become stuck. Rita was asleep in the back of the van when suddenly she was awakened by the noise of two ATVs. “I jumped to my feet . . . I yanked that door open and flagged them down.” Rita was taken to a local hospital for treatment. She would not learn what happened to Al for nearly 17 months.

After the GPS battery he carried died, Al had become disoriented in the mountains. He climbed higher and higher and then stopped to rest against a tree. When his body was finally found, it was determined that Al had died in his sleep due to exposure. Comfort: Rita Today, Rita looks at life differ- got hope from ently. “My relationship with Christ is her March 2011 Our Daily Bread very important to me. It always has devotional. been, but now I know it’s a deeper walk and without it I don’t think I could survive. I don’t think I’d have enough meaning to be excited about life. I am excited each day. Each new day is great. It’s because God is there to guide me, and I know the future isn’t in my control. It’s in God’s control.” In her letter to Our Daily Bread, Rita wrote, “My husband and I were lost in the mountains of Nevada. He walked out for help and never returned. I was there alone for 49 days and rescued a few hours before certain death. The Our Daily Bread devotional was a very precious source of comfort to me. I read it every day.” While we mourn with Rita over the loss of her husband, her story made international headlines and has affected thousands around the world. Rita has grown stronger in her relationship with the Lord, putting Him first in everything she does. We are humbled to think that Our Daily Bread helped, in a small way, to give Rita hope during her ordeal. We trust that the Lord Jesus is first in your life. If Our Daily Bread has been a blessing in your life, why not share a copy with a friend, family member or neighbour today? They may be going through a time of testing and could find comfort in a daily devotion with the Word of God.

Study

Why Doesn’t God Answer Me?

JEREMY CULP

Booklet Excerpt

If you are struggling with feelings of doubt and disappointment with God, Psalm 77 has something to say to you.

M This is an excerpt from Why Doesn’t God Answer Me? Trusting in Times of Doubt and Trial, a Discovery Series booklet by Ray Stedman.

ANY PSALMS WERE written to help people struggling with doubt. Psalm 77 is not an idealistic presentation of why we don’t need to doubt. It is the story of a man who is nearly driven to despair because it seems that God refuses to respond to his prayers. This psalm shows how we as believers—and yes, sometimes doubters—can move from despair to a renewed and deepened faith in God. Psalm 77 opens with a distressed cry: “I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands, and I would not be comforted. I remembered you, God, and I groaned; I meditated, and my spirit grew faint” (VV. 1–3 NIV). We don’t know what problem Asaph was dealing with, but he cried out to God about it. He begged and groaned and pleaded to the point of exhaustion—his spirit was faint. Sorrow and disappointment threatened to crush him. Though he tried to focus on the Lord’s goodness, he simply could not find comfort. He continued: “You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak” (V. 4 NIV). He tried to sleep, but his eyelids would not stay closed. He was so disturbed that he couldn’t even describe his problem to others. Asaph is in the throes of grief, and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel. In his desperation, he holds nothing back. His words are blunt and to the point. The psalmist is peering over the brink into unbelief. He has

concluded that God can change—only a small step from believing something terrifying: God is not really God. After all, if God can change, then He is nothing more than a manlike being with godlike powers. God’s unchanging character is essential to the psalmist’s understanding of who God is. If God can change, if He can be unloving and unjust, then God is not really God. But Psalm 77 takes a turn at verse 11: “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds” (VV. 11–12 NIV). Suddenly there is a radical shift in Asaph’s approach to the crisis of doubt. His fear and despair vanish and he has a new sense of confidence and peace which he expresses to God. The psalmist steps back from the precipice, turns around, and moves in the opposite direction. This monumental shift does not come because Asaph’s doubts are finally vanquished. His decision to believe in God’s love and justice is not emotional or intellectual; it’s a determination made purely with his will. He makes a choice to step back from unbelief, and that choice saves him.

To read the entire booklet online or to order a copy, go to discoveryseries.org/ why-doesnt-godanswer-me

A Personal Note from Brent Hackett

How Is God Working with You?

S GOD WORKING in us or is God working through us? Someone asked that question recently, and it’s caused me to think a lot about what God is doing in my life. Is He simply working through me, or is He also working in me? In this edition of our newsletter, I think you’ll agree that God can use us for His purposes, but it is a growing personal relationship that He wants to have with us. Here in our office each day, we are touched by stories of people who have been stopped in their tracks by God and brought face to face with a personal test of their faith. They’ve come to a realization that God is working in their lives and contact us for materials to help them grow spiritually. I encourage you to use the many resources we have available to help you grow in your spiritual walk with Jesus Christ. Whether it is Our Daily Bread, the Discovery Series booklets, the Day of Discovery television program or the Discover The Word radio program, we make these resources available without cost or obligation. Blessings to you as you let the Lord work in you and through you.

Brent Hackett Executive Director, Our Daily Bread Ministries Canada

Stories

God’s Love Found in the Midst of Loss PEZIBEAR / PIXABAY.COM

Jacqueline, via Facebook

You Can Make a Difference! MANY PEOPLE, making even the smallest of donations, enable us to reach others, like Jacqueline, with the life-changing wisdom of the Bible. Visit us online at ourdailybread.ca/donate to discover how you can help. We are not funded or endowed by any group or denomination and are grateful for the support given to Our Daily Bread Ministries Canada.

MY BROTHER BEC AME terminally ill at the age of 24 and finally passed on to be with the Lord. He was diagnosed with AIDS, although we never thought that could happen to someone in our family. We spent as much time as we could with him and, near the end of his life, our family members would rotate being with him in the hospital. I had such an awesome experience of God’s love in his room that it was overwhelming—it was a love I had never felt “It was a love before in my life. When we buried my brother, I I had never said to myself, “I need felt before” to go find God.” I wanted to find Him, not realizing that all I had to do was talk to Him right where I was. I accepted Christ into my life, just as my brother had before he passed on. My youngest brother did the same and is now learning to share the Word with others. It has been an experience, and we have learned that there is no life without Christ.

—JACQUELINE, CANADA

ourdailybread.ca CW1503