I recently faced a very difficult day. Dealing with grief over a friends hurt and reality of a dream for me that will not be as I imagined. It is hard to face the loss of a dream and the last few years that loss has been my reality.
On this particular day the grief's overlapped and it was very hard. I cried a lot and my stomach was in knots. But, I took time to talk to God about it all and to thank Him for who He is and what He is doing and that in the midst of lost dreams the hope of eternity with Him is a dream I can trust in and rely on. Hope in the midst of pain and grief and confusion is a very special gift that only God can give.
Oh, Lord You are a Great God!
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
A God of Wisdom
How many are your works O Lord, In wisdom you have made them all.
I've been working on memorizing Ps. 104 and it speaks of God's creative work and His care for His creation. It talks of majestic things like Him riding on the wings of the wind and wraping Himself with light as with a garment, being robed with splendor and majesty. It also talks about storks and donkeys and coneys and the leviathan.
When I came to verse 24 and thought about His wisdom in creation and all of creation, it left me in awe.
I don't understand the wisdom of His creation and there are some creatures that I could do without, but of course I am one of His created beings so how could I understand it?
Being one of His created beings means that I was created in wisdom, how amazing to thing about and how humbling.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
O Lord my God, You are very great!!
I've been working on memorizing Ps. 104 and it speaks of God's creative work and His care for His creation. It talks of majestic things like Him riding on the wings of the wind and wraping Himself with light as with a garment, being robed with splendor and majesty. It also talks about storks and donkeys and coneys and the leviathan.
When I came to verse 24 and thought about His wisdom in creation and all of creation, it left me in awe.
I don't understand the wisdom of His creation and there are some creatures that I could do without, but of course I am one of His created beings so how could I understand it?
Being one of His created beings means that I was created in wisdom, how amazing to thing about and how humbling.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
O Lord my God, You are very great!!
Sunday, August 13, 2006
A Great God
John tells us that to work the works of God is to believe in He whom He sent. It was hard for the people who followed Jesus to hear, but not for us..... or is it?
I was challenged once to look at where I wasn't trusting God. I was offended at this, God is the only one I have been able to trust, how can you imply I don't trust Him!
that night I was reading John Piper and he challenged us to "war against our own unbelief." I figured God was telling me something and asked God to reveal to me where I wasn't trusting Him.
He did and it was hard to see and then deal with. Seeing a truth is always easier than implementing what was shown. I submitted to Him and humbled myself and shared with some others ways that I had been deceiving myself and thus them. This wasn't easy, but it was so freeing afterwards and I had a much better understanding of God's goodness and trustworthiness.
Lord I believe, help my unbelief, is a favorite and one I speak often.
What an incredible God we have who knows how we will struggle with trusting Him and yet chooses to love us and promises to never leave us.
Yes, I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and He is God and He is my Savior and truth, and yet I struggle with what this means. He will continue with me through the struggle and bless me in the midst of it and at times hide Himself, but He will never leave me or forsake me :)
I dropped my keys under the steps Friday night and left them there, to ask Tim to get them for me later, and then I forgot about them. Saturday I looked for my keys to go to the store and ended up borrowing Tim's because mine weren't anywhere to be found. Tim asked me later in the day if I'd found them and I said no, and I was a bit frustrated, I don't usually lose my keys. Saturday night while going up stairs I finally remembered droping them and laughed and told Tim where they were and he rescued them for me. This is a silly story, but not unusual for absent minded people like myself. It is comforting for me to know that God isn't absent minded or forgetful. He knows where I am and what's on my heart 24/7.
He is a great God.
I was challenged once to look at where I wasn't trusting God. I was offended at this, God is the only one I have been able to trust, how can you imply I don't trust Him!
that night I was reading John Piper and he challenged us to "war against our own unbelief." I figured God was telling me something and asked God to reveal to me where I wasn't trusting Him.
He did and it was hard to see and then deal with. Seeing a truth is always easier than implementing what was shown. I submitted to Him and humbled myself and shared with some others ways that I had been deceiving myself and thus them. This wasn't easy, but it was so freeing afterwards and I had a much better understanding of God's goodness and trustworthiness.
Lord I believe, help my unbelief, is a favorite and one I speak often.
What an incredible God we have who knows how we will struggle with trusting Him and yet chooses to love us and promises to never leave us.
Yes, I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and He is God and He is my Savior and truth, and yet I struggle with what this means. He will continue with me through the struggle and bless me in the midst of it and at times hide Himself, but He will never leave me or forsake me :)
I dropped my keys under the steps Friday night and left them there, to ask Tim to get them for me later, and then I forgot about them. Saturday I looked for my keys to go to the store and ended up borrowing Tim's because mine weren't anywhere to be found. Tim asked me later in the day if I'd found them and I said no, and I was a bit frustrated, I don't usually lose my keys. Saturday night while going up stairs I finally remembered droping them and laughed and told Tim where they were and he rescued them for me. This is a silly story, but not unusual for absent minded people like myself. It is comforting for me to know that God isn't absent minded or forgetful. He knows where I am and what's on my heart 24/7.
He is a great God.
Saturday, August 05, 2006
God is Good :)
A Patchwork of Thoughts
I love the fact that I can trust God, even when I don't understand Him. He is working out His will in my life and will use even my mistakes to make me more like Him and draw me to Him. How incredible.
I read this this morning and it just confirmed some things He'd been impressing on my heart.
"If we have to be perfect before we can know ourselves blessed, we will never ask for the transfiguring power of God's love, because of course we are unworthy. But we don't have to be worthy, we just have to acknowledge our need, to cry out, 'Help me!' God will help us, even if it's in an unexpected and shocking way, by swooping down on us to wrestle with us. And in the midst of the wrestlin we, too, will be able to cry out 'Bless me!'
I am certain that God will bless me, but I don't need to know how. When we think we know exactly how the one who made us is going to take care of us, we're apt to ignore the angel messengers sent us along the way."
I look forward to God's surprises. Often I don't like them but I love to look back in amazment and see how God has worked in the midst of the struggle. It helps me trust Him more the next time such a thing happens. I know of people who spend a lot of time trying to make life work and figure out what God is doing and they miss out on the surprise of His soveriegnty and grace.
What causes us to fear the future, and today's circumstances? I think it is that we don't trust in the goodness and soveriegnty of God.
There's a church in Minneapolis who's goal is "to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ"
I would like to live with this as my goal.
I love the fact that I can trust God, even when I don't understand Him. He is working out His will in my life and will use even my mistakes to make me more like Him and draw me to Him. How incredible.
I read this this morning and it just confirmed some things He'd been impressing on my heart.
"If we have to be perfect before we can know ourselves blessed, we will never ask for the transfiguring power of God's love, because of course we are unworthy. But we don't have to be worthy, we just have to acknowledge our need, to cry out, 'Help me!' God will help us, even if it's in an unexpected and shocking way, by swooping down on us to wrestle with us. And in the midst of the wrestlin we, too, will be able to cry out 'Bless me!'
I am certain that God will bless me, but I don't need to know how. When we think we know exactly how the one who made us is going to take care of us, we're apt to ignore the angel messengers sent us along the way."
I look forward to God's surprises. Often I don't like them but I love to look back in amazment and see how God has worked in the midst of the struggle. It helps me trust Him more the next time such a thing happens. I know of people who spend a lot of time trying to make life work and figure out what God is doing and they miss out on the surprise of His soveriegnty and grace.
What causes us to fear the future, and today's circumstances? I think it is that we don't trust in the goodness and soveriegnty of God.
There's a church in Minneapolis who's goal is "to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ"
I would like to live with this as my goal.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Abundant life?
Life seems to be what I'm focusing on now. Jesus said "I am come that you may have life and have it abundantly" I belive this, but I don't know quite what this abundant life is. I used to think it meant life would go well, but the Lord showed me that that is not it. Sometimes life just hurts, but He makes abundant life available even when life seems out of control.
I think John Piper's continued encouragement from the Westminster Catechism, is what it is about:
What is the chief end of man? To glorify God, by enjoying Him forever. Piper changed it from "and enjoy Him forever" and I like the change.
I believe this is the key, no matter what is going on I can praise God, because He is God and He is a great God.
Yet, I get so caught up in life, that I don't even think about praising Him during my days. Why is this? I know most of us this struggle with this, it is reality of the foolishness of the flesh. This is what I need to die to daily.
Thank you God that You are sanctifying me and I don't have to do it myself, I know I never could. Thank you for the pain and struggles that remind me of how much I need you and help me to remember how much I need you, especially when things are going well.
I will exault You, I will give thanks to Your Name.
I think John Piper's continued encouragement from the Westminster Catechism, is what it is about:
What is the chief end of man? To glorify God, by enjoying Him forever. Piper changed it from "and enjoy Him forever" and I like the change.
I believe this is the key, no matter what is going on I can praise God, because He is God and He is a great God.
Yet, I get so caught up in life, that I don't even think about praising Him during my days. Why is this? I know most of us this struggle with this, it is reality of the foolishness of the flesh. This is what I need to die to daily.
Thank you God that You are sanctifying me and I don't have to do it myself, I know I never could. Thank you for the pain and struggles that remind me of how much I need you and help me to remember how much I need you, especially when things are going well.
I will exault You, I will give thanks to Your Name.
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