Don't Fear What God is Doing

Nancy Guthrie wrote "Holding on to Hope". It's the story of Their hope in God during the short life of their daughter, Hope. She was born with Zellwager Syndrome and not given more than six months to live. Nancy used Job as her reference for their journey.

It's a good book to remind us of the hope we have in God, in any circumstance, to walk with us through it. To be reminded that He understands our pain, grief, and struggles with belief.

They chose not to ask for miraculous healing, but instead with boldness and passion and persistence to pray:

"God, would you please accomplish your will? Would you give me a willing heart to embrace your plan and your purpose? Would you mold me into a vessel that you can use to accomplish what you have in mind?" and then, perhaps, we could add a tiny P.S. that says, "If that includes healing, we will be grateful."

What a difference from how believers usually pray. What a difference it would make in our lives if we approched God with this request instead of "Lord, make me better",
"let the test be benign," etc. I type up prayer requests at church and these are more of what I see than "Lord, work out your will." We, myself included, are so focused on feeling better that we forget that God often chooses to use our weakness to show His strength and for Him to be glorified.


The Guthries took steps to have no other children, this syndrome is genetic and after one child with it there is more chance of another one, however, God had other plans. Their son, Gabriel, survived just six months. They knew he would be born with the syndrome and knew this was God's gift to them. They named him Gabriel because they believed that he "like the angel, Gabriel, is sent from God, and protected by God. We will not be surpirsed if he has heavenly messages for us to hear, if we will listen. And significantly, whenever Gabriel, appeared in the Bible, he reassured his stunned audience: 'Don't be afraid!' "

What a message for us.

I am His Beloved! Amazing!

Why is it so hard for some of us to trust in God's love. Didn't the cross show us the extent of His love?
I have been encouraged by Brennan Manning this week on His love.

He quotes Marjory Kemp, who lived 400 years ago:
"More pleasing to me than all your prayers, sacrifices, and good words is that you would believe that I love you."

Towards the end of the book, The Signature of Jesus, he says:
"I know all your thoughts. I hear all your words. I see all of your actions. And I love you. Do not judge yourself. Do not condemn yourself. Do not reject yourself. Let my love touch the most hidden corners of your heart and reveal to you your beauty, a beauty that you have lost sight of."

I've been reading in Ps. 139 this week and the above quote reinforces what I have been seeing in that Psalm. It is amazing to know that He loves me. It's easy to focus on my weakness and failure and beat myself up about it. But that's me focusing on me, not on God. One more quote speaks to this,

"...my attention must be on Jesus, not on myself. To adore is to be drawn away from my own preoccupations into the presence of Jesus. It means letting go of what I want, desire, or have planned, and fully trusting Jesus and His love." Henry Nouwen

We are told to die to ourselves and if we truly understand and trust in God's love for us this would be a natural thing to do. Oh, Lord, teach me to trust your love and let that me enough for me.

O, to be an awestruck apprentice....

"...the realm of resurrection where all things can be made new because of the unfathomable depths of the heart of the loving God who dreams of a better world and enters into it to make the dream come true."

"We come, neither as masters of all the secrets of the universe nor as blind gropers after some shred of truth and enlightenment, but rather as awestruck apprentices who have been given enough light to continue the journey with confidence and conviction."

Some final words of encouragement from William C. Frey in "The Dance of Hope." I've enjoyed this book and the reminder of God's creative and amazing love for His creation.

I often go through my day without being aware of what God is doing, and His presence. How much I miss out on by being so focused on the little piece of the picture that is my daily life. I need to continually remind myself that there is a much bigger picture and be amazed at God's work in it all.

What an awesome, loving, sovereign God we have!