You know how sometimes when you are journaling you end up writing a little personal revelation. Then when you reread it you are like...whoa...I really needed to hear that. It's like a post-it note from God. A little reminder that He is still in control and He is still looking after you.
While I was emailing a friend today this very thing happened. I just wanted to send a little note to let him know someone from BR was keeping up with him, and wham...God gave me a little nugget. I was telling Caleb how things were going for Honduras and then when I reread the email I saw this:
"so i am gearing up for the move. it's hard to be here and there at the same time...but i think i will probably feel this way for the rest of my life. caught between this and that, here and there. i should learn to love it in that place. a place where God is the constant, the thread holding my life together. "
Please pray that I would do just that...not depend on my surroundings for encouragement or comfort but depend only on God who is everywhere I will ever be. If I can really be at home where ever He is then I will be at home everywhere He sends me.
Jul 30, 2008
Jul 25, 2008
Not Looking but Expecting
I have been pondering something for a few days now, so I thought I'd share it with you guys.
If faith is believing in what we do not see we have to develop another way to find God's blessing.
We can't look for it because it isn't there yet...we would continually say "Is this it?" "Oh this is definately the blessing I've been looking for!" "This has got to be it!" "I know this is from God." That is not faith...that is a sure set up for dissappointment...believe me. I have been looking for blessing under every rock and I have not found anything yet.
What we have to do is look to God and expect the blessing to come. If we have faith then we believe it is going to happen. We prayed for it. We felt a peace. We know God heard our cry. If we keep looking for the answer around every corner then are we really trusting God to provide in His timing...in his way?
No, I fear that in doing this we are really trying to fit God into our idea of what the answer to the prayer will look like. If we, instead, life up the prayer, look to God in faith and basiclly just try to forget we have the need altogether, God will suprise us with an answer that is abundant...more than we could ever hope for, imagine or dream!
John 13:7 "You do not realize now what I am doing but later you will understand."
I definately don't understand what God is doing in a lot of different areas of my life, my family's lives and the world, but that is no suprise because in Isaiah 55 He told us that His ways are higher than ours. That is where the faith come is.
So I have decided to stop looking for it and look to God instead...expectantly. I challenge you to do the same thing!
If faith is believing in what we do not see we have to develop another way to find God's blessing.
We can't look for it because it isn't there yet...we would continually say "Is this it?" "Oh this is definately the blessing I've been looking for!" "This has got to be it!" "I know this is from God." That is not faith...that is a sure set up for dissappointment...believe me. I have been looking for blessing under every rock and I have not found anything yet.
What we have to do is look to God and expect the blessing to come. If we have faith then we believe it is going to happen. We prayed for it. We felt a peace. We know God heard our cry. If we keep looking for the answer around every corner then are we really trusting God to provide in His timing...in his way?
No, I fear that in doing this we are really trying to fit God into our idea of what the answer to the prayer will look like. If we, instead, life up the prayer, look to God in faith and basiclly just try to forget we have the need altogether, God will suprise us with an answer that is abundant...more than we could ever hope for, imagine or dream!
John 13:7 "You do not realize now what I am doing but later you will understand."
I definately don't understand what God is doing in a lot of different areas of my life, my family's lives and the world, but that is no suprise because in Isaiah 55 He told us that His ways are higher than ours. That is where the faith come is.
So I have decided to stop looking for it and look to God instead...expectantly. I challenge you to do the same thing!
Jul 23, 2008
Always Praising?!
As many of you know I have been in a season of waiting. Waiting to go to Honduras, waiting to earn the money to go to Honduras, waiting to get the job to earn the money to go to Honduras...you get the picture. I have been waiting on things for my family as well...waiting for salvations, for them to live fully committed lives, for them to understand what I am doing isn't just something I think will be fun (although it is fun most of the time).
Right alongside this season of waiting has been a season of trusting. Trusting that God will provide. Trusting that He will take care of my family...I mean the guy has the whole world in the palm of His hand, right.
It has seemed like forever. Waiting and trusting takes a long time, but in reality it has only been about a month. So much has happened in this month that I have not really thanked God for. It took Israel 40 years to get to know God, to understand His character and they still got a lot wrong after all that time.
Now I see that along with waiting and trusting should always be praising. We can't just give God props when everything is going like we think it should. We should want to praise Him all of the time and for everything He does for us and to us.
I read something this morning and it really got me..."If you are really in God like you should be then anything that gets to you has been allowed by God to reach you. We should be thankful..." WOW! That paints a picture...I thought of being inside a God bubble and Him approving everything that came inside that bubble. Some of the things I like and some of the things I didn't. Some of them hurt me and some of them were awesome...but they all had purpose, they all took part in shaping me. Therefore I should be grateful, thankful even, for every challenge, every wait, every opportunity to trust and I should PRAISE God in all things.
I'm glad it only took a month for me to figure that one out. I don't want to have to go another 39 years and 11 months without praising God like He deserves. He is my rescuer, my savior, my provider. He is almighty, benevolent, caring, discerning, Elohim, father, great, healer, impassioned, just, kind, love, merciful, near, omniscient, present, quiet, righteous, sinless, trustworthy, unchanging, victorious, worthy, exalted, yearns for us, and He is Zion.
So learn this lesson quick. Through the waiting and trusting make sure you are also praising the God who gave everything for a chance to save you.
Right alongside this season of waiting has been a season of trusting. Trusting that God will provide. Trusting that He will take care of my family...I mean the guy has the whole world in the palm of His hand, right.
It has seemed like forever. Waiting and trusting takes a long time, but in reality it has only been about a month. So much has happened in this month that I have not really thanked God for. It took Israel 40 years to get to know God, to understand His character and they still got a lot wrong after all that time.
Now I see that along with waiting and trusting should always be praising. We can't just give God props when everything is going like we think it should. We should want to praise Him all of the time and for everything He does for us and to us.
I read something this morning and it really got me..."If you are really in God like you should be then anything that gets to you has been allowed by God to reach you. We should be thankful..." WOW! That paints a picture...I thought of being inside a God bubble and Him approving everything that came inside that bubble. Some of the things I like and some of the things I didn't. Some of them hurt me and some of them were awesome...but they all had purpose, they all took part in shaping me. Therefore I should be grateful, thankful even, for every challenge, every wait, every opportunity to trust and I should PRAISE God in all things.
I'm glad it only took a month for me to figure that one out. I don't want to have to go another 39 years and 11 months without praising God like He deserves. He is my rescuer, my savior, my provider. He is almighty, benevolent, caring, discerning, Elohim, father, great, healer, impassioned, just, kind, love, merciful, near, omniscient, present, quiet, righteous, sinless, trustworthy, unchanging, victorious, worthy, exalted, yearns for us, and He is Zion.
So learn this lesson quick. Through the waiting and trusting make sure you are also praising the God who gave everything for a chance to save you.
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