God seems to work in seasons, or themes, in my life. I may or may not recognize the theme at the time, but at least in retrospect I seem to see it. For example, there was the season where God showed me so much "yuck" in my heart that I couldn't stand it. He let me see how badly I truly do need Him...how I am desperate for him! I could name several seasons I've been through recently, the most recent of which seems to be faithfulness. God is faithful. This ties in with that theme of my not deserving Him. It's just a new twist. I apparently am so stubborn that He has to return to themes with me numerous times. I just am so full of pride, I apparently don't "get it" the first go-around. So, faithful as He is, the Lord says, "Daughter, let's try it another way."
Again, this season is: God is faithful. I am not. That's it in a nutshell.
I don't deserve a single thing, but he keeps blessing me.
I don't do what I'm supposed to, but He keeps on pouring out in my life.
I turn away, He follows me.
I repent. He forgives.
I turn away again, and He chases me down.
I feel hopeless. He assures me that He is the source of hope.
I just want to quit. He won't.
I am unfaithful. He remains faithful.
I renege. God doesn't.
I stop. He keeps going.
I fail. He sticks with me.
What a God! How can I not follow Him? Well, the truth is I can't follow Him well, but I can't stop either. He's like a magnet. He just keeps pulling me back. He keeps wowing me with Himself. He keeps showing me that He is faithful!
Showing posts with label God is. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God is. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Not even cute
I was talking with a dear friend recently about some life "issues"--namely, one of those heart-rending events that doesn't make sense. It was of God, appointed by Him, but it just left a lot of questions to be answered. Anyway, this particular night, my friend told me about a talk she had had with God regarding this issue. She told Him: "God, it's not funny," and then went on to say, "It's not even cute." At this we both cracked up. Perhaps it was the late hour, or perhaps it was just the ludicrousness of telling God that what He did just wasn't "cute."
I don't repeat this to be disrespectful. I repeat it because I think it speaks our hearts. In the Bible, the psalmists were very open with the Lord. They cried out and questioned Him. They did not understand His ways--and told Him so. So often we try to sound "spiritual" in the way we talk, but we're just crying out in our hearts: "God, it's not funny!" We think (though we don't dare say it) that He's being mean. Yet we know that He is omniscient and that He is all-loving. So, we trust Him--and we cry. We moan, "It's not even cute," and then we beg for faith to follow Him in the darkness.
I think--I dare to hope--that this is the walk of faith. Hebrews says faith is believing what we do not see. So much of life must be lived this way. Heartbreaks must be lived this way. We cry out, "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief!" We don't see the humor in the situation. We might even have to stretch our imaginations to see any good in it. But, we trust. And as we trust we begin to see that He is faithful. We see that His promises are sure. We see that we can trust Him, for He is trustworthy.
The circumstances may not be funny. They may not even be cute. But, the GOD of the circumstances is...well, He's there all along, with us through it all. And, in the process we find that we're coming to love Him more!
I don't repeat this to be disrespectful. I repeat it because I think it speaks our hearts. In the Bible, the psalmists were very open with the Lord. They cried out and questioned Him. They did not understand His ways--and told Him so. So often we try to sound "spiritual" in the way we talk, but we're just crying out in our hearts: "God, it's not funny!" We think (though we don't dare say it) that He's being mean. Yet we know that He is omniscient and that He is all-loving. So, we trust Him--and we cry. We moan, "It's not even cute," and then we beg for faith to follow Him in the darkness.
I think--I dare to hope--that this is the walk of faith. Hebrews says faith is believing what we do not see. So much of life must be lived this way. Heartbreaks must be lived this way. We cry out, "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief!" We don't see the humor in the situation. We might even have to stretch our imaginations to see any good in it. But, we trust. And as we trust we begin to see that He is faithful. We see that His promises are sure. We see that we can trust Him, for He is trustworthy.
The circumstances may not be funny. They may not even be cute. But, the GOD of the circumstances is...well, He's there all along, with us through it all. And, in the process we find that we're coming to love Him more!
Saturday, April 4, 2009
You Are... (Or, God Is)
Are journal entries worth sharing? I hope so...so long as they encourage another. While driving home the other night, I had one of those rare moments when I just seemed to be bursting with praise and awe and adoration for my most worthy God. Later on I attempted to capture the essence of that praise in my journal:
You are...The healer of the sick, the mender of the broken, the balm for soothing wounds. You are the filler of the empty, the well that can't run dry. You are compassion for the heart-sick, the lover of the unlovely, the answer for the questioner, the hope for the hopeless, the joy for the despondent, the rescuer of the endangered. You breathe life into the dead, seek the unwanted, cry for the unmourned. You are beautiful. You pursue the forsaken, beautify the unlovely, seek the lost, heal the cripple; you forgive the unforgivable, the unforgiven, and the unforgiving. You empower the weak, strengthen the feeble, and cure the sick. You conquer the unwilling, and make willing the conquered.
You choose the worthless to represent you. You choose the weak to defend your Name. Your subjects are not worthy of You, or indeed of anything at all. They are the most unlikely, the least worthy; the unloved, unlovely, and unlovable. Yet, you choose us. You strengthen us to showcase your handiwork. You are not daunted by our worthlessness. Your glory does not diminish on account of the same. Instead, the worthless vessel, the diamond carved from rock, the pottery of simple clay cannot detract from your glory. Your majesty is only magnified. The vessels you fill to overflowing do not diminish the supply of your abundance by even an ounce.
You are sufficient--alone. You are happy--in yourself. You are sustained--without support. You are the supplier of all good gifts with a warehouse never understocked. Your stream never runs dry. You are...You are...You are...!!!
You are...The healer of the sick, the mender of the broken, the balm for soothing wounds. You are the filler of the empty, the well that can't run dry. You are compassion for the heart-sick, the lover of the unlovely, the answer for the questioner, the hope for the hopeless, the joy for the despondent, the rescuer of the endangered. You breathe life into the dead, seek the unwanted, cry for the unmourned. You are beautiful. You pursue the forsaken, beautify the unlovely, seek the lost, heal the cripple; you forgive the unforgivable, the unforgiven, and the unforgiving. You empower the weak, strengthen the feeble, and cure the sick. You conquer the unwilling, and make willing the conquered.
You choose the worthless to represent you. You choose the weak to defend your Name. Your subjects are not worthy of You, or indeed of anything at all. They are the most unlikely, the least worthy; the unloved, unlovely, and unlovable. Yet, you choose us. You strengthen us to showcase your handiwork. You are not daunted by our worthlessness. Your glory does not diminish on account of the same. Instead, the worthless vessel, the diamond carved from rock, the pottery of simple clay cannot detract from your glory. Your majesty is only magnified. The vessels you fill to overflowing do not diminish the supply of your abundance by even an ounce.
You are sufficient--alone. You are happy--in yourself. You are sustained--without support. You are the supplier of all good gifts with a warehouse never understocked. Your stream never runs dry. You are...You are...You are...!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)