"The Lord is good - indeed, he is a fortress in time of distress, and he protects those who seek refuge in him." Nahum 1:7
Oh Friends, the Lord is good! He is Jehovah Jireh - Hebrew for "The Lord Will Provide," or more literally, "The Lord Who Will See to It."
Today at bible study, my name was drawn out of a hat for two tickets to an upcoming women's event at our church. Some might call it luck...I call it faith! You see, this is an event I longed to experience but, because we closely watch our finances, had yet to decide if I would actually attend. When the bible study leader announced they were giving two tickets away, I felt that those tickets just might be awarded to me. Let me share with you the conversation in my head that occurred in a time-span of about 12 seconds...
"They're giving away two tickets? Oh, I so want to go! My name could be called. No, my name won't be called. Look at all these other women in the room. Well, why couldn't my name be called? I am the same as any other women in this room. God could choose to bless me just as well as He could choose to bless any other woman in this room. I need to believe in Him. Okay, I believe my name is going to be called" (ohh, I should sell tickets for the chance to spend a day inside my crazy head...just kidding).
I felt God speaking to my heart. No, I am not claiming that God speaks to me audibly; rather He speaks to my heart, just as He speaks to every heart that will listen. I felt God saying that He would rise me up if I would just believe in Him; have faith that He would do what He said He was going to do (Luke 1:45).
A few weeks back, I had a similar experience with the Holy One. I needed to write a check for my bible studies, but didn't quite have the finances to cover it at the time. No worries; I knew that my hubby would be paid at the end of the month and I could probably speak with the church about paying a week or so late. However, we had a few days until I needed to write the check, so I told my husband, "Let's see what God brings to us this week." Since deciding to stay at home 4 years ago, we've had to cut back on spending, but it seems that a rebate check or some type of reimbursement always seems to come at just the right time. And wouldn't you know...a $24 check came in from insurance a few days later. Oh, I had chills. But $24 wasn't quite enough to cover all the studies. So, we waited... Are you ready for this? These are the things that are so good, I just can't keep to myself... Would you know that a second check arrived later in the week that more than covered the rest of our expenses? A rebate check from one of our local service providers. Money that was due to us anyway, but that God chose to send to us at just the right time...so that we could see Him at work. He provided just what we needed when we needed it.
Now please realize, we consider our finances of utmost responsibility. Everything we have is from Him and He calls us to be good stewards of all He's given. I do not condone overspending and waiting to see what God provides. However, I do believe that He will provide exactly what He wants you to have when He wants you to have it. James 4:2-3 reads, "You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." I believe He will provide so that we can do the things He wants us to do.
It was the same with my grief. God was there the whole time but He couldn't help me until I asked Him to; until I placed my faith in Him; until I believed not only that He could help me, but that He would. Faith is the key that unlocks the door to God's biggest blessings on your life. God will see to it that all of your needs are met. He is Jehovah Jireh. Whether it be financial, physical, or emotional needs, you just gotta have faith!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
From Ordinary to Extraordinary
"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up..." 1 Thessalonians 5:11
So no one asked but I'm going to share anyway, the story that I "coincidentally" read twice within a 12 hour period (once in my bible study and again in a book my husband left for me...see previous post).
It was the story of the evangelist Dwight L. Moody; an ordinary, unordained shoe salesman who felt God's call to share the gospel. Mr. Moody was moved to respond to God's calling after hearing Henry Varley, a British revivalist, say, "The world has yet to see what God will do with a man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him."
The point my bible study makes is that God can use anyone to accomplish His work, as long as they dedicate themselves to Him. The thought of our extraordinary God using ordinary people excites me to no end because I want God to use me...pick me! God has done such a work in me - first in my salvation and second in giving me hope after Alysa died - that I owe Him all I have and more. I get so excited about the thought of serving Him...almost, to a fault.
You see, and this is SO hard to admit, I want God to use me. I almost get envious when others go before me in His service. Ugly, I know! On so many levels!! I don't like sharing this, but before I knew it, my hand was reaching for pen and paper to write, so, here it is...
I realized that I am just as bad as my kids - no, worse, because I know better - about fighting for His attention. I praise God that so many times, He uses the relationship with my kids to each me more about Him. Rather than begging for God's attention, it is just as I tell my own children, "I love each of you. There is plenty of room for each of you to walk by my side."
Lord, forgive me of my selfishness. Help me to come along side of my sisters and brothers in Christ and encourage them to seek You and Your service wholeheartedly. Thank you for using ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.
So no one asked but I'm going to share anyway, the story that I "coincidentally" read twice within a 12 hour period (once in my bible study and again in a book my husband left for me...see previous post).
It was the story of the evangelist Dwight L. Moody; an ordinary, unordained shoe salesman who felt God's call to share the gospel. Mr. Moody was moved to respond to God's calling after hearing Henry Varley, a British revivalist, say, "The world has yet to see what God will do with a man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him."
The point my bible study makes is that God can use anyone to accomplish His work, as long as they dedicate themselves to Him. The thought of our extraordinary God using ordinary people excites me to no end because I want God to use me...pick me! God has done such a work in me - first in my salvation and second in giving me hope after Alysa died - that I owe Him all I have and more. I get so excited about the thought of serving Him...almost, to a fault.
You see, and this is SO hard to admit, I want God to use me. I almost get envious when others go before me in His service. Ugly, I know! On so many levels!! I don't like sharing this, but before I knew it, my hand was reaching for pen and paper to write, so, here it is...
I realized that I am just as bad as my kids - no, worse, because I know better - about fighting for His attention. I praise God that so many times, He uses the relationship with my kids to each me more about Him. Rather than begging for God's attention, it is just as I tell my own children, "I love each of you. There is plenty of room for each of you to walk by my side."
Lord, forgive me of my selfishness. Help me to come along side of my sisters and brothers in Christ and encourage them to seek You and Your service wholeheartedly. Thank you for using ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.
Friday, August 28, 2009
GPS
"I am the way and the truth and the life." John 15:5 (NIV)
My husband recently acquired one of those GPS things (though a mail-in rebate after purchasing a new set of tires), and he’s spent the last few days driving blind—letting this new device take the lead. He’s driven to places he knows good and well how to get to, but he let the GPS instruct him instead.
On occasion, the GPS took my husband on a different route than to which he was accustomed, but he still made it to his destination. Once or twice, my husband took a wrong turn because he misinterpreted the friendly voice coming from the new system. However, after tuning his attention back to the GPS, he arrived to his desired location safe and sound.
The bible study I’m taking talks about letting Jesus be your guide; following God one day, one turn, one step at a time. God desires for us to look to Him for direction in life. He wants to be our GPS—our Godly Positioning System. In fact, God’s GPS is a simple device to use…we don’t even have to know or enter a destination. God has already decided where we need to go. He is the Author and Creator of life.
Am I the first to see the novelty in this phrase? Probably not. But what a great way to remember to always seek the Father for guidance.
Feel lost? Need directions? Get a GPS!
My husband recently acquired one of those GPS things (though a mail-in rebate after purchasing a new set of tires), and he’s spent the last few days driving blind—letting this new device take the lead. He’s driven to places he knows good and well how to get to, but he let the GPS instruct him instead.
On occasion, the GPS took my husband on a different route than to which he was accustomed, but he still made it to his destination. Once or twice, my husband took a wrong turn because he misinterpreted the friendly voice coming from the new system. However, after tuning his attention back to the GPS, he arrived to his desired location safe and sound.
The bible study I’m taking talks about letting Jesus be your guide; following God one day, one turn, one step at a time. God desires for us to look to Him for direction in life. He wants to be our GPS—our Godly Positioning System. In fact, God’s GPS is a simple device to use…we don’t even have to know or enter a destination. God has already decided where we need to go. He is the Author and Creator of life.
Am I the first to see the novelty in this phrase? Probably not. But what a great way to remember to always seek the Father for guidance.
Feel lost? Need directions? Get a GPS!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
The Real Me
So I stepped outside this morning and nearly broke out in song “Oh What a Beautiful Morning, Oh What a Beautiful Day” from the musical “Oklahoma” (actually my mind did break out in song and it’s been going round and round in my head ever since!). It rained last night for maybe the 3rd time in three months since we relocated to Central Texas, and it is soooo refreshing. There is a beautiful story about rain on the blog dated 1/25/08 by Angie Smith, wife of Todd from the Christian group Selah, and I’ve added a link to her blog on the side, as we seem to have a few things in common (am I worthy of comparing myself to such a wonderful lady?!?). The air was so fresh this morning, that even though the end of summer is yet a month a way, I could sense fall just around the corner. No deer though…they must have already gone back down to the creek for their morning nap (the deer are our closest neighbors; we see 12-15 deer every day, usually morning, mid-afternoon, and night).
What, you may ask, does all of this have to do with grief? Nothing. I’ve felt God’s gentle nudging to make this blog a bit more personal. You want the real me, not my “polished” stories. Plus, I’m using way too much paper—killing tons of trees—on all my journal entries. Time to take it online. God’s doing too many good things for me to keep to myself. Little things. But sometimes, those are the best!
I promise not to make this blog too much about the kiddos; I have a family website for that. Although I did pull out the “Santa is watching you” bit after an argument between the girls this morning at the breakfast table…I told you fall was in the air!
Rather, I’ll write about the view from the mountain tops, from the valleys, and life in between. For those of you who follow me on Facebook, realize that my stories are streamed from my blog. I hope you’ll forgive me if my entries seem a bit heavier (and lengthier) than the subject of what I might be making for dinner tonight (trust me, with the type of cook I am, dinner stories would never be interesting…actually, with the type of cook I am, dinner stories might be quite interesting—like the time I attempted to crumble up fresh bread for a recipe that called for “breadcrumbs.” If they mean cracker crumbs, why don’t they just say cracker crumbs?!? But I digress…).
And I’ll ask for prayer. I’ve begun working on the next book. I am overflowing with things I feel God wants me to share about Him. Each time I share A Place of Peace with someone, I want to say, “But there is more;” because there is…so much more to the story. I don’t usually make public these types of request because I think, “What if it never comes to fruition?" I’ll look like a fool, a phony, a fake, a flop for mentioning it. And the next book may never come to fruition. But, I feel led to ask for prayer, so I’m asking out of obedience. If it is God’s will, there will be a way.
I am taking a study about Experiencing God and it is already changing my life. We can each experience God every moment of our lives—in good times and in bad—if we just seek Him. It is so simple in theory, yet so incredibly challenging in practice. But even as I write, my husband left for me a short devotional to read, and it is a copy of something I read last night. The same article in a completely different book, by a completely different author, aimed at completely different audiences. Yet, God brought this story to me two times within a twelve hour period. What a humbling experience to realize that He is with you always. Thank you, Lord, for making me smile. I’d better go read the article again to make sure I get His point!
What, you may ask, does all of this have to do with grief? Nothing. I’ve felt God’s gentle nudging to make this blog a bit more personal. You want the real me, not my “polished” stories. Plus, I’m using way too much paper—killing tons of trees—on all my journal entries. Time to take it online. God’s doing too many good things for me to keep to myself. Little things. But sometimes, those are the best!
I promise not to make this blog too much about the kiddos; I have a family website for that. Although I did pull out the “Santa is watching you” bit after an argument between the girls this morning at the breakfast table…I told you fall was in the air!
Rather, I’ll write about the view from the mountain tops, from the valleys, and life in between. For those of you who follow me on Facebook, realize that my stories are streamed from my blog. I hope you’ll forgive me if my entries seem a bit heavier (and lengthier) than the subject of what I might be making for dinner tonight (trust me, with the type of cook I am, dinner stories would never be interesting…actually, with the type of cook I am, dinner stories might be quite interesting—like the time I attempted to crumble up fresh bread for a recipe that called for “breadcrumbs.” If they mean cracker crumbs, why don’t they just say cracker crumbs?!? But I digress…).
And I’ll ask for prayer. I’ve begun working on the next book. I am overflowing with things I feel God wants me to share about Him. Each time I share A Place of Peace with someone, I want to say, “But there is more;” because there is…so much more to the story. I don’t usually make public these types of request because I think, “What if it never comes to fruition?" I’ll look like a fool, a phony, a fake, a flop for mentioning it. And the next book may never come to fruition. But, I feel led to ask for prayer, so I’m asking out of obedience. If it is God’s will, there will be a way.
I am taking a study about Experiencing God and it is already changing my life. We can each experience God every moment of our lives—in good times and in bad—if we just seek Him. It is so simple in theory, yet so incredibly challenging in practice. But even as I write, my husband left for me a short devotional to read, and it is a copy of something I read last night. The same article in a completely different book, by a completely different author, aimed at completely different audiences. Yet, God brought this story to me two times within a twelve hour period. What a humbling experience to realize that He is with you always. Thank you, Lord, for making me smile. I’d better go read the article again to make sure I get His point!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
