Thou the darkness hide thee....

There are many days I look at my life and am so joyful, for all that God has given me, his love, my family, health etc... On these days my cup seems to naturally overflow. Then there are those days, I am sure you know of them yourself, the days when the only friend you have left is darkness (Psalm 88). How difficult is it to be thankful, to worship God, on those days. Those however are the days that we need to authentically worship him. We find Paul and Silas in Acts 16, they had been traveling and preaching the word. They were beaten and thrown in jail (see acts 16 for the whole story), and in the midst of this suffering they began to sing, "Along about midnight, Paul and Silas were at prayer and singing a robust hymn to God. The other prisoners couldn't believe their ears. Then, without warning, a huge earthquake! The jailhouse tottered, every door flew open, all the prisoners were loose."(Acts 16:25) I can't help but believe that not only a physical act of being "loose" occurred. When we worship Jesus our hearts are released, and he is allowed to be the one to fill our cup. There have been many times when I fell on my knees in awe of Jesus, in spite of the feeling of being very alone and my cup being half empty. I promise my friends, Jesus never left my cup empty. "Worship is the only thing you take with you when you go." Brett Barry. I don't know about you, but suddenly I am in the mood to worship the lover of my soul.

Obedience in Christ

We all have a choice to make when the bumps in the road come along. The things in this world that throw you off your usual happy course, those lows are never welcome. God however, has allowed them, and can use them, like my last blog stated, to draw us into Him.

Genesis 50:19-21 (The Message)

19-21 Joseph replied, "Don't be afraid. Do I act for God? Don't you see, you planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good, as you see all around you right now—life for many people. Easy now, you have nothing to fear; I'll take care of you and your children." He reassured them, speaking with them heart-to-heart.

One of the biggest bumps in the road, was the loss of my father to cancer. I was only 9. Over the two years of his illness I saw my family crumble. What had once been a very secure place for a child became a very scary, uneasy, dark place. Once he passed away, I remember feeling at a total loss. My dear mother was now left with three kids and a very empty heart. Although she had claimed to believe, she never relied on Christ and his strength to carry her though this time. Once he left me, it was as if my life as I knew it was over. I can't even recall the year he passed away, my teacher, my friends, trips or special events, all I remember is the day I left what was left of my life, my family was moving to Oregon. I spent many years in what I can only call now a deep depression. Now why am I telling you all this? Only to show you what God did for me. Although He allowed all this, He knew what the story in the end would look like. My father became a believer a little before his death, I truly don't believe this would have happened with out his illness. I also received my grace from God about 6 years later. I am not sure if I didn't have this void, the deep emptiness if I would have choose to follow Christ, of course I hope I would have, but I don't know. My life with Christ is my joy. I am full of life, hope, love, the Holy Spirit. Those bumps in the road are difficult, they can be long, uncomfortable, awful, but God desires to use them to Glorify Himself. We have to be obedient to God when going through these times, to be used by Him. A good friend reminded me recently, "obedience in Christ", to cling to Him and follow His way through the bumps in the road. Sometimes we can't see the good God is meaning in short story, but we must trust Him and allow Him to use us, knowing that He knows the long story, the end. We can know the joy and peace that comes from obeying God, it isn't an easy path or choice, but the rewards are ones we can't even imagine.

Isaiah 1:19-20 (The Message)

...this is God's Message:
"If your sins are blood-red,
they'll be snow-white.
If they're red like crimson,
they'll be like wool.
If you'll willingly obey,
you'll feast like kings.
But if you're willful and stubborn,
you'll die like dogs."
That's right. God says so

My friends, may you "feast like kings", may your hearts overflow with the joy and peace that comes only from obedience in Christ.

Rescue Me

I think if we are all honest, we've been in a place where we feel the need to be rescued. Lately I have been struggling with my own sin, my own lack of faith. I feel like I am enduring many trials. Not that I would ever compare myself to Paul, but we can draw from his wisdom and knowledge, his life. Paul endured many trials and tribulations. Paul was stoned to the point, where they believed he was dead (see Acts 14:1-20). He also spoke of a thorn in his side, a messenger of Satan, to torment me (2 Corinthians 12:7). He was a man who boldly dared to speak out for the Lord, yet the physical, mental/emotional suffering was great. God could have made his life so easy and still made Paul an amazing child of God. Yet he didn't. Paul was constantly met with physical road blocks and mental/emotional ones. We are told he was asking God to rescue him to deliver him from the pain. "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor. 12:8,9) Paul also talks about being rescued in 2 Timothy 3:11, "persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them." So what ever we are going through be it a physical pain or emotional pain, God will rescue us. His grace is sufficient. "The original word for rescue in 2 Timothy 3:11, is rhuomai, which is derived from a word meaning to "drag along the ground" Rhuomai means "to draw or snatch from danger, rescue, deliver."....this is more with the meaning of drawing to oneself then merely rescuing from someone or something." (Beth Moore, To Live is Christ). So through our pain, God is wanting to rescue us, as in Draw us to himself. "...Our deliverance comes when we're dragged from the enemy of our souls to the heart of God." Now if we can just find the faith and trust to put in God that he will draw us to him, rescue us, rhuomai. Jesus, rescue me from my sin, myself, draw me into you, no matter the cost. May all our hearts be at a place where we are wanting to be drawn into Jesus.