Help.

The words of my prayers are few.  Sometimes you reach a point where you just don't know what else to say.

When the righteous cry for help,

the LORD hears and delivers them 

out of their troubles.

Psalm 34:17

~ ~ ~
Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; 

you will cry for help, and he will say: 

"Here am I". 

Isaiah 58:9

God doesn't need long, elaborate, eloquent prayers. He simply hears our cry and helps. 

Rest

Come to me, you weary one... come to me.  Those words have been echoing through my mind all day long.
Listen: Come To Me, by Kari Jobe

It's an invitation straight from the throne room of heaven, sealed by the hand of a loving God. A gentle whisper from a God who promises that if I come, he will give me what I need.  And he knows exactly what I need today.

But how?  And when? 

It happens when I accept the invitation and I simply come. I don't even have to go anywhere. He meets me right where I am. In the midst of the mundane...the ordinary.  In the midst of the chaos and confusion.  Something magical happens in that moment; when I just stop and acknowledge His presence. 

No matter what is going on in my life, no matter what my circumstances may be, He is all I need... just when I need it.  I will gladly accept the invitation.

He is waiting. Go to him. Find your rest.

Come to me,

all who labor and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest. 

Take my yoke upon you,

and learn from me,

for I am gentle and lowly in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls.

Matthew 11:28-29

Jars of clay

Remember you have made me as clay.

Job 10:9

I am ordinary. I have weak spots. I am fragile.  I crack under the pressures of life.  I am but a broken, leaky jar of clay.

A jar is designed to be filled or to hold something.  But how can something so broken and so weak hold anything if it is unable to hold itself together?

But we have this treasure

 in jars of clay,

to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed;

perplexed, but not driven to despair;

persecuted, but not forsaken;

struck down, but not destroyed.

2 Corinthians 4:7-8

He has filled us with a precious treasure. Our lives were created to reflect God and his great power.   Because of him and him alone, we are able to do far beyond what we ever thought possible. He takes the ordinary and fills it with the extraordinary.  He takes what is weak and makes it strong. He takes what is broken and uses it... for his glory.

Fill me, Lord. 

Strength for today

"The LORD is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in him,
and he helps me..." 

Psalm 28:7

Strength.

It's what we all so desperately need... whether we realize it or not.  Strength is what gets us through the day.   Some days are easier than others, but what about when life throws a curve ball?  A heavy one.  When the burden is so overwhelmingly unbearable?  When it proves too much to carry on our own strength?

My family is experiencing an extremely difficult and heartbreaking journey.  My brother-in-law has a very rare, terminal cancer and is currently fighting for his life.  At the age of 32, he loves the Lord with all his heart, with all his mind and with all his strength.  He is a mighty, valiant warrior.  I have never met a stronger individual in my life.  He trusts that God is there... even in the midst of a nightmare. His faith is strong; and nothing... not even stage 4 cancer... can shake it.

This is just one of the many platforms that God has used to reveal His boundless strength.  Despite the insurmountable battles and unforeseen challenges, we must never ever forget that his strength is available to us every single moment of every single day.

"My heart and my flesh may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart

and my portion forever".

Psalm 73:26 

Listen: You Are My Strength by Hillsong

Calmer of the storm

"Trust in him at all times,

O people; pour out your heart before him;

God is a refuge for us".

Psalm 62:8

We were getting out of the car and my youngest saw me looking at the sky and overheard me say, "The storm is coming!" She wouldn't move.  She just looked at the dark clouds and said, "Mommy, I'm scared of the storm".  I took her in my arms and whispered, "You'll be ok, I'm right here".  Her eyes meet mine and I saw peace as she smiled.  She trusted me.

Oh how I wish I could trust God like that.  To take him at his word when the storm rolls in...in the midst of a setback...when nothing seems to be going right...when bad news just keeps coming.

Trust does not come naturally at that point.

Psalm 62:8 calls us to trust in him at ALL times.  Not just some of the time.

Trust is impossible if we are focused on the crisis, the heartache, the fear.  We need to take our eyes off the wind and the waves of our problems and look to the calmer of the storm. 

"He caused the storm to be still so that the waves of the sea were hushed".

Psalm 107:29

He will calm your storm.  You need only trust.
Click to listen: Calmer of the Storm, by Downhere

The waiting room

Some of my prayers are answered quickly and sometimes it feel like my prayers are bouncing off the ceiling. I have a couple of requests that I feel are struggling to push through the clouds... the clouds of my frustration, doubts and fears... into the throne room of heaven.  But the truth is, God does hear my prayers and he does answer them. I am confident of that. 

Sometimes I just have to wait.

"I wait for the Lord,

my soul waits

and in his word I hope".

Psalm 120:5

I used to hate waiting rooms... until I had kids.  Now, when I have a doctor's appointment, I make sure I go alone so I can take advantage of the opportunity to sit still and rest in the quietness while I wait.  (Note: this does NOT apply to trips to the pediatrician... that is more of a test of survival rather than of patience!)

Maybe God has us in the waiting room.

It's here, in this quiet place, where we have the opportunity to make choices as we wait:

Will we allow anxiety to destroy us?

or

Will our trust and patience be strengthened?

Will we allow our character to be shaken and torn into pieces?

or

Will we allow our character to grow into who God created us to be?

Will we try to take control and fall flat on our face?

or

Will we depend on God and his perfect timing as we get to know him more and more each passing day?

I am finding that the longer I have to wait, the more the anticipation builds.  Maybe God knows that I will appreciate and cherish the very thing that I have been longing for so much more than if it were just handed to me at my command.  Maybe he knows that as I wait, I will make the right choices... to come to him, draw close to him, lean on him and grow stronger as a result.  Even when I feel like God is silent... he is at work.
I am thankful for the waiting room.

Below is a link to a song that has encouraged me on my journey.

"While I'm Waiting"

Let hope rise

What holds us together in the midst of a crisis--amid troubles, disappointment and heartache?  

     

What compels us to not give up--to strive ahead despite pure exhaustion and frustration?          

It is hope. 

God created us to be creatures of hope... He is the God of hope, after all.

Romans 15:13 says it loud and clear:

"May the God of hope fill you

with all joy and peace

as you trust in him

so that you may overflow with hope

by the power of the Holy Spirit".

What if what I am "hoping" for never comes to pass?  The answer is clear. I will continue to be filled with joy and peace as I trust in a sovereign God.  My hope is in him and him alone- anything else will only prove to fail.  So as we strive ahead, never giving up, no matter what obstacles are thrown our way; we are overflowing with hope.  

Let hope rise. 

Blessed

Blessed [happy] is the man

whose sin the Lord 

does not count against him
and in whose spirit is no deceit.

Psalm 32:2

The Lord is ready to forgive. Jesus paid it all. Oh the wondrous cross! My sins, the sins of the world, held him there. He took my place. A death I deserved... a death we all deserved. 

My heart is overwhelmed with thanksgiving. Not just because of the cross, but because he lives... victoriously!! He conquered death, hell, and the grave. No other god has ever gone that far. 

How could we ever repay him for all he has done for us? Simply by accepting and believing the freedom of his forgiveness. 

Don't let the mistakes of your past keep you from moving forward today. Let them go. Be blessed. Be free. 

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36

Do you believe it?

Secret petitions

Delight yourself in the LORD

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

Note the progression.   It's almost like cause and effect.  His giving is followed by my delight... not the other way around.

What do you delight in?  Whatever it is, your desires will reveal it.

Have you ever noticed that the more you delight in something, the more you connect with it?

As we connect with the Lord, we can't help but have his desires come rushing into our hearts. The word "desires" has also be translated as "secret petitions".

I love that.  God knows both the spoken and unspoken requests of our hearts.  When we enjoy the Lord and find satisfaction in him, we will find that our secret petitions run parallel with his. 

In her book, He Speaks To Me, Priscilla Shrier writes, "Do not be afraid to hunger for the desires of the Lord to fill your heart.  Not only are God's desires better than your own, but we will find more complete contentment with His plan".

We will be content with his desires, because they satisfy us in a way that our desires alone could not.

 [The LORD] satisfies your desires with good things...

Psalm 103:5

Don't follow your heart

Love is in the air.  Hearts are everywhere. I opened my Instagram feed and found love notes adorned with hearts, candy decorated with hearts, even food cut into the shape of hearts.  It only seems fitting to end this week's journey of digging into the truth about love, with the heart.

Has anyone ever told you to just follow your heart?  The problem I see with this advice is that our hearts are tied to our feelings.  And feelings are fickle and shallow.  They can't be trusted.

Our hearts only chase after what feels right in the moment.  It's time to take full responsibility for the condition and direction of our hearts. It's time that we stop following and start leading.

"Above all else, guard your heart,

for everything you do flows from it".

Proverbs 4:23

Whatever fills your heart will flow out.
What flows out of yours? 

 

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also".

Matthew 6:21

 

Impossible love

It's easy to love someone when you are experiencing pure bliss, but what happens when the wear and tear of time destroy it? What if the circumstances change? What about when the quality and the character of the person you love suddenly disappear? What then? 

If people have to prove themselves worthy of our love, then we are totally missing the point.

God demonstrates His own love 

toward us,

in that while we were yet sinners, 

Christ died for us. 

Romans 5:8

That my friend, is real love. It's unconditional.

It is impossible for us to love like that. It's something we are truly incapable of doing...on our own strength.    

Because God first loved us, we are able to love others.  Even when it's inconvenient, even when it hurts, even when we feel like we just can't.

 

Let us love one another,

 for love is from God;

and everyone who loves

is born of God and knows God.

Anyone who does not love

does not know God,

because God is love.

1 John 4:7-8

No fear in love

When I was little, I was afraid of the dark... ok, truth be told, maybe I still am.  Just the other day, after I turned off the lights for the night, I found myself running as fast as I could up the stairs as though I feared that someone was going to grab my foot through the slated staircase! (I may or may not have caught my husband doing the same thing).  Shhhh, don't tell our children.

Fear is an emotion induced by a perceived threat.

Do I fear the dark or do I fear what the dark has to hide?  The fear of the unknown.  The fear of what I think could happen.

1 John 4:18 says that "There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear". 

God is love. His love is perfect and he loves you. There is no where in the bible that says otherwise.  And nothing can separate you from that love.  So if we are covered by his love, why fear?

No matter what fear grips your heart. No matter what fear paralyzes you.  Those fears are conquered by his love. Fear doesn't stand a chance.

"Though the mountains be shaken 

and the hills be removed,

yet my unfailing love for you

will not be shaken

nor my covenant of peace be removed,"

says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

Isaiah 54:10

All of it

I absolutely love teaching my girls to memorize scripture.  And I'm learning right along with them, it's something I've always wanted to do and now I have help- thanks to my accountability partners all under the age of 6.  We memorize to song.  Most of the tunes we make up as we go.  We sing and dance around the room like a song on repeat.  It eventually sticks and I hope the words will forever be engraved on their tiny, little hearts... and mine, too.

One verse that I have caught them singing unsolicited is from Deuteronomy 6:5.

"You shall love the Lord your God

with all your heart

and with all your soul

and with all your strength".

All of it.  Not just part of it.  

I like to look at the definition of a word (even if it's familiar to me) to gain a better perspective. 

Heart:  The center of emotion, feeling, affection.

Soul:  The principle of life, feeling, thought and action; the spiritual part of a human.

Strength:  The quality or state of being strong; mental power, vigor; moral power, courage. 

What is holding you back from loving God with every ounce of your being?  Love is not something that is done halfheartedly. 

God doesn't just want the good parts, the put-together parts, the beautiful parts, the admirable parts.  He wants the parts that hurt, the broken pieces, the parts that we are ashamed of.

So love him...with all that you are. 

With all your heart. all your soul. all your strength. Love him with all of it. 

Love never fails

A simple word.  A profound statement.

What is love, actually?

I believe that it is easier for us to experience love rather than try to define it. 

We are all born with the need to love and to be loved. Countless people have tried to put into words what love is since the beginning of time. I could attempt to define it, but it's probably best to let the word of God speak.
1 Corinthians 13 tells us what love is... and what it is not.

Love is patient and kind;

love does not envy or boast;

it is not arrogant or rude.

It does not insist on its own way;

it is not irritable or resentful;

it does not rejoice at wrongdoing,

but rejoices with the truth.

Love bears all things,

believes all things,

hopes all things,

endures all things.

WAIT A SECOND.  Did you just do what I did and skim over it because those verses are already familiar to you??  Read it again~ with intention. This time putting your name in the place of love...

I have read and heard this at least a thousand times before, but after reading it today I realize that there is not one person on the face of this planet who has or ever will love me like that.  Not my husband, not my children, not my parents, not my friends, not even myself.  

But wait... there is someone who can and does love that way.

Reread the verses above a third time, putting the name of Jesus in place of love.  It all makes sense now.  

At the end of those verses, the very next sentence begins with yet another profound statement.

Love never ends.  

Let that sink into the core of your heart.
God loves you. No ifs ands or buts about it.  His love never fails and he will never stop loving you. ever. period. end of story. 

Beauty in the mess

If I ever want my house to look spotless, I invite people over.  I don't know if there is a scientific law for this, but I have tested it time and time again and the end result is always the same.  The mess is gone... well, at least for the moment.

Life is messy.  From piles of laundry and stacks of dishes to broken relationships and abuse. Some messes are easy to hide, while others may be harder to control. Some are complicated and interwoven into the depths of our being.

Messes may appear different in each person's life, but one thing is for sure... we all have them and they aren't pretty. 

However, if I take a closer look, I see beauty in my mess.

Because, you see, my mess is covered in grace.

Jesus sees our weaknesses. He sees our mistakes, our failures and our hurts.  He understands our human frailty. So I come to him.

No matter how badly I mess up throughout the day, I make time to stop and acknowledge him. I thank him for who he is and all that he has done for me. It can be as quick as an exhale through the mundane saying "Jesus, help me. I need you".

It is there that he extends to me his grace and in return I am able to give grace to myself.

2 Corinthians 12:9 says, "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me".

That's how I find beauty in the mess. 

Focus

The challenge of letting go and allowing God to hold my hand as I learn to trust him has proven to be easier said than done.

Three days in and I've already fallen short.  As soon as I enter back into the reality of this thing called life, I find myself doing quite the opposite. I become busy. I worry. I take control. I'm anything but still. I pick up what I just let go. It's a vicious cycle.

God never ceases to amaze me with his impeccable timing.
I love his gentle reminders.

Last year, I started reading the Jesus Calling devotional by Sarah Young.

This is the reminder I read today: 

"..."Slow down and cling tightly to my hand. 
I am teaching you a difficult lesson, learned only by hardship.
Lift up empty hands of faith to receive My precious Presence. 
Light, Life, Joy and Peace flow freely through this gift.
When your focus turns away from Me, you grasp for other things.
You drop the glowing gift of my Presence as you reach for lifeless ashes". 
(italics added).

So the challenge continues.  Let go. Cling to his hand.

But wait, there's more... Focus.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, 

but on what is unseen, 

since what is seen is temporary, 
but what is unseen is eternal.

~2 Corinthians 4:18

So let's fix our eyes on the LORD while the storm rages on. For if we focus on anything else, we tend to let go of his hand and begin to reach for "lifeless ashes".

As Jesus becomes the focal point, the storm will be but a blur in the background.

Take me by the hand

My girls love to hold my hand.  Maybe it's because they feel safe there.  Maybe it's because they just want to be close to me.  Or maybe it's a way for them to express their love.

There is something so comforting about God's hand.

You are held secure in his hand.  A hand big enough to hold the whole world, yet small enough to cradle your hand gently. That same hand formed you in your mother's womb.  That same hand was pierced for you.

God will never let go of you. ever. No matter what.

No matter where you are. No matter what you are going through.  His hand will hold yours.  He will lead you. And never let go.

Psalm 139:10 says

Even there your hand shall lead me

and your right hand shall hold me.

Isaiah 42:6 says

...I will take you by the hand and keep you.

Rest in his embrace.

Let go

We finally saw Frozen. My girls loved it.  My husband may or may have loved it more. It's debatable. We have been listening to the soundtrack on repeat and I catch myself singing them all.the.time. "Do you want to build a snowman?, Winter's a good time to stay in and cuddle, but put me in summer and I'll be a.... 'happy snowman'!!  But these lyrics aside, one in particular plays over and over in my head: "Let it Go, Let it Go".

Yes. Let it go... Let go.

In Psalm 46:10, the Lord commands us to be still and know that he is God.  Be still can also be translated as "relax", "cease striving", "let go".  He is God.  We are not. He is sovereign.  He can be trusted.  He just requires that we be still and know.