Sunday, January 27, 2013

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

When I am weak...

Through an interesting course of events, I've now found myself  training to volunteer at a pregnancy resource center. It has been wonderful. An answer to prayer for me in many ways.

Part of the training included watching a video on how to share the gospel with someone, plus other training on how to communicate with people who are facing hard decisions in life.  

The gospel and the truth of God's word. It is all joyously good news. But sadly, it is daunting to think of sharing it with someone. Oh, why is that?? Can you relate at all?

It's majorly because of my petty fears and feelings of inadequacy in communication (I just won't be able to say the right thing!!) I find this sad and an area God is showing me I need to grow in because, after all, fear is a liar. Yes, I'm a broken vessel. And yes, God is the all powerful One who is with me. So this feeling of fear and inadequacy I constantly need to check, with Scripture - with truth. 

I mentioned this struggle to an older lady and my mom recently, and they both so wisely pointed me to examples in Scripture of others who have felt the same way. Wow. The Scripture is filled with people like me. Struggling people. Fearful people. And an amazingly powerful God who patiently works through them and is incredibly patient with them in the process.

Jeremiah and Moses are examples of two men who were called by God to a specific mission, but they thought they were unable to do it. They were so gripped with their weaknesses that they forgot they had the Creator of the universe with them, ready to deliver them. It almost took my breath away as I remembered Jeremiah 1:4-8

"God called him to be a prophet. 
Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” But the LORD said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;
for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,
and whatever I command you, you shall speak.
Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
declares the LORD.”
~Jeremiah 1:4-8 

I share this with you, in hopes that it will encourage you in some part of God's calling in your life. As we each come face to face with opportunities to show Christ's love let's remember that, just as with Jeremiah, Moses and Paul, the Lord is with us. Follow hard after the Lord! It really is amazing that God chooses to take weak and broken vessels for His glorious work. 

God is so faithful in our weaknesses and His grace is enough and overflowing for each day! :)


"But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for 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. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
~2 Corinthians 12:9-10 

"He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it." ~1 Thessalonians 5:24

Sunday, January 13, 2013

A joyous truth!



"God already knows every single thing that every minute of every hour of every day of every week of every month of this year will hold for you." 
~ Elisabeth Elliot

God is sovereign. 

Therefore we can joyfully rest in our all-wise Father. :)

Isn't that a joyous truth?

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"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose."
~Romans 8:28

Friday, January 11, 2013

Jesus Bore the Sin of Many

Surely He has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed Him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
 But He was pierced for our transgressions;
He was crushed for our iniquities;
upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with His wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on Him
the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and He was afflicted,
yet He opened not His mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so He opened not His mouth.
 By oppression and judgment He was taken away;
and as for His generation, who considered
that He was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
 And they made His grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in His death,
although He had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in His mouth.

 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush Him;
He has put Him to grief;
when His soul makes an offering for guilt,
He shall see His offspring; He shall prolong His days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.
 Out of the anguish of His soul He shall see and be satisfied;
by His knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and He shall bear their iniquities.
 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the many,
and He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because He poured out His soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet He bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.

~Isaiah 53:4-12

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Thankful for the Storm!











“I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages.” Charles Spurgeon

It was the middle of the night and I lay on my bed in pain. My stomach hurt, my ears were ringing, I ached all over. I had just tried getting up for a drink of water and realized after a few feeble steps that I couldn't make it out to the kitchen and then barely made it back into bed...

Away from home and missing my family, I felt like everything was a mistake. I wanted so, so badly to go to church the next morning with this family. But for all logical reasons it looked impossible that it would happen.

I started praying hard. Pleading. Searching my heart.

There are times in life that leave us confused and frustrated, I'm sure most of you can relate to this. Times when desires that are very good, meet reality... and they don't match up very well. There, in the physical pain and dark, the Lord shined a light on an area in my life that needed change: Ungratefulness.

I need to thank Him for the sanctification tools in my life that I so desperately want to escape. These sanctification tools hurt!

Much to my surprise and delight, I was well enough to be up and running in the morning. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense how that all worked, but I was awed at the Lord's graciousness to me.

And then during church that morning we sang What a Friend We Have in Jesus...

With the night before fresh on my mind, this song took on a whole new meaning to me.  Oh, what a friend we have in Jesus!! :


  1. What a friend we have in Jesus,
    All our sins and griefs to bear!
    What a privilege to carry
    Everything to God in prayer!
    Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
    Oh, what needless pain we bear,
    All because we do not carry
    Everything to God in prayer!
  2. Have we trials and temptations?
    Is there trouble anywhere?
    We should never be discouraged—
    Take it to the Lord in prayer.
    Can we find a friend so faithful,
    Who will all our sorrows share?
    Jesus knows our every weakness;
    Take it to the Lord in prayer.
  3. Are we weak and heavy-laden,
    Cumbered with a load of care?
    Precious Savior, still our refuge—
    Take it to the Lord in prayer.
    Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
    Take it to the Lord in prayer!
    In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,
    Thou wilt find a solace there.

Enter: my second lesson: prayer.

In the sermon that Sunday the Pastor went through the book of Habakkuk... pointing out that when we go to Scripture and read the prayers contained in it, we find that it is okay and very good to tell the Lord all of the things on our hearts that frustrate us and don't make sense. He won't condemn us.

We have a Friend we can tell all of our troubles, strivings and desires to.

And He will graciously give us what is best. He will act when the timing is right. Though the Lord may not give us the outcome we ask for, He will surely give us what we need: Jesus.

So in the meantime I can be thankful for the storm! Knowing that my Friend is with me, the pelting rain is washing me and sanctifying me and I can rejoice in this storm! And I also can strive after God's calling in my life while I prayerfully and dependently call and wait on the One who knows the last word of the last chapter of my life.

God is good!


"Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
~Philippians 4:5-7 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


If you would like to watch the sermon I referred to in this post you can click here for a video of it: Conversation with God 

And I also wanted to share another excellent sermon on prayer by Jason Meyer that I recently listened to: Look to the God Who Gives  

Be blessed!