Grasping the Goodness of God

 In 1999 I was in a very serious car accident. I had all six children with me and I was 10 weeks pregnant when I lost control of my suburban and rolled it, landing upside down in a wheat field. It was the most traumatic thing that I had ever endured and it wrecked me emotionally and spiritually.

I was consumed with depression, anxiety and flashbacks of the accident. I hardly left my house and I didn't drive for months. 

One evening I was at church for a gathering and a staff person asked how I was doing. I'm sure I said the typical, "I'm doing really good!" because then they responded with "God is so good!" That statement bothered me. Friends kept saying it when they heard what happened.  I remember thinking, "No way is he good! If he was, he wouldn't have let this happen to me!" 

Do we really understand what the goodness of God is? I know that in 1999, I didn't understand it. My thinking of God and his goodness was all wrong. 

Elisabeth Elliot said, "We can't really tell how crooked our thinking is until we line it up with the straight edge of scripture."

So, let's see what scripture says about goodness.

Exodus 33:19

And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.

Psalm 23:6

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalm 68:10

..your flock found a dwelling in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.

Zechariah 9:17

For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty! Grain shall make the young men flourish, and new wine the young women.

Mark 10:18

And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.

Titus 3:4-5

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

This is not an exhaustive list of scriptures on goodness. I encourage you to go do your own word study on this. You will be so encouraged and blessed by it. 

When we feast upon the word of God we taste his goodness and are satisfied in Him!

According to these scriptures, Gods goodness is a gift wrapped in mercy (Exodus 33:19), that will follow us all our lives (Psalm 23:6), as we dwell in it (Psalm 68:10)and enjoy the greatness of it (Zechariah 9:17). We must recognize that only God is good but that it is in that goodness that we are saved by faith, according to his mercy.

God is the source of all goodness and is the measure of what good is! 

Romans 8:28 reminds that all God does in our life is for our good as his purpose for us is accomplished.

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

This verse is often misquoted or taken out of context. But when you view this verse in light of what we just learned from the scriptures above it should be a little more clear. 

What is good according to this verse? This is where my thinking was all wrong because I associated this "good" with only blessings & favor, but there so much more to it. Mark 10:18 tells us that only God is good. The greek word used in this verse is the same as used in Romans 8:28. 

Could it be this "good" is meant to grow us in godliness? Could it be God is using "all things" to make us more like him? 

The answer is yes. 

I had to stop viewing the goodness of God only as what the world considers good and see it as it is...becoming more like him. Sometimes his goodness doesn't feel good, it's painful, miserable, unthinkable, unbelievable...but it is still his goodness and I'm learning to praise him for all of it.

That means our trials, adversity, excruciating circumstances are the goodness of God just as is the favor, prosperous, pleasant and happy times God brings to our lives.

This sheds a whole new light on my life as a godly woman and how I am to respond to circumstances in my life.  When I respond to trials as a  sharpening of my faith I find joy in the goodness of God.  His mercy is so great and I'm so thankful he doesn't leave me in my sin but by his goodness he has washed me clean so that I may worship him and give him all the glory!

I don't know if that staff member who told me how good God is realized how he upset me, but as I look back I'm thankful he said it. It showed me how wrong my thinking of God was. Over the next 18 months I fought and I struggled and then the goodness of God consumed me and I surrendered to him. I experienced his grace and mercy in ways I never had before. He broke me and then restored me and his joy is mine!

By His Spirit and through His goodness I can be a woman of mercy and wisdom, patient and forgiving who embraces her trials to grow in godliness.

Praying Psalm 16

I love praying scripture. I believe God loves hearing his words prayed back to him. 

Last week I shared on my Instagram and Facebook page prayers I was praying from Psalm 16.  I wanted to share them here, especially since it's been a while since I've posted here. Ok...more than a while. Let's go for 3 years. Lots of life has happened that I may post about one of these days. In the mean time....

For a week, I took a couple of verses everyday and wrote them out, then prayed them. I did this in a journal, but if you  have a Bible study notebook I also have this free download you can use.

Psalm 16:1-2

"Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge,  I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”

Psalm 16:3-4

"As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips."

Psalm 16:5-6

"The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance."

Psalm 16:7-8

 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Psalm 16:9-10

Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.

Psalm 16:11

 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy;  at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

What a rich passage of scripture to help bring me into a better understanding of what kind of woman I want to be. I am so thankful for Gods Word and how it never returns void. 

Joy Happens, Especially on the Hard Days

I have a long to-do list for today. I'm so behind that I have resorted to posting sticky notes everywhere to help me manage the list.

But instead of attacking that list, I sit here, typing.




The week has been a difficult one and I need to write it out.
The challenges.
Tears.
All the emotions. All.the.emotions!
All the joy!

Friend, it's been quite a week. I remember a couple of weeks ago thanking the Lord for giving us a season of calm. Isn't he so good to give us a moment to catch our breath before he moves us towards the next lesson.

The Lord is working on one of my kids. I posted on Facebook this week that it's difficult to watch it happen. As a mom, you never want to see your kid struggle or hurt. But then again, you do want to see it. You do want to see your kid experience consequences of bad decisions. You do want to see your kid learn from stupid mistakes. But all the emotions involved are what is hard to manage.

This kid. He belongs to the Lord and this week I had to give him back over and over again. He disappointed me.  He scared me.  He made me mad. He made me cry! All in the same day.

But Joy! In the midst of my prayers for this kid, God reassures me, comforts me, reminds me that he does hold his boy very close to him, which is why all of this hard stuff was happening. God was not going to give up on this kid. That is JOY!

Knowing, God loves your kid more than you can.

Knowing He never gives up on us.

Knowing he will continue to wait until my kid comes back to him.

Knowing this gives me joy.

I wish the world could understand what real joy is! It has nothing to do with how I feel, because I have had all the feels this week. Joy is about what God is doing in my life and in my kids life and knowing it is out of his crazy love for us. And because of his joy, we can walk in confidence that His plan for our kids is so much better than ours and he is piecing together a story that could change lives!


"So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever." 2 Corinthians 4:18 (NLT)

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Facing Life with Confidence

"How's life?" a friend asked me. I cringed inside at her question. She appeared to be doing this "mom thing" so much better than I was. I felt as though I was barely hanging on, yet there she stood all put together, her children all put together. Do I really tell her  how life was or do I give her the glossy answer.
"It's great! How's life for you?" (glossy answer it is)
I was too embarrassed to let her know I was drowning in motherhood!

Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise against me, yet I will be confident.

Psalm 27:3

I love this verse. When my children were all young they were the army marching against me. At least that is what life felt like most days. I felt attacked. I couldn't do anything right. I couldn't make anyone happy. I was so mean for making them do chores. I was abusing them by making them eat their vegetables and drink water instead of Kool-Aid like "their friends" did. And Heaven forbid if I made someone take a bath!

Are you there? You could probably add to my list.

How many times have you asked God, "What have I got myself into?" This motherhood thing is harder than I thought!

Ok so, I understand that when David wrote this Psalm he was actually in a life threatening situation, but the point I want to make  is where he drew his confidence from. It's the same place for us. God is our confidence!

Whether you are facing an impossible situation or you are just trying to keep your kids alive, the mindset is the same. "I can do this because God is my strength!"

God is there. He is your strength, your life, your joy. With confidence we can face whatever it is God has us facing today and know that we will survive! In spite of what we may think at times, our children are not out to destroy us and neither is God.

Motherhood is hard, but that's ok. For the sake of sounding like your mother...doing hard things is how we grow. We know this, that doesn't mean we like it. One day I will be at a place in my relationship where I can welcome with open arms the trials God brings because I know they will draw me closer to Him. I'm not there yet. I still cringe and ask "Why?!" and then I say, "OK, I trust you." But I'm still kicking & screaming a little bit inside. God knows this and still loves me anyway.

Here are some additional scriptures I keep close as reminders that God is with me and is bigger than any trial, impossible situation or cranky kid.

Isaiah 43
Psalm 20:2-5
Psalm 27:13 & 14
1 Corinthians 1:25

I have a bit of homework for you. Write at the top of the page, "God is bigger than..." Then write out your "army encamped against you". What is it, who is it that is making you feel as though there is no hope. Now at the bottom of that page write, "God is my strength, my hope and my joy! I can do all things through Him that gives me strength!" (Phil 4:13)

Put this up where you can see it. If something new pops up add it to the list. Remind yourself daily that God is bigger. He love you! He doesn't want you to just survive, he wants you to enjoy being a mother. He wants you to find joy in it and satisfaction. 

Finding Gratitude

I had thought I would do a video for this post. I'm really trying to stretch myself these days, and video's are an area that really intimidates me. I'm not sure why. I used to speak in front of hundreds of people at a time.  Anyway, I decided I would write this out because I was really afraid I wouldn't get through the video without blubbering & shedding every tear in my head.

This time of year is hard for me. There, I said it. I feel guilty for it being hard because I know that part of it is my own attitude towards our living situation right now. We still live with my husbands parents and sometimes I just don't understand why the Lord would continue to keep us here. Then there are days when I know why he has. But that doesn't make it easier. 

So, gratitude can sometimes be hard for me. 

Then today happened. 

Last night, me along with 6 other dear friends threw a Christmas party for our Young Living team members. It was so much fun to love on our team members and bless them. 

We asked each guest to bring a non-perishable food item to be donated to our local food pantry. They gave so generously and today the kids and I had the pleasure of delivering the items to the food pantry.  We pulled up to the little building and were surprised to find people already in line for food. 

The kids helped me to unload the car and as I stood there waiting to speak to the coordinator I looked at those in line. How humbling it must be to stand in line for food because you have no money to buy it. I thought to myself, "That could be us". 

You see, that was us at one time, except we never stood in line for food. We had no money for food. We tried to stretch our dollars as far as we could but it would never go far enough. I know what it is like to open my refrigerator and not see anything there to prepare for dinner. I know what it is like to go to bed at night and not know how we will eat the next day. It's a horrible way to wake up.

We had to rely on the government for a time to purchase our food. We were issued a card to use at the grocery store. It was humbling and humiliating. I felt as though all eyes were on me as I swiped that card to pay for our food. 

I can still remember the day when I left that card at home because we were finally able to buy food with our own money again. There was freedom and empowerment in that. 

While I'm thankful I never had to stand in line to get food for my family, I recognize that sometimes God uses ways to provide for us that we may not like. I was thankful we could have plenty of food, but I never liked how the Lord provided that food for us. I'm just being honest here. I thought I was being thankful. I thought because I would say with my mouth, "Lord, thank you for providing us food" that I had a heart of gratitude. But, really...I didn't. 

Gratitude is one of those attributes that leads to other attributes. When we practice gratitude we experience joy, freedom and happiness. 

We are told to be thankful! We aren't asked. I find that very important in scripture. I never find the Lord saying, "Can you be thankful?"  "Can you have gratitude?" 

No. He says, "Be thankful". It is His will! 

I think that is because he wants so much for us, he created us to live an abundant life. He came so that we may live and live life more abundantly! Yet, our attitudes so often hinder us. We are unable to experience His joy because we can't find gratitude hidden in the life he has given us. 

I am a work in progress. I'm not going to tell you I'm all there because I'm not. Obviously, because the Lord keeps bringing this up I still have a lot of work to do. But that is the wonderful part about living this life for Him. He never gives up. He's always there, waiting for us to "get it". His love never ends and his mercies are new every morning! 

I challenge you to write down things in your life right now that you would like to change. I'm talking circumstances, things happening around you. Read them out loud. Now, rewrite them and turn them into a prayer of thanksgiving. Pray them daily for 30 days. Come back here and comment on this post and let me know how you are doing. 

Did you find your gratitude?

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The Day I Quit

You know you have said it too. "I quit".
I've been quitting for years actually.
I've quit motherhood.
I've quit marriage.
There was even a time in my life when I just wanted to quit living. But I didn't quit...obviously.

Life is hard. Right? We all agree? That is not a new revelation. I am not sharing profound, mind blowing information with you. Life is hard. It is messy. It is daily.

God never promised us that life would be easy.

A few days ago I had let so many things overwhelm me. (It didn't help that my quiet time was severely lacking.) I went to bed that night totally and completely done. I was quitting my business. I told the Lord I was done. I gave him all kinds of lame excuses too. I had to use a lot of oils to get to sleep that night. My mind was so unsettled.

The next morning I read Psalm 25.

How faithful our God is to be patient with us when we lose sight of the vision He has given us. His words draw us back in, remind us of His confidence in us and the love that we can't live a day with out.

I didn't quit my business. In fact I have a renewed love for it! The Lord continues to put lovely people in my path and I am so thankful for each of them!


Psalm 25:4,5
Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.

Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

The Danger of the "What-if" Thought

Before I knew it, my heart was racing, hands were sweating and I was unable to move. All because I had a thought.
A "what if.." thought.
I wasn't facing an actual situation yet. I was thinking it into existence though and my whole body was reacting.

I was overcome with fear over something that had not even happened.

What is wrong with me? God, what are you doing?

"This isn't me." He whispered to my spirit. "I don't create fearful thoughts and worry."

And then he reminded me of what Paul said in 2 Timothy. "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, and timidity, but of power, love and self discipline."

Then I opened my bible and it fell open to Isaiah 43.

Do not fear, I have redeemed you.
You are precious and honored in my sight.
Do not be afraid, I am with you.

Dear Lord, the enemy wants so badly to see me walk in fear rather than joy. He knows I am less useful to you when fear rules in my mind. Thank you for giving me the power to take every thought captive and make them obedient to you. That is my heart desire!

Greater Joy : Sunday Solitude

What a wonderful reminder this verse is as we start a new week.

Psalm 4:6-8 speaks volumes to me.

Many people say, “Who will show us better times?”
    Let your face smile on us, Lord.
⁷ You have given me greater joy
    than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine.
⁸ In peace I will lie down and sleep,
    for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.

The joy we experience from the Lord is truly better than any material possession that we could have. Some days are harder than others, but at the end of the day we can lie down and sleep knowing God is in complete control of whatever we are experiencing.

That is peace my friend!

Peace the world does not understand.

If you are on Facebook, visit my page; Joy Moms. It's my place to encourage moms, share life and hopefully add a little humor to your day on occasion. Motherhood is hard. Motherhood without Jesus is impossible!

Be Transformed: Keeping our Mind on Jesus

This past week, Romans 12:2 was my verse that I was to pray everyday. And I want to be honest, I didn't do it everyday like I wanted to. I allowed my mornings to be hijacked by other things I lost my quiet mornings. But as soon as I could, I was drawing away for prayer and meditation on this verse.

 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

There are several key words that continued to stand out to me, but the phrase, "be transformed by the renewal of your mind" played over and over in my mind all week.

I had to evaluate what I spent my time thinking about, what did I fill my mind with (images, words, etc.) and what did I spend my time worrying about. It all boiled down to my mind and what it is in it.

There are several scriptures where God is telling us what to do with our mind.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Matthew 22:37, And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

There are so many more, I'll let you look them up. 

So, what is the big deal with our mind? Why does our mind need to be renewed in order for us to be transformed? I'm so glad you asked!

The  mind is the core of our being. What our mind is filled with, determines what we do, what we say, how we feel, how we respond. Nothing in us can change until our mind is changed.

I love when I find a science connection to Scripture. I did a simple search on YouTube on the science of the mind and found a short, but fascinating video that explains how our brain works. 

Now I understand why I must fill my mind with the truths of scripture.  Now I see why scripture tells us to love the Lord with all of our mind. It matters so much! This is how I can know and discern the Lord's way for me. There is so much of the world blasting untruth that if I do not prepare my mind, I may begin to believe it.

So, what happens when we are transformed by the renewing of our mind.

We can know the will of God.

We know what is right and acceptable in his eyes.

We know God!

We are transformed!

Oh Lord, I know that on this side of Heaven I will never get it right. But help me to fill my mind with the truth that you are faithful, trustworthy and worth of all praise and honor. May I experience the mind of Christ through your promises and be transformed.

Are You Listening?

I found this quote and it stuck with me.

As a mom, my day is full of background chatter among my kids. I usually zone it out so I can get my work done. But then there is that moment when one of them says, "Mom, did you hear what I said?"

And usually, I didn't hear them. I didn't realize they were talking to me. I was so focused on something else.

I want my kids to come to me when they need to talk. But if they are always fighting for my attention eventually they will stop coming. I work from home, and my day is full of a lot of multi-tasking.  Making sure I am available can really be a struggle at times. Creating a schedule has helped. Teaching them to respect my schedule is often a battle.

One day I observed some friends in a discussion. One friend was explaining a struggle she was having with one of her children. We were all listening to her explain a specific situation. I looked around the circle of friends as she spoke.
One was checking her phone, but nodding as if she were listening.
Another was deeply engrossed in the story, you could tell by her face.
And the last mom continued to interrupt with her own story that was made to sound much worse than the story being told.

Which mom was truly listening? The second one of course.

I have to admit, while my friend was pouring her heart out to us, I was thinking of ways to respond to her. But, when one of the moms continued to interrupt I realized that I wasn't listening to my friend anymore than she was.  I text my friend later and said, "I'm so sorry you are struggling. I am praying for you."

I never want to be like that last mom who interrupts with my own stories or ideas. I can't learn how to encourage or serve others if I don't listen to them.  I won't know how to pray for them if I don't listen to them.

But the truth is that I have been her on many occasions.

Lord, help me listen with my eyes, ears and heart so I can help comfort & encourage those you put in my path.

Are you listening?

Sunday Solitude

Lord,
My heart desire is that my way would be your way, but I know that is not always the case. Stop me. Cause my heart to grieve if my ways are not your ways. Give me clarity of mind to see your direction. You want to delight in my ways so I pray that I will be faithful to your calling, faithful to your ways, faithful to you.
Amen

Choosing Wellness: What are You Thinking?

Do you realize how powerful your thoughts are?

Please don't mistake this post as a feel good- just think happy thoughts - kind of post.  That is not what this is. One of the biggest things that had to happen before we could begin to experience a healthier life was we had to start believing it was important. We had to start thinking we were worth the effort. We had to start thinking that we really could make a difference.

How you think about yourself really does matter!

“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.”—Albert Einstein 

I learned a long time ago that our imagination is more than pretending. It is simply creating a picture in your mind of what you want to accomplish.  It is actually a very powerful tool when it comes to making changes. Our mind is the most powerful organ in our body. And what we allow ourselves to think is equally as powerful. Scripture tells us what we should think about. 

Remember the "Whatever" verse in Philippians?

"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:8

What we think matters! It sets the tone for how we live, how we communicate, how we dream.

Zig Ziglar said, "Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will."

I love that, because it is so true. If all I say to myself is, "I will always be fat, I will always be sick." how I can I expect anything to be different. We always accomplish more when we are focusing on the positive.

Ok, so what in the world does this have to do with choosing wellness? It has a lot to do with it. 

First I had to decide I was tired of the cycle of bad habits I had created for myself. I had to believe that I was worth the change and that I could change. I had to know that I needed to change for the sake of my health & the health of my family. It had to be very important to ME. 

I made a short list of a few things I wanted to change. It was short, because I still wasn't totally convinced I would accomplish any positive changes.

Then I began to make simple changes that helped me get closer to those goals. Drink more water. Walk 2 miles a day. Put down my phone & close my laptop to spend time with my God & my family.

My thought process and habits were at times all that kept me from falling away because I didn't see a difference very quickly. If I told myself that it wasn't working or it didn't matter I would have quit.  But I had to keep the Lord's promises in front of me as a reminder that even though it is hard, it is important.

Find 5 verses that inspire you to press on. Write them down. Print them out. Post them where you will see them everyday. Quotes are good, but nothing keeps me going better than the Word of God.

The secret to your success lies in your ability to control your thoughts. I don't know about you, but I need a lot of help with this and the Lord has always been faithful.

Today is a new day, a new month, a new year! There is no better time than today to begin making changes that you have thought about making for so long. We are spiritually new in Christ because of his sacrifice for us! But, by his grace we are also given new days, new opportunities.  What are you going to do with them? 

Scripture Meme's

If you are on Facebook, you may see some of the "memes" like above that I post.  When I find a  Scripture verse or quote I really like I will take a picture or image (either my own or a free stock photo from FreeGreatPicture) over to PicMonkey or Ribbet and create a Meme.  I have uploaded my favorites to a Flicker account for you to use if you want to.  The only thing I ask is that you give me the credit by linking the image back to this blog if you use it on a website.  Not all of the pictures have my blog address on them & I will be going back in & changing that over time.

I make these to share with others, so here I am. :) I hope you find them encouraging & helpful.

The Faith to Wait

My pastor has been working his way through the life of Abraham for quite a while now. I am always amazed at how much wisdom and truth he can pull out of Scripture. This past Sunday was no different. Isaac was born!  Finally!  We have been waiting for 15 sermons for that baby to finally come.
The chunk of his sermon was on waiting for God to fulfill his promises, because we know he will…right?  Right???
The first verse of today’s passage caught my eye.  It was highlighted…not by a marker, but by the Holy Spirit.  I couldn’t stop reading it.

The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he has promised. Genesis 21:1
If you remember the story, when the Lord promised Abraham he would give him a son, Sarah didn’t believe it; in fact she laughed out loud. (Genesis 18:12)
This was an unconditional promise by God to Abraham and Sarah.  He didn’t say, “If you believe in me” or “If you obey me”.  He just said, “She will bear a child” PERIOD.  God didn’t need Sarah’s faith to keep that promise.  He didn’t need her permission or her obedience.  But, of course her faith and trust that he would indeed keep that promise was nothing more than a gift to her.
How many times do I miss out on God’s gifts to me because I doubt him?  Too many to count.
We are still waiting on God to provide adequate income so we can move to our own house.  He promises to provide for us and he IS.  We have a house, we have food, we have clothes. We even have enough money to pay the few bills we do have.  He is providing. But, yet there are still times I think God is not providing.  I wonder if he has forgotten about us.  I wonder if we will ever get to live in our own house.  Will I ever get to unpack all my books???
You know Sarah wondered if God would really do what he said he would do.  God promised her a baby 14 years before he gave her one!  14 years!!  And then…it happened!  We get nervous when God makes us wait a few months…she had to wait 14 years!
God is never late!  It will all happen in HIS time…not mine.  Whatever you are waiting for God to do that he promised he would do…it will happen in HIs time. 
I found this saying this week & loved it!!

I hope that while God keeps you waiting, you are trusting him and looking for his gifts in the midst of waiting.

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I am linked up with Cornerstone Confessions today.  Check out other encouraging posts today linked up.


 
I'm also linked up on Woman Living Well blog

 

This is my doing…

I enjoy reading a devotional that is older than I am.   I love and have used Streams in the Desert for many years.  No matter how many times I read through it, the Lord shows me something new. The writing on February 1st was especially good & I just had to share. 

You can get these devotionals as an email if you don’t have the actual book. Crosswalk.com offers many devo’s for you to subscribe to.  Click here to check that out.

This devotional touches on a subject that many would rather not discuss…the Father doesn’t just allow, but often causes our suffering.  There is purpose in it all, most times we will never know the purpose.  But it is His purpose and it is for His glory.

I encourage you to read the 11th & 12 chapter of 1 Kings to get the whole story or where this verse originated from.

This is my doing. (1 Kings 12:24)

The disappointments of life are simply the hidden appointments of love.
--C.A. Fox

My child, I have a message for you today. Let me whisper it in your ear so any storm clouds that may arise will shine with glory, and the rough places you may have to walk will be made smooth. It is only four words, but let them sink into your inner being, and use them as a pillow to rest your weary head. "This is my doing."

Have you ever realized that whatever concerns you concerns Me too? "For whoever touches you touches the apple of [my] eye" ( Zechariah 2:8 ). "You are precious and honored in my sight" ( Isaiah 43:4 ). Therefore it is My special delight to teach you.

 

I want you to learn when temptations attack you, and the enemy comes in "like a pent up flood" ( Isaiah 59:19 )., that"this is my doing" and that your weakness needs My strength, and your safety lies in letting Me fight for you.

Are you in difficult circumstances, surrounded by people who do not understand you, never ask your opinion, and always push you aside? "This is my doing." I am the God of circumstances. You did not come to this place by accident -- you are exactly where I meant for you to be.

Have you not asked Me to make you humble? Then see that I have placed you in the perfect school where this lesson is taught. Your circumstances and the people around you are only being used to accomplish My will.

Are you having problems with money, finding it hard to make ends meet? "This is my doing," for I am the One who keeps your finances, and I want you to learn to depend upon Me. My supply is limitless and I "will meet your needs" (Phil. 4:19). I want you to prove My promises so no one may say, "You did not trust in the Lord your God" (Deuteronomy. 1:32).

Are you experiencing a time of sorrow? "This is my doing." I am "a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering" (Isaiah 53:3). I have allowed your earthly comforters to fail you, so that by turning to Me you may receive "eternal encouragement and good hope" (2 Thessalonians. 2:16). Have you longed to do some great work for Me but instead have been set aside on a bed of sickness and pain? "This is my doing." You were so busy I could not get your attention, and I wanted to teach you some of My deepest truths. "They also serve who only stand and wait." In fact, some of My greatest workers are those physically unable to serve, but who have learned to wield the powerful weapon of prayer.

Today I place a cup of holy oil in your hands. Use it freely, My child. Anoint with it every new circumstance, every word that hurts you, every interruption that makes you impatient, and every weakness you have. The pain will leave as you learn to see Me in all things.
--Laura A. Barter Snow

"This is from Me," the Savior said,
As bending low He kissed my brow,
"For One who loves you thus has led.
Just rest in Me, be patient now,
Your Father knows you have need of this,
Though, why perhaps you cannot see--
Grieve not for things you've seemed to miss.
The thing I send is best for thee."
Then, looking through my tears, I plead,
"Dear Lord, forgive, I did not know,
It will not be hard since You do tread,
Each path before me here below."
And for my good this thing must be,
His grace sufficient for each test.
So still I'll sing, "Whatever be
God's way for me is always best."

There is Purpose in our Trials

 

Sometimes I really wish the Lord would let us know why he takes us through certain trials or experiences.  So much of what we as Believers go through often seems a mystery. And my flesh wants to know why I have to go through this.

I was so blessed this morning to open my devotional and read the words of Oswald Chambers.  He explained why God doesn’t let us know.

Chambers writes…

If you are going to be used by God, he will take you through a multitude of experiences that are not meant for you at all, they are meant to make you useful in his hands, and to enable you to understand what transpires in other souls so that you will never be surprised at what you come across.

I know the trials and adversity I experience aren’t just for me, I have often told others that this trial is preparing me for the next season or the next trial.  And that is true, but it goes deeper than that.

If God is really going to be able to use me in the lives of others (including my family) he must prepare me by allowing me to experience things that won’t make any sense to me at all. 

For instance, why can’t my husband just get a job and make a living for us so we can live in our own house instead of living with his parents. So many times I have cried out & asked the Lord “how much longer?”.  And each time the Spirit whispers to my soul, “Trust me”. Some days are harder than others.  Sometimes it is hard because others watching our lives play out don’t understand what is going on because just like God doesn’t let us know the why…he doesn’t let others know why either. And their words can hurt when they think they are trying to help or maybe not trying to help, but maybe they are judging us.  I have to get past that & get over what others may say about us.

If I really want God to use me for his glory I must become satisfied with the “suffering” he has in store for me because I know that it is how he will use me later on.  I must go through it, not around it.  I have to stop trying to solve what I think to be a problem and rest in the understanding that He is God and loves me more than I can understand and is not trying to harm me, but is trying to prepare me.

This is how we can rejoice in our sufferings.  We must learn to look past the suffering and realize what is really going on…His glory will be revealed through our sufferings!  That excites me!  That makes the hair on my neck stand up.  That makes all of this worth it.

So my new prayer is to ask the Lord to help me not be so short sighted and to understand my tiny little trials are just a part of his bigger plan. If I am really going to honestly pray this I have to be ok with going through the trial.  I have to stop trying to figure out how to get us out of it.  I have to be content in the circumstances God has us in. OUCH!

Oswald Chambers closed the devotional with these words,

We never realize at the time what God is putting us through; we go through it more or less misunderstandingly; then we come to a luminous place, and say-“Why, God has girded me, through I did not know it!”