Humbled by moments of a reckless mind...
We all have seasons that take us to our knees in prayer. But oh, to be steady there forever on my knees. That is my prayer, and that is why I share. Because I can never find peace on my own, with all my fixes and doubts. "I’ve stood tall and I have crumbled in the same breath" are lyrics that jumped out at me yesterday from the song As You Find Me, by Hillsong United.
It's by God's grace that I can look back and see the lengthening of seasons of peace as the seasons of despair shorten. There is grace for that. But there are things that come along that break my soul in pieces, and it is there that grace waits to catch me. It's there for you too.
Until our journey on earth takes us to Heaven, we will face mountains that seem to separate us from the love of our Heavenly Father. But the truth is that He has the purest love a Father can have. His love is strengthening His children during the hardest of times because He never lets go.
Until our journey on earth takes us to Heaven, we will face mountains that seem to separate us from the love of our Heavenly Father. But the truth is that He has the purest love a Father can have. His love is strengthening His children during the hardest of times because He never lets go.
I recently read in Jesus the King by Timothy Keller, that Jesus let go of the Father's hand on the cross so that we never have to let go! The cross changes every thing. In three days Jesus went from the death I deserved to the eternal life I have been FREELY given. This eternal perspective is the only way I can find rest, trusting that all things work together for good. How is that? How can that possible be? Romans 8:27-28,
"And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."
The good that can come from suffering is valuable when we can use it to comfort others. Jesus suffered for us and He can sympathize with us. It's true that Jesus wept when Lazarus died. He wept because he felt their pain and loss, even knowing that He was about to raise Lazarus. 2 Corinthians says,
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."
I'm not always in position to comfort others, and so often I fall short. That is why it is better for me to have less of my own words, and to point the The Word of God. I didn't start this morning in Romans, but ended up there. I started reading in Isaiah and praying through some verses that God continues to use mightily in my life. It is a good thing to keep those passages marked. I'll share this morning's trail hike to find rest for this weary soul...
Isaiah 54:10 says,
"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."
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified."
Ezekiel 34:1, 25-26, and 31 says that our Heavenly Father is the Good Shepherd watching over us. Ezekiel was giving hope to God's people every where from that time until the present and on towards the future,
As You Find Me, Hillsong United
“For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness."
“I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing."
"And you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord God.”
Finally I went to Hebrews because everything seems to be shaken up right now. You know those seasons too. Hebrews 12:27-29 assures us that the things that we see and cling to are not where our safety or true comfort lie. Our safety lies with Him in Heaven forever one day,
"This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire."
Ending with Hebrews 13:1, 6, and 20,
"Let brotherly love continue."
" So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear;"
"Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,"
The whole story of Scripture is one story. Our great God made us in His image, we turned away, He rescued and redeemed us, He is making all things new. It's not over, and it will be an ending far beyond our wildest dreams...we need only to believe, receive, and trust.
And yet I fall. Proverbs 24:16 says to that,
"for the righteous falls seven times and rises again..."
Today I write in loving memory of my brother...
In Awe, Hollyn
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As You Find Me
(Lyrics for verse one only)
"I’ve been strong
And I’ve been broken within a moment
I’ve been faithful
And I’ve been reckless at every bend
I’ve held everything together
And watched it shatter
I’ve stood tall and I have crumbled
In the same breath
BRIDGE
If You want my heart
I won’t second guess
‘Cause I need Your love
More than anything
I’m in
I’m Yours
Your love’s too good to leave me here
Your love’s too good to leave me"
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