More than You Can Bare?

I overheard a conversation the other day, as I was walking around my neighborhood, between a teenager and his younger sibling who were doing something in their garage. The younger sibling was crying.

Teenager: "Come on now... be strong!"
The younger child screamed back at him, " NOOO, I'm NOT strong!!!"

I smiled at this at the time...even laughed a bit. His blatant honesty and complete lack of pride was somewhat refreshing.

Then I thought about it some more. How often have we had this same kind of conversation with God?

I know I personally have been guilty of the "Please God..no more" conversation. Where you try to be patient and endure tribulation, but then you reach a point where you're like, "Ok God. That's my limit. Yep. Pretty sure. It's written in a handbook somewhere '(Insert name here)is alotted 50 1bs of hurt, grief, & dispair' and right below that '(Insert name here) cannot carry 60 lbs or more or will be destroyed.' Now, I'm not saying there is or isn't a "handbook" like this somewhere in God's filing cabinet. If so though, we are not the ones with access to it; He is. We don't know what it says. And He knows us better than we know ourselves. He did, after all, create us.

Apparently Mother Teresa had a healthy sense of humor regarding this subject:
I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much."

The Bible says:
"I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." - Matthew 17:20 ...hear that? NOTHING.

There are many times in the Bible where even the prayer of a sincere person changed God's mind. If even God's mind can be changed, there are definately no limits in prayer.

Come boldy before God's throne with your requests, and while you are there, cast your cares at His feet. "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." ~James 5:16 If something is important to you, Keep praying; but quit carry the load. Show God that you trust...truly, deeply, sincerely trust Him.

Prayer WILL always change something. It may be the situation; It may be you; It may be both. Never stop praying.

"The potency of prayer hath subdued the strength of fire; it hath bridled the rage of lions, hushed anarchy to rest, extinguished wars, appeased the elements, expelled demons, burst the chains of death, expanded the gates of heaven, assuaged diseases, repelled frauds, rescued cities from destruction, stayed the sun in its course, and arrested the progress of the thunderbolt. Prayer is an all-efficient panoply, a treasure undiminished, a mine which is never exhausted, a sky unobscured by clouds, a heaven unruffled by the storm. It is the root, the fountain, the mother of a thousand blessings." ~Saint John Chrysostom

Prayer does not equip you for greater works.
Prayer is the greater work. ~Oswald Chambers

God's Amazing Ways

The other day, during a slow time at work, my coworker and I were googling and yahooing(?)(lol) our names out of boredom. Well, that, and I've also been told that prospect employers may do this, so it's good to know what info/ pics are out there of you. While doing this, I stumbled across one of the neatest "God moments" that I've ever had. A girl I am now blessed to call friend, but had never met yet, had written an article for the apostolic website: ninetyandnine.com.

It was basically on hearing God say "wait" and about her desire to return to the missions field. I wrote a letter in reply, thanking her for the article, saying how I could relate, and said, "Who knows, maybe one day we'll run into each other overseas!"...little did I know that within 5 months we would be roommates in Estonia on a mission trip together..having never even spoken to each other besides my reply to her email. I must say that when we realized who each other was, any doubts I may have had about whether I was in God's absolute perfect will vanished. I love when God confirms things so obviously like this. I tend to desire clear confirmation before proceeding with any major decisions..and thankfully, God has usually been pretty good at giving it to me.

Recently there are some things God has been stirring up in my heart, and, as usual, I have prayed for confirmation regarding them. And, He may, or may not give me that confirmation. But, in the midst of asking Him for it, I have felt like I've heard him say, "I trust you"..Now I don't claim to be any pro at hearing God's voice (blogging my thoughts on this later), but, from experience, I tend to know when it's His voice, because it's usually something I wouldn't dream up,do or hear of my own accord. "Trust ME?!" I, of course, trust God, but why would HE trust me? This was very humbling...and I don't know if that's His way of saying, keep praying and the right decisions will come, or what...but I kinda feel like the child at the baseball game, who's not really playing all that great..in truth, he just got 2 strikes, but his father still shouts out, "That's my son!!!" I know I don't deserve it..but thanks to God's mercy and grace, I believe He does trust me and I pray I do Him proud.

Below is the great article that my friend Gabe Reese wrote (Jan 2006..and my short reply following it):

When God Says Wait
By Gabe Reese
January 9, 2006

So, what are you doing these days? The question gets asked when I happen to see friends that I haven’t seen for years. Their careers are getting established, they are married, some even have children! I give them a bright smile and say “Oh-the same old, same old!” It seems like after all this time, I should have something more exciting to say. It’s not like I’m letting life pass me by—I love my job helping special needs children reach their fullest potential and I am very involved in my home church, but it’s not really where I imagined I would be at this time.

I thought by now I would be on the foreign field as a missionary or an AIMer. I was called to foreign missions at Missouri Teen Camp when I was 12 and experienced my first taste of foreign missions on a Youth on Missions trip to Prague, Czech Republic. Incredible! The desire to work in the foreign field burns in me but the door has yet to open for me to step through. (I’ve tried opening it myself a couple of times but I’ve learned God is better at opening doors than I am.) I know the experience I’m getting here in the home field is valuable preparation for the foreign field. The word spoken to me has been to be ready to go, but also to wait on God’s timing.

But Why God?
Wait—it’s a hard word. Who is delighted at having to stop at a red light or gets excited about waiting in a long line? Waiting is especially hard when you are waiting for a prayer to be answered. We can be assured that our prayer is heard and will be answered, but the timing of the answer is in God’s hands.

Waiting times are trying times. In my own experience of waiting, I have felt many questions about why the wait is so long. Weariness in waiting comes when I see desires fulfilled and prayers answered in the lives of friends. I am sincerely happy for them and rejoice with them, but I admit it makes the waiting harder. I get frustrated with myself when the questions fill my heart and I struggle to keep the vision clear. The enemy has taunted me asking, “Where is your God? What is He doing for you?” Though I grow weary, I remember the words of Isaiah,”The everlasting God…fainteth not, neither is weary…there is no searching of His understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength… But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength…” (Isaiah 40:28-31).

When I am discouraged and filled with questions, I pour it out before the Lord. David encouraged this, “Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah” (Psalm 62:8). My God has infinite understanding. Pouring out to Him draws me closer to Him. In these times He speaks to me, encourages and strengthens me to continue waiting on Him. I know He is MY God, MY friend, and He is on MY side.

The Key to Waiting
The way to wait on the Lord is worship and the Word. “I wait for the Lord…and in His word do I hope” (Psalm 130:5). Worship takes the focus off of ourselves and places it on our faithful Savior. We see by the examples in His Word that He is faithful and this waiting time is for His higher purpose. David and Joseph experienced waiting times between a calling, a dream, and the fulfillment thereof. Their waiting times were shaping times used to prepare them for the positions God had for them. The Word assures us that those who wait on the Lord will not be ashamed. David wrote, “I waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined unto me and heard my cry…many shall see it and fear and shall trust in the Lord”(Psalm 40:1,3).

Your waiting time is a testimony of God’s faithfulness. He uses circumstances in our lives to show others He meets us where we are, He will walk with us, and He will keep His promises. Your testimony of answered prayer and fulfilled desire will cause others to fear God and put their trust in Him. Isaiah 55:8-11 is an encouraging text as it tells us God’s word never returns void. It always accomplishes His purpose. The word He spoke to you will come to pass. The vision He gave you for your life will be fulfilled!

“Wait on the Lord, be of good courage and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord” (Psalm 27:14).

My reply:

Re: “When God Says Wait”
I just want to say thanks to Gabe Reese for writing this article. It’s encouraging to know that there are other people going through the same frustrations as oneself. I wish you all the best, and hope for open doors for you in the near future. Who knows; maybe one day we’ll run into each other overseas. :0) God bless!

 

Perspective

Lately I have had tons of thoughts swirling around in my head..notes have been scribbled, a few blogs started, but, as you can tell, not much has been posted lately. These "thoughts" are gradually starting to take shape and develop some order, so hopefully I will be posting quite a few more in the near future. In the mean time, I just thought I'd share with you a random thought for the day....

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary Perspective is "the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance".

If we kept everything in our life in "perspective" how would this affect our life day in and day out? Our work decisions? Our family decisions? Our financial decisions? Our educational decisions?

Right now I have a quote on my facebook by a famous man that I know very little about. I don't even know if he believed in God, but I do know that these few words hold a lot of meaning:

"Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none." ~William Shakespeare

We are put on this earth for 2 reasons:
- To worship God
- To tell others about Him

One definition of worship is "to adore; revere; reverence; bow to; honor."

If we truly feel this way toward God, we will obey his commandments, and in turn, showing love to all and doing wrong to none will be our second nature. This is, after all, the second commandment after loving him....that's right folks. It's in there, right after loving God... not just love them, but love them as you love yourself.

If our lives are "in the right perspective", every major decision we make will be filtered through a "what is God's will in this?" filter. Not a "which will pay the most money?" or "which will benefit me the most?" or "which will make me look the best?" or "which would everyone else do?" or a "what does everyone else want me to do?" filter.

When you wake up each morning, what are you thinking about? Is God one of your first thoughts? If He's not, check out that filtering system; it might need a few adjustments.

My parents have sung a song a few times through the years. Honestly, it's not my style of music, and when I was younger I kinda thought the song was downright morbid...but now, it speaks to me in a different way:

"Take me home or keep me in the center of thy perfect will,
Take me home, dear Lord, if you should see, that I'm about to fail,
For I don't want to miss that mansion, that I've been waiting for so long,
If you see that I might fail Lord, take me home."

I'm still young and hope to have many more years on this earth, hopefully spent pursuing the second reason I listed earlier above. However, when I sing the lyrics to this song. I mean them. I mean them more now than I ever have. Something about that gives me peace. Peace that maybe, just maybe, while life may not be perfect, or even close to it, if I keep my perspectives right, I still have an amazing eternity to look forward to.

Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. -Isaiah 55:6-13

"But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."
- II Peter 3:8

Heart of Worship

In the Blink of an Eye