Praise You in this Storm...

A wise friend recently told me that when you are caught in a valley between two mountains and it starts to rain, that God is washing the nutrients from the mountaintop down into the valley to help with growth. Apparently that is true in gardening, but oh, how true it is in life as well. Right now, I feel like I am caught in the valley between mountains with no strength to climb either one. Could it be that God is trying to nourish and feed me so that I will grow? Could it be that He wants me to just "Be Still" or to "Sit Down, Shut Up, and Let Go?" I think it is in human nature to always want to be on the mountaintop. After all, pain and suffering are not among the pleasantries in life, but often they are the places where we tend to seek God the most. Why do we wait until we hit that bump in the road to seek His Face?

My heart today sings, "Though my heart is torn, I will praise You in this storm." Oh, how I want to praise God no matter what life throws my way. After all, God is a jealous God and loves to hear His Name Praised. So far in my life, there have been many twists and turns and uncertainties and pains, but God has been there all along and has protected me with His Plan in mind. So, if I know that He's always been there, why am I so afraid He will turn from me now?

Jeremiah 29:11-For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.

Father God, help me today to KNOW that You plan to prosper me. God help me to know that there is HOPE even in the darkest valleys. Help me to see the growth and receive Your Nutrients that come from Your Word. Help me to KNOW that you will never harm me and that You will never leave me or forsake me. In Your Sweet Name I pray...

My Little Cheerleader

So this is my cheerleader, Maddie. Today was her first game of the season as an UPWARD Cheerleader. She absolutely loves it! Funny, I never got along with the cheerleaders in school, I guess God does have a sense of humor after all. :) This cheerleading is different though. They don't cheer for specific teams and the score is not kept in the game. It is all about fun and learning about Jesus while learning the basics of cheerleading and football. There is always prayer at the beginning of the game and a halftime devotion in the middle. A great outreach for this church as well, I think.

But, as I was watching all the cheerleading, I got to thinking how no matter how bad one of the cheerleaders is, they all encourage and help each other to learn. If they don't work together to build that pyramid it will fall or if they aren't cheering together, they can't be heard. I think that God puts "cheerleaders" in our lives and we call them friends and family. People that help lift you up when you are falling. People that encourage and cheer you on when you just can't find the strength to make it another step. People that, when you are stuck in the valley between two tall mountains and haven't got a clue how to climb either one, throw you a rope and pull you to the top. How blessed I am to have so many cheerleaders in my life!

So, I guess what I am thinking, is that we are all called in one way or another to be cheerleaders. To build each other up and help each other grow stronger in the body of Christ. To take that load from the friend that just can't carry it any more and help her take it to Jesus, the Great Physician, all the while telling her, just a little while til we're on the mountaintop Praising Him. We all need a cheerleader at some point in our lives, are you ready to take that roll? Let us lift up and encourage one another until Christ Returns again!

Father, I thank you for my cheerleaders in my life. I thank you that though I am weak, You are strong. Help me, Lord, to be ever mindful of the pain and suffering around me and be there to uplift and encourage. Help me to let Your Light Shine through the darkest of times so that others can see Jesus in me. Thank You that Your ways are not my ways and Your timing is not mine. I love You, Abba Father. In your sweet name I pray...

Expect God's Beauty

So I open up my calendar this afternoon and I flip to the quote of the day and it is this: "If you've been settling for much less than what God has promised you in His Word, it's not too late. Start expecting God's beauty in your life. Ask Him to help you realize just how precious you are to Him."

Expect God's Beauty. In every aspect of life. Wow! How difficult that seems for me. But oh how much easier and more pleasant life would be if I could. Truthfully, right now I feel stuck. Feel discouraged. Feel scared. Feel sad. Feel confused. So, what should I do?

Oh, God, how it hurts to the deepest parts of my soul. What is wrong with me? Why can't I just be happy? Why can't I see your beauty? God, I need You in ways I don't even know I need You, but You already know that. God, I want to want to know You more, but the truth is right now, I don't. I can't even form a complete thought in my head without it taking off to another place. God, change my want to. Let me feel Your Love deep inside. Help me to know I am precious in Your Sight. Help me surrender the control I try to have on my life. Empty this broken vessel and fill me up with more of You. In your sweet name I pray...Amen

Why Don't I get it?

Okay, so it's no secret that yesterday was not a good day for me. I didn't get the news I wanted from the doctor and frankly, I am frustrated. I feel stuck. Feel-yes, here's that word again, afraid. I just keep thinking, I know God has a plan in all of this, and maybe there is something He is trying to teach me, but why don't I just get it already? I'm so tired of living in fear and feeling defeated. So tired of feeling like I take two steps forward just to take three steps back. I know that God doesn't keep a record of wrong because the Bible says He casts our sin as "Far as the East is from the West", but I feel like maybe it's my fault, like life might be easier if I had made better choices. And, prayer, well, I am doing a study on learning to Pray God's Word, but I feel like my prayers just hit the ceiling. I know God wants to bless me and truthfully he already has beyond measure, but I want all of the extras He promises too! I'm just so angry and so frustrated, what is it that I am missing, Lord???

Lord Jesus, I feel so broken and confused. Life is not turning out the way I planned it to be, but I know You have the greater plan. My heart and my mind are so overwhelmed with so many facts, opinions, and thoughts that I can not form a clear thought about anything. I don't like any of the options that were laid before me, Lord, so I guess I need You to tell me what is right in all of this. God, take the fear that is raging inside me and use the energy that is behind it to change my heart, mind, and destroy the UNBELIEF that You are in control. In your sweet name I pray...Amen

Whom Shall I Fear?

Fear, the worst four letter word in the English Language for me. The Bible speaks all about fear, "Fear Not", "The Lord is my Light and My Salvation, Whom shall I fear?". How come I can't just grab hold of the verses and go with them? The Bible Study I have been doing has been talking about strongholds and wanting us to identify the ones that keep us from doing God's Work in our lives and make it a goal to abolish them. For me, the one that immediately popped into my mind is fear. I am afraid of so much. Afraid of failure, afraid of dissapointment, afraid of rejection, afraid of the unknown, afraid of the known. The mountains seem so large, my faith, it seems so small. Sometimes I am so paralyzed by fear, that I can't focus on anything else.

Most recently, my fear is of the known. The doctors want to put me on a medication tomorrow for a couple of weeks that has horrific side effects for me. I only have to take it for two weeks at night, but it feels like an eternity when I am taking it. I try to shift my thoughts to something else like my children, my family, or my friends or church, but, the truth is, when I am alone, the fear consumes my thoughts and threatens to consume me. I have cried and prayed and put it all in God's Hands, so I feel like I should be at peace, but I am not. I know that God has a plan in all of this that I can not see and that it will all work out for His and ultimately my good, but right now I am so afraid.

I know, it could always be much, much worse and for God's Grace and Mercy I am ever so thankful but for some reason I always want more. I know that we are supposed to be content where we are at and count our blessings. I know that. But, I can't make my heart believe what my head already knows. So, for now, I continue to cry and pray until I can't cry and pray anymore. Maybe the trials are to show me that only God can see me through, and that He will. But, if circumstances are not to change and I am to remain in this state forever, I have to learn not to fear and to trust God with all of my heart.

"Abba Father, I need You like never before. My heart and my mind are consumed with fear instead of being consumed with You. Father, I ask that you bless the hands of the doctors and give them the wisdom and knowledge to help stop the pain and confusion, but Lord if it is not Your Will, help me to be content where I am at. You are the Great Physician and the Healer and You promise to never leave or forsake me. Help me know you are near. Help me to know that you are my shield, my strength, my portion, deliverer, my shelter, strong tower and very present help in time of need. God help my unbelief. In your sweet name I pray...