Sometimes it feels like God is sneaky. Now, of course, that sounds like heresy, and I'm not saying this as a theological construct, but rather as the impression I'm left with when I know He is doing something but I have been left out of the loop. He often will use times like this to remind me that His thoughts and ways are better and higher than mine. So, know that when I say He feels sneaky, it comes from years of watching Him show off His wisdom and might, it comes from years of a friendship with Him. It's really a term of endearment. Of course, He's not actually sneaky. In fact, His Word says just the opposite: "No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly." Psalm 84:11 He always shows up to reveal what we need to know, when we need to know it. Sometimes the packaging is beautiful and we can easily accept that it's a good gift; yet to us it usually looks like a present we'd rather not unwrap. And He looks at us with the radiating joy of a Heavenly Father knowing how great it will be once we see what He does. No matter how long it may feel to us until we get to see it, it is short to an Eternal God. He also looks at us with that loving and comforting gaze of a Friend, who will be with us until we get to share in that aspect of His plan, no matter how difficult that journey will be. Pretty sweet, actually. So,this year has been a prime example of that delicious "sneakiness" of God. Things took longer than I thought they would, other things didn't go how I expected them to, some things went better. I even think He granted wisdom and foreknowledge to prepare my heart to learn something pretty vital about Who He is. I started the year with my word being, "Firm." I thought that was a pretty safe word since I thought I was, but we all know the rest of that story. Yes, my little world did some shaking, my little heart did too, but He was building a stronger foundation, you see. Understand that He first had to find areas of my knowledge of Him that had cracks so He could lay down a more accurate depiction of His Nature, and not the distorted and faulty version I may have come to believe. He sure is a Kind Concrete Finisher. He was (and still is) building a better place for Him to live in my heart, one that stands stronger and can withstand more storms. All the while He was teaching me that He Himself is my HOME. Yes, my Place of Refuge, complete with the Safe Tower of His Name and Protective Shield of His Faithfulness. Oh, that that were all; it would be enough, but that was only part of what He was doing. (I share these things with you, reader, because it is my opinion that so many times we talk about what God is doing in terms of the tangible and the external, which ABSOLUTELY need to be acknowledged and given thanks for especially since they show off His power and might. But what He does in the HEART? The depths of your SOUL which is eternal? That is what we don't talk about enough, so He has been urging me to do so more and more. Alright, back to our regularly scheduled post.) He was also showing me that He is ALL that I need. Shelter? Certainly. Water? His is everlasting (John 4). Bread? His gives life. (John 6) Everything that I think I lack and all that I could ever need is found in One Source: Himself. He quenches and satisfies, protects and fills up every lonely thought that crosses my mind when I am hiding in His Shelter, safe in His the warm embrace of His Unfailing Love. I may say, "But I'm tired of the same ol' Bread, Lord!" He points me right to His earlier children who said something similar and reminds me what happened when they complained all the while He gently soothes my aching heart and feeds me with more life for my hungry soul with Himself, the Bread of Life. I may say, "Can't you tell I'm thirsty, Lord?" He responds as only He can with a test of honesty; asking me the right questions to unveil the depth of my love for Him, whether I will worship Him in spirit and in truth, thus purifying my desire for Him, my Living Water. I may say, "How long must I be without having a semi-permanent place to live, Lord?" He answers with His Sovereignty and the reminder that no other can go by the Name of Jehovah-Jireh, and that I will ever and always have a place in Him, my Beautiful Home. If you have stuck with me this long, perpare to be rewarded with a truth to hold on to: All your needs are met in ONE SOURCE, Who is not only MORE THAN ENOUGH to satisfy, but even able to exceed them all. That's right, ONE. Well, technically, you might even call Him the Three-in-One Source, but for our purposes, we'll appeal to Deuteronomy 6:4, which says "The LORD our God, the LORD is one." Need more proof that He is the Source of all your needs? I'm so glad you asked. ;) The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want." Psalm 23:1 "In him we live and move and have our being." Acts 17:28 "Your Heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself." Matthew 6:32b-33 I pray for you as I do for myself, that you might leave behind your tendencies to forego the calories of the Living Bread,to settle for other sugary drinks that won't relieve your thirst like the Living Water, and to try and build some sort of shelter out of brittle boards that will break at the first sign of a storm. You're smarter than that, aren't you? You know better by now, don't you? If you've forgotten, you know where to go. The place is a Person, yes, THE Person.
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