The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. ~Psalm 46:10
I just returned from a conference that was the efforts of 8 months of planning, a week of schlepping heavy boxes, loading and unloading and re-loading and unloading again trucks, setting up tables, breaking down tables, and 4 days of running up and down corridors of a hotel at the beck and call of 600 women.
Tiring? Yes. Chaotic? Nah. Why? Because the peace of God meanders about us in so many ways. One very special way is a small oasis in the hub-bub: the Prayer Room.
Soft music plays in an otherwise hushed room. Dim lights cast a soft glow on about 20 of the names of God. And each of the 600 names of the women attending and the helper/volunteers rest on one of His names.
Walking from one name to the other, I found myself on the last name of God I looked at and here is where I rested...
Jehovah-Sabaoth: the Lord of Hosts. The Lord of Armies.
The Lord of the hosts of heaven will always fulfill His purposes, even when the hosts of His earthly people fail.
So sweet. Such perfect words for the season I'm in.
If you were there I'd love to hear which name of God you were resting on. Thanks!
August 3, 2009
July 17, 2009
Ears to Hear
The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. ~Exodus 33:11
Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away. ~Matthew 24:25
Mondays tend to be a bit manic. They brim over with a full day's work and evening commitments.
Sweeping in the door around 6 pm this week, I scrammed to freshen up before heading back out. All systems were a go.
Then it came. The pause. The momentum stopper. The exhale.
The sweet nudge from the Holy Spirit – it stops us in our tracks nudging us to ask what's on His heart. "Lord, what do you desire for me to do this evening?"
And I felt Him respond, "Take the night off and go shopping."
"Not at all what I expected, but let's go!" I swiped my day planner clean and sauntered over to one of my favorite stores to mosey around. There that tender tap came again. This time it was to go to a particular grocery store.
Why that one? I rarely shopped there. And I'd just been grocery shopping.
But the directions were specific. Go to that store at 7. Not before. Not after. Right at seven.
Seven o'clock I swung into the parking lot swarming with shoppers loading their cars.
"Excuse me Miss. Excuse me. Do you have a cell phone I can borrow?"
Sweating, hot and tired, a sweet grandma, mom and her baby were locked out of their car without a spare key or phone to call for help. How easy it could have been for them to ask any of the twenty or so people in the parking lot that were there before me. But they asked me.
After she made her call, I figured I'd check out the store while I was there. Oddly enough, the entrance door wouldn't open so I tried the exit door. I didn't get far! One of the workers met me as I tried to enter. "Sorry ma'am, we're closed."
Closed?! What grocery store closes at 7 pm!?
And then it hit me. That's why God asked me to clear my calendar. Meander around for an hour. And visit a completely random grocery store at a very specific time.
To be His hands and feet to the neat family in the parking lot. Not only so, but they were Jesus to me.
Do you ever falter in the security of discerning the Lord’s voice? Whether it's the Lord refining, your flesh, other people's words and actions, or the enemy ... it’s easy to wonder if that voice you hear is you or God. Over the last few months I’ve been tottering on the edge of uncertainty myself. What has seemed so clearly from the Lord has taken some battering blows, making me wonder.
Driving home from the random, closed, grocery store, the presence of God filled my car. And I heard Him say (yes, this time I was sure!), "My daughter, you do hear Me." What a sweet, clear confirmation.
I pray any areas of doubt and insecurity you may be struggling with are defeated at the crossroads of God's divine intervention and your obedience to His voice. May you hear His sweet voice and rest assured that whether you turn to the right or left, you will hear His voice guiding you...speaking to you.
For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. ~John 3:34
Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away. ~Matthew 24:25
Mondays tend to be a bit manic. They brim over with a full day's work and evening commitments.
Sweeping in the door around 6 pm this week, I scrammed to freshen up before heading back out. All systems were a go.
Then it came. The pause. The momentum stopper. The exhale.
The sweet nudge from the Holy Spirit – it stops us in our tracks nudging us to ask what's on His heart. "Lord, what do you desire for me to do this evening?"
And I felt Him respond, "Take the night off and go shopping."
"Not at all what I expected, but let's go!" I swiped my day planner clean and sauntered over to one of my favorite stores to mosey around. There that tender tap came again. This time it was to go to a particular grocery store.
Why that one? I rarely shopped there. And I'd just been grocery shopping.
But the directions were specific. Go to that store at 7. Not before. Not after. Right at seven.
Seven o'clock I swung into the parking lot swarming with shoppers loading their cars.
"Excuse me Miss. Excuse me. Do you have a cell phone I can borrow?"
Sweating, hot and tired, a sweet grandma, mom and her baby were locked out of their car without a spare key or phone to call for help. How easy it could have been for them to ask any of the twenty or so people in the parking lot that were there before me. But they asked me.
After she made her call, I figured I'd check out the store while I was there. Oddly enough, the entrance door wouldn't open so I tried the exit door. I didn't get far! One of the workers met me as I tried to enter. "Sorry ma'am, we're closed."
Closed?! What grocery store closes at 7 pm!?
And then it hit me. That's why God asked me to clear my calendar. Meander around for an hour. And visit a completely random grocery store at a very specific time.
To be His hands and feet to the neat family in the parking lot. Not only so, but they were Jesus to me.
Do you ever falter in the security of discerning the Lord’s voice? Whether it's the Lord refining, your flesh, other people's words and actions, or the enemy ... it’s easy to wonder if that voice you hear is you or God. Over the last few months I’ve been tottering on the edge of uncertainty myself. What has seemed so clearly from the Lord has taken some battering blows, making me wonder.
Driving home from the random, closed, grocery store, the presence of God filled my car. And I heard Him say (yes, this time I was sure!), "My daughter, you do hear Me." What a sweet, clear confirmation.
I pray any areas of doubt and insecurity you may be struggling with are defeated at the crossroads of God's divine intervention and your obedience to His voice. May you hear His sweet voice and rest assured that whether you turn to the right or left, you will hear His voice guiding you...speaking to you.
For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. ~John 3:34
June 9, 2009
A Kind of Rhythm
The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. ~ Psalm 119:130
Jeremiah captures my sentiments exactly when he wrote, “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight.” God’s written Word…I can think of nothing more intimate and amazing. What a tremendous Ebenezer!!
There’s another form of God’s word that stirs within me. His spoken word, through the Holy Spirit. Hearing from the Lord through conversation, prayer, thanksgiving and praise, and petition is so sweet.
The beautiful pairing of knowing the Lord and hearing from Him through His written Word and spoken word is summed up nicely by John Piper:
I don't think there is anything more basic to knowing the supremacy of Christ, loving Him, and obeying Him—and being the church for each other and for the sake of the world—than to hear God speak to us in His Word and then to speak back to Him with the praises and the longings of our hearts.
God has ordained for Himself to be known primarily by the Word. Through the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, we are enabled to read that book with illumination and let our hearts cry back to Him what we see in it. It becomes a kind of rhythm.
It is absolutely crucial that my prayer be saturated with the Word and that my Bible reading be saturated with prayer, because this is how we commune with God. And this communion of hearing and speaking is what leads to our transformation, which is at the heart of what it means to be a Christian.
Here is an example of that kind of rhythm…
Pray the beatitudes: Father, grant that we would recognize our poverty of spirit. Let us mourn for our sins and not be indifferent or unconcerned for our own soul. Work a meekness into our heart. Grant us to be hungry and thirsty for righteousness. Give us the heart of a peacemaker and a reconciler. Make us pure and keep us pure, O Lord. And if You will for us to be persecuted, give us grace to count it all joy and to remember that our reward is great in heaven (source: www.desiringgod.org).
Jeremiah captures my sentiments exactly when he wrote, “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight.” God’s written Word…I can think of nothing more intimate and amazing. What a tremendous Ebenezer!!
There’s another form of God’s word that stirs within me. His spoken word, through the Holy Spirit. Hearing from the Lord through conversation, prayer, thanksgiving and praise, and petition is so sweet.
The beautiful pairing of knowing the Lord and hearing from Him through His written Word and spoken word is summed up nicely by John Piper:
I don't think there is anything more basic to knowing the supremacy of Christ, loving Him, and obeying Him—and being the church for each other and for the sake of the world—than to hear God speak to us in His Word and then to speak back to Him with the praises and the longings of our hearts.
God has ordained for Himself to be known primarily by the Word. Through the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, we are enabled to read that book with illumination and let our hearts cry back to Him what we see in it. It becomes a kind of rhythm.
It is absolutely crucial that my prayer be saturated with the Word and that my Bible reading be saturated with prayer, because this is how we commune with God. And this communion of hearing and speaking is what leads to our transformation, which is at the heart of what it means to be a Christian.
Here is an example of that kind of rhythm…
Pray the beatitudes: Father, grant that we would recognize our poverty of spirit. Let us mourn for our sins and not be indifferent or unconcerned for our own soul. Work a meekness into our heart. Grant us to be hungry and thirsty for righteousness. Give us the heart of a peacemaker and a reconciler. Make us pure and keep us pure, O Lord. And if You will for us to be persecuted, give us grace to count it all joy and to remember that our reward is great in heaven (source: www.desiringgod.org).
May 18, 2009
Worlds Apart
Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His holy hill; for the Lord our God is holy. ~Psalm 99:9
I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps. ~Jeremiah 10:23
John Piper's known for saying, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." I like that. And I like this song. To me, it says well what it takes to be most satisfied in Christ.
Worlds Apart
Jars of Clay
(this is the third song on my playlist)
I am the only one to blame for this
Somehow it all ends up the same
Soaring on the wings of selfish pride
I flew too high and like Icarus I collide
With a world I try so hard to leave behind
To rid myself of all but love to give and die
To turn away and not become
Another nail to pierce the skin of One who loves
More deeply than the oceans
More abundant than the tears
Of a world embracing every heartache
Can I be the one to sacrifice
Or grip the spear and watch the blood and water flow
To love You- take my world apart
To need You- I am on my knees
To love You- take my world apart
To need You- broken on my knees
All said and done I stand alone
Amongst remains of a life I should not own
It takes all I am to believe
In the mercy that covers me
Did You really have to die for me?
All I am for all You are
Because what I need and what I believe are worlds apart
I look beyond the empty cross forgetting what my life has cost
And wipe away the crimson stains; dull the nails that still remain
More and more I need You now, I owe You more each passing hour
The battle between grace and pride I gave up not so long ago
So steal my heart and take the pain and wash the feet and cleanse my pride
Take the selfish, take the weak, and all the things I cannot hide
Take the beauty, take my tears; the sin-soaked heart and make it Yours
Take my world all apart, take it now, take it now
And serve the ones that I despise, speak the words I can't deny
Watch the world I used to love fall to dust and thrown away
I look beyond the empty cross forgetting what my life has cost
So wipe away the crimson stains, dull the nails that still remain
So steal my heart and take the pain; take the selfish, take the weak
And all the things I cannot hide; take the beauty, take my tears
Take my world apart, take my world apart
I pray, I pray, I pray…take my world apart
I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps. ~Jeremiah 10:23
John Piper's known for saying, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." I like that. And I like this song. To me, it says well what it takes to be most satisfied in Christ.
Worlds Apart
Jars of Clay
(this is the third song on my playlist)
I am the only one to blame for this
Somehow it all ends up the same
Soaring on the wings of selfish pride
I flew too high and like Icarus I collide
With a world I try so hard to leave behind
To rid myself of all but love to give and die
To turn away and not become
Another nail to pierce the skin of One who loves
More deeply than the oceans
More abundant than the tears
Of a world embracing every heartache
Can I be the one to sacrifice
Or grip the spear and watch the blood and water flow
To love You- take my world apart
To need You- I am on my knees
To love You- take my world apart
To need You- broken on my knees
All said and done I stand alone
Amongst remains of a life I should not own
It takes all I am to believe
In the mercy that covers me
Did You really have to die for me?
All I am for all You are
Because what I need and what I believe are worlds apart
I look beyond the empty cross forgetting what my life has cost
And wipe away the crimson stains; dull the nails that still remain
More and more I need You now, I owe You more each passing hour
The battle between grace and pride I gave up not so long ago
So steal my heart and take the pain and wash the feet and cleanse my pride
Take the selfish, take the weak, and all the things I cannot hide
Take the beauty, take my tears; the sin-soaked heart and make it Yours
Take my world all apart, take it now, take it now
And serve the ones that I despise, speak the words I can't deny
Watch the world I used to love fall to dust and thrown away
I look beyond the empty cross forgetting what my life has cost
So wipe away the crimson stains, dull the nails that still remain
So steal my heart and take the pain; take the selfish, take the weak
And all the things I cannot hide; take the beauty, take my tears
Take my world apart, take my world apart
I pray, I pray, I pray…take my world apart
May 1, 2009
Abraham Samuel
Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow... ~ Isaiah 1:17
It's a boy!!
What?? It can't be! We've only sponsored girls. We're a women's ministry! It makes sense to sponsor a girl!!
That is a rough draft of the converstion that ensued at my work when we received information on the new girl we were sponsoring through Compassion International. For years we had a relationship with, Meri (how much do you love her name!). Late last year God opened the door for us to sponsor a new child as Meri seasoned out of CI's program. When our package came in the mail we were sooo pumped to meet her through her letters, photographs, colorings, and information.
So how surprised were we when Abraham Samuel popped out of our envelope! Well, we didn't hesitate to sponsor Abraham Samuel...and a little girl Johanna! Y'all, she's the sassiest thing ever and we love her!
Yet there is a special fondness in my heart for Abraham. I just love this little fella. One day I'll fully describe how God has uniquely used this boy in a world far away to minister His truths to my heart. Abrahams letters are dear. His background and current situation touches a deep, real place in my heart. I long to play kick ball with him, smell the air he breathes, pour Christ's love out in person, share a meal with his family...share Jesus with his family. And so my heart's cry for the millions of Abrahams and Johannas and Meris, and their families, is best summed up in the ever so eloquent words of...
Paul a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you,because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you - that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. I want you to know, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. I am under obligation both to Greeks and tobarbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. ~Romans 1
These blogs are sweet to follow http://compassionbloggers.com/trips
It's a boy!!
What?? It can't be! We've only sponsored girls. We're a women's ministry! It makes sense to sponsor a girl!!
That is a rough draft of the converstion that ensued at my work when we received information on the new girl we were sponsoring through Compassion International. For years we had a relationship with, Meri (how much do you love her name!). Late last year God opened the door for us to sponsor a new child as Meri seasoned out of CI's program. When our package came in the mail we were sooo pumped to meet her through her letters, photographs, colorings, and information.
So how surprised were we when Abraham Samuel popped out of our envelope! Well, we didn't hesitate to sponsor Abraham Samuel...and a little girl Johanna! Y'all, she's the sassiest thing ever and we love her!
Yet there is a special fondness in my heart for Abraham. I just love this little fella. One day I'll fully describe how God has uniquely used this boy in a world far away to minister His truths to my heart. Abrahams letters are dear. His background and current situation touches a deep, real place in my heart. I long to play kick ball with him, smell the air he breathes, pour Christ's love out in person, share a meal with his family...share Jesus with his family. And so my heart's cry for the millions of Abrahams and Johannas and Meris, and their families, is best summed up in the ever so eloquent words of...
Paul a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you,because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you - that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. I want you to know, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. I am under obligation both to Greeks and tobarbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. ~Romans 1
These blogs are sweet to follow http://compassionbloggers.com/trips
April 24, 2009
He Surrounds Us
The beloved of the LORD dwells in safety. The High God surrounds him all day long, and dwells between his shoulders. Deut. 33:12
I love babies! Holding them just delights my heart. If a baby and I are in the same room, you can know it won’t be long before I’ll be holding it! In fact, it’s so well known amongst my friends that they’ve dubbed me with nicknames such as Baby Velcro, Baby Magnet, and Baby Whisperer to name a few. The last one is a play on the Horse Whisperer, the lady who can calm unruly animals.
That’s me with babies y’all! Hand me a crying baby and within a few minutes they typically calm down and fall asleep. Now, please know this is not boasting…no, no. Jeremiah 9:24 tells us “Let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord…”
So that is why I’m going to reveal my top secret formula to quieting inconsolable children. It has a 100% success rate: God. Yep. It’s that simple! Actually, the presence of God through worship.
I wrap the upset baby in a blanket, pick her/him up in my arms, hold them close and start gently singing. There are three songs in my rotation. Within minutes of quietly worshipping the Lord the tender presence of the Holy Spirit is tangible. It is one of the most endearing moments to share with God as His little one becomes still as our awareness of His presence surrounding us grows.
The three songs are each short, sweet and simple and are ones which the Lord and I actually share as “Our Songs”…they are special between Him and me. You may know one of them:
I love You Lord and I lift my voice to worship You
Oh my soul, rejoice
Take joy my King in what You hear
May it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ears
Just as I sing these over babies, God often sings one of “Our Songs” over me, calming my troubled heart. It happened just this week during a prayer meeting! All week my soul had been crying out to the Lord, inconsolable, upset.
During our prayer time someone started singing…
I love You Lord and I lift my voice to worship You
Oh my soul, rejoice...
…and I became still, my awareness of His presence growing. I felt God wrap me in a blanket of His Love, pick me up in His arms, hold me close and quiet me with His song.
Y’all, as a servant of the Master Baby Whisperer, I am honored He would hold me and sing over me…it was especially sweet that He chose one of “Our Songs.” Calming my fears, soothing my heart and teaching me once again to be still and rest in my knowledge that He is good, faithful, provision, enough. He is our Father. He is our God who surrounds us with songs of deliverance (Psalm 32:7).
I love babies! Holding them just delights my heart. If a baby and I are in the same room, you can know it won’t be long before I’ll be holding it! In fact, it’s so well known amongst my friends that they’ve dubbed me with nicknames such as Baby Velcro, Baby Magnet, and Baby Whisperer to name a few. The last one is a play on the Horse Whisperer, the lady who can calm unruly animals.
That’s me with babies y’all! Hand me a crying baby and within a few minutes they typically calm down and fall asleep. Now, please know this is not boasting…no, no. Jeremiah 9:24 tells us “Let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord…”
So that is why I’m going to reveal my top secret formula to quieting inconsolable children. It has a 100% success rate: God. Yep. It’s that simple! Actually, the presence of God through worship.
I wrap the upset baby in a blanket, pick her/him up in my arms, hold them close and start gently singing. There are three songs in my rotation. Within minutes of quietly worshipping the Lord the tender presence of the Holy Spirit is tangible. It is one of the most endearing moments to share with God as His little one becomes still as our awareness of His presence surrounding us grows.
The three songs are each short, sweet and simple and are ones which the Lord and I actually share as “Our Songs”…they are special between Him and me. You may know one of them:
I love You Lord and I lift my voice to worship You
Oh my soul, rejoice
Take joy my King in what You hear
May it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ears
Just as I sing these over babies, God often sings one of “Our Songs” over me, calming my troubled heart. It happened just this week during a prayer meeting! All week my soul had been crying out to the Lord, inconsolable, upset.
During our prayer time someone started singing…
I love You Lord and I lift my voice to worship You
Oh my soul, rejoice...
…and I became still, my awareness of His presence growing. I felt God wrap me in a blanket of His Love, pick me up in His arms, hold me close and quiet me with His song.
Y’all, as a servant of the Master Baby Whisperer, I am honored He would hold me and sing over me…it was especially sweet that He chose one of “Our Songs.” Calming my fears, soothing my heart and teaching me once again to be still and rest in my knowledge that He is good, faithful, provision, enough. He is our Father. He is our God who surrounds us with songs of deliverance (Psalm 32:7).
April 22, 2009
With Everything
Love this song! It’s the second one on my playlist.
With Everything
Hillsong
Open our eyes to see the things that make Your heart cry
To be the church that You would desire; Light to be seen
Break down our pride, and all the walls we've built up inside
Our earthly crowns and all our desires, we lay at Your feet
So let hope rise, and darkness tremble in Your holy light
And every eye will see Jesus, our God, Great and mighty to be praised
God of all days, Glorious in all of Your ways
Your majesty, the wonder and grace, in the light of Your name
With everything,with everything
We will shout forth Your glory
With everything, with everything
We will shout forth Your praise
Our hearts, they cry
Be glorified
Be lifted high
Above all names
For You our King
With everything
We will shout forth Your praise
With Everything
Hillsong
Open our eyes to see the things that make Your heart cry
To be the church that You would desire; Light to be seen
Break down our pride, and all the walls we've built up inside
Our earthly crowns and all our desires, we lay at Your feet
So let hope rise, and darkness tremble in Your holy light
And every eye will see Jesus, our God, Great and mighty to be praised
God of all days, Glorious in all of Your ways
Your majesty, the wonder and grace, in the light of Your name
With everything,with everything
We will shout forth Your glory
With everything, with everything
We will shout forth Your praise
Our hearts, they cry
Be glorified
Be lifted high
Above all names
For You our King
With everything
We will shout forth Your praise
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