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Category: abiding in Christ

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100th post today! I love what God is doing through this blog. When I started “a babe in the womb”, the birth of my son was drawing near. A season of teaching and preaching the word in group settings was drawing to a temporary close. I experienced tremendous grief over being led away from women’s ministry at my church. Yet something new was born! Not only my son, but a new ministry experience. I have been able to share His word through the internet while He has kept me at home caring for my baby (just turned 2) and my homeschooled girls (nearly 11 and 13). God is good!

Though the scenery and the venues have changed, His promises to me have not waivered.

Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath.  God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.  Hebrews 6:17-19

We often interpret God’s promises to mean something specific (according to our own desires, of course) and we don’t leave room for Him to keep His promises amid changing circumstances. We forget the truth of Hebrews 6:18… God cannot lie! He absolutely never considers it. The scriptures tell us that He IS truth.

No matter what happens in our lives, God keeps His promises. We must give Him room to fulfill His promises in His own way and in His own timing.  We only have to wait and see what He will do. When we hold on to the Lord in faithful expectancy, our hope is like an anchor. Though the waves of circumstances and heartbreak attempt to toss us to and fro, our hope in the One who cannot lie keeps us anchored.

What has God promised you?  Are you confident that He would never lie to you?  Do you believe that He is fulfilling His promise to you even at this very moment?

We live in a consumer society. We can buy just about anything that we want, even if we don’t have the money for it!  We expect to receive what we’ve ordered in a short amount of time. Fast food. Express shipping. Instant streaming.

We forget how much preparation goes into the things that we order. Take dinner, for example. When we order our favorite meal at a restaurant, we are not mindful of the seeds that were planted months ago. The livestock that was birthed years ago. The aging of cheese or wine over long periods of time. Your meal takes more than just 15 minutes to prepare! In reality, it takes years.

God works in the same way. We are not mindful of the preparation, the cultivation, the planning that God takes in fulfilling His promises to us. When we cannot see our order coming out of the kitchen, we think He’s forgotten us. We think He’s angry with us. We forget that He is good. He never lies. He is always working for our good.

Put your hope in Him! Drop your anchor deep into the reality that He loves you and He is preparing His best for you. Wait in expectancy for Him to fulfill everything He has promised you.

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The Lord keeps taking me back to Psalm 62.  There is something that He wants me to learn about rest:

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from him.  Ps 62:5

I have been learning to physically rest. Though it’s difficult, I’ve been trying to get to bed at a decent hour. I’ve even been known to take naps when needed (and possible!!).

I have been learning to mentally rest. The Lord showed me that reading (amish fiction right now) is a great way to rest my mind after a busy day of homeschooling, cooking, cleaning, and chasing my toddler.

Here is his question for me this week:  Have I been resting my soul? Have I been letting the core of me… the seat of my passions and emotions…the most important part of me rest?  Am I holding onto things? Worried about financial issues? Wrestling with tough decisions?

If I am going to rest all the way down in my soul… I need to stop worrying. Stop planning.  Stop working.  Isn’t that what rest means?  Stop running scenarios about a future that I cannot control. Stop being anxious. I need to stop wondering if God is going to take care of me and my loved ones.

I need to rest. Turning back to Psalm 62:

One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard:
that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving.

I can rest knowing that God is strong enough to handle whatever comes my way.  I can rest knowing that He loves me with an unfailing love. Everything that He does is in love.

Rest, weary soul. Your Loving Creator and Savior has everything under control. Lean back and close your eyes. He will tend to all of your needs and concerns while you slumber. Rest, weary soul. You are loved!

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A few years ago, the Lord revealed something very valuable to me.  At the time, I was so desperate to have my house in order…desiring everything to be in its place at the end of the day. With two little ones underfoot, I was making everyone crazy trying to achieve household order. I needed it to feel okay. I was crying to Lord about this one day… and I sensed Him speak this thought into my mind:

Outward order does not bring inner peace.

Instantly, I felt as though an oppressive chain around my neck was broken. God revealed my motive and my need for peace… and He showed me that I was looking in the wrong place for it!  I began to see changes in my life. I still like order even now… just ask my family! However, I know that when I am desperate for order, what I’m seeking is control, and what I really need is peace. I can only get that by going to the Lord and letting Him embrace me in His love and grace. I’ve even learned to tolerate disorder a bit in order to attend to more important things. I am growing!

Well, this morning I had another revelation from Him. I went to bed late last night, setting my alarm for 5:00 am. Trying to get back to a disciplined schedule is tough when the laziness of summer is calling to me! Last week, I got up early each weekday, and it felt good. I wanted more of the same for this week.

However, I laid there in bed for 30, 60, 90 minutes while my brain ran amuck. I could not go to sleep last night! Then my little Levi started fussing. He was awake on and off until 1:15 am. Before I finally started to doze off… I decided to turn off my early morning wake up call.

Panick began to set in when I woke up at 5:45. I felt like I had been run over by a truck! So tired, yet so longing for an early start to my day. I wanted to exercise and read my bible before my children woke up. I was in tears… fading in and out of sleep. What an awful start to my day.

I finally decided to open my bible in bed and try to hear something from the Lord before I got up to meet my children (who were up and running by this time). As I read one of the psalms, I heard the Lord speak to my heart again:

Routine can be good for you. However, it is not a means of control in your life.

Wow. My desire for a routine is really a desire for control over my day. No wonder I get so bent out of shape when my routine is disturbed!

The Lord continued to speak quietly to my heart. He reminded me that He is fully prepared for whatever my day holds. I do not need to prepare myself for the day with MY routine and performance-related behaviors. If I trust Him with my day, He will lead me along the path… whether it is familiar and uneventful, or interrupted, chaotic, unexpected, even disastrous.

I can develop healthy routines such as morning exercise and bible reading, nutritious meals, even an afternoon rest. These habits can contribute greatly to my health, sanity, and spiritual growth. However… if I cannot cope with a change in my routine, then something is wrong. The Lord wants me to be flexible. He wants me to remember that He is the same, no matter how my day looks. Even though I might not get my exercise in, or if I wake simultaneously with my kids, He is still the same. He is the only constant, unchanging force in my life. Am I holding on to my routine, or Him?  I need to hold on to Jesus, whose plan for my day could not be more perfect for me!

The Lord challenged me to think about how much more effective our homeschooling will be if I become more flexible. How much more I will enjoy life if I can develop healthy routines, yet hold onto them with a lighter grasp. How much joy I will experience if I watch for what God has planned rather than lament the loss of my routine for one day.

I’m being stretched… learning to trust Him and let go of my desire to perform and be in control. The more that I surrender to His control, the happier and healthier I am!