that is who He is

God  never ceases to amaze me. He is just so good in all He does. Even when you find yourself on the other side of where you want to be, He is good. Even when the path of life you were on suddenly detours and takes you in a different direction, He is good. Even when you don't know which way to turn, He is good. You know how I know I this? Because it isn't about what God does. It isn't about what is happening in your life or my life at any given time. It isn't about circumstances. It is strictly about the fact that God is good because that is who He is! 

Our God desires the best for us. That doesn't always line up with what we think is the best for our own selves, but it always lines up with His divine plan and His purpose for our lives. And we just have to know that and embrace it and be satisfied with it. It's not always easy, but in His goodness, He makes a way for us. He is there to shelter and protect and guide and comfort. He is there to cover us and give us that calm assurance that only comes from Him. 

When we are children of the King, there will be times of testing. There will be trials and temptations. There will be detours. And crossroads. His Word tells us this. And His precious Word also gives us instructions that we need to be able to navigate those rocky roads and those uncertain twists and turns along life's highways. Because He is just that good.

Our Father is the Potter. And as the clay in His mighty hands, we simply have to yield to the demands put upon us by His powerful grasp. And once those amazing Hands have molded us to the shape that He desires, there is still more to the process that must take place. Before the molded vessels that we have become emerge sturdy and stable, we must tried by fire. 

"But He knoweth the way that I take,

when He hath tried me, I shall come

forth as gold"

(Job 23:10)

There are many reasons that Christians go through times of testing and trial. Reasons that are very important and vital at times for our spiritual progress. Because the truth of the matter is that it's in those uncertain and unsettling times that we grow. That is where God can do mighty things in our lives. That is where God can stretch us. But most importantly, it is during those times that we begin to really seek God and His face. Any time we are facing mountains that seem too high to climb, we seem to more diligently search for a more intimate relationship with our Lord. Those trials cause us to realize how much we need our Savior and at the same time they cause us to realize just how little we know Him.

 So we seek. And we go face-down in desperate search for a revelation of spirit. We begin to crave a deeper relationship with the King of kings. We delve into the depths of His precious Word and we glean amazing nuggets of truth that move us. We begin to desire to know Him like never before. And when He begins to speak to our hearts, it just whets our appetites for more of Him. 

Soon, those times of testing just don't seem nearly as scary and unsettling as they did before. And they don't seem nearly as impossible to navigate through. And we seem to be handling those road bumps in a very different way than ever before.

We sense a new calmness surrounding our hearts. We feel a warm blanket of serenity wrap around us. We begin to trust our Savior in ways that we could never imagine would be possible. God begins to speak to our spirits and we begin to recognize that voice and hear it! 

And then we see His purpose for our rough journey. We embrace it. We welcome it. We learn to put our trust and faith in Him. We surrender our lives to our Jesus and rest in the assurance that indeed, He is good.

Because that is who He is.

I can rejoice

Still, I trust You.

Although my heart aches and the burden feels almost too heavy to bear, I cast my eyes toward the heavens and look to You for sweet peace.

The pain I feel deep inside can only be erased with Your touch. The uncertainty and fear that grips me can only be replaced by Your loving Hand of comfort.  

The questions I have are answered with Your Holy whisper - " I AM the Lord, and there is none else."

I surrender my fear to Your mighty Hands. I place my complete trust in You. I bow my heart in awe of You and sense Your presence settle down upon me. It flows through me and permeates every part of my body.

I rest in the solace that floods my soul as I recognize that unmistakable serenity that I know can only come from You.

I praise You for who You are and I praise You for Your goodness and Your grace. For Your kindness and Your power. I praise You because You are worthy of my praise.

Even when things don't go the way we planned, I can rest in the knowledge that You, our Father, knows best. I know that Your plans reign Sovereign. Your plans are made to fulfill Your divine purpose in our lives. We simply must trust in what You are doing, and follow the path that You are paving for us. And I know that wherever this journey takes us, You will be there every step of the way.

Encouraging.

Enabling.

Empowering.

Embracing us in Your mighty and secure arms. Holding us tight so we know the Truth of Your promise to never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)

I am overwhelmed by the Truth of Your Word. You always do what You say You will do. When the testing comes, You are there and You anoint me with the power of Your sweet Holy Spirit. Thus giving me the ability to stand firm and walk in Your ways.

You help keep my feet planted securely on the Rock and prevent me from sinking into the pit of despair. When I falter, You are there to give me just the nudge I need to go on. You are so good to me.

Step by step. Moment by moment.

Strength to strength.

You carry me. You draw me close. And I rejoice.

I can rejoice because my Savior is something to rejoice about! I can rejoice because I know You are my refuge and my fortress. I can rejoice because I know that You are my deliverer. I can rejoice because I can remember where You have brought me from thus far.

I can rejoice simply because I can say, "I know Him and I have personally experienced His loving touch and power and might in my live over and over again"

I can rejoice simply because, You are who You say You are. And I love You with all of my being. 

You are so good.

~~~~~

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face

trials of many kinds. Because you know that the

testing of your faith produces perseverance."

James 1:2,3

to KNOW Him

When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, it signifies the beginning of new life in us. New life that is possible because of the precious blood that Jesus shed on the cross at Calvary. New life that enables us to have a new relationship with Him. A relationship that is unlike any other relationship we could possibly form with another. 

Our relationship with our Lord is one that is to be continually growing and progressive because it is one that has to change us. Change doesn't come all at one time but happens as we grow in Him and through Him. Our encounters and experiences with Jesus are meant to transform us from what we were before we knew Him to what we are on our way to becoming now that we have met Him. Transformation certainly doesn't happen overnight but happens gradually as we learn to let Jesus do mighty works in our hearts and souls little by little. 

"My aim is to know Him, to

experience the power of His

resurrection, to share in His sufferings,

and to be like Him in His death..."

(Philippians 3:10)

You see, we will be transformed when we "know Him" because that is when our relationship becomes so personal. To walk in intimacy with Christ is to desire to be like Him. To want to obey Him. To strive to do what He would do. It is to seek Him in all things and to want so badly to glorify Him in all we say or do. As we do these things, we will begin to draw closer and closer to Him and our knowledge of Him will deepen. It deepens because we begin to know Him for who He is in our lives and not just who He is in the lives of others. It becomes about who is to us! It becomes about what He has done in us and for us. And that my sweet friends will always transform us!

As our relationship with our sweet Jesus matures, we will begin to see and experience the power of His resurrection. We will begin to see Him in ways that we never did before. He will become so alive in our hearts and our spirits and we will begin to tap into this power in ways that we never imagined. The same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is available to us. It is what is at work in our lives when we are His children. It is what strengthens us and gives us peace and authority. This power is what enables us to be like Him. To know the depth of His love for us. This resurrection power is what transforms us. And it will keep transforming us until He comes to take us home to live with Him forever.

As our lives are being transformed, we will also come under attack by the enemy That is why the same verse that tells us we will know Him and His power also tells us that we will share the fellowship of His sufferings. We will experience persecution, but any suffering that we endure for the cause of Christ will not come without reward. Those attacks of the enemy also serve to transform us. We will grow in our dependence upon  Christ. We will be strengthened in our Faith. We will develop a deeper love for Him. We will begin to seek His Word more fervently and seek His Face more desperately and we will grow.

In the end, we will have gained so much more than we have lost. We will be transformed forever unto eternal life with our Almighty and Sovereign God. And we will know Him in every sense of the word. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sustaining grace...........

 meets us at the point of our need.

Equips us with courage....

wisdom.... 

strength....

And promises us the 

Presence of God.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seeking Him more each day,

Beth

really, Lord?

Have you ever found yourself on the edge of unbelief? Teetering on the rim of knowing that He can, but desperately fighting the thoughts of "but what if He doesn’t"? The balancing act of believing without faltering in my faith can be exhausting.  Clinging to the faithfulness of His very nature without giving in to the humanness of my doubting can make me weary, but the triumph of experiencing the manifestation of His goodness is so worth enduring the angst during the trial.

The past 5 months have been filled with many lessons of perseverance during times of testing. The Lord has been teaching me to trust Him – completely. There have been times that I have faltered. Times that I have felt myself slipping into the pit of despair and disbelief. But my God is so faithful.

When I have so badly needed His peace, He has delivered it to me.

When I so anxiously needed a Word from Him, He has provided that for me.

When I needed a calming influence, He bestowed it. When I needed rest, He ordained it. When I became weak, He remained strong.

There were times when I didn't think I could handle any more road bumps along the way. I would think, “What now, Lord? How much do you think I can handle?” And He would so graciously enable me to make my way through the thorns and thistles of that journey and walk beside me every step of the way. Generously dispensing the soothing balm of His presence to my very needy spirit.  He is just so good.

The week before Christmas was spent anxiously awaiting test results on my youngest daughter. Tests that were being redone after not so good results the first time around. Tests on my baby girl who was then 24 weeks pregnant with her 4^th little blessing. Test results that we wouldn't get back until the day after Christmas.

I can remember saying, “Really, Lord? I am already stressed to the max over the journey I am on with my precious sister, and now this? A time when I am trying to focus on you and have an amazing time with my family? How can I even enjoy the holiday when I am in the midst of all this uncertainty?”

And I felt His sweet whisper. “Yes, Beth. Right here at Christmas time. What better time to keep your eyes focused on me and remain steadfast in your faith. What better time to cling to what you know to be true and to what I have already shown you.”

He was so right. Over and over, my God has shown Himself mighty and faithful. He has revealed His goodness. He has carried me when my steps faltered. He has embraced me when my spirit needed assurance. Over and over again, He granted me sweet peace.

The “what if’s” have been extended into “then God...”

Uncertainty has been replaced by knowing that He is in the midst of it no matter what. My faith journey has been a step-by-step process of learning to lean fully on my Savior without hesitation.

Listening more intently for His voice.

Recognizing His quiet whisper to my soul.

Resting deeply in the knowledge of who He is.

Basking in the presence of an Almighty, Omniscient, Immutable, Eternal God.

My thirsty spirit continues to long for more intimacy with Christ. And I cherish this ongoing pursuit of my soul  for Him as I desire a closer relationship with my Savior. I want to want Him with an insatiable hunger and I pray that this longing grows deeper and deeper each day.

He is faithful and good and He is all I need.

And the test results we got back? Much to the doctors surprise? Perfectly normal. Praise you, Jesus, for your healing power and the miracles you so sweetly grant to us. For now I am continuing to believe in the coming healing and Victory in the life of my sweet sister. His Word is true and He is faithful.

bowing our hearts

Bowing our hearts.

Bending our knees.

Seeking His face.

Lord, show us your Glory.

Humbling our spirits and denying our flesh.

Seeking His will.

Lord, reveal yourself to us.

On our faces we fall, longing for you.

Fill us with your spirit and encompass us with your love.

Let us come before you with 

hungry hearts and thirsty spirits.

May we pour out our souls to you in desperation for a glimpse of your glory.

Bowing low with our hearts flung open wide to receive. May we seek you and search for you with an intense longing in the deepest recesses of our being. Minister to us oh, Lord. Drench us with the wonder of who you are. Soak us with the manifestation of your presence. Draw near to us that we might draw near to you. Speak to our hearts...

Bending our knees.

Bowing our hearts.

We come....