"If you want to know what God wants you to do-ask Him, and he will gladly tell you." - James 1:5
Have you ever wondered why a particular situation was not going according to your plan? Have you ever wondered why your goals have not yet been met? Perhaps it is because your plan is not God's plan. Perhaps your goals are not in line with God's goals for your life. Maybe you are trying to force things to work out when perhaps they should not. So how do we know when our will is one in the same with God's?
This was one of the questions that we discussed at last week's Bible study session. And, it is something with which I often struggle. I get on a good run in life and suddenly find I have left out one very important factor--GOD!
There are many good things that we could do in life, but not all of them are God's will for us. My challenge in this is figuring out which of those things are in God's plans for me and which ones are not. I have had to re-evaluate my priorities. I have had to take my decisions to God. I have also discovered that I have often been out of line--out of line with God's will for me. So I am working on being in line with God's will for me.
The Scriptures tell me that God's will is perfect not necessarily Sarah's will. God has already made plans for my life. The Bible also offers advice as to how to "figure it all out". There are many avenues to travel in order to seek advice in discerning God's will for our lives.
"Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed" (Proverbs 15:22). God places people in our lives who could offer us clarity when the way becomes foggy. We really should take advantage of that. you know, two heads are better than one!
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2). Sometimes it's a matter of renewing my mind, of getting it out of my head that it has to be just so. I don't know about you, but sometimes when I get something in my mind, I will fight to make it come to be. I will rationalize decisions, rearrange priorities all to try make something happen that maybe should not. Often, if I quit fighting the situations and "renew" my mind, I can see more clearly. The decision becomes easier and the path more in line with God's will for me.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7). This is my greatest challenge in aligning my will with God's...not being anxious!
But, I have found that in the simple but very important act of prayer, so many of the pieces of the puzzle fall into place and the road map becomes clear. In bringing my plans to God in prayer, I have an opportunity to renew my mind. And in doing this, I am able to think with God at the center of the plan. This sometimes opens the door for me to be open to advice from trusted individuals. and that often gives me another stance on the whole situation.
Have you ever been struggling with a decision and suddenly felt very uneasy about the choice you made? Have you ever been struggling with a decision and then felt a calm peace wash over you? I have experienced both, and I feel that in both God was trying to communicate with me. I call those gut feelings my "God-feelings". Those gentle nudges and prods we feel in our hearts is the Holy Spirit trying to guide us. But, we have to be willing to follow.
For me, once I have been willing to meet my Savior in prayer and openly as His advice and heed it, my will becomes aligned with His. And once my will becomes the same as His, He grants me an awesome gift--PEACE. It doesn't mean that the will of God is a free ride. I still have to work; I still have to try; and sometimes I even struggle. But...the peace comes in knowing that I have meshed my will with God's; they are the same. I am living out God's will for my life and thus glorifying Him.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
A Father's Embrace
I so very much enjoy my time with "the girls" during our Bible study time. Each week I leave our gathering uplifted and restored. We share our sorrows and our joys; we share time together in the Word. And often times, I leave with at least one new perspective on things in life. The time we spend together has blessed me many times over.
nearly two weeks ago, our lesson was in depth with a review of thirty passages that reassured us of God's promises to us. One particular verse spoke to my heart with its visual imagery. Isaiah 41:13 states,"For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." This passage brought some very powerful images to my mind.
It brought visions of a father and a child, the father holding the little girl's hand. and as the two stood together, her Father offered words of encouragement and reassurance. This is how I often view myself with God.
There are a lot of times that I need to be reassured. There are a lot of fears that I need my Father to calm. There are a lot of days when I just need to hold His hand and feel His presence. and if I will just let Him, he would help me.
To me, this is such a powerful image of my relationship with my heavenly Father. It is a comforting view, and I feel that this is the relationship God wants with me. He wants to be there to support me and encourage me. And, even be there to hold my hand if necessary.
This passage also brings images of a dad and his child to my mind. You know, there's nothing more reassuring for a frightened child than the embrace of his/her father. So it too can be with our heavenly Father. He longs for us to turn to Him. he wants to reassure us. he will hold us in His arms if only we will turn and run to Him. He desires that relationship with all of His children.
Recently I have fallen in love with a praise song entitled "Forever Reign". Many parts of the song are especially meaningful to me, but the chorus brings to my mind the images of the Father and His child.
"Forever Reign"
You are good, You are good
When there's nothing good in me
you are love, You are love
On display for all to see
You are light, You are light
When the darkness closes in
You are hop, You are hope
you have covered all my sin
You are peace, you are peace
When my fear is crippling
You are true, you are true
Even in my wandering
You are joy, You are joy
you're the reason that I sing
You are life, You are life
In You death has lost its sting
Dear Lord
I'm running to Your arms
I'm running to Your arms
The riches of Your love
Will always be enough
Nothing compares
To Your embrace
Light of the world
Forever reign
You are more, You are more
Than my words will ever say
You are Lord, you are Lord
All creation will proclaim
You are here, You are here
In Your presence I'm made whole
You are God, You are God
Of all else I'm letting go
Dear Lord
I'm running to Your arms
I'm running to your arms
The riches of Your love
Will always be enough
nothing compares
To Your embrace
Light of the world
Forever reign
I'm running to Your arms
I'm running to Your arms
The riches of Your love
Will never be enough
Nothing compares
To Your embrace
Light of the world
Forever reign
My heart will sing
No other name
Jesus, Jesus
My heart will sing
No other name
Jesus, Jesus
My heart will sing
No other name
Jesus, Jesus
My heart will sing
No other name
Jesus, Jesus
Dear Lord
I'm running to Your arms
I'm running to Your arms
The riches of Your love
Will never be enough
Nothing compares
To Your embrace
Light of the world forever reign
I'm running to Your arms
I'm running to Your arms
The riches of Your love
Will always be enough
Nothing compares
To Your embrace
Light of the world
Forever reign
My heart will sing
No other name
Jesus, Jesus
My heart will sing
No other name
Jesus, Jesus
In those times that I am scared and need reassurance, I do have somewhere to turn...to my Father. Can you see the same picture that I did? When the world is crumbling around me, when I am totally overjoyed,...whenever...I can run to His arms. just as a father scoops up his child and embraces him or her in his arms, so too can our heavenly Father hold us.
He hurts when we hurt; He is happy when we are happy. he feels our disappointments and our sorrows. He rejoices in our successes. And, His arms are waiting to catch me as I run into His embrace. There is no other place like in the arms of my Lord that I would rather be. Like a dad's hug can comfort his child, God's embrace is waiting for you. All you have to do is run to Him.
nearly two weeks ago, our lesson was in depth with a review of thirty passages that reassured us of God's promises to us. One particular verse spoke to my heart with its visual imagery. Isaiah 41:13 states,"For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." This passage brought some very powerful images to my mind.
It brought visions of a father and a child, the father holding the little girl's hand. and as the two stood together, her Father offered words of encouragement and reassurance. This is how I often view myself with God.
There are a lot of times that I need to be reassured. There are a lot of fears that I need my Father to calm. There are a lot of days when I just need to hold His hand and feel His presence. and if I will just let Him, he would help me.
To me, this is such a powerful image of my relationship with my heavenly Father. It is a comforting view, and I feel that this is the relationship God wants with me. He wants to be there to support me and encourage me. And, even be there to hold my hand if necessary.
This passage also brings images of a dad and his child to my mind. You know, there's nothing more reassuring for a frightened child than the embrace of his/her father. So it too can be with our heavenly Father. He longs for us to turn to Him. he wants to reassure us. he will hold us in His arms if only we will turn and run to Him. He desires that relationship with all of His children.
Recently I have fallen in love with a praise song entitled "Forever Reign". Many parts of the song are especially meaningful to me, but the chorus brings to my mind the images of the Father and His child.
"Forever Reign"
You are good, You are good
When there's nothing good in me
you are love, You are love
On display for all to see
You are light, You are light
When the darkness closes in
You are hop, You are hope
you have covered all my sin
You are peace, you are peace
When my fear is crippling
You are true, you are true
Even in my wandering
You are joy, You are joy
you're the reason that I sing
You are life, You are life
In You death has lost its sting
Dear Lord
I'm running to Your arms
I'm running to Your arms
The riches of Your love
Will always be enough
Nothing compares
To Your embrace
Light of the world
Forever reign
You are more, You are more
Than my words will ever say
You are Lord, you are Lord
All creation will proclaim
You are here, You are here
In Your presence I'm made whole
You are God, You are God
Of all else I'm letting go
Dear Lord
I'm running to Your arms
I'm running to your arms
The riches of Your love
Will always be enough
nothing compares
To Your embrace
Light of the world
Forever reign
I'm running to Your arms
I'm running to Your arms
The riches of Your love
Will never be enough
Nothing compares
To Your embrace
Light of the world
Forever reign
My heart will sing
No other name
Jesus, Jesus
My heart will sing
No other name
Jesus, Jesus
My heart will sing
No other name
Jesus, Jesus
My heart will sing
No other name
Jesus, Jesus
Dear Lord
I'm running to Your arms
I'm running to Your arms
The riches of Your love
Will never be enough
Nothing compares
To Your embrace
Light of the world forever reign
I'm running to Your arms
I'm running to Your arms
The riches of Your love
Will always be enough
Nothing compares
To Your embrace
Light of the world
Forever reign
My heart will sing
No other name
Jesus, Jesus
My heart will sing
No other name
Jesus, Jesus
In those times that I am scared and need reassurance, I do have somewhere to turn...to my Father. Can you see the same picture that I did? When the world is crumbling around me, when I am totally overjoyed,...whenever...I can run to His arms. just as a father scoops up his child and embraces him or her in his arms, so too can our heavenly Father hold us.
He hurts when we hurt; He is happy when we are happy. he feels our disappointments and our sorrows. He rejoices in our successes. And, His arms are waiting to catch me as I run into His embrace. There is no other place like in the arms of my Lord that I would rather be. Like a dad's hug can comfort his child, God's embrace is waiting for you. All you have to do is run to Him.
Have You Had Your Daily Dose of SonLight?
Well, the kids have struck again, but in a good way. My children have recently been the source of several of my entries and conversations. From their unwavering faith to the interesting, in-depth conversations, the availability of resources seem to be endless!
As we drove to church this past Sunday, my inquisitive Isaac began to question me about his latest series of thoughts. The question came,"Mom, is it always dark in space?" To which I replied, "It just depends on how close you are to the sun and whether or not you are facing the sun."
Satisfied with the answer I gave, the kids began to talk about other things. But my mind lingered a bit on my very basic response. How profound it was to me that the same response could be said to the question of the state of our lives, our hearts.
Very simply put, I could answer the same to the question of ,"Is it always dark in your life our in your heart?" Well, that depends on how close you are to the Son and whether or not you are facing Him. Wow! Is that not simple?! What a very easy to understand analogy!
Let's address the first part of my response--the proximity to the Son. The more we are in the Word, the more we surround ourselves with fellow Christians, the more we pray, the closer we get to the Son. "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you."
But sometimes being close does not necessarily bring the light. Sometimes, we have to do more--like actually face the Son. We have to lift up our faces to take in the Light. Look at it like this, just being close to the sun offers light. But, if you are facing away from the sun, there will be shadows in the images that you see. Whereas, if you stood facing the sun, the shadows would be cast behind you.
Sometimes, we need only to lift up our face to feel and see the Light. Sometimes our perception is skewed because, while we are close to the Son, we are not facing the Son. When we turn and lift our faces, the Light allows us to see much more clearly. In John 8:12 Jesus states,"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
Like we need the sun for our bones to grow strong, so too do we need the Son for our souls to grow strong. Have you heard the latest medical recommendations? sun exposure without sunscreen in very small amounts is healthy for us. But, unlike the sun, our son exposure need not be limited. In fact, we don't even need "Sonscreen"; the more Son exposure we have, the better.
It's when we begin to limit our time in the Son that we find our souls growing weak and diminishing. they become ill and require a visit to the Great Physician. He will probably prescribe daily doses of the Word and plenty of Son exposure. So, as you get your daily dose of sun, don't neglect your soul's daily dose of the Son!
As we drove to church this past Sunday, my inquisitive Isaac began to question me about his latest series of thoughts. The question came,"Mom, is it always dark in space?" To which I replied, "It just depends on how close you are to the sun and whether or not you are facing the sun."
Satisfied with the answer I gave, the kids began to talk about other things. But my mind lingered a bit on my very basic response. How profound it was to me that the same response could be said to the question of the state of our lives, our hearts.
Very simply put, I could answer the same to the question of ,"Is it always dark in your life our in your heart?" Well, that depends on how close you are to the Son and whether or not you are facing Him. Wow! Is that not simple?! What a very easy to understand analogy!
Let's address the first part of my response--the proximity to the Son. The more we are in the Word, the more we surround ourselves with fellow Christians, the more we pray, the closer we get to the Son. "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you."
But sometimes being close does not necessarily bring the light. Sometimes, we have to do more--like actually face the Son. We have to lift up our faces to take in the Light. Look at it like this, just being close to the sun offers light. But, if you are facing away from the sun, there will be shadows in the images that you see. Whereas, if you stood facing the sun, the shadows would be cast behind you.
Sometimes, we need only to lift up our face to feel and see the Light. Sometimes our perception is skewed because, while we are close to the Son, we are not facing the Son. When we turn and lift our faces, the Light allows us to see much more clearly. In John 8:12 Jesus states,"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
Like we need the sun for our bones to grow strong, so too do we need the Son for our souls to grow strong. Have you heard the latest medical recommendations? sun exposure without sunscreen in very small amounts is healthy for us. But, unlike the sun, our son exposure need not be limited. In fact, we don't even need "Sonscreen"; the more Son exposure we have, the better.
It's when we begin to limit our time in the Son that we find our souls growing weak and diminishing. they become ill and require a visit to the Great Physician. He will probably prescribe daily doses of the Word and plenty of Son exposure. So, as you get your daily dose of sun, don't neglect your soul's daily dose of the Son!
Spring Cleaning of the Heart
"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast Spirit within me." - Psalm 51:10
So, I began a huge project in our "front room" of our house. It is the formal living room, but we use it for many purposes. it is the home office, library, piano room, and part of the kids' play area housing their desks. This room also has a fireplace that, until recently, was covered up by boxes of papers that needed to be sorted and either filed or thrown away. I had been asking my husband for help for ages, but the project remained untouched.
So...I took it on and began the purging of our front room. As I was going through years and years of accumulated "stuff", I couldn't help but see an analogy to my heart. in the same way we had quickly shoved stuff into boxes to "go through later", I have to also put my emotions or hurt feelings or anger into boxes to be gone through later.
But you see, those boxes just get shifted around from place to place and even gather more stuff in them. Those boxes began to multiply in number so much so that they were beginning to encroach upon our space. They had become an eyesore, bothersome, and cumbersome. To accomplish anything, I first had to shift those boxes around, and then move them back.
So it is also with my heart...as I put emotions into boxes to be gone through later, my heart becomes very cluttered and burdened. I crowd it with years of built up "stuff" and make it difficult to maneuver around inside it.
As I sorted through those boxes, I sast contemplating the spiritual meaning behind it. I must have filled 10 or more garbage bags with stuff and shredded papers. I threw away 4 cardboard boxes once emptied. I marveled at the sheer amount of trash that we had been holding onto for so long until "we went through it later". And then I thought about what God wants for our hearts.
We all need to sort through our hearts. it is my feeling that God does not want us to hold onto things until a later date. just as our front room had become cluttered and a burden to clean around, so too can our hearts become cluttered and burdened.
In order to clean, i had to add extra effort to the process to shift boxes back and forth. In the same way can our "boxes" in our hearts create extra work for us. We have to carry them around, move them to make room for other things, and we may even forget what all of them were for to begin with. They begin to crowd out the good and positive things.
I can't imagine that our Heavenly Father would want us to unnecessarily burden ourselves. He wants us to regularly clean out the boxes in our hearts and let go of some stuff and maybe even get rid of some of the boxes! We need to routinely do some sorting and filling and throwing away. just as our front room needs to be regularly sorted through, so too do our hearts. Because let's face it, if I do not keep up with that front room, it will very quickly return to its previous condition. If we do not routinely cleanse our hearts, they too will return to their previous states.
Psalm 51:7-12
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore me to the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
It's our Lord's desire for His children to meet him daily for our clean-up. We don't have to do it alone; we need only ask for His helping hand. So before i become crowded out with cluttered boxes of unsorted emotions and events, i will visit my Father for a little reorganizing and cleansing. Will you?
So, I began a huge project in our "front room" of our house. It is the formal living room, but we use it for many purposes. it is the home office, library, piano room, and part of the kids' play area housing their desks. This room also has a fireplace that, until recently, was covered up by boxes of papers that needed to be sorted and either filed or thrown away. I had been asking my husband for help for ages, but the project remained untouched.
So...I took it on and began the purging of our front room. As I was going through years and years of accumulated "stuff", I couldn't help but see an analogy to my heart. in the same way we had quickly shoved stuff into boxes to "go through later", I have to also put my emotions or hurt feelings or anger into boxes to be gone through later.
But you see, those boxes just get shifted around from place to place and even gather more stuff in them. Those boxes began to multiply in number so much so that they were beginning to encroach upon our space. They had become an eyesore, bothersome, and cumbersome. To accomplish anything, I first had to shift those boxes around, and then move them back.
So it is also with my heart...as I put emotions into boxes to be gone through later, my heart becomes very cluttered and burdened. I crowd it with years of built up "stuff" and make it difficult to maneuver around inside it.
As I sorted through those boxes, I sast contemplating the spiritual meaning behind it. I must have filled 10 or more garbage bags with stuff and shredded papers. I threw away 4 cardboard boxes once emptied. I marveled at the sheer amount of trash that we had been holding onto for so long until "we went through it later". And then I thought about what God wants for our hearts.
We all need to sort through our hearts. it is my feeling that God does not want us to hold onto things until a later date. just as our front room had become cluttered and a burden to clean around, so too can our hearts become cluttered and burdened.
In order to clean, i had to add extra effort to the process to shift boxes back and forth. In the same way can our "boxes" in our hearts create extra work for us. We have to carry them around, move them to make room for other things, and we may even forget what all of them were for to begin with. They begin to crowd out the good and positive things.
I can't imagine that our Heavenly Father would want us to unnecessarily burden ourselves. He wants us to regularly clean out the boxes in our hearts and let go of some stuff and maybe even get rid of some of the boxes! We need to routinely do some sorting and filling and throwing away. just as our front room needs to be regularly sorted through, so too do our hearts. Because let's face it, if I do not keep up with that front room, it will very quickly return to its previous condition. If we do not routinely cleanse our hearts, they too will return to their previous states.
Psalm 51:7-12
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore me to the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
It's our Lord's desire for His children to meet him daily for our clean-up. We don't have to do it alone; we need only ask for His helping hand. So before i become crowded out with cluttered boxes of unsorted emotions and events, i will visit my Father for a little reorganizing and cleansing. Will you?
Never Alone
"For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."-Matthew 18:20
At one of our Bible studies, we found, as we often do, ourselves wandering off and taking turns sharing and venting. As we finally began our time of study and discussion, we found that we weren't really so far off track. In fact, a lot of what we had been sharing was being addressed in our lesson that night.
As we closed that night, we all acknowledged that our time together had not been coincidental. In fact, we all felt that it was very much intentional! The Spirit worked in and out and through our gathering that night. he worked in our very hearts. What a privilege and blessing it was for me to have been a part of that experience with those ladies! And at another gathering, we found ourselves taking turns sharing our joys, sorrows, and frustrations. We spent hours in the shelter of our group of Christian women.
So many thimes I have left our meetings uplifted and less burdened. So many times I have felt that our group is exactly what God wants for us, his children: the fellowship found only when we gather in His name. there is a peace that cannot be found anywhere else. There is a comfort within our hearts and fulfillment in our souls. This is what God wants; this is what the Scripture tells us. That sense of peace, comfort, and fulfillment comes from the Holy Spirit, God with us. This reminded me of a new favorite song, "Shelter", by Jars of Clay.
"Shelter"
To all who are looking down
Holding onto hearts still breaking
For those who've yet to find it
The place is near where love is moving
Cast off the robes you're wearing
Set aside the names that you've been given
may this place of rest in the fold of your journey
Bind you to hope
You will never walk alone
In the shelter of each other
We will live
We will live (Never walk alone)
We will live
We will live (Your arms are all around us)
If our hearts are turned to stone
There is hope we know the rocks will cry out
And the tears aren't ours alone
Let them fall into the hands that hold us
Come away from where you're hiding
Set aside the lies that you've been living
May this place of rest in the fold of your journey
Bind you to hope
We will never walk alone
In the shelter of each other
We will live
We will live (In the shelter)
We will live
We will live (You will never walk alone)
In the shelter of each other
We will live
We will live (In Your arms are all around us)
In the shelter of each other
We will live
We will live (In Your arms are all around us)
If there is any peace
If there is any war
We must all believe
Our lives are not our own
We all belong
God has given us each other
And we will never walk alone
In the shelter of each other
We will live
We will live (We will never walk alone)
In the shelter of each other
We will live
We will live (In the shelter)
In the shelter of each other
We will live
We will live (Your arms are all around us)
In the shelter of each other
We will live
We will live (In Your arms are all around us)
In the shelter of each other
We will live
We will live (In Your arms are all around us)
In the shelter of each other
We will live
We will live (In Your arms are all around us)
In the shelter of each other
We will live
We will live
(In the shelter of each other we will never walk alone - never walk alone)
Imagine the life we could have if we would live each day in the promise of His presence where two or more are gathered in His name. If we surround ourselves with fellow Christians, the joys can be beyond measure. What a gift we could be to one another. We will never walk alone as long as we have each other. and we will all be surrounded by the embrace of our Heavenly Father.
Sometimes I need a pick me up and find myself down and out. Then God places someone in my path. Some days it's a friend, others, it's a total stranger. But always I know that I have been in the presence of the Lord. We should be aware that we may sometimes be the person placed in someone's path.
God can use us for His work as long as we are willing. We must be open to let the Spirit work within us so that we can share God's love with others. We are His instruments. He has given us each other so that we will never be alone. That was His design.
Imagine a shelter: a cabin or a hut or a dug-out, etc. A shelter's purpose is to offer protection. To view the fellowship of Christians as a shelter is a powerful image. It means that in those fellowships we are protected--we find peace, hope, joy, comfort, and rest. We were designed with the purpose of being there for one another. Our Father does not wish for us to be alone. Alone, we are left unprotected, weary, restless, afraid, and down-hearted.
As Christians, we need our times of study and Christian fellowship just as much as we need air to breathe. The more we surround ourselves with each other, the more the Holy Spirit moves in, around, and through us. It is a joy beyond measure and a peace beyond words that i receive when I gather in His name with others. As I close, I am reminded of a saying someone once shared with me:
Shared joys are double joys.
Share sorrows are half sorrows.
This was truly god's plan for us--we were never meant to be alone. As long as we believe and continue to gather in His name, we will NEVER be alone!
At one of our Bible studies, we found, as we often do, ourselves wandering off and taking turns sharing and venting. As we finally began our time of study and discussion, we found that we weren't really so far off track. In fact, a lot of what we had been sharing was being addressed in our lesson that night.
As we closed that night, we all acknowledged that our time together had not been coincidental. In fact, we all felt that it was very much intentional! The Spirit worked in and out and through our gathering that night. he worked in our very hearts. What a privilege and blessing it was for me to have been a part of that experience with those ladies! And at another gathering, we found ourselves taking turns sharing our joys, sorrows, and frustrations. We spent hours in the shelter of our group of Christian women.
So many thimes I have left our meetings uplifted and less burdened. So many times I have felt that our group is exactly what God wants for us, his children: the fellowship found only when we gather in His name. there is a peace that cannot be found anywhere else. There is a comfort within our hearts and fulfillment in our souls. This is what God wants; this is what the Scripture tells us. That sense of peace, comfort, and fulfillment comes from the Holy Spirit, God with us. This reminded me of a new favorite song, "Shelter", by Jars of Clay.
"Shelter"
To all who are looking down
Holding onto hearts still breaking
For those who've yet to find it
The place is near where love is moving
Cast off the robes you're wearing
Set aside the names that you've been given
may this place of rest in the fold of your journey
Bind you to hope
You will never walk alone
In the shelter of each other
We will live
We will live (Never walk alone)
We will live
We will live (Your arms are all around us)
If our hearts are turned to stone
There is hope we know the rocks will cry out
And the tears aren't ours alone
Let them fall into the hands that hold us
Come away from where you're hiding
Set aside the lies that you've been living
May this place of rest in the fold of your journey
Bind you to hope
We will never walk alone
In the shelter of each other
We will live
We will live (In the shelter)
We will live
We will live (You will never walk alone)
In the shelter of each other
We will live
We will live (In Your arms are all around us)
In the shelter of each other
We will live
We will live (In Your arms are all around us)
If there is any peace
If there is any war
We must all believe
Our lives are not our own
We all belong
God has given us each other
And we will never walk alone
In the shelter of each other
We will live
We will live (We will never walk alone)
In the shelter of each other
We will live
We will live (In the shelter)
In the shelter of each other
We will live
We will live (Your arms are all around us)
In the shelter of each other
We will live
We will live (In Your arms are all around us)
In the shelter of each other
We will live
We will live (In Your arms are all around us)
In the shelter of each other
We will live
We will live (In Your arms are all around us)
In the shelter of each other
We will live
We will live
(In the shelter of each other we will never walk alone - never walk alone)
Imagine the life we could have if we would live each day in the promise of His presence where two or more are gathered in His name. If we surround ourselves with fellow Christians, the joys can be beyond measure. What a gift we could be to one another. We will never walk alone as long as we have each other. and we will all be surrounded by the embrace of our Heavenly Father.
Sometimes I need a pick me up and find myself down and out. Then God places someone in my path. Some days it's a friend, others, it's a total stranger. But always I know that I have been in the presence of the Lord. We should be aware that we may sometimes be the person placed in someone's path.
God can use us for His work as long as we are willing. We must be open to let the Spirit work within us so that we can share God's love with others. We are His instruments. He has given us each other so that we will never be alone. That was His design.
Imagine a shelter: a cabin or a hut or a dug-out, etc. A shelter's purpose is to offer protection. To view the fellowship of Christians as a shelter is a powerful image. It means that in those fellowships we are protected--we find peace, hope, joy, comfort, and rest. We were designed with the purpose of being there for one another. Our Father does not wish for us to be alone. Alone, we are left unprotected, weary, restless, afraid, and down-hearted.
As Christians, we need our times of study and Christian fellowship just as much as we need air to breathe. The more we surround ourselves with each other, the more the Holy Spirit moves in, around, and through us. It is a joy beyond measure and a peace beyond words that i receive when I gather in His name with others. As I close, I am reminded of a saying someone once shared with me:
Shared joys are double joys.
Share sorrows are half sorrows.
This was truly god's plan for us--we were never meant to be alone. As long as we believe and continue to gather in His name, we will NEVER be alone!
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