If we can but have God's guidance and help for the little short steps--we need not fear for the long miles--the great stretches of road. If each step is of His directing--the long miles will be paths of His choosing.
"Direct my footsteps according to Your Word; let no sin rule over me." Psalm 119:133
John 17
1After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.
9I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.
11I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one.
12While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
13"I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.
17Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
20"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,
21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:
23I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
24"Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
25"Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me.
26I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."
This is part of an e-mail that I just sent to a friend of mine... but i so constantly need the reminder as well...
Remember - the faithful God who called you is the One who is working now in your life (even in the so many ways you don't understand and don't like) and He is the One who has promised to complete what He began (lovingly, tenderly, passionately, and with more care than you've ever experienced before in your life).
You're not lost, simply wandering all alone … you're being led down this path by a Sovereign Shepherd that cares for your emotions and heart. He wants what's best for you and is gently, tenderly leading you right now.
I just feel that you need to be reminded of that. Don't turn away from that care… keep minute by minute entrusting your soul to Him who judges rightly. He is trustworthy. Read Psalm 139. (to help you out, I've included it below… as well as some additional thoughts that I hope and pray are a help and comfort to you)
Psalm 139
1 O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.
5 You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
(this is not a scary God that simply keeps track of all our thoughts and deeds. He is a God that understands our weakness and loves us wholeheartedly. That's why this knowledge is wonderful. Do not be afraid of the fact that He knows all your thoughts. Do not fear that He has hemmed you in - though confined beyond what you would choose, His hand is upon you.)
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
(find comfort in this truth, do not fear His presence. Do not fear His Spirit. He is a Comforter and He longs to comfort your weary heart!)
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,"
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
(even when all seems dark. Even when I feel swallowed up by the darkness, He is holding me)
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
(in the midst of darkness and confusion, I can praise God for His awesome sovereignty!)
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.
19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!
20 They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
(even when He searches and finds something in me that is offensive, do not forget the gospel - don’t forget "it is finished" applies there too because I am a beloved, cherished child of the almighty God that is overwhelming with compassion and forgiveness.)
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."- Ephesians 3:20-21
- immeasurably beyond what we ask or think… this is just ONE LOOK!!!! He is a Comforter… find 9 more of these, and find rest in the midst of the battle you are facing.
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Arise, let us go hence.
verses 1, 18, 20, 27, 31 taken from John 14 (KJV)
Over the past few weeks, God has been impressing on my heart 2 things:
1. Find rest in ME!
2. Simplify and re-prioritize.
Don't quite know what all this means. Don't know where to begin. Would appreciate your prayers.
The following is an excerpt from The Blazing Center.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not wantHe makes me lie down in green pastures.He leads me beside still waters.He restores my soul. (PS 23.1-3)
Ps 23 begins with God. The Lord of the Universe has taken upon himself the task of being the shepherd of his sheep. Because of who he is, we shall not want.
The Psalm is a catalog of all the ways our Great Shepherd Jesus cares for us. It begins with the Shepherd making a sheep lie down in lush green pastures beside still, soothing waters.
The sheep isn’t running around worrying about where his next meal is coming from – he’s lying down in green pastures. The Psalm doesn’t start with action, it starts with rest. Christianity isn’t so much about what we do for God, it’s about all God does for us. “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 JN 4.10).
(J. R. Miller, "The Beauty of Self-control")
"Hold me up--and I shall be safe!" Psalm 119:117
Certain ancient mariners were accustomed to say, as they put out to sea, "Keep me, O God, for my boat is so small--and the ocean is so great and stormy!"
There could not be a fitter prayer for a Christian--as he sets out in life. The world is vast and full of perils, and a Christian, even the best, is very weak and frail. He has no ability to face the difficulties, the obstacles, the hardships he must face, if he is to pass successfully through life. The world is large, and full of storm and struggle--and only a few get through it safely.
If there were no one greater and stronger than ourselves, into whose keeping we may commit our lives, as we go out to meet the perils--what hope could we have of ever getting through safely?
The Christian cannot guide himself. He cannot master the storms. He cannot shelter himself. "Keep of me safe, O God, for in You I take refuge!" (Psalm 16:1) should be his prayer, not only once when he launches his barque--but daily, hourly.
Christ alone, is able to keep our lives. But does Jesus really care for our little individual lives? Yes! The very thing that Jesus does for us--is to be the keeper of our lives as we pass through the world with its storms and dangers.
Christ alone, is able to guide us. The world is a great mass of tangled paths. They run everywhere, crossing each other in all directions. Hands are forever beckoning us here and there--and we know not which beckoning to follow. Even friendship, loyal as it may be, sincere and sympathetic as it is--lacks wisdom and may guide us mistakenly.
But there is One only whose wisdom is infallible, whose advice never errs--and He is our Guide! There is a little prayer in Psalm 143 which pleads: "Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul." This prayer, if sincere, will always be answered.
We may see no hand leading us. We may hear no voice saying, as we walk in the darkness, "This is the way--walk in it." Yet if we seek divine guidance and accept it implicitly--we shall always have it.
Not only do we have keeping and guidance in Christ--but everything we need on the way--and then eternal blessedness! We may commit our lives into His hands with absolute confidence. He will take us with all our faults and our sins--and will keep us from hurt in all the perils of the way. He will lead us in the right path amid all the confusion and tangle--and then He will bring us to glory!
"To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy--to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!" Jude 1:24-25
I have been thinking over the past few days what the purpose of this blog is. I am not a pastor. In my mind are no brilliant, life-changing thoughts that will rock the world. For over a year, no one read my posts and only a few close friends even knew this place existed. I have nothing special to share. My life is very ordinary - I live in an ordinary place, drive an ordinary car, and sit in an ordinary cubicle 5 days each and every week.
But here's the point. My God is far from ordinary. He is magnificent and His works are amazing.
My wayward heart tends to forget that truth. I tend to get stuck in the "ordinary" and miss what God is doing, miss who God is in the midst of it all. This blog is my reminder. It is a reminder to not forget God... not forget His work on the Cross... and not forget his works that are present in my life and the lives of my friends.
The children of Israel forgot their God (Judges 3:7). I don't want to make that same mistake. The Christian life is a marathon (Hebrews 12:1). I want to prepare in every way possible for the joy that is set before me. I want my endurance to grow.
My prayer is that my thoughts as I'm simultaneously training for and running in this race - that seeing God's faithfulness in my past would spur me (aka us) on to run harder... that seeing answered prayers would cause us to rejoice more in our God... and that remembering His works will encourage us to not grow weary but instead to continue faithfully pursuing the One who lovingly pursued us first.
I changed the title of my blog today from "Emily's blog: random musings into the character of God and its implications in my life..." to "A Sacrifice of Praise."
This change is for several reasons.
The first is because over the last month or so, God has been lovingly stripping me of "Emily's thoughts" which are often based in feelings and transferring those with truths found in His unchanging Word. This past month of pain and trials has shown me an inexpressable comfort and sweetness found in Him and His Words. My focus must dwell there more.
As I was reading today in Hebrews 13, I came across the following verses:
So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
Because of the cross, I have been drawn near to Christ. He's commanded, as His follower, that I die to my desires and hopes that are tied to this world and follow Him, looking to the hope that is to come. With that in mind... in light of the cross... in light of eternity, how can I not praise? How can my words not be filled with gratitude? How can I not acknowlege that Jesus is truly the sweetest name I know?
So, the second reason for the change is because I want my life to be this sacrifice of praise. I want to be so enamoured by the cross that everything else pales in comparison. I want my words to reflect gratefulness for the mercy He's given to me. Having those words at the beginning of my blog each time I log in, will physically help me to remember to praise, not complain... to rejoice, not lament... to look up, not look around or down.
I want to sing. Whether in a dark prison at midnight or in fields of happy sunshine. My response should be a sacrifice of praise because my situation does not determine my feelings. Truth does.
This is a sacrifice because I must surrender all. I must die to my idolatrous desires, as I submit to the will of my Father. I must make a choice to say "no" when my heart screams otherwise. That is a sacrifice worth giving. In view of what He sacrificed, this can scarecely even be called sacrifice. It is minimal compared to His cross.
This is a joyful sacrifice filled with praise, for He has washed my sins away. He has promised to lead the blind. He has promised to guide and comfort no matter what the trial may be. I can praise because God will never forsake. He will always lead. He will always guide me in ways that to me are unfamiliar.
That's why I praise. That's what changes everything. Joy is found in death. The death of my Savior brings sweet hope. And the death to my desires brings sweet comfort as Jesus faithfully proves Himself to be more than sufficient. He IS indeed more than sufficient. He IS all. I have no need He does not address. I have no sin He did not remove. I have no cry He does not hear. There is no trial He does not walk through with me. He is indeed great.
In my weakness, I see more clearly His all-sufficiency. I can rest there with joy and peace.
(Winslow, "Daily Need Divinely Supplied")
"He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young." Isaiah 40:11
Jesus leads those who are burdened, and need a skillful, sure, and gentle shepherd. Our journey to heaven is across a waste, howling wilderness, through an enemy's country, all armed and combined to resist, dispute, and oppose our every step.
It is a road, also, all untraveled and unknown. Over the entrance of every new path is written,"You have not passed this way before." A new bend in our life transpires, a new path in our pilgrimage is presented, involving new duties and responsibilities, new cares and trials. Andwith fear and trembling we gird ourselves for the new cloud veiled pilgrimage which God in His goodness has appointed us.
But why these doubts, these tremblings, these fears? Jesus is our Leader! He knows all the way we take, has mapped every road, and has appointed every path. As a Teacher, He leads us into all truth; as a Captain, He leads us from victory to victory; as a Shepherd, He leads us into green pastures; as a Guide, He leads us along our difficult path, skillfully, gently, and safely.
And HOW does Jesus lead us? He leads us graciously.He leads us along all the stages, and through all the exercises of our Christian experience, leaving us not when our frames are low, and our faith is assailed, and darkness, often thick darkness, covers our soul. Who could skillfully, patiently, and faithfully lead us along all the mazes, intricacies, and perils of our Christian course safely to glory, but Christ our Leader?
Commit yourself, O my soul, confidently to the Lord's leading. The way may appear all wrong to you, but it is the right way. Mystery may enshroud it, trials may pave it, sorrows may darken it, tears may bedew it, nevertheless He is leading you by the right way home.
"I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them, and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them." Isaiah 42:16
"Lord, I am a poor, blind child, not knowing my way; and when I do see it, I am often so burdened that I cannot walk. Take me by the hand, and gently, skillfully lead me until traveling days are over, and I am at home with You forever. You have promised gently to lead the burdened and feeble who cannot keep up with the flock. Lord, lead ME!"
