"My son . . . acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with whole-hearted devotion and a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts."
(1 Ch. 28:9 NIV)
"We will never be men and women after God's own heart with half-hearted devotion."
(Beth Moore)
O Father in Heaven, please help me to always be a woman after your own heart, completely devoted to you, no matter what the circumstances!
✞
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Praise You in This Storm
Dreamweaver,
May you be able to praise Him in this storm … no matter what!
♥ sm
Praise You in This Storm
I was sure by now
That You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say “Amen,” and it's still raining
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away
And I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can’t find You
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away
And I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I lift my eyes until the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth
I lift my eyes until the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth
And I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
© 2005 Casting Crowns
As I was listening to this song by Casting Crowns the other day, it made me think about how much easier it is for me to trust God with my own life and trials than it is to trust Him with the lives of those I love! I am so sorry, Lord, please forgive me …
“Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, The help of my countenance, and my God” (Psalm 43:5).
✞
P.S. You can listen to Praise You in This Storm here!
May you be able to praise Him in this storm … no matter what!
♥ sm
Praise You in This Storm
I was sure by now
That You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say “Amen,” and it's still raining
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away
And I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can’t find You
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away
And I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I lift my eyes until the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth
I lift my eyes until the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth
And I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
© 2005 Casting Crowns
As I was listening to this song by Casting Crowns the other day, it made me think about how much easier it is for me to trust God with my own life and trials than it is to trust Him with the lives of those I love! I am so sorry, Lord, please forgive me …
“Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, The help of my countenance, and my God” (Psalm 43:5).
✞
P.S. You can listen to Praise You in This Storm here!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Meditations
Meditating on Psalm 51 today . . .
"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment." (Ps. 51:1-4)
There is nothing more humbling to discover -- and more importantly, accept -- how deceitful my heart truly is . . .
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" (Jer. 17:9)
Even now, as I struggle with this, the pain in my heart is more than I can bear, as I wish I could just wiggle my nose like Samantha in “Bewitched” and bring this particular struggle to an end.
"Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit." (Ps. 51:9-12)
So grateful that He is still willing to allow me to enter into His most glorious presence . . .
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, o God, you will not despise." (Ps. 51:17)
Forgive me, Lord, for grieving You so much . . .
✞
"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment." (Ps. 51:1-4)
There is nothing more humbling to discover -- and more importantly, accept -- how deceitful my heart truly is . . .
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" (Jer. 17:9)
Even now, as I struggle with this, the pain in my heart is more than I can bear, as I wish I could just wiggle my nose like Samantha in “Bewitched” and bring this particular struggle to an end.
"Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit." (Ps. 51:9-12)
So grateful that He is still willing to allow me to enter into His most glorious presence . . .
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, o God, you will not despise." (Ps. 51:17)
Forgive me, Lord, for grieving You so much . . .
✞
Friday, February 25, 2011
The Mercy of Christ
I've been working through a Bible study by Beth Moore entitled, "A Heart Like His: Seeking the Heart of God Through a Study of David," and came across this quote by Beth today, which absolutely speaks to my heart:
"For those who have received Him, Christ remains our sympathizer, ever ready to lead us to a door of escape from temptation or a door of mercy when temptation has turned to participation."
Sadly, when it comes to my own participation in sin, it seems like I'm spending more time calling on God's mercy than on His sympathy these days.
Fortunately, "[we] do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are -- yet without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:15-16).
Thank God!
✞
"For those who have received Him, Christ remains our sympathizer, ever ready to lead us to a door of escape from temptation or a door of mercy when temptation has turned to participation."
Sadly, when it comes to my own participation in sin, it seems like I'm spending more time calling on God's mercy than on His sympathy these days.
Fortunately, "[we] do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are -- yet without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:15-16).
Thank God!
✞
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Psalm 33:4
Came across this verse this morning and love it:
"For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does."
So desperately needing Him to show me the truth about Who He is today!
✞
"For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does."
So desperately needing Him to show me the truth about Who He is today!
✞
Sunday, October 17, 2010
The Human Spirit
As I watched the rescue of the Chilean miners this past week on CNN, this verse of scripture came to mind:
“He will not crush those who are weak or quench the smallest hope” (Isaiah 42:3a ESV).
As a member of the human race we tend to be so inundated with all of the negativity that’s in the world today, and spend so much of our time witnessing tragedy on a large scale, we tend to forget the strength of the human spirit.
Some of the events I’ve witnessed in my life include the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger in January of 1986, the attacks of September 11th, and the Asian tsunami in December of 2004. So to have the privilege of watching the world come together in a coordinated effort to rescue these 33 men was definitely a blessing that filled my heart with gratitude.
I cannot imagine what it must have been like for the families of those men to wonder if they were even alive. I also cannot imagine how much time those men spent wondering if anyone was going to be able to find them, let alone rescue them. And yet, I believe that perhaps this verse is what sustained them during that time:
“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don’t give up and quit” (2 Corinthians 4:8 NLT).
Good food for thought this week!
✞
“He will not crush those who are weak or quench the smallest hope” (Isaiah 42:3a ESV).
As a member of the human race we tend to be so inundated with all of the negativity that’s in the world today, and spend so much of our time witnessing tragedy on a large scale, we tend to forget the strength of the human spirit.
Some of the events I’ve witnessed in my life include the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger in January of 1986, the attacks of September 11th, and the Asian tsunami in December of 2004. So to have the privilege of watching the world come together in a coordinated effort to rescue these 33 men was definitely a blessing that filled my heart with gratitude.
I cannot imagine what it must have been like for the families of those men to wonder if they were even alive. I also cannot imagine how much time those men spent wondering if anyone was going to be able to find them, let alone rescue them. And yet, I believe that perhaps this verse is what sustained them during that time:
“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don’t give up and quit” (2 Corinthians 4:8 NLT).
Good food for thought this week!
✞
Friday, September 24, 2010
I Will Trust You
It's really been a rough couple of days, and right now this song by Steven Curtis Chapman expresses exactly how I feel:
I Will Trust You
I don't even wanna breathe right now
All I wanna do is close my eyes
But I don't wanna open them again
Until I'm standing on the other side
I don't even wanna be right now
I don't wanna think another thought
And I don't wanna feel this pain I feel
And right now, pain is all I've got
It feels like it's all I've got, but I know it's not
No, I know You're all I've got
And I will trust You, I'll trust You
Trust You, God, I will
Even when I don't understand, even then I will say again
You are my God, and I will trust You
God, I'm longing for the day to come
When this cloudy glass I'm looking through
Is shattered in a million pieces
And finally I can just see You
God, You know I believe it's true
I know I will see You
But until the day I do
I will trust You, trust You
Trust You, God, I will
Even when I don't understand
Even then I will say again
You are my God, and I'll trust You
And with every breath I take
And for every day that breaks
I will trust You
I will trust You
And when nothing is making sense
Even then I will say again
God, I trust You
I will trust You
I know Your heart is good
I know Your love is strong
And I know Your plans for me
Are much better than my own
So I will trust You, trust You
I trust You, God, I do
Even when I can't see the end
And I will trust You
I will trust You, I will
Even when I don't understand
Even then I will say again
I will trust You, I will trust You, I will
I know Your heart is good,
Your love is strong,
Your plans for me are better than my own
Yeah, Your heart is good
Your love is strong
Your plans for me are better than my own
And I trust You
You are my God
And I will trust You
© Steven Curtis Chapman
Trusting Him to help me through this pain...
✞
P.S. If you want to listen to "I Will Trust You," you can do so here!
I Will Trust You
I don't even wanna breathe right now
All I wanna do is close my eyes
But I don't wanna open them again
Until I'm standing on the other side
I don't even wanna be right now
I don't wanna think another thought
And I don't wanna feel this pain I feel
And right now, pain is all I've got
It feels like it's all I've got, but I know it's not
No, I know You're all I've got
And I will trust You, I'll trust You
Trust You, God, I will
Even when I don't understand, even then I will say again
You are my God, and I will trust You
God, I'm longing for the day to come
When this cloudy glass I'm looking through
Is shattered in a million pieces
And finally I can just see You
God, You know I believe it's true
I know I will see You
But until the day I do
I will trust You, trust You
Trust You, God, I will
Even when I don't understand
Even then I will say again
You are my God, and I'll trust You
And with every breath I take
And for every day that breaks
I will trust You
I will trust You
And when nothing is making sense
Even then I will say again
God, I trust You
I will trust You
I know Your heart is good
I know Your love is strong
And I know Your plans for me
Are much better than my own
So I will trust You, trust You
I trust You, God, I do
Even when I can't see the end
And I will trust You
I will trust You, I will
Even when I don't understand
Even then I will say again
I will trust You, I will trust You, I will
I know Your heart is good,
Your love is strong,
Your plans for me are better than my own
Yeah, Your heart is good
Your love is strong
Your plans for me are better than my own
And I trust You
You are my God
And I will trust You
© Steven Curtis Chapman
Trusting Him to help me through this pain...
✞
P.S. If you want to listen to "I Will Trust You," you can do so here!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)