I think many would agree that there is not a stronger or more deliberate theme found throughout the Bible than the truth of God's faithfulness. As I begin to reflect on 2010, how He has provided for me, I continue to find myself in awe of how faithful He has been in every area of my life.
At the beginning of this semester, I made an effort to do something which pretty much changed my life and opened my eyes to a truth that was so blatant (yet, I obviously had such a hard time seeing it!). I decided that before I took any exam or test or quiz, I would bow my head and pray, thanking God for the knowledge that He had equipped with (I was finding rest while trusting in Him!). This took away so much fear and worry... it sounds like something I should have already known and been in the practice of doing, but I wasn't. I truly cannot put into words how much this taught me!
It's something so little... You're probably thinking, "Praying.. before a test?? Why would you worry about something so silly?" School is my weakness. It can create so much stress if I let it. But, I'm learning... God has given a peace in knowing that my best is good enough for Him, and therefore it should be good enough for me.
As you can probably imagine, the biggest thing that I became aware of was how faithful God was (and IS!). He cares about the smallest things in my life, things that seem so big to me. He knows EVERYTHING about us! ..our struggles, our worries, the things make us angry.
Now, after every test/quiz (or grade, for that matter), I never fail to say to myself, "GOD IS FAITHFUL!" I'm so thankful that He knows my every need - thankful that He is "intimately acquainted with all my ways" (Psalm 119:3). Feel free to leave a comment sharing how God's faithfulness has been evident in your life. All the more reason to bring Him glory! :)
"Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name be the glory because of Your love and faithfulness." ~ Psalm 115:1
"Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures." ~ Psalm 119:90
SDG
Friday, November 26, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Restless No More
Welcome to the new and improved blog! Special thanks to Mia who so graciously came over and spent quite a bit of time teaching this not-so-educated blogger the ropes. ...And I will be the first to admit that it is now much more attractive!
Tomorrow will be a month since my last post. And here is your promised part two. =)
"My flesh and my heart may fail, but GOD is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." ~ Psalm 73:26
I don't find it ironic that no matter where I go, whether it's Sunday School, worship service, or small group, all of the above have presented a study on REST. I mentioned in my last post that stress has been a major component of my life lately. And even though God has opened my eyes to see the purpose in running this race, I continually find myself gasping for air in the ocean of my to-do list!
What's even more amazing is that God introduced this recurring theme into my life through an incredible music artist named Audrey Assad. She has a song titled "Restless" that spoke to my heart the minute the piano began playing through the speaker. She shares how entering God's rest is the only way we can find rest. To everyone's surprise, I'm sure, I was in tears by the end of song. I had realized that I was fighting against that rest. I began to understand that we are indeed restless til we rest in HIM! God knows how vulnerable I am when it comes to music. ;)
Isn't it wonderful that He doesn't leave us to run our race without rest? We are in great need of rest! Hebrews 4:9-11 says, "There remains then a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience."
In my Pastor's sermon, he made note of a very important point. This "Sabbath-rest," described in verse 9, is not just a rest for one single day of the week. It's a characterized rest -- a rest created by God that we have in Christ. We have peace as we rest in the sacrifice that Christ made for us. Because of His suffering, we are able to celebrate rest! In addition, the latter part of the excerpt stresses the correlation between obedience and rest. God has shown me over the past few months that when we obey Him, we are not only in His Will, but also in His rest! In fact, "spiritual rest brings the character of God" into our lives.
Sleepless nights dwelling over Precal tests or Anatomy exams have slowly decreased because of resting in God and knowing that He is faithful!
I encourage you to read Hebrews Chapter 4 for a full dose of God's rest. He never promised us that our race would be easy. In fact, he promised us trials, suffering, and tribulation (..obstacles, rocky areas, and steep inclines). But He also promised us that He will never leave us nor forsake us as we run our race. The beautiful reality of it all is that as we rely on God's strength, He is glorified!!
Continue to press on as your run this race, fixing your eyes on our Sovereign Lord and taking refuge in Him who gives our life purpose!
SDG
Tomorrow will be a month since my last post. And here is your promised part two. =)
"My flesh and my heart may fail, but GOD is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." ~ Psalm 73:26
I don't find it ironic that no matter where I go, whether it's Sunday School, worship service, or small group, all of the above have presented a study on REST. I mentioned in my last post that stress has been a major component of my life lately. And even though God has opened my eyes to see the purpose in running this race, I continually find myself gasping for air in the ocean of my to-do list!
What's even more amazing is that God introduced this recurring theme into my life through an incredible music artist named Audrey Assad. She has a song titled "Restless" that spoke to my heart the minute the piano began playing through the speaker. She shares how entering God's rest is the only way we can find rest. To everyone's surprise, I'm sure, I was in tears by the end of song. I had realized that I was fighting against that rest. I began to understand that we are indeed restless til we rest in HIM! God knows how vulnerable I am when it comes to music. ;)Isn't it wonderful that He doesn't leave us to run our race without rest? We are in great need of rest! Hebrews 4:9-11 says, "There remains then a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience."
In my Pastor's sermon, he made note of a very important point. This "Sabbath-rest," described in verse 9, is not just a rest for one single day of the week. It's a characterized rest -- a rest created by God that we have in Christ. We have peace as we rest in the sacrifice that Christ made for us. Because of His suffering, we are able to celebrate rest! In addition, the latter part of the excerpt stresses the correlation between obedience and rest. God has shown me over the past few months that when we obey Him, we are not only in His Will, but also in His rest! In fact, "spiritual rest brings the character of God" into our lives.
Sleepless nights dwelling over Precal tests or Anatomy exams have slowly decreased because of resting in God and knowing that He is faithful!
I encourage you to read Hebrews Chapter 4 for a full dose of God's rest. He never promised us that our race would be easy. In fact, he promised us trials, suffering, and tribulation (..obstacles, rocky areas, and steep inclines). But He also promised us that He will never leave us nor forsake us as we run our race. The beautiful reality of it all is that as we rely on God's strength, He is glorified!!
Continue to press on as your run this race, fixing your eyes on our Sovereign Lord and taking refuge in Him who gives our life purpose!
SDG
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