What if you believed?

I went to a funeral the other day – volunteers were requested to line the path from the funeral home to the cemetery with flags to show gratitude and recognition of the sacrifice this young soldier made to our freedom.  So I went, and I stood, and I cried – and I saw.

The windows in the family car behind the hearse are always tinted dark so that you cannot see in to their grief.  But I was so close, I saw.  I saw the stunned wonder, amazement, profound grief, and gratitude to those standing for their lost one, for the recognition given of their sacrifice.

There is a song that I have heard, that for the family of a fallen veteran, will bring you to your knees:   James Wesley - Real

We acknowledge fallen soldiers with processions and flags and tears.  We say goodbye and share their grief.  But, that got me to thinking – how do we do this for the One that sacrificed all for us?  Which made me think of another song:   Jeremy Camp - Would you take the place

Would we?  Could we?  I try very hard to be honest with myself and would like to say I would try, but I know the answer to the second question would be no.  If I have trouble dealing with my own issues and struggles, how on Earth would I take on everyone’s struggles and pain for all of time, past, present and future?  There just is no way.

So, how do we acknowledge what was been given to us so freely?  First off, just by saying, I am a sinner and you died for me and my sins and I thank you, Father, for this wonderful and so undeserved gift.  After that, it really is up to each person to decide how to show our recognition and gratitude for this gift and sacrifice.  Some take up foreign ministries, while others do the same at home.  Some quietly give without wanting personal recognition, while still others seek out ways to give in which they are seen but turn all recognition of their actions to the One who saved them.

How do you show your gratitude and recognition of His gift?   Third Day: Take My Life

Father, I believe!  Joe Nichols - If nobody believed in you

I am so a Gomer, how about you?!?

Gomer in the Bible: Hosea 1:3
Gomer was the wife of Hosea, one of the prophets of the Old Testament. Hosea married the adulterous Gomer because God told him to. Their marriage and children provided a ready example to the Israelite people of their relationship to God.

Hosea 1:1-3 (New International Version)

The word of the LORD that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the reign of Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel:

When the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the LORD.”  So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim,

Hosea 3:1-3 (New International Version)

Hosea’s Reconciliation With His Wife

 The LORD said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.”

 So I bought her for fifteen shekels^[a] of silver and about a homer and a lethek^[b] of barley.  Then I told her, “You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will behave the same way toward you.”

A wonderful friend bought me the book “Redeeming Love” by Francine Rivers and I couldn’t put it down!  It was fantastic, such a wonderful love story, and then the hammer hit – this was exactly what God’s love for us is, has been described in the verses above, but it took a whole book, fiction at that, to get it thru my thick head.   It is so hard to imagine that Angel, or Gomer, would have gone back to that life, right?  We wouldn’t, would we?  Or would we?

• Drug addictions
• Abusive spouses
• Gambling
• Approval addict (hand raised high here!)
• Sexual addictions
• Theft
• Comparing yourself to others and left feeling inadequate (again, hand raised high!)
• Listening to the wrong “little” voice
• Living beyond our means

Need I go on?  But why, why keep going back?

Dixie Chicks "Am I the Only One"

Psalm 50:15 (New International Version)

and call on me in the day of trouble;
   I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

Casting Crowns “Blessed Redeemer”

Rich Mullins “Hold me, Jesus”

I am also reading Max Lucado’s, “It’s not about me,” and on page 122 he writes:

Your pain has a purpose.  Your problems, struggles, heartaches, and hassles cooperate toward one end – the glory of God.  

In a way, we are all Gomer.  We keep going back to what hurts us.  And Hosea?  He kept forgiving Gomer, kept going and getting her back and restoring her as his wife.  Kind of like Hosanna – our Father.

Matthew West “Strong Enough”

Both "hosanna" and the biblical name "Hosea" come from the same root word, which is the Hebrew "hosia," meaning "to save" or "to deliver." Hosanna is an appeal for salvation, and actually means "deliver us." (http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/2200121)

Third Day fans are called “Gomers” and I loved it!  We DON’T deserve the mercy or grace, but “Redeeming Love” made me see it even more.  And the best part of having read it – the book was a gift from a friend who wanted to share the beauty of His grace.

Kutless “Redeemer”

My Time as Job

Life has really been hard lately, been hammering hard at me, and someone told me that I am having a Job experience.  Know that experience?  Murphy’s law – if it can go wrong, it will?  And this feeling:

I don’t even want to breathe right now –or- I don’t even want to be right now.

Steven Curtis Chapman – I will Trust You

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsVYeUTVMQs)

I was driving home from work one day, just broken, and heard this on the radio:

There will be a day with no more tears
No more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place
Will be no more, we'll see Jesus face to face
But until that day, we'll hold on to you always

Jeremy Camp – There Will Be a Day

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8gkDiTvloc)

Ok, here come the tears, and have to pull over.  You know, maybe this person was right.  I am in my Job moment.  Queue the stamping of feet!  I don’t want this!  I don’t want to have people keep asking me for money, time, work, etc.  I wanted to have an Elijah moment, go out in a blaze of glory, not get hammered into the ground.  I realized that I am under spiritual attack.  And, I am tired of it.  So –

When you feel like you're alone in your sadness
It seems like no one else in this whole world cares
And you want to get away from the madness
You just call My name and I'll be there
You just call My name and I'll be there

Third Day – Call My Name

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp5PZuuB3Pg)

And –

There is hope for the helpless
Rest for the weary
Love for the broken heart
There is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He'll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus

Third Day – Cry Out to Jesus

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmVxRl5bc4Y)

So, I started pleading, but realize that I might need to go thru this, it may be part of the plan, so –

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

Laura Story – Blessings

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGniRk_GcLs)

What if?  It could be.

I was sure by now,God, 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.

Chorus:
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

Casting Crowns – Praise you in this storm

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHdcyue0bSw)

So, I cry out, I call His name:

Well, sometimes my life
Just don't make sense at all
When the mountains look so big
And my faith just seems so small

CHORUS:
So hold me Jesus, 'cause I'm shaking like a leaf
You have been King of my glory
Won't You be my Prince of Peace
Rich Mullins – Hold me Jesus

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O9v3ba1qzY)

So, I will stand as strong as I can, or only go down as far as my knees, the strongest the position for a Christian.  And I will sing along with one of my favorite guys, and if he can live thru what he did, then I can to.

Out of these ashes beauty will rise
We will dance among the ruins
We will see it with our own eyes
Out of these ashes beauty will rise
For we know joy is coming in the morning
In the morning beauty will rise
Steven Curtis Chapman – Beauty Will Rise

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=el-UboNj_nQ)

I can’t just “snap out of it!”

Psalm 69:1

Save me, O God,

for the waters have come up to my neck.

Ever feel this way?  I know that I have.  I also have emails from inspirational writers and speakers that talk about their times in “the pit.”  I have friends right now that are sliding into this pit, or just slowly working their way out, and it takes time.

From Girlfriends in God,  January 21, 2009, this was written:

“In the pit, it is so dark that we cannot see.  All we can do is wait, trust and rest.  In the midst of my depression, I began to discover that darkness is a great place of solitude.  Distractions are few.  when the Light comes, it is easier to see and the silence makes His voice clear and strong.”  (this was part 1 of a 3 part series, and absolutely healing.  I kept it and made it part of my depression journal, to help me work my way out of the pit.)

I so understood this!  That pit is dark, the sides so slippery to try and climb out of ourselves.  And life keeps driving us even when we are sliding down into the pit and can’t get out.

I am still reading “Joy in Jesus”, spending time reading this, portioning it out to get the most out of it and this was the chapter and verse this time, clinical depression, and how it is viewed in the world.  David Marshall opened the chapter with what one poor woman had been asked when she went in for help:  “Have you confessed your sin of depression yet?”  Like she had done something wrong and was being punished in this manner!?!  And this was from someone in authority in a church.

There are many advertisements on television now that speak to depression, maybe you have seen and heard this one:

• Where does depression hurt?  Everywhere
• Who does depression hurt?  Everyone

David states and quotes:  Recent studies of more than 11,000 cases have verified that depression is more physically and socially disabling than arthritis, diabetes, lung disease, chronic back problems, hypertension and gastrointestinal illness.” (This is from a JAMA article on depression)

It can be such a chore to eat, to get out of bed, and getting dressed?  You have got to be kidding.  There were many days that I would make it into work, and then sit here with tears running down my face, and if anyone had asked me why (and no one did!), I couldn’t have told you why.  It just was.

David then asked another question in this section called “Low Tide and Darkness”:  If instead f clinical depression I had said bowel cancer or brain tumour, [she] would have had your instant empathy.  But how do you feel about clinical depression?”

Where is it written that just because you believe, that you are a “happy camper”, that all is right with the world if only you believe?!?  It isn’t.  And in this kind of situation, choosing joy really isn’t an option.  Most days, you get up and can tell yourself that you are going to have a good day, and you will.  But in the pit, there is no saying today will be good.  It is just a day, yet another day.

He tells us of some of the greatest minds in history that have suffered from depression:  Martin luther, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, J. B. Phillips, Paul, Elijah, and Jesus. 

Yes, JESUS.  At Calvary, when he cried out:  My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?  This cry by Jesus is teaching us what we need to do in this – cry out!  Third Day sang about it:

To everyone who's lost someone they love

Long before it was their time

You feel like the days you had were not enough

when you said goodbye

And to all of the people with burdens and pains

Keeping you back from your life

You believe that there's nothing and there is no one

Who can make it right

Chorus

There is hope for the helpless

Rest for the weary

Love for the broken heart

There is grace and forgiveness

Mercy and healing

He'll meet you wherever you are

Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus

For the marriage that's struggling just to hang on

They lost all of their faith and love

They've done all they can to make it right again

Still it's not enough

For the ones who can't break the addictions and chains

You try to give up but you come back again

Just remember that you're not alone in your shame

And your suffering

Chorus

When your lonely (when you're lonely)

And it feels like the whole world is falling on you

You just reach out, you just cry out to Jesus

Cry to Jesus

To the widow who suffers from being alone

Wiping the tears from her eyes

For the children around the world without a home

Say a prayer tonight

Chorus

There is nothing wrong with any one of us that has been in that pit, and because we have spent time there, we can offer helping hands to those that are there, but we must remember to tell them, they can’t get out on their own, they will need help, and the best help is to Cry out to HIM!

2012 - is it the end?

Per Nostradamus, the world should have already ended.  Per the Mayan calendar, the world will end next year.  Should we look for the end, wait for it, look for those portents and signs?  Someone recently asked me what I thought of all the prophecies about the end of the world, was I trying to figure out when the world would end?

In a simple response - No.

Why?

From "The Dance" by Garth Brooks:
And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I'd of had to miss the dance
Yes, my life is better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I'd of had to miss the dance

You must endure many hardships in order to enter the Kingdom of God
Acts 14:22

So, with my head held high, whether in pain or joy, I won't be looking for the end and missing life.  For while I could do without the pain and the trials, I would miss out on what went with it.

"This" by Darius Rucker
Maybe it didn't turn out like I planned
Maybe that's why I'm such, such a lucky man
(Chorus)
For every stoplight I didn't make
Every chance I did or I didn't take
All the nights I went too far
All the girls that broke my heart
All the doors that I had to close
All the things I knew but I didn't know
Thank God for all I missed
Cause it led me here to
This

This testing of your faith develops perseverance and perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature, complete, not lacking anything. James 1

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  James 1:1-2 (NIV)

These are the words I would repeat, and repeat, and repeat . . .

We all have crosses to bear, right?  And what might they be:

1. loss of a job
2. loss of a loved one
3. harassing coworkers
4. too many bills/financial burdens
5. harassing family
6. no family

I was feeling really down the other day.  I was crying and praying and channel surfing and this song came on the radio by a new group (Sidewalk Prophets):

Three in the morning, and I'm still awake
So I picked up a pen and a page
And I started writing just what I'd say
If we were face to face I'd tell you just what you mean to me
Tell you these simple truths

Be strong in the Lord
And never give up hope
You're gonna do great things
I already know God's got His hand on You
So don't live life in fear
Forgive and forget
But don't forget why you're here
Take your time and pray
These are the words I would say

Last time we spoke you said you were hurting
And I felt your pain in my heart
I want to tell you that I keep on praying
That love will find you where you are
I know 'cause I've already been there
So please hear these simple truths

Be strong in the Lord
And never give up hope
You're gonna do great things
I already know God's got His hand on You
So don't live life in fear
Forgive and forget
But don't forget why you're here
Take your time and pray
These are the words I would say

Say from one simple life to another I will say
Come find peace in the Father

Be strong in the Lord
And never give up hope
You're gonna do great things
I already know God's got His hand on You
So don't live life in fear
Forgive and forget
But don't forget why you're here
Take your time and pray
And thank God for each day
His love will find a way
These are the words I would say 

I really started crying then!  Be strong in the Lord and never give up hope!   Oh, did I hear Him this morning and suddenly felt calmer.  I kept repeating this to myself and kept praying.

I have a friend that has been learning  from the sermons "Renew your mind", and she shared this:

You talk about how frustrating it is to be constantly undermined and accused (and it IS very frustrating).   You have really taken to heart  Isaiah's passage from chapter 54:

¹³ All your children will be taught by the LORD,  and great will be their peace.  ¹⁴ In righteousness you will be established: Tyranny will be far from you;  you will have nothing to fear.  Terror will be far removed;    it will not come near you.   ¹⁵ If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing;   whoever attacks you will surrender to you.    ¹⁶ “See, it is I who created the blacksmith  who fans the coals into flame  and forges a weapon fit for its work.   And it is I who have created the destroyer to wreak havoc;   ¹⁷ no weapon forged against you will prevail,  and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.   This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,   and this is their vindication from me,”  declares the LORD.  

"No weapon forged against you will prevail.”   We have the favor of God who smiles on us, from the stray beam of sunshine landing on us from a cloudy sky, to the unexpected connection of a kindred soul on our travels, to the provisions and inclinations of haphazard people to be good to us when we know all people struggle to do anything good in the natural world.

The applause of heaven is ours along with the certainty of our prayers.

LeadHer ministries

I was invited to join a group, and was told that I could be as active as I wanted, which fits me right now.  I wanted to share it with you.  It’s called LeadHer.  I thought at first, me?  Be a leader?  A good friend of mine from the blog To Not Decide . . . Is to Decide wrote a little about that:

http://tonotdecideistodecide.blogspot.com/2011/03/could-you-be-leadher.html

And so, huh, kinda neat thought, right?  But what is it?

http://tonotdecideistodecide.blogspot.com/2011/03/leadherwhat.html

Ok, so what do I need to do?

http://tonotdecideistodecide.blogspot.com/2011/03/tell-me-moretell-me-moreabout-leadher.html

Basically, it is just to continue doing what I have been doing, writing what’s in my heart, shining forth with God’s light, and telling people all about where this light in me came from.

And you can help!  We were just presented with this wonderful blessing:

http://bit.ly/eE285W

I signed up, and that could be all that you do.  Just sign up and get greeting cards that you would use for whatever you needed.  But, in using them, you would also be shining forth His light, as well as providing some funding to the LeadHer ministries for whatever need would come to them.  

I’ve always said that I was a good wallflower, a good worker bee, “not a leader but a follower be”, remember?  But, well, I’m steppin’ out.  I want to help LeadHer, and if someone follows that light in me, that’s a good thing!

So, are you a LeadHer?

A heart like mine

Heart Like Mine by Miranda Lambert

‘Cause I heard Jesus, He drank wine

And I bet we’d get along just fine

He could calm a storm and heal the blind

And I bet He’d understand a heart like mine

I heard this on the radio the other day and it really struck a chord within me.  I was also reading in Mark last night and came across this:

Mark 2:16-17 (New International Version, ©2011) (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mark%202:%2016-17&version=NIV)

16 When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

 17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

How true and just kind of made the song so much more meaningful!  He would understand a heart like mine and so . . .

I have wanted to adopt for so long, and am trying to come to the realization that it is just not going to happen for me.  I planned, lined everything up.

Steven Curtis Chapman

Album: Speechless

Track: “Whatever”

I made a list, wrote down from A to Z

All the ways I thought that You could best use me

Told all my strengths and my abilities

I formed a plan it seemed to make good sense

I laid it out for You so sure You'd be convinced

I made my case, presented my defense

But then I read the letter that You sent me

It said that all You really want from me is just

Whatever, whatever You say

Whatever, I will obey

Whatever, Lord, have Your way

'Cause You are my God, whatever

It’s been ten years now, and I have to realize that while I have not provided a home to some new person in my life, I have made a home for those closest to me that really need one.  We have opened our home up to family that didn’t have enough room in their own and could not afford to get a larger one.  I get calls from various family members asking me to cook, because, as they put it, “yours are better than a restaurant.”  I’m making calzones this weekend.

Don’t get me wrong – it hurts to have this dream go unrealized.  

Todd Agnew

Album: Grace Like Rain

Track: “This Fragile Breath”

I searched the world for a song that I could sing

Praise to my King A gift that I could bring

But no music I found could compare to you

Not one could do Justice to your glory

What are my songs compared to yours

Chorus:

You speak with thunder and lightning

Your voice shakes the mountains

The foundations of the earth

All I can offer is this fragile breath

With each one I'll praise You

With each one I'll praise You more

I realized – I don’t need to adopt to give a home, not a house or just food, but a home – to someone that needs it.  I still would love to give a home to an orphan, but am realizing that I need to let it happen rather than beating my head against a wall.

Third Day

Album: Offerings II

Track: “Take My Life”

How many times have I turned away

The number is the same as the sand on the shore

But every time You've taken me back

And now I pray You do it once more.

Chorus:

Please take from me my life

When I don't have the strength

to give it away to You Jesus

How many times have I turned away

The number is the same as the stars in the sky

But every time You've taken me back

And now I pray You do it tonight.

Repeat chorus

And so, I will wait and bide my time and keep doing what I am doing.  While I may feel like a failure, to have them keep coming to me must mean that I am getting something right, and for that, I thank Him.

Ginny Owens

Album: Something More

Track: “I AM”

No Lord, he said, you've got the wrong guy

Simple conversation gets me tongue-tied

And you're telling me to speak with a maniac king

Or could it be I've lost my mind

Besides, I am weak, don't you want someone strong

To lead them out of Egypt when they've been there so long

And anyway, they won’t believe You ever spoke to me

It's not your problem, God replied

And the rest is history

’Cause there's a bigger picture you can't see

You don't have to change the world, just trust in Me

'Cause I am your creator, I am working out my plan

And through you I will show them, I Am

Now Lord, are you sure? He's just a shepherd boy

Too small for battle gear with a giant to destroy

What on earth can he do with five stones and a sling

It's not your problem, God replied

'Cause I can do anything

There's a bigger picture you can't see

You don't have to change the world, just trust in me

'Cause I am your creator, I am working out my plan

And through you, I will show them

I am the first, I am the last

I am the present and the past

I am tomorrow and today

I am the only way

Great Lord, she said, I'm just a simple girl

You say that I will bring your son into the world

How can I understand this thing You're gonna do

It's not your problem, God replied

'Cause, there's a bigger picture

And you don't have to change the world (oh no)

I'm your creator, I am working out my plan

And through you, I will show them

There's a bigger picture, you can't see

You don't have to change the world, just trust in me

’Cause I am your creator, I am working out my plan

And through you, I will show them, I Am

I Am

If He wants me to have a child, He will make it happen.  Until then, I have to stop arguing and just keep doing what He needs me to do.

"From Your Hands"

Julian Drive

- From Your Hands

Praying in the garden, You saw the crowd coming

Betrayed by one that called You King

You could have called a band of angels to come and save the day

But instead You chose to stay, You didn’t run away

In the very front of Your mind

While the blood was flowing You saw my face as You cried

Certain in knowing

Tears, blood and pain in the sand

True love was pouring, true love was pouring from Your hands

Bruised and beaten, appeared You were defeated

But things aren’t always what they seem

They thought when they placed Your body into an empty grave

It would end all debate

But the stone was rolled away

The same hand that washes clean, and sets the captive free

Same hand that calmed a sea, and the one who rescued me

I heard this on the radio the other night and got to thinking.  This one has been noodling for some time, lots of pieces to put together, so bear with me.

Thoughts from that night:

Think, imagine

He suffered in the garden . . .

He suffered on the cross . . .

He suffered torture . . .

And all the while

“In the very front of Your mind”

Think . . .

If we hurt just on our own, does that give you any better an idea of what He suffered?  All those faces, all that pain, all those sins, ALL AT ONCE!!!!

I’m not telling this part for sympathy.  I had to go to the hospital to have blood work done last night, the reason behind, I’ll keep to myself.  There was a woman there, hurt, weaving.  She went into the bathroom and was in there so long that one of the nurses went in and found her just coming to – she had passed out and hit her head in the bathroom.  She is part of this new electronic age and so didn’t have any phone numbers memorized as they were all programmed in her phone and she had lost her phone.  She didn’t even know in whose name the house phone would have been in.  She was alone.  The nurses were taking her over to ER and she was so scared and she started crying.  I told her that I would go with her if she wanted.  She wasn’t the only person that was stunned.  I went with her, I sat with her for almost 3 hours until she got back into a bed in ER, and I left her a $10 bill for a cab home once the tests were all run.  And then I went home and told my mother, brother and sister just how grateful I was to know that I would never have to be alone in an ER waiting room, that I had all of them.  That poor girl was so grateful to me, told me that she would never have believed that a perfect stranger would do something like that for someone.  And the hospital staff?  They were speechless.  So, this might not be Outliving my life, but it is counting my blessings and:

Matthew 25:34-40 (New International Version, ©2011) (http://www.biblegateway.com/)

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

   37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

   40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Ever have one of those days? Part 2

But sometimes, what we want is not what we need or what is best or what is planned.  God says, "My grace is sufficient for you."  This is what has become termed here, unanswered prayers.

Garth Brooks "Unaswered Prayers"

Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers

Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs

That just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care

Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers

Unanswered prayers – gets you back to thinking about the silversmith and how silver is purified, in the heat of the fire. 

Third Day, "Consuming Fire"

and yes our God, He is a consuming fire

And the flames burn down deep in my soul

Yes our God He is a consuming fire

He reaches inside and He melts down this

cold heart of stone.

In this same chapter in “In the Grip of Grace,” Max asks, “What if God says no?  What if the request is delayed or even denied?  When god says no to you, how will you respond?  If God says, “I’ve given you my grace, and that is enough, will you be content?”

What a concept!

I have to keep in mind Job, Paul, and John the beloved, to mention just a few.  God allowed Job to be tested, he just couldn’t be killed. 

From http://www.gotquestions.org:  What should we learn from the life of Job?

“Job never lost his faith in God, even under the most heartbreaking circumstances that tested him to his core. It’s hard to imagine losing everything we own in one day—property, possessions, and even children. Most men would sink into depression and even become suicidal after such a nightmare; however, although Job must have felt all those emotions, he never wavered in his understanding that God was still in control.”

Job 1: 20-22 (New International Version, ©2010) http://www.biblegateway.com

Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said:

   “Naked I came from my mother’s womb,

   and naked I will depart.

The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;

   may the name of the LORD be praised.”

22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

He didn’t blame, he didn’t criticize, he accepted and moved on.  I can tell you right now, I’m not that strong!  We have to keep in mind:  "When the Devil harasses us, then we know ourselves to be in good shape!" Martin Luther

I didn’t realize just how tortured Paul was in his ministry, to have had the 39 lashes 5 times!  One lash would probably do me in, I wouldn’t want any more and would probably do much to keep from getting another, but almost 200 of them!

From http://www.gotquestions.org:  What should we learn from the life of Paul?

“First, we learn that God can save anyone.  Those deathbed confessions can be hard for the living to swallow, but if Paul could go from killing Christians to being one and taking the beatings and punishments that he did, how can we not put a little faith in someone else waking up before it’s too late?

Second, we learn from the life of Paul that anyone can be a humble, powerful witness for Jesus Christ.  Switching apostles here, Peter is believed to have been crucified.

From http://www.gotquestions.org:  What should we learn from the life of Peter?

“Jesus said that Peter would die a martyr’s death (John 21:18-19)—a prophecy fulfilled, presumably, during Nero’s reign. Tradition has it that Peter was crucified upside down in Rome, and, although such the story may be true, there is no scriptural or historical witness to the particulars of Peter’s death.”  He said that he was not worthy to die in the same manner and so was hung upside down, per the stories.

Finally, we learn that anyone can surrender completely to God.

The Apostle Paul spent his life proclaiming the risen Christ Jesus throughout the Roman world, often at great personal peril (2 Corinthians 11:24-27). It is assumed that Paul died a martyr’s death in the mid to late 60s A.D. in Rome.”

And for John, to be put in a vat of boiling oil, knowing what that could do to a body, and he had faith and crawled out of that vat, unharmed and no burns!

From http://www.gotquestions.org

“John faced martyrdom when he was boiled in a huge basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution in Rome. However, he was miraculously delivered from death. John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison island of Patmos. He wrote his prophetic book of Revelation on Patmos. The apostle John was later freed and returned to what is now modern-day Turkey. He died as an old man, the only apostle to die peacefully.”

How are we any better?!?  Job lost everything with no understanding as to why, just accepting that God knew all.  Paul asked 3x for the thorn to be removed, and was told that “my grace is sufficient unto thee.”  John outlived everyone, was sent to a prison island to do hard time, and in that, was granted the vision for “Revelation.”

“God sometimes permits what he hates to accomplish what he loves” (Joni Erickson Tada).

Ever have one of those days? Part 1

(This is a two part discussion, with the second part to be posted next week.)

Ever have one of those days (or maybe weeks, or fill in your own time frame!) where everything you touch goes wrong, that if it weren’t for bad luck, you’d have no luck at all?!? 

Born Under A Bad Sign by Booker T. Jones / William Bell

Hard luck and trouble is my only friend

I been on my own ever since I was ten

Born under a bad sign

I been down since I begin to crawl

If it wasn't for bad luck,

I wouldn't have no luck at all

And you wonder what you could have done to result in this turn?  Jesus understood that feeling. 

Mark 15:30-36 (New International Version, ©2010) http://www.biblegateway.com/

33 At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

Zac Brown Band, Highway 20 Ride Lyrics

So I drive and I think about my life
And wonder why that I slowly die inside

Sometimes, that is exactly how I feel.  There are days when it feels like “when your heart won't tell your mind to tell your mouth what it should say” (Zac Brown Band, As She’s Walking Away)  and so I just pray, Thy will be done.  Brings to mind the question, “where is God when I’m hurting and why was it allowed to happen?”

“God sometimes permits what he hates to accomplish what he loves” (Joni Erickson Tada).

I read a chapter in "In the Grip of Grace" by Max last night and this hit really home right now and this was the verse that started the chapter.

2 Corinthians 12:7-9 (New International Version, ©2010) http://www.biblegateway.com

7 or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (underline mine)

Mercy Me "Grace Tells Another Story"

They say don't waste your time

You simply cannot find an ounce of good

within the heart of man they say

we've got to lay in the bed we've made

and live this life without a second chance

but I'm inclined to say there must be something more.

We are told to "ask God for everything you need”: (Phil 4:6). This was something that took me awhile to grasp, that there really isn’t a selfish prayer, if it is coming from the heart.  There is one song that, when I heard it, knocked me flat.  And it was just a prayer for what was needed.

T Graham Brown, “Wine into Water:”

You've hear a multitude of prayers on my behalf

I pray that one more is not too much to ask

I've tried to fight this battle by myself

But it's a war that I can't win without your help

Refrain

Tonight I'm as low as any man can go

I'm down and I can't fall much farther

And once upon a time you turned the water into wine

Now on my knees I'm turning to you father

Could you help me turn the wine back into water

Life’s a bowl of cherries, and I get all the pits?!?

Acts 14:20-22 (New International Version, ©2011) from www.biblegateway.com

They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.

By Lynn Anderson, “Never promised you a rose garden:”

I beg your pardon,

I never promised you a rose garden.

Along with the sunshine,

There's gotta be a little rain sometimes.

When you take, you gotta give, so live and let live,

Or let go.

I beg your pardon,

I never promised you a rose garden.

Jesus knew this firsthand – He was sent here to be the perfect sacrificial lamb for our sins.  And there was one time that fear almost overwhelmed him:

Luke 22:42-44 (New International Version, ©2011) from www.biblegateway.com

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”  An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.  And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

Literally sweating blood, that is a very powerful fear. 

From the Crabb Family, “Through the Fire:”

so many times I've questioned certain circumstances

Or things I could not understand

Many times in trials weakness blurs my vision

And my frustration gets so out of hand

Its then I am reminded I've never been forsaken

I've never had to stand the test alone

As I look at all the victories

The spirit rises up in me

And its through the fire my weakness is made strong

Chorus:

He never promised that the cross would not get heavy

And the hill would not be hard to climb

He never offered our victories without fighting

But he said help would always come in time

Just remember when your standing in the valley of decision

And the adversary says give in

Just hold on our lord will show up

And he will take you through the fire again

2 Corinthians 12:9-11 (New International Version, ©2011) www.biblegateway.com

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Imagine that – in our weakness, we can show His strength and grace.  And how do we do this?  Simply by giving it all to Him and continuing on our way in the manner that we should!  These verses are subtitled in some bibles as:  Paul had his own strength taken away so that he would draw on the strength of the living God.

And from Mercy Me, “Bring the Rain:”

Bring me joy, bring me peace

Bring the chance to be free

Bring me anything that brings You glory

And I know there'll be days

When this life brings me pain

But if that's what it takes to praise You

Jesus, bring the rain

I am Yours regardless of

The dark clouds that may loom above

Because You are much greater than my pain

You who made a way for me

By suffering Your destiny

So tell me what's a little rain

So I pray

I get afraid, I don’t like it when things seem to be going exactly opposite of what I want, but someone understood this so much better than me.  Jesus knew.  And so, I know in believing in Him, I will live with Him and all those that I love that also believed.  And so, I can take a little rain, and go play in the mud puddles!

And from Stephen Curtis Chapman, “Bring it On:”

I didn’t come lookin’ for trouble

And I don’t want to fight needlessly

But I’m not gonna hide in a bubble

If trouble comes for me

I can feel my heart beating faster

I can tell something’s coming down

But if it’s gonna make me grow stronger then…

Bring it on

Let the lightning flash, let the thunder roll, let the storm winds blow

Bring it on

Let the trouble come, let the hard rain fall, let it make me strong

Bring it on

Now, maybe you’re thinkin’ I’m crazy

And maybe I need to explain some things

‘Cause I know I’ve got an enemy waiting

Who wants to bring me pain

But what he never seems to remember

What he means for evil God works for good

So I will not retreat or surrender

Now, I don’t want to sound like some hero

‘Cause it’s God alone that my hope is in

But I’m not gonna run from the very things

That would drive me closer to Him

So bring it on

I don’t ask for trouble, I try so hard to avoid conflict, especially as I get older as my nerves just can’t handle the friction and stress.  But, if Satan comes looking for me, to test me, to try and break my faith, trust, belief and love in my Lord, then “Bring It On!”

The music really spoke this time!

Rich Mullins, "I'll Carry On Lyrics:"

But I'll carry the songs I learned when we were kids

I'll carry the scars of generations gone by

I'll pray for you always, and I promise you this

I'll carry on ~ I'll carry on

Listen to:

Rich Mullins, "Ready For The Storm Lyrics :"

That the lighthouse will keep shining out

Rich Mullins, "Elijah:"

But when I leave I want to go out like Elijah

With a whirlwind to fuel my chariot of fire

And when I look back on the stars

Well, It'll be like a candlelight in Central Park

And it won't break my heart to say goodbye

“Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders and says, “Oh no, she’s awake.” “–unknown

Oh yeah!