Faithful

The song plays in my head over and over, like His faithfulness: never ending- never ceasing.

Standing on this mountaintop

Looking just how far we’ve come

Knowing that for every step

You were with us

Kneeling on this battle ground

Seeing just how much You’ve done

Knowing every victory

Was Your power in us

Yes! We have made it to the mountaintop! I am done with maintenance chemo and so thankful for God’s healing.  Looking back over this past two years my heart just resonates with these verses from Matt Redman’s song. He has done so much for us and I just want to give Him the glory.

As I look back his faithfulness was so evident.

Jehovah-Nissi-  our banner of encouragement

Jehovah-Jireh – our provider who meets all our needs

Jehovah-Shalom – our peace in every situation

Jehovah-Rohi – our shepherd and guide

Jehovah-Rapha – our healer from every disease

Jehovah-Shammah- our ever-present help- always with us.

I have seen His faithfulness throughout my life, but going thru the cancer battle I came to recognize it so much more. I know I could have never made it through without Him being with me every day- every step of the way.

Never once did we ever walk alone

Never once did You leave us on our own

You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Phil was with me as much as he could be. I know he would have been with me every moment – but there were some places he wasn’t allowed. Even though I had to enter some rooms alone, -never once was I truly alone. The Holy Spirit was with me.

When my thoughts would torment me He would speak a word,  when I needed courage He would provide it.  When I thought I couldn’t take anymore He would hold me in His arms and reassure me that He would bring me through. He was always there.

Do you feel alone in your struggle?   Does it seem that no one cares?

God loves you and is with you.  Ask Him to walk beside you.  Take His hand and let Him guide you.  Sit with Him and read His word and He will instruct you.  Praise Him and He will lift heaviness and depression off you.  Tell him you can’t do it and instead let Him do it.  Lean on Him, He will hold you up.

When I look down at my belly I see the scars- not pretty to the physical eye -but to me, a thing of beauty, for they serve to remind me of His great faithfulness!

Scars and struggles on the way

But with joy our hearts can say

Never once did we ever walk alone

Carried by Your constant grace

Held within Your perfect peace

Never once, no, we never walk alone

Never once!  He was and is always there.  Oh praise Him for His faithfulness!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=722zPX1npcA&feature=kp

Deep Roots

I needed to repot my Jade plant.  It had grown too tall for the pot it was in and was leaning terribly- ready to fall over.  As I lifted it out of the soil, I saw the reason for it's off-kilter position.  Although the plant was a foot tall, it's roots were very shallow, barely an inch deep.  It couldn't stay upright and centered with such a small root system to hold it in place.

What a different picture to see the root system of a wild fig tree in South Africa with roots that go 400 feet deep.  Roots going down deep- that’s what I want.

Standing strong for years, though nature’s elements come against it – that is my desire.  Year after year unmoved when erosion and age set in-let this be me.

Oh Lord, I want to be like those majestic trees with roots that go down deep into the rich soil of your word. When strong winds come, let my roots hold firm so my faith won’t be uprooted.  When fear and doubt try to push me over, let my roots spread out even further and take in nourishment from your unending love. 

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,

they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;

planted in the house of the Lord,

they will flourish in the courts of our God.

They will still bear fruit in old age,

they will stay fresh and green,

proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;

he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

Psalm 92:12-15

When my roots are strong and healthy in the Lord then I will be able to let my branches reach up and spread out so that I can give shade to the weary. As I remain rooted and grounded in Him I will bear fruit to help those in need. 

Thank you Lord for this promise.

His Precious Blood

His precious blood was shed for me

Upon that old and rugged tree

To cleanse my sin, to set me free,

His precious blood was shed for me

His precious blood was spilt for me

Upon that ground on Calvary

To heal my sickness and disease

His precious blood was spilt for me

His precious blood it covers me

I’m marked as His eternally

Sealed forever, I am His

His precious blood it covers me.

When death’s dark angel passes by

He can’t come here, he must Passover

For upon the doorpost of my heart, over every cell, every part

I apply His precious blood

Blood that cover sins

Blood that sets me free

Blood that flows within

Protecting me – Healing me – Cleansing me

The spotless lamb was sacrificed.

Jesus, my Passover Lamb

God’s indescribable gift to us all!

Faith Prayers

You think I would have learned by now.  I’ve been praying wrong again. Worry Prayers instead of Faith Prayers.  “Please God, don’t let this happen” prayers instead of “Thank you” prayers. But I was up for three hours in the middle of the night (again) fretting over a loved one. Praying Worry Prayers

God, you never fret and worry.  You are seated on your throne.  Full of life, love, peace, and joy, you are not pacing back and forth worried about all your children who seem to stray daily off the right path.  How do I get to that same peaceful place that God inhabits when everything seems to be falling apart? 

Philippians 4:6 &7 says - Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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.

So how do I obtain peace?

Go to God with my request.

Give the situation totally to Him (no take backs).

Quit trying with my puny mind and limited resources to control the outcome.

Trust Him that He will do what is best.

Thank Him that He is more than able to handle anything I give to Him.

Rest in Him for He has it all under control.

Two verses earlier Philippians 4:4 says - Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.   

Is this the key- where I should start?  Rejoicing in who God is, in His ability to handle all this?

Oh God, you came to set the captives free.  You said to the dry bones, ”Live!” and they came to life. You opened blind eyes; you can open my love one’s to see the truth. Nothing is too hard for You!

It's hard to stop these anxious thoughts. Fear and worry come more naturally to me than fight and faith. But we are in a battle and the way to win is thru Faith Prayers.

Psalm 68 says - Let God arise and His enemies be scattered.

 Those enemies- fear and worry – will be scattered when I offer up praise and thanksgiving- when I magnify God and His goodness to me. Thanking him before I see any change. 

Faith not fear  

Trust not worry

Faith Prayers not Worry Prayers

God hears all our prayers: prayers of desperation, prayers of anguish, even our worry prayers, but if we get thru those prayers to prayers of faith, that is when God’s peace will come and the battle will be won!

Trust - part II

In Matthew 14:22-33 we again find the disciples in a boat with the wind and waves coming against them.  Jesus sent them on ahead while He takes some time to pray. When they are quite a distance off shore, Jesus comes to them walking on the water! Jesus is not sleeping through the storm this time- He is walking above it. When the disciples see him they are terrified. “Take courage!  It is I.” Jesus assures them,  “Don’t be afraid”

They had seen Him calm the storm before with just a command from His voice and their faith had increased.  Now their faith is being challenged again and Peter is ready – ready for crazy water walking faith and so he calls out “If it is you Lord, command me to come to you on the water.”  Jesus calls him, “Come.”

Have you heard Him call, “Come”?

Come step out in faith to do what I’ve called you to do.

Come push out into the deep waters where your faith will be tested and purified like gold. 
Come believe that I can heal cancer.

Come walk with me above the waves, above your circumstances. 

Come even though fear and doubt are trying to pull you under.

Come keep your eyes on me; I’ve called you here so your faith can grow.

Peter gets out of the boat and begins walking on the water to Jesus. But then he begins to look at the wind whipping around and becomes frightened. He starts to sink and cries out “Lord, save me!”  Jesus immediately reaches out his hand and catches him. “You of little faith,” he said, “Why did you doubt?” Then they climb into the boat, and the wind dies down.  The disciples finally get it “Truly you are the Son of God.”

There are seasons when it is easy sailing; the sea is calm, the sun is shining.  But there are also times when we are called out into the deep, into uncharted, turbulent waters.  This is where we would never choose to go on our own, but when He leads us, how can we say no?  He will be with us there and our faith will be strengthened. We may even find ourselves doing some crazy water walking! We will see His greatness and like the disciples we will be able to say without a doubt  “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Trust - part I

Does God care about your situation and mine? 

Does it sometimes seem that He is sleeping thru the worst storms in your life?

The disciples may have thought so. Mark 4:35-41 recounts the story of a test of their faith. After a long day of teaching on the shore of Galilee, Jesus says to the disciples “Let us go across to the other side.” So they take their boat and head out. While crossing to the other side, a windstorm comes that threatens to do them in.  The disciples become frantic, expecting the worse. Jesus however is asleep. They wake him up. “Teacher don’t you care that we are perishing?” 

Did Jesus know there would be a storm before He got into the boat?  If he knew, why did he suggest they go out, and why did He let himself fall asleep?  Didn’t he know the disciples would need him?  Was this all just to show them who He really was?

Jesus wakes up and rebukes them.  “Why are you so afraid?  Have you still no faith?” They had seen Him do miracles for others, but now they needed a miracle themselves.

Did they still not really know who He was?

Is this really an issue of trust? Am I, like the disciples, quick to assume the worst will happen when a storm comes?  Do I frantically try to bail the water out of my sinking ship myself?  Or do I put my total trust in Him even though the waves continue to batter and toss my boat? Do I stop worrying and quiet my soul long enough to hear Him say “Come rest here in my arms, I’ve got this under control.”

Do I take refuge in His arms and know that He has everything under control?

Do I recognize who He really is?

“Peace!  Be Still!  He spoke to the storm. The wind ceased and there was great calm.

The disciples marveled “Who is this that even the wind and sea obey Him?”

Who is Jesus? He is the one who spoke the wind and the sea into existence-the one who holds this whole world together-the one that storms obey. 

“Peace!  Be Still!”  He says to my anxious heart.

He spoke it to me when I found out I had ovarian cancer.

He speaks it to me still.

“You are not alone. I care. I am with you always.”

You are His child.  Trust Him. Let Him hold you in His arms and speak peace to the raging storm around you and peace to the raging storm within you. He will get you safely to the other side.

The Gift of Time

Why am I always in such a hurry? What is the gain? God is infinite and we stand on the brink of eternity.  There is time for rest, for joy, for fellowship, for love, for reading, walking and creating.  It is up to me.   I can choose my pace or God’s pace.  God is never in a hurry.  A thousand years are as a day to Him.  He waits patiently for all of us to repent.  He waits patiently for me to realize and understand that life is more than doing- it is being.  Life is more than accomplishments.  It is more about how we do a thing, than what we do.

When we are in pain, or going through a trial we wish time would pass quickly.
When everything is good, we wish that time would stand still.

Those of us that have experienced a hard winter can’t wait for spring.  This has been a long, hard winter outside my window and inside my heart.  I yearn for warmer days and look forward to the sweet smelling blossoms spring will bring.  I eagerly await the day when there are no more treatments or doctors appointments.  Those days will come. In the meantime I choose: to take time to marvel at the sparkling silver-white blanket covering the ground, to sing with the fat red cardinal perched in my crabapple, to raise hands in praise with the black oaks under the heavy winter sky. I want to appreciate the time I have to hear God reveal more of His truth as I sit quietly in His presence.  New life will come. The grass will again be green, the oaks will praise with covered leaves, and I will sing a new song of gratitude for the time God has given me.

 None of us knows how much time we have on this earth, so we need to make the most of each day.  Not doing more, being more.  More like Jesus who no matter where He was, or what He was doing; took time to hold the children, took time to pray for the sick, took time to share about the Father.  He did not mind the interruptions, for He new they were divine.  In His short 33 years on earth He accomplished exactly what He was sent to do.
God has given me all the time I need to accomplish His will too.

…for behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
The fig tree ripens its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance.
Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.  Song of Solomon 2:11-13(ESV)