Trusting God Completely

I recently had the privilege of doing the devotional for my MOPS group.  Here is what the Lord put on my heart.  I hope it is a blessing to you all as well!

 

Taking the Plunge:  Trusting God Completely

We all know that as believers and followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to believe Him, to trust Him completely. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 is a very familiar to many.  "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight.” 

Psalm 62:8 says “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

We know we are called to trust God completely.  This is not really where the issue lies.  But knowing we are to trust Him and truly living this are two very different things.  So the question that I will focus on today is how?  How do we trust Him completely?  How do we trust Him with our children, our husbands, our families, the daily stresses of life, the big life altering challenges that we face?  How do we “trust in Him at all times”; how do we trust Him “with all of our heart”? 

First and foremost we must determine if God is truly trustworthy. 

Who is God?  What is He like?  We know from scripture that God is unchanging…He is immutable, His Character forever constant.  So who is He, and what is His Character? 

If you have never truly dug into this question before, I would encourage you to spend some time digging here for yourself.   Truly knowing who God is, believing it, knowing it in the very fabric of who you are is foundational.  It is not something that someone can tell you in a 15 minute MOPS devotional.  But when you seek Him, meditate on His Word, spend time with Him in prayer, you will find Him, you will learn His character.  In order to trust Him completely, you must first know who He is, because How can you trust someone that you do not know?  Let me tell you a little bit about who the Bible says God is…let me tell you about my God:

My God is all powerful, all knowing, ever present, unchanging, completely sovereign, wise, good, faithful, true, strong, victorious, gracious, perfectly just, loving, merciful, compassionate.  Most of all, my God is trustworthy.

So, who is your God?  Is He trustworthy?  If so, trust Him.  If not, then why are you wasting your time being a Christian?  If God is not trustworthy, then quit believing because all of this is for naught!  But if He is, then choose to trust Him.  Our faith in God must based on His character, not on our circumstances.

So how do we trust Him regardless of the circumstances?  We are going to dig deeper with 3 more points…

1.       Focusing on the Who and not the what

2.       Focusing on the Who and not the what if

3.       Focusing on the Who and not the why

First: Focusing on the Who and not the what

There are and always will be things in life that attempt to draw our eyes off of God and place them on the reality of our circumstances.  This can be especially true as a mom…a sick child, a rebellious child, a disobedient child, a needy child, a messy child…you get my drift.  It may be a stress at work, family problems, marital conflict, financial stress.  Life is messy and there will always be something,  The size of that something really doesn’t matter…it may be a big “what”, it may be a small “what”, but the tactic of the enemy is always to get your eyes off of the Who and onto the what.

But regardless of what our eyes may see, our minds may perceive, our senses may assess, we must know that the reality of God is greater and more real than anything we are going through.  There are many, many stories in scripture that teach us that God is bigger than our circumstances, and that regardless of the “what” we can trust Him.

In the Old Testament, for example, there is the story of the Exodus.  God’s people, enslaved to the Egyptians for 400 years, have just been radically set free by a mighty work of God.  But soon they find themselves backed up to the Red Sea with an angry Egyptian army hot on their trail.  Things look bad…things look very bad.  If there was ever a time to stop trusting God, the circumstances would tell the Israelites that this was it.  The reality of their circumstances said that they were all about to be slaughtered or taken back into slavery.  But, having history on our side, we know the end of this story.  In a grand finale sort of miracle, God, the great miracle worker, comes through and parts the Red Sea.  His people all walk across on dry land.  The Egyptian army, who try to follow, are then swallowed up by the sea …and hooray, God wins the day.  God’s ability and God’s reality was very different than the reality of their circumstances.  Moral of the story…trust Him, no matter how bad things look.    

Think also of the stories of: The Battle of Jerico where the army of God fell the impenetrable walls with a trumpet’s blast, the victory of Gideon’s tiny army of 300 over the much much larger Midianite army, God saving Judah from the unstoppable and cruel Assyrian army in the days of Hezekiah, Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead after 4 days in the grave, Peter walking on water with Jesus, Peter being miraculously set free from jail when he was facing certain death…and on and on the list goes.  In all of these and many more, God shows us that the reality of God is greater than the reality of our circumstances.  So rather than focusing on our circumstances, rather than focusing on the what, focus on the Who.  Can we be certain that God will always come through with the rescue, with the miracle…no.  But when we focus on the Who, we remember that no matter what we can trust Him because He is Good, He is Trustworthy, and He is faithful.   He will never leave us, and He will never forsake us. 

Secondly, we must focus on the Who and not the what if.

I think for me, this is one of the greatest challenges.  More than the what or they why, the “what if” can rouse the greatest amount of fear in me. 

What if something happens to my husband…this family cannot function without him?  Why hasn’t he called yet…maybe he got in an accident?  What if something happens to my son? What if he runs into the street or gets hit by a car in the parking lot...what if he gets sick with some kind of crazy disease?  What if something happens to both Ethan and I, what will happen to Eli?  One after the other, these terrifying thoughts assault me continually.  Sometimes, this can even be a very “spiritual” sounding attack.  Often times to me I will hear, “well, you know God’ll be with you and use it for good, but He is going to make you go through something really terrible.  A storm is coming, and you’ll come out stronger in the end, but it’s going to be bad so get ready.” 

And just like that, the enemy has stolen my joy and replaced it with fear.  He had taken my eyes off of the Who and focused them on the what if.  Can anyone else relate?  

The enemy knows that if he get our eyes off of a faithful and trustworthy God and onto the what if of the future, than he can cancel out our faith with fear.  He can render us ineffective in our Kingdom Work, He can steal our joy, our peace, and ruin our witness.  Think about it, he doesn’t even have to do anything but get us worrying about something that may or may not ever even happen and he has paralyzed us with fear.

I think what is at the core of this attack is the very same strategy that Satan used with Eve.  Essentially, he is challenging the very nature of God. 

Look at Genesis 3:1-10

3 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

² And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; ³ but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

⁴ Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. ⁵ For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

⁶ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. ⁷ Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

⁸ And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

⁹ Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

¹⁰ So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

·         The serpent challenges God’s word… verse 3- “Has God indeed said…?”

·         The serpent challenges His trustworthiness…verse 4- “You will surely not die…”

·         The serpent challenges God’s goodness…verse 5- “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God…”

He gets Adam and Eve to buy into the lie that God is not really Good, He doesn’t have their best interest in mind, and they can’t really trust Him.  So rather than trusting God for who He is and what He said, they trust what they can see, feel, sense.  The enemy got them with the “what if.” “What if God is holding out of you?  You better not trust Him, your better trust yourself instead.”

And what was the result of believing this lie?  Fear.  Verse 10…”I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid…”

We must remember that regardless of our future circumstances, God is who He is and He does not change. 

·         Do you know that you know that God is Good?

·         Do you know with all of your heart that He is trustworthy and His Word is true?

·         If so, we must resolve that as the lyrics of the song Bless the Lord O My Soul say, “whatever may pass or whatever lies before me, let me be singing when the evening comes.”

The greatest power that I have found in overcoming the fear of the “what if” is praising the Who.  Rather than entertaining the lies of the enemy, give praise to the One to whom praise is due.  And when you take your eyes off of the “what if” and focus them rightly back on a gloriously loving God, you will be amazed at the peace, joy, and hope that immediately replace that fear…for there is no fear in love. (1 John 4:18) 

Which brings me to my last point…

Focusing on the Who and not the why.

If there is one thing that is clear in scripture, it is that trials and storms will come, and suffering is not only a part of life, it is a part of the Christian life.

So how do we reconcile this?  I know by now that you know where I am going…you must focus on who God is rather than trying to understand the why.  Trying to figure out why something happened may very well drive us crazy and we are not assured any answers.  Even if we do get answers, they hardly go toward healing our wounded hearts.  Understand is not satisfying or restorative. 

Rather than seeking out the why, we must seek out the Who.  There are many things that we will never understand on this side of Heaven.  

Why do some prayers for healing get answered and some don’t?  I don’t know.

Why do some people lose a spouse, lose children, or go through major traumas in life while others don’t?  I don’t know.

Why do bad things happen to good people?  Why are some nations plagued by such horrible death, disease, war, oppression? I don’t know.

But what I do know is that God is both sovereign…all powerful, in control…and that He is good. 

Even when we don’t understand Him, will we trust Him?  When we let go of our need to understand the why and seek out the Who, it is then that we find Him as healer.  Old Testament, New Testament, and the work of the Holy Spirit today all confirm that God’s very nature and heart love to heal.  He is the restorer, He makes all things new, He binds up the brokenhearted, He brings rejoicing in the morning.

So, on this day, my challenge to you is to take the plunge and choose to trust God completely, not because of your circumstances but because of who God is.  In doing so, your life will look radically different.  You will be marked, set aside, by your peace, your joy, your hope, and your faith regardless of the circumstances.  Let’s pray.

Bigger

A while back, I feel like God gave me a picture of just how big He is, how unfathomable and incomprehensible His greatness.  And yet, we make Him so small, so boring, so weak.  I want to share with you the picture that the Lord gave me, although I know words will never be able to do it justice.  I pray that God will stir in you a vision of His power, His might, His Greatness, and convince you that even when you think it is not possible, He is bigger!

The vision that the Lord gave me began with a woman standing with a small cup of ocean water in her hands.  This certain girl was built with an unquenchable desire for the ocean.  With her small cup of water, she had convinced herself that this was indeed the ocean.  She felt that she should be content, she should be satisfied, and yet found herself so unfulfilled and disappointed.  "Is this really the ocean?" she pondered.  "Is this all there is?" 

Of course that is not the ocean!  While the water in her little cup is technically from the ocean, that little cup is not an accurate portrayal of the ocean in its entirety.  Imagine her excitement, her joy, her surprise if she had the chance to travel to the beach and stand on the shore of the ocean, looking out at the water stretching out before her as far as her eyes could see.  "Ah, this is the ocean!"  her heart cries out, "I knew there was more!"  While this, in and of itself, is greater than she can take in, the ocean is bigger still.  This is but the continental shelf (for all of you geography buffs out there)...oh how much more there is!  She has no idea of the vastness of the seemingly endless waters, or the unfathomable depths and mysterious creatures that lie at the ocean floor.  Still to this day, after thousands of years, we know so little about the bottom of the ocean.  And yet how easy to think that we know all about it.  "Yep, ocean...that's beaches, waves, lots of water, sharks, fish."  We think that we understand it, that we have figured it out, that we know all about it.  But do we, truly?  No one does!  The ocean is bigger, deeper, wider, greater than we can even imagine.  This is the ocean which the girl was built longing for, and its greatness, its depth, its vastness does not disappoint.  Her heart can explore and research all the days of her life and never find all of the answers, never run out of material, never fall short of new discoveries.  No matter how much she learns, grows, seeks, the ocean will always be bigger still.


Beloved, do you find yourself unfulfilled, disappointed, unsatisfied with God?  Are you bored with Him?  I would challenge you that if you find yourself here, you may be standing there with a tiny scoop of God, holding Him in your nice, safe little cup.  But the true God, the God of the Universe, the Creater and Sustainer of all things, cannot be contained!  Quit trying to hold Him in your hands, and instead let Him hold you in His.  You were built with a longing for God, a longing that cannot be fulfilled by anything else other than Him.  He is the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  He is Truth and Life.  He is bigger, greater, stronger, and more powerful than our wildest imagination.  I pray today that God would knock that petty little cup of water out of all of our hands and overwhelm us with the reality of who He is and show us that He indeed is bigger still.  

Isaiah 40:28  "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom."

Romans 11:33 "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!"

Psalm 1453 "Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable."

My Rock, My Fortress, My Deliverer

A passage of scripture that it seems like I cannot get away from lately is 2 Samuel 22.  I have read it over and over, and each time I do it seems like it grows richer and deeper and more beautiful to me.  Truly the word of God is living and active; what a gift it is!  I feel like most of what I want to do is to share this gem of a passage with you and interject a few comments here and there.  May the Word of God shape you, encourage you, empower you, and bless you richly as it has me.

This all started when I was drawn to verses 2 and 3 of this passage as a memory verse for my 2 year old.  We were out looking for "clues" about who God is in nature and talking about how God is our rock.  We then made up litte motions to teach us verses 2-3, "The LORD is my rock (fist motion) and my fortress (make a house over you with your hands) and my deliverer (two thumbs point to yourself), the God of my strength (flex muscles), in whom I will trust (open palms to God)."  We would recite these verses often to help us memorize it well.  Then I began to get drawn into the entire passage.  Let me share a little of that with you...

2 Samuel 22

Praise for God’s Deliverance

22 Then David spoke to the Lord the words of this song, on the day when the Lord had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. ² And he said:^[a]

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
³ The God of my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation,
My stronghold and my refuge;
My Savior, You save me from violence.
⁴ I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.

*Oh what confidence in the Lord and who He is!  He is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer!  I trust Him, He is my strength.  He is my victory.  He is my stronghold and refuge.  He is most worthy of my praise, for He saves me.  He hears me when I call to Him and there is absolutely nothing that is too hard for Him and no one who is stronger than Him.  He is the One to have on your side, and we can be confident here that He is absolutely for us.  He is our defender, He is the mighty warrior who protects us.  What shall we fear?  Whom shall we fear?  Nothing is too great for Him.  Don't believe me?  Read on...

⁵ “When the waves of death surrounded me,
The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
⁶ The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.

*It doesn't get much more desperate than that, folks.  Are the waves of death surrounding you?  Are floods of ungodliness and evil making you afraid?  Are overwhelming sorrows upon you and the snares of death confronting you?  No matter what our situation, God is greater...so what do we do? 

⁷ In my distress I called upon the Lord,
And cried out to my God;
He heard my voice from His temple,
And my cry entered His ears.

*Cry out to Him, beloved!  He is there, He is listening, His will hear and respond.  Just watch...

⁸ “Then the earth shook and trembled;
The foundations of heaven^[b] quaked and were shaken,
Because He was angry.
⁹ Smoke went up from His nostrils,
And devouring fire from His mouth;
Coals were kindled by it.
¹⁰ He bowed the heavens also, and came down
With darkness under His feet.
¹¹ He rode upon a cherub, and flew;
And He was seen^[c] upon the wings of the wind.
¹² He made darkness canopies around Him,
Dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
¹³ From the brightness before Him
Coals of fire were kindled.

¹⁴ “The Lord thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered His voice.
¹⁵ He sent out arrows and scattered them;
Lightning bolts, and He vanquished them.
¹⁶ Then the channels of the sea were seen,
The foundations of the world were uncovered,
At the rebuke of the Lord,
At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.

*Wow, does this get you fired up like it does me?  This is my God!  He is mighty, He is the strongest of all, and you DO NOT mess with those that are His!  So often we can portray certain elements of God as all that God is.  I think in today's culture especially we can hung up that God is only love, only forgiveness, only mercy.  We get to thinking the He would never do anything like this, and surely never get mad.  While God is absolutely those things, He is also justice, holiness, jealousy, righteousness, and if you look in His word there are most definitely things that make Him angry.  All I am saying is that you do not want to be against God, and you most certainly do no want to mess with His people.  He is like a protective Father, and if you mess with His kids, He is coming after you.

¹⁷ “He sent from above, He took me,
He drew me out of many waters.
¹⁸ He delivered me from my strong enemy,
From those who hated me;
For they were too strong for me.
¹⁹ They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
But the Lord was my support.

*Your enemy is stronger than you.  Satan is stronger than you.  But God is stronger than Satan and all evil!  Do not try to fight your battles yourself or you will lose.  Cry out to God, He is your support, He is your deliverer, He is the one who saves you.

²⁰ He also brought me out into a broad place;
He delivered me because He delighted in me.

*Ahh, I love this verse!  Now we get to the "why" of all of this.  Why does He deliver me, save me, respond when I cry out to Him, defeat all of my enemies?  Why is He on my side?  Very painly, "He delivered me because He delighted in me."  He delights in me!  And He delights in you.

²¹ “The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
According to the cleanness of my hands
He has recompensed me.

*I am going to skip a little bit here, but I will just say a quick note on this section.  As for my righteousness, it is not found in my own works but in the atoning work of Jesus Christ.  2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."  The only reason that I am seen as clean and righteous before God is because of the blood of Jesus.  He has taken all of my sin upon Himself and thus made me pure, spotless, and blameless before the Father that I might spend eternity in Heaven with God.  Thank you Jesus!

²⁹ “For You are my lamp, O Lord;
The Lord shall enlighten my darkness.

*Do you feel like there is any area of your life that is cloaked in darkness or uncertainty?  Do you need guidance, wisdom, direction?  Go to the Lord.  He is your lamp and He alone will enlighten your darkess and show you the way.  

³⁰ For by You I can run against a troop;
By my God I can leap over a wall.
³¹ As for God, His way is perfect;
The word of the Lord is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

³² “For who is God, except the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?
³³ God is my strength and power,^[e]
And He makes my^[f] way perfect.
³⁴ He makes my^[g] feet like the feet of deer,
And sets me on my high places.
³⁵ He teaches my hands to make war,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

³⁶ “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;
Your gentleness has made me great.
³⁷ You enlarged my path under me;
So my feet did not slip.

*Precious, precious, precious truths.  I can say nothing here but go back and read this again, it is so rich!

⁴⁷ “The Lord lives!
Blessed be my Rock!
Let God be exalted,
The Rock of my salvation!

You have delivered me ...
⁵⁰ Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles,
And sing praises to Your name.

*So how do we respond to all of this?  God has said that He delivers us because He delights in us.  He makes our way perfect and sets us on high places.  How can we possibly respond to such unmerited favor?  We see the answer here...praise Him!  Exalt and bless His name.  Give thanks in all things, sing praises to Him always.  Share His mighty deeds with those who don't know Him.  Praise Him, for He is most worthy of our praise! 

Thank you God for Your Word, for your Love, for Your Power.  Thank You for being our Rock, our Fortress, our Deliverer simply because You delight in us.  We respond in praise to You and we bless and exalt Your Name.  Who is like You, Lord?  Indeed, there is none like You, none but You.  Thank you for protecting us as your children.  We love you and trust You, Abba Father.  Amen.

Droopy Basil

I live in the great and glorious state of Texas. :)  And there is only one word to describe Texas this time of year...HOT!  It is so hot that when you are outside for any length of time, you can literally feel the heat like fire on your skin.  Thankfully, the Lord has extravagantly blessed us with two marvelous inventions that make the hot summer days bearable, pools and air conditioning!

While I can come inside and escape the blazing sun, my poor little basil plant, that started off this whole blog, cannot.  A few mintes ago, I walked outside to snag a few leaves and noticed that my basil plant was looking pretty droopy.  I grabbed the hose and doused it with water, giving my little plant a nice long drink.  About 5 minutes later I went back outside to find my basil plant back to it's perky self.  I was a bit amazed at how quickly the water perked the plant back up!  So, I picked a few leaves afterall and added them into my homemade eggplant parmesean that will serve as tonights dinner.  Yum, I can't wait!

This little scenario sparked a verse in my mind that Eli and I have been reciting lately.  John 7:37-38 says, "³⁷ On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. ³⁸ He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." 

Do you find yourself feeling "droopy" because the heat of life is getting to you?  Are you thirsty?  If so, there is great news for you...Jesus Himself is inviting you to come and to drink.  He is the one who douses us with living water, quenching our thirst and renewing our spirit.  We are revived and replenished instantly in Christ.  While the heat may not necessarily go away, we receive a new source of strength, hope, and courage that allows us to endure and thrive even in the midst of our greatest trials.  And when we find ourselves perked back up with the living water that Jesus offers to us freely, we can once again be effectively used for the purpose Christ has for us. 

Oh Lord, we are so thirsty for You.  We thank You that You indeed are all that we need.  We thank You for Your invitation to come to You and to drink.  We accept Your offer; we come to You now, Jesus, and we drink deeply of the living water that You provide.  Thank you for the satisfying, thirst quenching life that is found in you, Jesus.        

How Do You Ask?

At the age of two, my little son is beginning to really get a feel for what he wants.  He is often times very particular about things, and if everything does not go "just so" a cry of outrage at the great injustice done to him by his insensitive parents in not following his exact will may be heard for miles around.

The thing is, that as a parent who love this child beyond words, I want to give Him what he wants.  It pleases my heart to fulfill his request and see my child happy.  Many times, I do just that.  For example, he may say, "Mama, wanna read a book with me?"  "Sure Eli," I say, "I would love to read a book with you."  I will sit down indian style on the floor, he will crawl up into my lap, and we will read away.  He's happy, I'm happy, and all is right in the world. :)

On the other hand, there are times when I am not able to able to instantly fulfill my son's requests. 
One of those times is when his request does not align with what is best for him.  Oh, he may think it is best alright.  Cookies and goldfish for breakfast, lunch, and dinner sounds like a great idea when you are two.  But as his mom, the one primarily responsible for making sure that he receives not only what his taste buds desire but also the nutrients his body needs, I cannot with a good conscience fulfill this request.  Cry and protest as he may, I cannot give him what is not best for him.  Say he wants to run into the street.  "Mama, may I please run into the street?" No matter how nicely or consitently he askes this question, my answer will always be the same...No!  I am willing to sacrifice his happiness at moments to do what I need to do to protect him and provide for him in ways that are best.

Another time that I may not fulfill his request is when his request is not a request at all, but a demand.  Often times, his demands will start out "I want..." or "Give me..."  One question my husband and I find ourselves repeating over and over around here is, "How do you ask?"  Today when we were leaving church, our son said, "I want a snack Dada."  "How do you ask?" said my husband.  After thinking for a moment, I helped him out from the front seat, "Just say, 'may I have a snack please, Dada?'" Sure enough, our little parrot repeated it perfecty, his demand changed to a respectful request, and we responded by fulfilling his request.

Sometimes this situation plays out differently.  Sometimes Eli makes his demand, and we respond with "how do you ask?"  In not immediately receiving what he wants, he begins to throw a fit.  The odd thing about this situation is that it was never our intention to withhold his request, we simply did not like the way he was asking.  The problem was not with the "what" that he was asking for, it was the "how."  Because he has begun to throw a fit, however, we must now deal with a bigger issue, his heart.

I'm sure that by now, many of you are following where I am going with this analogy.  I feel that latley God has been showing me so much about my prayers, requests, and responses to Him through my experiences with my son. 

First, He is my loving Father and delights in giving me what I want.  God loves to say yes to us.  He loves to have us come to Him and pour out our hearts to Him and ask Him for whatever we need.  He is an extravagant giver, He loves us beyond words, and just as a parents receives joy in blessing their children and seeing them happy, God loves to bless us!  In the Old Testament, for example, God appears to Solomon and basically gives him a blank check.  "At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask! What shall I give you?" (1 Kings 3:5)  In the New Testament, Jesus famously invites us to ask, saying, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." (Matthew 7:7) 

Certainly, God wants us to ask and He loves to answer us, but as anyone who has ever prayed has experienced, God does not always answer us immediately or in the way that we ask.  Could it be that you are specifically asking for something that is not best for you?  Do you spend your time repeatedly asking for cookies for breakfast or a chance to play in the street for a change?  In that case, God may be willing to deny your request and forgo your happiness for your own good.  Maybe you are asking for something that is good, but He has something different in store for you that is far better.  Will you trust Him with that?  Will you rest in the fact that He is your Good and Loving Father, and if your request is not being met that He has a reason behind it that is ultimately for your own good?  Trust Him, wait on Him, and worship Him in the process.

Or, could it be that you are not asking, but demanding your will from God, rather than submitting to His?  Could you be a little tyrant of a two year old, thinking that you know what is best and demanding that God do things your way, in your timing, and perfectly to your liking.  Check yourself in this, how are you asking?  Are you asking God for your own will, or are you asking God to conform your heart to His Will and praying according to it?  Maybe God is not yet answering you because He wants to train you and teach you how to present your request to Him respectfully.  Phillipians 4:6 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."  Are you presenting your request to God with thanksgiving?  Are you resolved that no matter He responds, you will praise Him?  God may be saying, "How do you ask?"  He may not have a problem with the "what" at all...maybe the problem is the "how."

Another question to ask yourself is "how will you respond to His no?"  If you ask God for something and the answer is "no" or "wait," what do you do?  Do you let out a cry that God is unfair and unjust?  Do you think that He was unable to fulfill your request?  Do you get angry, believing that somehow, deep down, you deserved it and He either failed you or cheated you by not providing your request?  Do you think that God doesn't care, or maybe that He is just distant, mean, or harsh?
What is in your heart?  Examine it.  God already knows, and if your response is unfavorable when your requests go unmet, maybe God wants to get to a deeper issue in you and teach you a deeper level of trust in Him.

God wants us to take our requests to Him, to trust them fully to Him, and to rejoice with whatever answer He provides.  The only way to do this is to stop looking at the situation and to start looking at our God.  We will never understand everything that He does.  The Bible says, "Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable."(Ps 145:3)  His greatness IS unsearchable, we cannot understand it...do you trust that He is indeed great?  In all of His ways?  In everything?  In every answer including no or wait?  We are not called to understand Him, we are called to praise Him.  He is great, He is worthy of our praise.  Give Him the praise the He deserves, not because you get what you want, but because of who He is.  Trust Him.  Even if He has not answered your request, trust that He is a Sovereign, All Powerful, Omnipresent, Loving, Merciful, Gracious, and Good God.  Trust Him, praise Him, worship Him, because in the end this whole thing isn't really about us, it's about Him.

Oh Lord, we magnify You and exalt Your name.  You the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and we honor you as thus, Jesus.  We submit our hearts to you and ask that you will teach us to pray prayers that are not focused on building our own kingdoms, but on building Yours.  We trust You, Lord, and we love You.  We say, Jesus, that you are Faithful and True.  We submit our every care, concern, and request to you with thanksgiving and a resolve that however you choose to answer, we will praise you and we will trust You.  Ultimately, Jesus, we thank you that we have everything that we need in you.  And in the words of David, our hearts agree, "One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple." (Ps 27:4)  You, oh Lord, are our greatest desire; above all else, please give us more of You.  We make this prayer in the matchless name of Jesus, Amen.

Fruitless Zucchini

I have a zucchini plant that produces the most beautiful blooms.  It has rich green leaves, buds with much potential, and gorgeous orange flowers.  But there is one problem with my zucchini plant...it never produces any fruit.  While I enjoy the orange blossoms, I did not buy the plant to serve as a flower.  I bought it to produce zucchini.  I planted it in good soil, I water it regulary, and yet to date my plant has not produced a single fruit.

As I was checking on my zucchini plant the other day, I couldn't help but sense an admonition from the Lord in this.  In my spirit, I felt God tenderly say, "Don't be all bloom and no fruit."

The Bible has much to say about bearing fruit. 

In the very first book of the Bible, Genesis, God tells the very first people, Adam and Eve, "Be fruitful and multiply..." (Gen 1:28).  From the start, we are commanded to bear fruit.  All throughout His Word He carries out this word picture of His people "bearing fruit."  Jesus often talks about our fruit and is recorded in all of the gospels using this analogy.  He talks about a tree being known by its fruit; He tells the parable about the seed falling on good soil and producing fruit a hundredfold, etc.  In Galations we read about the "fruit of the Spirit" (Gal 5:22).  Old Testament and New Testament alike, the call to bear fruit is clear. 

So what does this mean?  Are we to leave our citified lives and move out to an apple orchard to literally produce fruit.  Of course not.  We are being called to live out our faith.  James is very well known for writing, "faith without works is dead" (James 2:26).  While this verse has stirred up a great deal of controversary throughout the ages, James is not talking about salvation here.  He is not saying that you must do works to be saved.  Salvation comes by faith alone in Christ alone.  But rather when we trust in Jesus, when we are born again of His Spirit, our very identity and purpose changes.  2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"  Our new identity and purpose...fruit bearers!

So, getting back to my zucchini plant...what if we don't bear fruit?  What if we bud and we bloom and look great to all those around us and yet fail to truly live out what we are called to do.  Here are a few thoughts per my zucchini plant.

First, our fruit does not determine our identity.  Even if my zucchini plant fails to produce a single fruit, it is still a zucchini plant.  Likewise, if you truly have trusted in the death of Jesus Christ alone as payment for your sin and received Him as your Lord and Savior and the King of your life, then you are once and for all a child of God.  By His grace alone, we have received the great exchange..."For God made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us, that in Him we might become the righteousnss of God" (2 Cor 5:21).  Whether or not I bear fruit does not change my identy. My zucchini plant is still a zucchini plant, it is just not fulfilling it's purpose.

Your fruit does not drive your identity, but rather your identity should drive your fruit.  My zucchini plant does not have to first produce a zucchini to become a zucchini plant, but rather it should produce zucchini because it is a zucchini plant.  I hope you didn't lose me there in the abundant use of the word zucchini. :)  What I am saying is that we don't first do good works and bear fruit to be deemed a Christian.  Rather, when we become a believer and follower of Christ, our identity is changed and thus we bear fruit.  Works and fruit do not merit our salvation, but they are what we were designed to do. We are most fulfilled in doing them, most satisfied when filling the intent and purpose we were created for.

Paul expresses this much better than I can in his letter to the Ephesians.  He writes, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Eph 2:8-10)

Saved by grace through faith in order that we might do good works.  They have been prepared for us specifically and intentionally by God.  Will we do them?

This is where my conviction comes in.  I feel like there are so many blooms that God springs up in me, but I can fall short on turning that bloom into fruit.  I hear a sermon or a teaching or read a scripture that stirs my heart.  I am moved to do something, to help the poor, to visit the eldery, to serve, to share the gospel with someone, to invite a neighbor to church, to write someone and email, to share a verse or encouragement with someone who needs a boost...whatever it may be.  Then, the day gets busy, my schedule fills up, I second guess myself, I get to cleaning and doing other "important" chores and let that bloom die without ever bearing any fruit.

Does this mean that I will die and go to hell?  Does God reject me because I failed to follow through?  No, of course not...it is by the blood of Christ alone that I am granted to free gift of eternal life.  But nonetheless, I have missed out on an opportunity that He had provided me to bear fruit for Him.  To do a good work that He had prepared beforehand for me to do.  To be fulfilled in living out my purpose, to add meaning to this life, to make an eternal difference.  To build His Kingdom instead of just my own. 

So how do we bear fruit?  The key is in Galations 5:22, a familiar verse to many.  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."  Verse 25 says "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."  Did you catch it?  The key is that the fruit is not truly ours to bear on our own...it is the fruit of the SPIRIT.  It is only by the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit of God living and working in us that we bear fruit.  One of my favorite verses in all of the Bible is Romans 11:36.  It says, "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen."  This is all about God~ Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  This fruit that we are to bear is from Him, through Him and to Him.  It is all for His glory.

Oh Lord, I pray that by the power of Your Holy Spirit living in me that you will make me an abundant fruit bearer.  I invite You, Holy Spirit, to come and abide in me and to do Your work in and through me.   I pray that You will enable and equip me to complete and fulfill every good work that you have prepared beforehand for me to do.  I pray that You will give me Your eyes today that I might see people as you see them, give me ears that are tuned into Your voice alone, make me Your hands and feet, use me as Your mouthpiece to share the Good News of the Life and Salvation and Hope and Joy and Love that are found only in You, Jesus.  Use me to build Your Kingdom, Lord.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

I will leave you with one closing thought from John 15:

 Jesus Himself says: "“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, so that it will be even more fruitful....No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. ...I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing....You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last."

Now get out there and go bear fruit that will last!

The Aroma of Christ

Earlier today, Eli and I were driving with the windows rolled down and the wind blowing through our hair (one of my favorite things to do).  While it was warm out, there was a nice breeze and my little guy and I were savoring a little "windows down" time before the summer heat hits us full on.  As I drove past a strip of restaurants, I was allured by a variety of different smells.  The smell of Raisin' Canes chicken strips and french fries invaded my car, and who doesn't like the smell of fried chicken...or fried anything for that matter?  Though previously not hungry, I suddenly felt my appetite awakened!  Since I had just left the gym, we resisted the temptation, but the point is that smells are powerful!

In 2 Corinthians 2:15, Paul writes "For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing."  Wow!  We are to be the aroma of Christ...  As I meditate on this, I think again about the power that smells have.  In the case of the food aromas that I experienced earlier, they awakened a hunger in me that I was not previously aware of.  I think in the same way, God is saying, "You are to be my aroma to the world.  Many will not know they're hungry, but you are to draw them to me.  Awaken in them a hunger for me." 

O Holy God, I pray that you will make us the strong and pleasant aroma of Christ to all those around us...those who are saved and those who are perishing.  May we awaken in people a hunger for you.  You alone can satisfy the longing of our heart.  In you alone is life.  We love you, Lord. Amen.    

     


2 Corinthians 2:15
For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

My Messy House

Lord,
Tonight as I look around my house and see all that needs to be done, I thank you for the gentle reminder of how much I have to be grateful for.  Rather than seeing a house that needs cleaning, I thank you on this rainy night for a roof over our heads.  I see a messy kitchen and am so thankful that we have ample food to eat.  Many around the world will go to bed hungry on this very night.  Lord be with them and use me to help them in any way that I can.  I see clothes hampers full of dirty clothes waiting to be washed.  Thank you Lord that we have clothes to wear and so many to choose from.  I see five pairs of shoes that need to be returned to their closets.  Thank you for shoes to cover our feet.  Shoes are something taken for granted in our culture and our day, but I think about the many throughout history and in poor countries today that would consider a single pair of shoes to be a luxury.  Thank you for blessing me with comfortable shoes...may you lead me in your paths of righteousness that I might be a blessing to those in need.  I see toys to be picked up and little messes from my son throughout the house.  Oh God, thank you for the gift of our precious child.  We prayed and prayed a child, and you so graciously answered our prayer in our sweet Eli.  What a joy and a blessing he is.  Thank you that he is healthy and active, spending his days playing with toys and enjoying life.  Thank you for all of the material blessings you have bestoyed on us that he has to play with and we have to enjoy.  I think on the many who have never experienced the joy of having a child and have walked through years or possibly a lifetime of infertility.  I think of the many who have lost children and those who have children suffering from illness and disease.  My heart breaks for them, and I pray even now, Holy Spirit, that you will be their comforter...that you will indeed "restore their soul" (Ps. 23:3) and mend broken hearts.

Thank you for my many blessings, Lord.  I have so much.  I am blessed beyond words and beyond measure.  Thank you, oh God, for my messy house and all the ways it reminds me of your goodness and your grace toward us tonight.

In Jesus Name,
Amen   

If we REALLY believed?

Oh how our lives would look differently if we really believed God. About everything. All the time. Without fail.

As a Bible believing, Spirit filled, born again follower of Jesus, I would proudly profess that I really believe God. I could give you a whole list of things that I believe to be true. I could tell you about my belief in God, Father Son and Holy Spirit. I could tell you how I believe in His Word. That the Bible is the inerrant word of God...perfect and complete in every way. I could tell you about all of the promises of God and spout off scripture after scripture, and surely I believe all of that to be true.

But do I really believe it? I mean, REALLY. Enough to live it. Enough to trust it. Enough to rest in it.

Are you like me, dear Christian? Do you know it and believe it in your head, and so often fail to really believe it in your heart?

I say again, how different our lives would look if we really believed Him. Radically different! Drastically changed! Indeed, we would be a force to be reckoned with.


Here is a little taste of what we would be like if we truly took God at His word...

*We would be fearless! Oh the power of fear in this world. Fear of man, fear of failure, fear of heights, fear of death, fear of illness, fear of tragedy, fear of evil, fear of cockroaches (which I guess should go in the previous category...). How much time and energy we waste on misguided fear! I am preaching to myself here, as fear is my greatest foe against my trust in God. And yet, God is most certainly not silent on this issue. I cannot even count the number of times that God says "fear not" or "do not be afraid".
Isaiah 41:10 says "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Isaiah 43:1-5 says "But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, 'Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior...you are precious in My sight...you are honored and I love you...Do not fear, for I am with you.."

Go back and read that again and this time put your name in place of Jacob and Israel. Do you realize the vastness of this promise? If I truly believed this all the time and took God at His word, this alone would have the power to radically change me. And this is but the tip of the iceberg! If you struggle with fear (as I would suspect we all do at some level), I challenge you to go and look it up. Spend some time with God on this issue. Read His promises that He has given personally to you in His Word. And believe Him. You will not be the same.


*We would pray! From everything that I have learned about God and from God, I am beginning to realize something that is both incredible and overwhelming at the same time. I am beginning to realize just how BIG our God is, and that even my wildest comprehension of His vastness is but a drop in the ocean of the reality of it. God is showing me that He is so much bigger than I give Him credit for. He is all powerful, all knowing, ever present. Everything is His. Everyone is under His Authority. And this God, who is Mighty, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Victorious even over death, invites me to come to Him and pray. "Come," He says, "share your heart with me. Sit and visit. Tell me anything and everything. And no matter what, I will love you. I will help you. I will heal you. I will mend your broken heart. I will provide for you. I will protect you. Ask for ANYTHING in my name and I will give it to you (Jn 14:13)." Wow! What if we really believed that? What if we truly believed that the God of the Universe, possessing every resource and having all power, longed to hear from us and moved in power when we asked Him for things. I suspect that if we truly knew who He was and the incredible power that there is in prayer that we would be a people who prayed a great deal more than we do. Not out of obligation, but out of desperation and desire. That we would spend less time trying to fix things ourselves, talking about things, complaining, etc, and more time praying about them. Not boring, stiff, formal prayer; not "hurry up and pray so I can eat" kind of prayer, but intimate and passionate communication with a Powerful God who hears and responds.

How else would we look different if we always believed Him? We would always trust Him. We would be kept in perfect peace at all times, regardless of the circumstances. We would know that we are loved infinitely more than we can imagine by our Holy God, and freely pour that love out on others. We would bear no shame, but praise Him for the restoration and redemption that we have in Christ. We would love always, rejoice always, forgive always. We would be filled with the fruits of the Spirit, we would serve, we would love the "least of these." Our words would always bless, encourage, edify, and be seasoned with grace. We would build His kingdom instead of building our own. We would expectantly wait for His return and fervently share the Gospel with a lost and dying world. We would worship.

Oh that I could expand on every one of these and more. Some of you are probably surprised that I didn't, knowing how long winded I can be. :) My prayer for you and for me is that we will live like we really believe God. That we will take Him at His Word. That His word will not just be a book of stories and promises and good morals that we believe in our heads, but it would be a powerful, life giving, world altering force. I pray that we as we have a greater revelation of who He is and learn to really believe Him in our hearts, that He will transform us through the power of His Word and His Spirit and that we will be radically different for His Glory.

A Walk To The Park

I have a two year old boy who absolutely loves going to the park.  This spring, our post nap routine has been to load up the stroller, grab the dog, the snack cup, the basketball and all other essential sports items and head out for a walk to the park.  The problem is, sometimes my little man knows just enough that he thinks we are not going to the park after all.  If I turn in a direction that he feels is leading us the wrong way, he will squirm and flail in protest at mom's cruel injustice.  Oh he knows the way to the park alright, and this is not it!  "Go the other way, Mommy, the park is that way!" 

One day in particular, he was none too pleased that Mom seemed to forget that the whole point of our little stroller outings was to get to the park for him to play.  He fussed as I continued to push him further from his desired destination.  I tried reasoning with him..."Buddy, Mommy is taking you to the park, we are just going to make a big loop first.  We're going to walk along the canals and then by the rainbow fountain, but don't worry, we are going to the park."  Fussing continued, now coupled with him wiggling in an attempt for him to break free from his stroller harness.  Reasoning was not working.  A two year old mind cannot always follow the logic of his thirty year old Mama (who of course is very wise and quite profound).  Then I said, "Buddy, you are just going to have to trust Mama."

Ahh, and then it clicked.  Do you ever have those moments where you hear yourself say something, and then you realize that the true lesson is for you?  That is what happened to me in that moment.  In my attempt to teach my son, the Lord taught me.

Plain and simple, the Lord showed me that I have a very simple choice in this life...am I going to choose to trust Him or not?  Trust has nothing to do with the circumstances, and it has nothing to do with understanding all of the details.  I asked my son to trust me solely on the basis of who I am.  He could not understand my reasoning, and all visual evidence to him seemed to portray that I was leading him astray.  Yet, I was asking him to choose to trust me simply because I am Mama.   

In the same way, we are asked to trust God not because we understand the path that He is leading us down or because we can see clearly how all of this is going to play out in "leading us to the park," but rather simply because He is God.  When circumstances do not go the way that you had hoped, when times of waiting seem to stretch on and on with no end in sight, when dreams are dashed to pieces and long time plans are laid waste, will you trust Him "just because He is God?"  The question in those times of disappointment is not "why?"  Often times, we want to ask God why things did not work out the way that we had asked.  But very much like me trying to explain something to my 2 year old that was beyond his comprehension, so our minds can never understand the ways of God.  Isaiah 55:8-9 says, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts."  The question we need to be asking is not why, but rather, "Is my God trustworthy?" 

Throughout the Old Testament, God continually points out His faithfulness in the past to increase the faith of His people in the future.  Over and over again, you will read of God recounting how he led His people out of Egypt and so on.  In essence He is saying, "Remember who I am.  I am God who is faithful.  I am trustworthy, so trust me."  He is immutable, His character never changes.  If He was faithful then, He will be faithful now.  In my own life the same is true.  I can look back on the past 30 years and say, "Yes Lord, You are faithful and You are trustworthy.  You have never let me down, you have never failed me.  And so I will trust you."

Just like I knew that my son wanted to go to the park, so God knows our hearts, our desires, our "intended destinations."  Will you trust Him with those?  If my son had broken free from the stroller, how successful do you think he would have been in making it there himself?  Let's just say I wouldn't wait to find out.  Likewise, I am helpless without God.  All of my attempts to control outcomes myself are futile.  So rather than complaining and whining and kicking and screaming, I will sit back and enjoy the ride.  I will rest in knowing that my trustworthy God is leading the way and "pushing my stroller," and even when the path takes an unexpected turn, I will trust that He knows the best way to get to the park after all.      



Additional Scriptures:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."  ~Proverbs 3:5-6

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." ~Proverbs 16:9

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.  He guides me in paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake.  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." ~Psalm 23

My Basil Plant

God just taught me a lesson through my basil plant. Indeed, the Lord speaks in mysterious ways…He speaks in everything, He is in everything. I love it when God snaps my spiritual eyes and ears in tune with Him, and helps me to see Truth in the world around me. That is what just happened to me a few moments ago.

I was outside watering my tomatoes and checking on my herbs. I have gotten into container gardening this year and cannot tell you how excited I am about it! When checking on my basil, something near the top of my plant caught my attention. I drew close and let out an audible “whoa!” I am not sure if the picture will truly reveal the marvel that stuck out to me. There at the top of the plant, you could see that there were dozens of ity bity basil leaves just waiting to come up! Then, in about an instant God deposited a truth in my heart that I will attempt to convey to you. When God speaks truth to your heart, it is truly an amazing thing. In a Nano second, you just get it. He does not use words; it is as if you just now know something that you did not the instant before. I will try to explain this in words, because unlike the Holy Spirit I cannot deposit truth in your heart, but I pray that through me He will reveal to you the same delightful truth that He just shared with me.

As I stooped down low and looked at the basil plant, I was amazed at just how many basil leaves there were about to come up. I realized that most of the time, I find myself savoring each leaf and not wanting to waste it, feeling as if there are a limited number of leaves that I am about to use up. Looking at all of those baby leaves, it hit me that God was about to bring about more basil leaves than I could count. They are not limited, I do not have to use them so sparingly, God is showing my little basil plant increase. And in my heart, the spiritual truth set in.

This is how God wants to bless me. Not sparingly, but beyond what I can count. He does not just have one blessing for me that I better use well and enjoy. He has blessing upon blessing. He wants to overwhelm me with them! He has so much in store and so much more to come. They are limitless, they are abundant. He is a generous God! In Ephesians, Paul writes, “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.” (Eph 3:20-21) He delights in blessing us, because in doing so it ultimately brings glory to Jesus Christ.

Oh that I will obediently follow Him, that I will love Him wholeheartedly, that I will know Him intimately. Psalm 37:4 says “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” This is not a “how to get what you want from God” type of quote. It cannot be manipulated, for we must remember that God always knows the “thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Heb 4:12). Proverbs 16:2 says “All a man’s ways are innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord.” We cannot pretend to delight in God to get what we want, because He knows our hearts and our motives. But on the other hand, when we truly delight in God, when we long for and seek and desire Him above all else, then we will become like my little basil plant. We will have a plethora of blessings that spring forth so abundantly that we cannot even count them all!

Just to be clear, I am not necessarily speaking of so called earthly blessings…money, beauty, health, a problem free, stress free existence. I am speaking of heavenly blessings. He will give us good things. He will bless us richly. He is our good and generous God!

Oh Lord, thank you that you love to bless me, not because I deserve it, but simply because of who You are! You are the God who has created every Good thing, you create everything beautiful. The glorious magnificence of a beautiful sunset, the heart lifting giggle of a little one, the ever growing depth of true love…all of these are from you, thought up by you, created simply for our enjoyment and for the glory of Your name. Oh Lord, we thank you for the abundance of blessings all around us. Indeed, they are rich. We breathe you in deeply, overwhelmed with gratitude for the extravagant ways that you express Your love toward us. Lord, indeed we delight in You. Not because we long for stuff. You are the prize, You are the greatest blessing. Indeed as the song goes, “As the deer panteth for the water so my soul longeth after Thee. You alone are my heart’s desire and I long to worship Thee.” We love you, Jesus, thank you for the blessing of life that is found in You alone. We love You, Father, thank You for being a God who has created such beauty and so generously pours out your blessings on us. We love you, Holy Spirit, thank you for revealing Your truth to us in all things, including a little pot of basil. You are a magnificent God, and I am so honored that you have chosen me to know you. I am humbled. I love you Lord, thank you for loving me first! In Jesus name, Amen.