august 26th

"Trust Me in the midst of a messy day.  Your inner calm--your Peace in My Presence--need not be shaken by what is going on around you.  Though you live in this temporal world, you innermost being is rooted and grounded in eternity.  When you start to feel stressed, detach yourself from the disturbances around you.  Instead of desperately striving to maintain order and control in you little world, relax and remember that circumstances cannot touch My Peace.

Seek My Face, and I will share My mind with you, opening your eyes to see things from My perspective.  Do not let your heart be troubled, and do not be afraid.  The Peace I give is sufficient for you."

--Today, from Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young

Lord, make Yourself strong in my weakness, my peace does not feel peaceful--give me Your peace Lord.  Part of my heart is missing, overwhelm it with Your love.  I feel empty, I feel weak, I feel lost, and yet I feel this weird strength, this weird hope--an erie strength beyond my tears and this weakened body.  Lord, why have You given me this so quickly, while my eyes still sting and tears still fall, while my heart still aches?  Lord, you are so merciful.  How undeserving of this love and comfort, I am.  You have given me a supernatural trust, my hope is firmly rooted in You, Lord, in the eternal.

Obedience is the answer.

Obedience is the answer.  I've been ignoring You.  I've been disregarding Your voice.  I've heard and not obeyed, thought I knew what was best.  I forfeit all of what I want to You Lord. I lay surrendered at Your feet, awaiting Your direction, Your divine guidance, Lord.  You have been merciful to me, when I don't deserve it.  You have blessed me beyond belief and now taken the thing I was holding on to, too tightly away in order to teach me a lesson.  My lesson, my call is to obedience.  It's simple, and You gave me ample opportunity to choose You, choose goodness, and righteousness, choose holiness, and yet I did not.  In my humanity and passions I chose 'my way', I chose what I wanted, verses what You want for me.

"How much more do you want to give good gifts to those who love you?"  What does it take?  It takes being forced to let go of the thing that you love, the idol that being put in a place that God should occupy.  Lord, what You have begun You will make complete, You will finish the race, the battle is won, and the the victory is Yours!  In the midst of this hurt, this sorrow, this sadness and pain, I know that You are here.  You are with me and in me and working all of these things out for my good and Your glory.

Stepping back, looking at the situation, I am thankful and grateful for the God of the universe, not allowing me to proceed in such a way.  I do not want my life to be lived in the weakness of sin, but in the power of God.  I am a sinner, it's inescapable, but I have the Savior of the World with me, and working inside of me, helping me, guiding me, growing me closer to Himself, and what He desires for me; so that my life might be honoring and glorifying to Him.  Lord, You continue to rescue me from my circumstances and myself, thank you for reminding me of who You are and how much I need You, and that You need to be at the center of my life.  Even if You are second in a line of a billion, I have not placed You in Your rightful position.  'Everything was made in You, breathe of every living thing, everything was made for You'--Lord I surrender this life to You, for whom it is purposed, may You continue to work and use my life for You and Your purposes and Your glory, even though it will be painful and confusing at times.  Ultimately I know You, I know who You are and what You want; please mold the desires of my heart to want what You want and heed Your word, may Your will be done.

new creation

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."  2 Cor. 5:17-21

His hands.

He's got the whole world in his hands.