"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:9
Corrie Ten Boom said, “Every
experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives, is perfect
preparation for the future only He can see.”
It’s easy to look at this quote and think about the good experiences and
how those have prepared us for future events.
But it’s hard when the experience God gives us is a hard one – one where
we find ourselves in a valley of grief, loss, and heartache.
It goes against our understanding to imagine blessings coming from
difficult times, but they most definitely can.
These blessings won’t be immediately visible and it may take some time
before you fully understand why God allowed you to walk through the valley –
but His “ways are higher” and His “thoughts are higher” (Isaiah 55:9). AND God will be there to walk the valley with
you; going before you every step of the way (Deuteronomy 31:8).
God is a good, good Father, full of compassion,
mercy, and grace and even the hard experiences He gives us are preparation for
the future only He can see. Remember - He knows the plans He has for us (Jeremiah 29:11) and He works all things together for His good (Romans 8:28)!
Abba Father –
thank you that Your blessings come from raindrops, Your healing through tears, and
that the trials of our lives are Your mercies in disguise. Claim Philippians 4:8 today and think of all the true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and
praiseworthy things He has blessed you with!
We are pressed on every side
by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to
despair. We
are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are
not destroyed. – 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
This is definitely a ridiculous
thought, but what if God gave up on us? Where
would our hope lie? Who would we turn to
for help? How would we make it through
each day? I don’t even want to ponder on
that thought for too long…it’s much too scary.
Thank goodness none of that is true.
Thank goodness our hope is in God (Psalm 62:5) and His Son, Jesus
(Hebrews 6:19)! Thank goodness we can
turn to Him in our time of need (Philippians 4:19)! Thank goodness He’s with us every moment of
our life (Isaiah 41:10)! Not for a
moment will He forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6).
God will never give up on us!
But what if we gave up on
God? Wait….shut the door….hold the
phone….and say that again?! Sounds
crazy, right?! I mean, how can we give
up on God…the One who has loved, provided, and sustained us in our day to day
life? Sadly, there are many individuals
out there today who are doing just that.
God doesn’t give them what they want, provide when they need it, show up
when they ask, and so they just up and say “Forget it, God, I’m through.” They turn to other religions and others to no
religion at all. God wasn’t who they
thought He was. It’s heart-wrenching to
watch people reject God, use His name in vain and change their lifestyle to one
that isn’t God-honoring. And if I think
it’s heart-wrenching, imagine what God thinks.
I don’t even want to ponder on that thought too long…it’s much too sad.
We are a most undeserving
people. Undeserving of His grace,
undeserving of His mercy, and undeserving of His love; and yet, He gives it ALL
to us anyway. Through our hard and
confusing times, He is with us…holding our hand every step of the way. God is a giving God, but He’s not going to be
“Big ‘Ole Papa Bear” and spoon-feed us our every wish and desire. We are going to have hard times and we are
going to face challenges, however, God won’t abandon us (2 Corinthians 4:8-9) AND
He won’t give up on us while we try to figure out those challenges (Psalm 46:1). We may make wrong decisions and there may be
consequences from God regarding those wrong decisions, but He will still be
with us during those consequences, teaching and molding us to be more like Him.
I think a perfect example of
this is Moses and the children of Israel who traveled in the wilderness for 40
years before they ever got to the Promised Land. I have a strong feeling that somewhere in
the twenty-third year many began to wonder if God was even looking out for them. I’m sure some just wanted to throw in the
towel and follow someone else besides God.
Here they were…twenty-three years into this journey and still
NOTHING. Moses writes that the people of
Israel “complained and said, ‘The Lord
must hate us. That’s why he has brought
us here from Egypt – to hand us over to the Amorites to be slaughtered.’” But Moses, as God’s messenger, said to them, “Don’t be shocked or afraid of them! The Lord your God is going ahead of you. He will fight for you just as you saw him do
in Egypt. And you saw how the Lord your
God cared for you all along the way as you traveled through the wilderness, just
as a father cares for his child.” That
wasn’t enough for the children of Israel; they griped and complained some more
and basically didn’t believe God was going to do anything which made God very
angry. Moses tells them, “When the Lord heard your complaining, he
became very angry. So he solemnly swore,
‘Not one of you from this wicked generation will live to see the good land I
swore to give your ancestors.”
(Deuteronomy 1:26-40)
God gave the people of Israel
what they needed at that certain time in their journey, but it wasn’t good
enough for them and they definitely let God know that. They kinda/sorta gave up on Him. God wasn’t going to give up on His people and
He still loved them, but He had to give them a consequence for their actions…as
any father would do. The consequence was
that they wouldn’t get to see the Promised Land, only their descendents would. This consequence, I’m sure, taught the
children of Israel a very valuable lesson – don’t question God’s commands and
instructions. Obey Him and follow
Him. He
knows the plans for His people and will reveal them in His time (Ecclesiastes
3:11). He expects that of us too…we are,
after all, His children as well.
We are loved and valued by the
Creator of the very world…think about that for a moment! As our Creator, He is also our Father and we
must respect His commands and trust His purpose for our lives. It may seem like things aren’t happening the
way we want them to happen and it may seem like hard times are chasing us like
a cat chases a mouse, but through every. single. moment. God is there.
God’s not giving up on us, so let’s
not give up on Him!
Scripture verses used in this post:
Psalm
62:5- “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.”
Hebrews
6:19- “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and
secure.”
Philippians
4:19- “And my God will meet all your needs according to the
riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
Isaiah
41:10- “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.”
Deuteronomy
31:6- “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified
because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you
nor forsake you."
2 Corinthians 4:8-9- “We are pressed on every side by
troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to
despair. We are
hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not
destroyed.”
Psalm 46:1- “God is
our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
Ecclesiastes
3:11- “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also
set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from
beginning to end.”
“I keep the Lord
before me always. Because He is close by
my side, I will not be hurt.” – Psalm 16:8
Snowpocalypse
2014 (the name for the South’s crazy snow/ice storm) will be one for the record
books. Kids stuck overnight in schools,
interstates turned into parking lots, people welcoming strangers into their
homes for food and warmth, and lots and lots of snow and ice…these are the
takeaways from these crazy few couple of days here in the South. It’s been crazy to read all the posts and see
all the pictures from my friends in Birmingham/Hoover and Atlanta. Many people were separated from their loved
ones for over 24 hours…how crazy! I had a
good amount of snow and ice where I live too, but I live in an area that sees
this kind of weather every so often….Birmingham, not so much.
An interstate in Birmingham....a casualty of the 2014 Snowpocalypse.
I’m sure as many
people slid on ice or were stranded on the interstate for 20+ hours God was
hearing a lot of these kinds of prayers, “God, stay with me and please don’t
let me get hurt!” David (although he
wasn’t in a snowstorm) could relate to these people because he said in his
psalm, “I keep the Lord before me
always. Because he is close by my side,
I will not be hurt” (Psalm 16:8). David
knew that with the Lord’s provision and protection, everything would be
okay. How sweet it is that as believers
in Christ we are able to have this knowledge that our God goes with us, and
stays close beside us.
God is SO
gracious to give us the things we need…protection, peace, love, and the list
goes on and on; but we must remember that we need to give Him things He
deserves too and those include worship, thanksgiving, love, trust, and that
list goes on and on. In fact David asks
God for protection and couples that with the fact that he has placed his trust
in Him, “Protect me, God, because I trust
in you” (Psalm 16:1). When we place
our trust in and give thanksgiving to God, He will give us the protection,
peace, safety, and help we need.
This blog
post wouldn’t have been so personal until just a few hours ago, however, as I
realized just how much this verse and message means to me today. On our way home tonight, we crossed an
intersection after our light turned green.
When we made it halfway through the intersection, we heard a loud bang
behind us. A car had run their red light
and crashed head-on into the car that was directly behind us. We were literally one second away from being
hit and totaling our car. But, “He [was] close by our side, [and we were] not hurt.” Thank you,
God. Immensely.
Situations
like what I experienced tonight or like the snowpocalypse will arise again in life
and we must not let our worries or fears grip us in those moments. We must remember that our God is before us
always and will be close to our side every step of the way. In those moments, He is all you need. Believe Him, thank Him, and trust Him.
David said
it best, “The Lord is all I need. He takes care of me” (Psalm 16:5). No matter what the circumstance…even a
snowpocalypse…He will do just that.
See,
I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making
a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. – Isaiah 43:19
Talk about a new thing!As you
can see by visiting the blog today, things have most definitely changed!After a couple of years or so of the previous
design, I felt it was time to change things up.Remember, I’m part graphic designer so I can’t stay with the monotony of
a design for too long…it’s just not my nature...ha ha!I’d say this qualifies as a drastic change in scenery!I hope you like it…I felt it was very
representative of me :)
There are so many NEW things that God is doing in my life and in those
around me.People are moving into new
phases of life…school, new jobs, marriage, kids, and the list goes on and
on.My church is moving into new phases
of ministry, one being our brand new children’s building that will be opening
very soon.Finally, I am beginning to
see God open new doors of service to Him.It’s truly an exciting time!
Isaiah 43:19 says, "See, I am
doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way
in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." I love this verse because
it shows us as believers that no matter what is going on in our wilderness or
wasteland, God is will make all things work together for our good (Romans
8:28).It shows us He will provide and
that there will be a light at the end of our long, dark tunnel.What a relief that He promises to bring us
out of our wilderness!
That brings to mind my pastor’s summer-long sermon series called Finding Your Way in the Wilderness.This series has focused on the life of David
and his time in the wilderness fleeing from Saul.It’s been really eye-opening to connect the experiences
of David to things that are going on in my own life.Look at this time of David’s life…he spent so
many years on the run from Saul.To
David, his wilderness had to seem so vast.There were times that he lost his sanity, hope, and trust.Yet God had a NEW thing prepared for him!How could David have ever dreamed that he
would be the King of Israel after being chased and almost killed by Saul?How could he have ever fathomed that he would
be an ancestor of the Messiah, Jesus Christ?See, God did a new thing!He made
all things work together for David’s good and provided a way through his wilderness.
If you are interested in hearing these sermons, please visit my church’s media webpage
by clicking here.
Stuck in the wilderness?Spending time in a wasteland?Take heart!God has a new thing
ready for you and He will make it clear to you…in His time.Spend time in the Word, talk to God
continuously, and seek His Will.All of
these are ways that God will make this NEW thing known to you.Maybe you’ve waited your whole life for this
new thing.Maybe this new thing isn’t
what you will expect it will be.Maybe
this new thing is out of your comfort zone.Maybe this new thing will call you someplace else.Whatever the case, God is going to provide
for you…bank on it.
God will make a way where there
seems to be no way, He works in ways we cannot see, He will make a way for
me.He will be my guide, hold me closely
to His side, with love and strength for each new day, He will make a way.God will make a way!
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and
courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1:9
So this blog is a little different.Recently a new group called The
Love & the Outcome came out with a song called “He is With Us.”I absolutely love this song!I’m pretty sure it will be one of my song
anthems :)Anyway…I have put the lyrics as part of this
blog and have put some personal reflections about this day one year ago in
between.At the end of the blog will be
a link to the YouTube video of the song.Please listen to it and pray that these words will touch the hearts of
the Lynam and Winstead families today.Be blessed.
Remember
when your hope is lost and faith is shaken
Remember when you wonder if you're gonna make it
There's a hand stretched out through your deepest doubt
We can't pretend to see the ending or what's coming up ahead
To know the story of tomorrow
But we can stay close to the One who knows
One year ago.I remember.Two friends of mine lost their sons on this
day one year ago.Two boys full of
life, love, and spunk.Two boys who were
pretty close buds.Two friends who were
celebrating a birthday and a fun holiday.Lives cut short in the blink of an eye.I’ll never forget the phone call I got from another mutual friend who
told me what all had happened – I didn’t believe it, in fact, I had her repeat it
twice just in case I wasn’t hearing it right.It was a surreal phone call, one I hope I never hear again.That pales in comparison, however, to the
reality of what my friends went through one year ago day.Over the that next week and throughout this past
year, I have watched as my friends and their families grieved the loss of these
boys.One year ago it was hard.One year ago we did wonder if we would make
it.
We can trust our God
He knows what He's doing
Though it might hurt now
We won't be ruined
It might seem there's an ocean in between
But He's holding on to you and me
And He's never gonna leave, no
He is with us, He is with us
Always, always
He is with us, He is with us
Always
I have never seen people live out the chorus of this song than the
families of these boys.To have your
boys taken from you in such a tragic way and to come out from it stronger in
your faith and love – that takes courage and so much trust in God.It has been so inspiring over the past year to
see these families grow in their faith in Jesus.They are true testaments to placing your
trust fully and solely in God and letting Him guide your life.Yes, there have been days that were harder
than others, but the families made it through them.I’ll never forget hearing Joshua 1:9 prayed
over these families before the boys’ funeral began.It says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and
courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”These families have taken this verse to
heart.They have exuded strength and
courageousness this past year, even in the midst of so much loss and God has
been/continues to be with them every single step of the way.
We believe there is purpose, there is meaning in everything
We surrender to His leading
He wants nothing more than to have us close
I miss Nate and Noah.When I’m
teaching missions in AWANA, I half expect them to be sitting in the back of the
room, one of them listening intently and the other one cutting up :)Noah’s mom and I have a desk next to each
other at work and so I would often see him there.In fact the last time I saw him was at work making a paper clip chain
(of which I now keep on the wall next to my desk).I have such sweet memories of the boys and I’m
so thankful for that.One of the verses
of this song says “We believe there is
purpose, there is meaning in everything.”How in the world can there be purpose and meaning in the loss of these
boys?I can’t answer that – only God
can, but I’ve seen kids come to know Jesus through this situation.I’ve seen people recommit their lives to Him
because of this.Many around the world
watched their funeral and heard the Truth.I’ve also seen individuals be inspired to “Live Like That” and they
have.Nate and Noah have inspired so
many…they have truly left a legacy that will never be forgotten!
Our
faith is sealed
Our hope is real
Come what may
We're not afraid
Our faith is sealed
Our hope is real
Come what may
We're not afraid
We're not afraid
I think for many of us, our faith and hope has grown as a result of
what happened.What Satan intended for
hurt and anger, God intended for us to grow in our hope and trust in Him. I wish beyond wish that it didn’t have to be
through this situation, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned through this it’s
that God is God and I am not.I pray for
many of you that your faith is sealed.That’s definitely what Nate & Noah would have wanted for you…to know
that Jesus loves you, died for you, and wants you to have His gift of
everlasting life.Following Jesus is really
as easy as “ABC.”A- Admit to God that
you are a sinner.B- Believe that Jesus
is your Savior and that He died for your sins.C- Confess to others that Jesus is the Lord of your life.Live
Like That!Give Jesus all your
life!Surrender it all to HIM!Even though they were little boys, Nate and
Noah made this extremely important decision to believe in and accept Christ and
because of that, we as believers will get to rejoice with them and Jesus in
heaven when God calls us there.
We
can trust our God
Always, always
We can trust our God
Always, always
I am so proud of you Lynam and Winstead families.Your lives, through this loss, have shown
such strength and trust in God.I pray
these lyrics will be the lyrics of your entire lives and I know they are – “We can trust our God – Always.”I’m so blessed to have known your boys.I’m so thankful to know you guys.Each day you are covered in prayer by so
many.Each day the boys are always
remembered.Each day, because of them,
people are inspired to live their lives to the fullest, trust God, and never
give up.
We
can trust our God
He knows what He's doing
Though it might hurt now
We won't be ruined
It might seem there's an ocean in between
But He's holding on to you and me
And He's never gonna leave, no
He is with us, He is with us
Always, always
He is with us, He is with us
Always, always
He is with us, He is with us
Always, always
He is with us, He is with us
Always
Our God is with us
God was with us one year ago today, He is with us today, and He will be
with us each day from here on out.We
can trust Him, ALWAYS.Listen to this
song below and pray these words for the families today.Remembering, Praying, and Trusting…
