{God, where are You}

As most of you may have noticed, my blog hasn't been updated in some time.

I could come up with a list of reasons; I had too much on my plate, classes were taking over, I needed time with friends.

But truthfully, this is the real reason: I couldn't find God.

I felt like God was no longer speaking to me; there was nothing being laid on my heart. All I found was silence. No huge revelation, no light bulb over my head. There was no 'still small voice.'

I'm surrounded, every day, by followers of Christ, yet I felt like I was the only one missing out on Him.

God, where are You?


I remember once in fourth grade, waiting outside on the curb after the final bell. My father was supposed to pick me and my sister up from school. Darkness would be coming soon; we still waited. Hours later, it was my mother who pulled up next to the curb, relieved to find us in the same spot that we had been for hours. In our minds, we were confident that our father would come. Somehow, we still had faith in him.

The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years, waiting.

The Jews waited, and are still waiting, for their Messiah.

Wrapped up in waiting is a sense of perceived abandonment, being forgotten, not feeling important enough to be remembered..we've all experienced and dealt with these kinds of feelings.

And it is during these times that God responds:

Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.

(Genesis 28:15, ESV)

Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.

(Deuteronomy 31:6, ESV)

That was the revelation that I was searching for, that my heart was seeking out. Sure, I've read those verses countless times, but it always seems that they take on new meaning when your heart needs to soak it in, when you're at the end of a road with no answers.

My revelation: these past two months, God has been closer than He has ever been.

He endures our struggles, our crazy schedules, our broken hearts, our times of rebellion, because He loves us.

We will not be forsaken in the wilderness, no matter how unstable and unsure things may seem. Our Messiah has come, and He is walking with us, step by step, holding us when we stumble and reassuring our hearts that we are not alone.

How badly I needed to hear these words.

I pray that they would root themselves in your heart and offer you encouragement and hope when you feel like you're walking through your wilderness, waiting. God is near, Christ is here. We will never walk alone.

Blessings,

A.

{in loss, there is hope}

Good Morning everyone.

I pray that you're having a blessed week, wherever you may be. I'm sure many of you are aware of the devastating impact that the tornadoes have had on much of the country these past few days (particularly in Joplin, Missouri and parts of Oklahoma and Texas).

It breaks my heart. Lives are being lost, homes are being ruined.

But in all of this loss, there is hope. And that hope is found in Christ.

With so much heartache going on around the nation, I ask you this: What are you doing to make a difference? Whether it be prayer, or hands on help, we are called to be there for those who cannot make it on their own.

Property of Aysha Gerald

Across the world, people are crying out for help, but here in our own country, we can soften the burden.

As we call on the name of Jesus for the fallen, the sick, the hungry, the hurt and the heartbroken, lives will be changed. Scripture says that as we do for these, we do for Him.

What a beautiful thought.

Today, I challenge you to pray. If you are unable to help the areas that have fallen, pray for those who can't find the words to speak, pray for those who are suffering.

Our brothers and sisters need us.

This post is linked to Ann Voskamp's...

Linked to Internet Cafe Devotions...

 And also linking to: http://www.goodmorninggirls.org

Blessings,

{blessed are those who mourn}

Psalm 30:5 -- Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

Early this morning, a member of the Cornerstone community passed away.

Ryan Davis.

It is with a heavy heart that I ask for prayers, both for the Davis family and the community at Cornerstone University as well.

Although I didn't know him well, I did feel the warmth of his smile as he passed on campus. His love for the students will carry on through the years, for it has made an impact on everyone.

As people grieve over this loss, there is also hope laced within. We will see Ryan again, whether our time on earth ends sooner than we had wished, or when we are all taken to be with our Lord again.

Matthew 5:4 -- Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Friends, it is my prayer that we would remember that every moment on this earth is a gift from God. Let us not waste it on the things of this world, but let us press hard towards our goal.

We are not promised tomorrow, but our hope is eternal.

Revelation 21:4 -- He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

Blessings and prayers today,

Praise in Blessing, Praise in Suffering

I was awoken this morning at 5:30 AM. With it being a Saturday, and only getting about 4 hours of sleep, I wondered why I was awake.

After about an hour of not being able to go back to sleep, I laid in bed, thinking. Why is it so hard for us to praise God in times of blessing, as well as times of suffering?

I put on the Christian music channel on TV and began to read my morning devotions.

One of the first things that I read was about Daniel, and his persistence to God while in the lion’s den. In the most troubling circumstances of his life, he chose to pray to God, to thank him for all He is and all He has done. Imagine that. Even in the most dire circumstances, he still called out to God’s Holy name. It didn’t take him receiving good news to praise God; he did it without fail.

Lately, I find that if my life is going the way that I want, I don’t call out to God anymore. I’ve become trapped by my own selfishness and I forget that everything I have been blessed with, came from the hand of God Himself. He could take it all away from me in an instant, simply because I wasn’t appreciative of what I have, or because I didn’t thank Him or honor His name for bearing those blessings. I wonder, if He took it all away, would I still praise Him?

Maybe you’ve heard of Job. The man who had it all and in a split second, it was gone. His family, his crop, his livestock, his health. Job had a horrible suffering poured out on him, and even he still chose to praise God.

My life hasn’t always been a steady road. True, it’s never been threatened, I’ve never been thrown into a lion’s den, and I’ve never had to suffer the way that Job did, but I’ve gone through my own battles and wars. I need to remember my times of suffering and cherish them. Weird, right? Not so much. In praising God through my sufferings, as well as the blessings, I can thank Him through all. We are given a choice. The one choice that will decide our eternal futures: life or death. And it all stems from blessings and curses. We are blessed beyond measure, even when we feel like we have little to be grateful for, and it’s in these times of uncertainty that we should cling to God, that much more. In doing so, we are choosing to trust God, with everything we are and everything that we have..which will one day lead us to eternal life.

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 — Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

We have so much to live for, and following, praising and serving God should not only be during our times of blessing, but in the times of stress, suffering or distress as well. To thank Him for what He has given, and what He has taken away, because it’s in His divine plan.

I will be the first person to say that I don’t thank God enough for all He does, and this morning was a reminder of that.

My goal is to keep God on my mind, at all times. To remember that I’ve been blessed beyond what any man could measure. I won’t overlook my times of suffering; I will cherish them, because I know that there is a light (a blessing) at the end of that trial.

And through it all, God is standing by my side, with His hand outstretched, saying, “My child, the one that I hold dear, I’m here. Have faith in me, and when your blessings come, and they surely will, remember that it was I that pulled you through your sufferings.”

Thank God for your blessings and thank God for your suffering. Praise His name through it all.

Blessings,

A.