Unless I Had Believed...

Christmas just came and went, seemingly so quickly! I hope you had a great Christmas with family and friends! Mine was wonderful.

It's comical to me how after Christmas Day is over, people are immediately counting down the days until Christmas of the next year. Speaking of, as of now we have about 362 days and 14 hours until next Christmas.

I wonder why? Maybe it's because Christmas is a time of hope, of celebration, of believing. And quite honestly, our world continues to throw at us reasons not to hope, not to celebrate, not to believe.

I can't help but wonder what the people of God were thinking and feeling before Jesus, the Messiah, their long-awaited Savior, came into the world. For centuries they waited. Centuries! Did they still have hope? Did they find anything to celebrate? Did they still believe the Messiah would still come one day?

I'll be honest, I have a hard time holding onto hope and continuing to believe God will answer a prayer or fulfill His promises after only a few short weeks. I can't imagine being one of the people waiting for the Messiah for years upon years upon years! I'm afraid I would have given up all hope & just started believing that God had forgotten me or was punishing me by leaving me in my miserable state.

The reality is that we're going to believe something. The question is, what do you believe in times that seem hopeless, when you see absolutely nothing good happening, when the world tempts you to quit believing in goodness, to quit believing in God? Do you believe God's promises, or do you believe that nagging voice that speaks against everything Scripture and faith say are true?

One of my favorite Scriptures that I cling to in hard times is Psalm 27:13-14:
"I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD." (NASB)

I can't imagine where I'd be without Jesus in my life and without God's words of truth to give me hope and help me keep believing. And I can't imagine what I'd do without friends who help me keep hoping and believing. These are entirely gifts of God's grace for which I am eternally grateful, and they're available to us all.

Worthy of All Praise

What speaks to you of God's greatness and majesty?
As for me, it's nature. And particularly the sky.
It's also Christian music.
Mix them together and I'm in Heaven. :)

One of my new favorite songs is one that's actually been around awhile but has been re-recorded in a new edition:
"How Great is Our God (World Edition)" by Chris Tomlin

Not only does it have the original words in English, it also includes these other languages: Hindi, Indonesian, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, Zulu, Africaans, and Mandarin.

Listening to this song, I can't help but think of these words of Revelation in the Bible which talk about the end of time when people from every nation and tribe will worship God:

"After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a mighty shout, 'Salvation comes from our God on the throne and from the Lamb!' And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell face down before the throne and worshiped God. They said, 'Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and forever. Amen!'" Revelation 7:9-12

God just leaves me speechless sometimes. This is one of those times. There's no limit to His greatness and even our best words of praise and thanksgiving to Him can't begin to express this. I love Him so much!

Name above all names
Worthy of all praise
My heart will sing
How great is our God

Not Chosen... Or Am I?

Ugh. I am so tired of being single!! Seriously, I’m beginning to question whether there is anyone out there for me.

But what’s so bad about that? Why can’t I just be content being single?

It would be fine, except for the uncomfortable underlying sense that I’m not wanted. Not loved. Not chosen.

And yet, as a friend pointed out a few days ago, my perspective is so not the perspective of others. In her eyes, she instead sees me as someone who knows she is chosen and is waiting for the man God has chosen for her, rather than settling for someone else.

The Bible also tells me my perspective is not God’s perspective. God says I am loved. He believes I am beautiful in every way. I am His. He has chosen me.

Not only do friends and the Bible remind me of the truth, but God has also given me a precious dog as a companion to remind me. If I’ve ever questioned whether God loves me, sees me, or has chosen me, I now know He does because I’ve seen it through my dog, Tipper.



Sweet Tipper loves to love me. His favorite place to be in sitting in my lap, laying his head on my stomach and looking up at me. Every moment he’s awake, he’s intently watching me. He doesn’t take his eyes off of me. He is enthralled with me. He loves me, and I know it because he shows me.

Tipper’s been in my life for about 5 years, but it’s only recently that I’ve begun to see his love for me as an expression of God’s true and extravagant love for me. Maybe because I’ve been asking God to show me how much he loves me. Praying for God to satisfy me with his unfailing love so I can again be content and joyful, rather than discontent and always longing for more.

“The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.” Psalm 45:1

“All beautiful you are, my darling; there is no flaw in you.” Song of Solomon 4:7

“…You are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you.” Isaiah 43:4

“I have loved you with an everlasting love…” Jeremiah 31:3

“How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!” Psalm 139:17

“…You are the God who sees me.” Genesis 16:13

“…You are…chosen…royal…holy…God’s very own possession…” 1 Peter 2:9

With one look, Tipper’s eyes express all these things to me – different facets of God’s love for me, without even a word.

And no longer do I need to question whether I am chosen. Whether God sees and cares. Whether I am loved. It is clear. Thank you, God.

If you’re struggling with some of the same questions I have been, I pray that God would give you little revelations of His love for you too. Through pets, friends, and His very personal words to you in the Bible. You are very loved. Wanted. Chosen. LOVED. WANTED. AND CHOSEN.

Beneath the Surface

I just spent a few hours with my friend Teri. In the course of our conversation, we talked about dry ground. Friends we know are experiencing “dry ground” in their lives right now. The two of us in our own ways have experienced dry ground in our lives recently too.

But unlike we frequently think, though we only see dry ground, that does not mean nothing is happening. There’s a lot going on beneath the surface, things that we can’t perceive or imagine.

Maybe you’re in a place of dry ground right now. God’s not speaking nor is He making His presence known. Be encouraged that God is doing a beautiful work below the surface of your dry ground.

Did you know there was a period of 400 years in which the people of God heard nothing from God? The prophets had no more messages to deliver to the people because God was not speaking. The people had heard the prophecies of a coming Messiah, the promised Deliverer of God’s people. And yet, where was He? Where was this Hope of the World? Talk about incredibly dry ground – not hearing from God for centuries, nor seeing the fulfillment of God’s promises. And then…

Then Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One, the long-awaited Deliverer of God’s people, came into the world. “[He] grew up in the LORD’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground” (Isaiah 53:2).

Earlier in the prophecies of Isaiah, the prophet wrote this about the coming Messiah:

“Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot – yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

He will delight in obeying the LORD. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay. He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked. He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment.” (Isaiah 11:1-5)

When this promised Deliverer, Jesus, came He was such a breath of refreshment and new life for those who had prepared their hearts for Him, who were ready to receive the Promise.

As we look toward the season of Christmas, at the end of the month we’ll enter a season called Advent. Advent is a period of preparation and expectancy, when we’re watching and preparing for the coming of our Deliverer.

If you’re weary and wondering if the promises of God will ever be fulfilled in your life, hold fast. God’s promises will always, always, always be fulfilled.Let this dry time be a season of preparation for you, a time to wait expectantly for the coming of God’s promises fulfilled.

You are dearly loved, and God working something beautiful beneath the surface of your dry ground.

“If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place.” Habakkuk 2:3

God's Intervention in a Place of Longing

When we're seeking God in trials, God will answer our cries for help and will intervene, but sometimes his intervention is not what we expected or were hoping for.

Sometimes his intervention comes as a testing of our faith. In trials, we're "thirsty" and longing for satisfaction and to feel better, but he often allows a "drought" and for our "thirsts" and longings to go unsatisfied for a while so he can do a greater work in our lives.

What does it mean for God to test our faith?

It seems that he wants to see whether we'll turn to him in the drought or whether we'll try to find water and satisfaction elsewhere. He wants us to answer the question, "Do I really believe that God is enough, that he satisfies all my thirsts and longings, even and especially as situations continue to prove unsatisfying and disappointing?"

Whatever we believe is what we will act upon. If I really believe God is enough for me, then I will live like it. I won't continually be chasing after other things for satisfaction because my satisfaction and contentment will be found in him.

When I'm looking for satisfaction and contentment outside of God, I will feel like what I have is never enough; BUT if I'm looking for satisfaction and contentment in him, then no matter how my heart has felt - all the discomfort, pain, and longing - those things will be washed away, overpowered by the wave of realization that God is more than enough for me.

"In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength." Isaiah 30:15

"...Those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing." Psalm 34:10

To See the World Be Changed

Throughout this year, I've been writing weekly devotionals for my church, talking about various ways we can experience more of God's power in our lives. Each week, I focus on one of five different areas: Prayer, Outreach, God's Word, Expectancy (expecting God to show up), and Relationships.

This week's focus is on outreach, and it's one of my favorites because of what God's been doing in my mind & heart lately, so I thought I'd share with you.

P.O.W.E.R. Point

Experiencing More of God's Power in 2011

+ Outreach +

I will live
To carry Your compassion
To love a world that's broken
To be Your hands and feet
I will give
With the life that I've been given
And go beyond religion
To see the world be changed
By the power of Your name

Lyrics from “The Power of Your Name” by Lincoln Brewster

Lord, break my heart for the things that break your heart. Recently, I’ve prayed this as God’s been opening my eyes and heart in new ways to the needs of the poor, oppressed and marginalized of our world. It began with understanding the balance Jesus lived in his relationships – UP (God), IN (family & friends), and OUT (the world) – which is his model for us as His followers.

Recently, God has reinforced His call for me to live my faith OUT in the world like Jesus did through a friend, a song, and a book—a friend with a heart of compassion for those in need… the song above… and an eye-opening book called The Hole in our Gospel by Richard Stearns, president of World Vision.

Did you know that…

*In America, the average income is $38,611 per person, or about $105 per day, while 40% of the world’s population lives on less than $2 per day

*22,000 children die each day due to poverty

*About 1.1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to water and 2.6 billion lack basic sanitation

*Every year there are 350–500 million cases of malaria, with 1 million fatalities, not to mention fatalities from other infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS

Statistics taken from: http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats

These statistics are just the beginning. In America, we’ve been given so much. Most of us have all our needs met and have extra for luxuries such as an iPhone, tickets to football games, or the occasional Starbucks coffee (yes, I’m guilty of this one!).

What if, however, God has entrusted us with what we have not to keep it all for ourselves but to share with others in need?

I want my life to count for God. I don’t want to sit idly watching from a distance those in need suffering without or enduring injustice. I want to see the world be changed by the power of God’s name, as the song above says. But I believe that it’s not going to happen by my sitting on the sidelines. It’s going to happen as each of us steps out into the world in faith and calls on Jesus’ power.

“…I will reveal my name to my people, and they will come to know its power…” Isaiah 52:6 (NLT)

On the Giving End of Hope

I don’t like to ask for help. I like handling things on my own, especially if asking for help would be putting me in a place of vulnerability. Yes, I still tend to be prideful in this way and worry too much about what people will think.

Recently, however, I’ve been reminded of the beauty of reaching out and asking for help.

I’ve been on the giving end of help. And hope.

We often think that having a need and having to ask for help shows weakness. In reality, however, asking for help is a sign of incredible strength. It shows humility, authenticity, and trust in God to meet our need. Beautiful.

When we are without hope, we turn our eyes to the only true Hope-giver: Jesus Christ. And we also look to the people in our life who are instruments of God’s hope. If it weren’t for people with us in the hard times, loving and caring for us, and showing us the hope we have in Jesus, where would we be?

I’m so thankful for the people God has put in my path to help me when I’m fallen.

Here’s to those special people in my life. Thank you for being there for me in my hardest times.

And here’s to those special people who have reached out to me for help and hope. Thank you for reminding me that true strength is in reaching out for help!

May God continue to bless us with special friends who laugh & cry with us, speak Truth over our lives, pray for us, and let us borrow their faith when ours is so little.

“More Than You’ll Ever Know” by Watermark

Something brought you to my mind today
I thought about the funny ways you make me laugh
And yet I feel like it's okay to cry with you
Something about just being with you
When I leave I feel like I've been near God
And that's the way it ought to be...

CHORUS:
'Cause you've been more than a friend to me
You fight off my enemies
'Cause you've spoken the Truth over my life
And you'll never know what it means to me
Just to know you've been on your knees for me
Oh, you have blessed my life
More than you'll ever know, yeah, yeah, yeah
More than you'll ever know, yeah, yeah, yeah

You had faith, when I had none
You prayed God would bring me a brand new song
When I didn't think I could find the strength to sing
And all the while I'm hoping that I'll
Do the kind of praying for you that you've done for me
And that's the way it ought to be...

You have carried me
You have taken upon a burden that wasn't your own
And may the blessing return to you
A hundredfold, oh yeah...
A hundredfold, oh yeah...