When I first came here, I started to live life one day at a time. It was really a new concept for me. I’m a planner and like to know what’s going to happen. In my head I would have a one year plan and a two year plan and so on…. Since I’ve been back, it’s a day at a time. I’ll have things on my calendar, but really don’t think about it much until that day. Then the earthquake struck and the one day at a time became a new meaning. Tomorrow was really in the Lord’s hand. Not that I did not know that before, but tomorrow for me could really not happen. I go to bed with a new meaning to the prayer, “Tomorrow the Lord willing I will…”
Tomorrow will be a week since the earthquake and I have to say the Lord has really been working in my heart to deal with His sovereignty over my life.
The Sunday before the earthquake, my friend, FN, gave me these verses saying the Lord directed her to it as she prayed for me. Psalm 37:3-7…
“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your ways to the Lord; Trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.”
Verse 4 was given to P four months before he went to be with the Lord. That evening I tore those verses apart, looking up words that I knew the meaning to but wanting to see what the dictionary said. One of the words I looked up was “safe” from verse 3. Safe means secure, protected, uninjured, out of danger.
These verses have been dwelling in my heart this past week since the earthquake. I honestly had times when I was scared, angry and confused. Scared of the shock of the earthquake and asking God for no more traumatic events. Angry at the thought of how I obeyed Him and again he would shake me, literally. Confused as to why he would bring me all the way back here if I could possibly die in an earthquake. But the Lord kept taking me back to Psalm 37:3-7. My job is to trust in the Lord… do good… dwell in the land… and ENJOY safe pasture. I’m supposed to enjoy the way the Lord keeps me safe. And I smiled when I thought of how the safest pasture is to be with Him in glory. So no need for me to be scared, angry or confused, I just need to trust, which I do, that His ways are far greater than anything I could think of. And in that truth I was filled with peace.
I was blessed by a time of worship on my IPod (thanks SS for the songs on there) as I prayed through these things. I turned on my IPod, went to the genre of religious/gospel, and put it on shuffle, then I prayed that the Lord would guide my time of worship, for He even has control over the machines. So I picked my first song, Matt Redman’s “You Never let Go”…. Then the next song, directed by God, was a song that took me to exactly where the Lord wanted to take me and speak directly to me. Vineyard’s “If you say go”. These are the words…
If You say go, we will go
If You say wait, we will wait
If You say step out on the water
And they say it can't be done
We'll fix our eyes on You and we will come
Your ways are higher than our ways
And the plans that You have laid
Are good and true
If You call us to the fire
You will not withdraw Your hand
We'll gaze into the flames and look for You
Powerful huh? I would really recommend that you sit down, find it on the internet or ask SS for it (if you know her) and listen to it… The attitude we are to have before our King… if you say go, we will go… if you say wait, we will wait… if you say step out on the water… we’ll fix our eyes on you and we will come, no matter what the world says… and to know He is King and say… your ways are higher than our ways and the plans that you have laid are good and true… they are GOOD AND TRUE. And this last part brought so much peace into my heart… if you call us to the fire, you will not withdraw your hand… we’ll gaze into the flames and look for you (remember the story of the three men thrown into the fire?). I cried in utter awe of our God and amazement of His goodness and His faithfulness in our lives. How much our Lord wants us to trust Him and love Him and follow him… I listened to the song three times after that… it was such a rich worship time, just me and my Savior.
I’m listening to a sermon series of Louie Giglio called “For His glory and renown”. It has been amazing. I want to share a little about what I learned tonight.
• We are to be lovers of the King and how we are so adulterous. - I pray that I will stop sleeping around with things of the world and be true to my King…
• Our satisfaction of our God will overflow and people will catch it. We need to be satisfied with our Savior. – Lord let me be satisfied only in You that people will catch the overflow my satisfaction in You and come to be satisfied in you also.
• God calls us his BELOVED. Why don’t we BE LOVED by the very being who defines Love? God is love. – Thank you God for so intimately calling me your Beloved. God let me live as one that is being loved by you who is the very essence of love.
I want to claim my identity in Him as His beloved and trust in Him and enjoy the plans He has laid out before me. God thank you for your goodness and faithfulness, your love and protection in my life.
Please continue to pray for us… in safety and health.
Please pray for those effected by the earthquake. Traumatic times are when people seek God the most, so please pray that they could find God in this.
Please pray for those who are helping with the aftermath.
Please pray for this month of fasting. There are now about two weeks left, please pray the Lord’s spirit will rain over the nation.
Please continue to pray for visa processing.
