Rest in his arms....

"Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

Daniel 3:16‭-‬18 

I simply opened my Bible this morning to read....I do that often....nearly 100% of the time God is faithful in showing me something I need to see....no exception this morning. 

Yesterday, again, I scurried against time to send documentation for my mom's Medicaid Waiver. It's been a long few months...two denials thus far....I can't help but wonder why.....she has.....nothing ...not sure how many more ways I can prove it. 

A friend quoted, to calm my anxiousness, Ephesians 6:13, "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to STAND."

That verse came right to mind as I scrambled to gather the needed documents. But then this morning....I am always blown away by Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego's ability to stand firm..... EVEN IF they are thrown into the fiery furnace...which of course, we know they were.

In some weird way I feel like I have been in the fiery furnace for months now. The testing of my faith has been brutal...at least to me. King Nebuchadnezzar used fear as a tactic for obedience.....the government, I feel, does the same thing. 

Nebuchadnezzar ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual.....with each denial...I feel the same. Time is not on my side.....

So, in such confusing and anxious times, what do I know for certain? I know that I am not alone. 

"Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.” He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
Daniel 3:24‭-‬25

Unbound and unharmed.....how beautiful is the picture of those who are not alone in the fire? How do I stand? I'm not alone in the fire!!

Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.
Daniel 3:28

Such an amazing story of faith and trust. One I needed to read this morning. 

God never leaves us in the fiery furnace alone.....EVER......

Sometimes he rescues us altogether..sometimes he's in it with us...but he's NEVER absent. Such a good reminder why we, as Christ followers, can stand in really difficult circumstances.

"So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them."
Daniel 3:26‭-‬27

I, too, will come out of the fire, neither harmed, singed or scorched. 

I should not be surprised but instead encouraged.....

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you."
1 Peter 4:12

I love the Word of God! There is absolutely nothing that happens in my life for which there is no answer. 

"You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart."
Jeremiah 29:13

Reminds me of this beautiful song. Transformation is painful...but I can have rest even in the midst.

🎶🎶 In every high, in every low
On mountain tops, down broken roads
You're still my rock, my hope remains
I'll rest in the arms of Jesus
Come what may 🎶🎶

Rest in his arms...

Be blessed today.

Future Joy

Future Joy

Those two words were on my mind in the wee hours one morning last week. Why? I don't know. Most mornings as I begin to stir I ask God what my day might look like. I already knew that day....or so I thought..... it was the day before retreat. It's always a busy one....filled with many tasks, packing, last minute unpredictable "stuff". Each "day before" has held some kind of "frenzy". I expected it! But FUTURE JOY? What had God already set in motion? What was this future joy? How exciting! The very thought stirred eager anticipation in my heart. I couldn't help but think of these scripture verses. Jesus thought about future joy. It was his existence. He knew that that is why he LIVED. He lived for the joy set before him. He endured for it!!

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. For the THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Hebrews 12:1‭-‬3

FOR THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM...... FUTURE JOY!!

I began to ask myself: When might I experience this future joy and what might it look like? Is it tomorrow? Next week? Next month? Is it when my schedule slows down? When I check things off my massive to-do list? Is it when my mom finally gets settled? Is it when I lose those pesky 50lbs? When I create healthier habits? Pay off some bills? All of the above? None of the above?

Oh....I know the right answer.....the proper answer. There is nothing on this earth that can set your mind in proper perspective. For whatever reason, striving, in my own strength, for the wrong things or circumstances is, I would guess, a pretty common response. In other words, I'm not alone. But there is no comfort in knowing others are in the same boat. Is it comforting to know other's have suffered loss therefore, at least I'm not alone? No. I remember a young woman who was dying of cancer. I said to her, "I'm so sorry this is happening to you?" She said...and I'll never forget it ...."If not me, than who?" We don't wish others to suffer so we're not alone in our circumstances. It really is of zero comfort. Yes, there's a camaraderie a commonality, a bearing of one another's burdens, a listening ear, a warm hug, a text, a phone call.....this is the body of Christ...the unity of the Spirit and it's BEAUTIFUL and it's RIGHT and it's LOVELY.......but not once would you ever wish someone else to be afflicted.....ever.....

The retreat was amazing! Time away from the business of the world. Quiet..... peace..... fellowship.....a common purpose. ..to glorify our God. There is nothing more we should desire than a deep, personal relationship with our Creator. Was this the future joy? Indeed joy was alive and moving about. But was this joy the future joy God was talking about that morning?

I thought about those verses.....Jesus was going to endure the cross...yet, he set his eyes on his Father. He set his eyes on his future joy. His joy was returning to his Father's right hand. His future joy was not the relief of his suffering or a desire to be popular, or handsome or successful or wealthy. NO! His future joy WAS his Father in eternity! It is no different for me, a follower of Christ. MY future joy is sitting at his feet for eternity. Joy on earth, if tied to our circumstances, will be fleeting....it will never last for this world is always changing. Sometimes the change happens so slowly you barely realize it and sometimes it's so abrupt it rocks everything you ever thought you knew.

In this world you WILL have trouble....you will have busy schedules, you will deal with prickly people, you will experience many disappointments......and sorrow and suffering cannot be avoided......and God's Word is not silent on these things. In fact, he has told us beforehand that we would not be surprised.

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
Galatians 2:20

Oh.....I might have missed that ...not really.....

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit."
2 Corinthians 3:18

When I became a follower of Christ the veil was removed from my eyes. I KNOW! I can no longer NOT see. I am being transformed day by day into his likeness.

For the joy set before me, that future joy, I endure the cross, just like Christ. I am to pick it up DAILY and carry it. My future joy is the same future joy for which Christ endured! I can enjoy momentary joy day to day but it's always temporary......always..... circumstances will always change and upset the delicate balance....but if I can set my sight on future joy, knowing 100% it's forever.....knowing it will never perish and never fade I can actually experience joy right now, every single moment of every single day. Deep abiding joy now, despite our circumstances, is a beautiful thing though it cannot compare to the future joy of walking with Jesus.

Future joy! I can, daily, with excited anticipation, live for THAT day regardless of life's circumstances. Praise God!

Be blessed today!

Build a boat....

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Matthew 11:29

Saturday proved to be a unique ending to a very busy week.....it wasn't that there were no places to go or things to do....instead I made the choice to rest. I NEVER do that. When I first began to ponder making that decision, guilt reared its ugly head shouting, "You should _______." Fill in the blank......

In the "old" days we called it a "mental health" day. I never did that either. 🙄

I love this explanation of rest for your soul:

"The soul refers to the mind, will, and the emotions. So Jesus is saying He will give us peace of mind. He will give us rest in decision making, and He will give us emotional stability."

I want that!!

So what does sitting at the feet of Jesus, in a quiet house, alone, look like. Praying finds me asking God to show me what he would have for me. And he answers.....it's a miraculous thing....I don't claim to understand it.....I just KNOW it. So here's what he showed me. WARNING: Hard stuff.....😢

All day I thought about Noah. Noah was a righteous man in the eyes of the people of his day. He was called blameless and he was devoted and obedient to God. When God commanded him to build a boat, proclaiming rain would come and the earth would be flooded, what did Noah do? He built the boat ...he built that boat for 75 YEARS!! He built a boat in a desert land that had never seen rain and was not near a body of water. Who does that? Noah did.... without question, without concern and with complete confidence and trust. When it was time God commanded Noah to gather two of each animal....and as always, Noah was obedient......but here's the part that is so amazing to me....

In Genesis 7:4 the Lord says, to Noah, "Seven days from now I WILL SEND rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.”

And then verse 10, "And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth."

Verse 13 says, "On that very day....."

Do you suppose it just happened that it began to rain? Or did God CAUSE it to rain? He said, "I WILL send rain ..." This is a really hard concept. How could a loving and kind and compassionate God purposely cause such tragedy? Millions of people, children and animals died.....though heartbreaking I understand that question...... sadly.....it took YEARS for me to understand how God orders tragedy that befalls those who profess their love for him. Those who give their lives to him. And how, like Noah, can I learn to follow with blind faith....with confidence that God has already written my story and the stories of those I love? Here's how I've finally made some sense of that which seems senseless.

Psalm 139:16 gave me the peace I sought for years.

"Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

Do I believe it? Do I believe all of my days were ordained before one of them came to be? Do I believe God's Word? ALL OF IT? Am I all in? As long as God, in my mind, is loving and kind, he's palatable......but talk about his Sovereignty and his rendering  justice and all of a sudden he's not as easy to accept. It's so much more reasonable to blame sin in the world than to believe that God caused unbearable pain, right? Is it easier to accept that the God of wrath in the Old Testament left the building when the Jesus of the New Testament arrived on the scene? NO! THEY ARE ONE!! There are not two Gods. A mean one and a nice one. One Sovereign God over ALL!

But here's what I finally understand.....something that, two years ago still escaped me.....if I believe all my days were ordered....if I believe that my beloved's days were completed on that horrible, horrible day than everything that happened that day had to be from God's hand. Nothing in this world could perfectly come together unless God ordered it. I spent years asking why. There are no answers that satisfy that why but, if I believe that my beloved's numbered days came to fruition that day; if I believe God's Word; I have to believe that God is in control of that day, of those events. 

God's word never promises that bad things won't happen.....what he does promise is that he'll walk with me through it and he'll change me through it and I'll be different; changed......and I am! I don't understand it, I don't try to analyze it and I certainly don't ask "why" anymore. It's a huge step in faith to believe that from the day God called me, my book was written....beginning to end and NOTHING happens in my life that is not directly from his hand. And just like Noah, God will ask me to do and experience things that don't make sense to me. Things I can't comprehend. It is no surprise to him. It is all planned. Do I trust him to write my story? Noah did.

Be blessed today.