There is a phrase that is used these days that absolutely tears at me. It is so indicative of the mediocrity and brokenness that Satan asks us to accept. He whispers, "Life is terrible. It can't get any worse (or could it?), and you can't feel any better...so you might as well just deal with it."
And we nod, lift our heads, brush off the dirt, and say resignedly, "And life goes on."
And yes: life goes on. It does. The circumstances that tear us down will soon be only painful memories, and the people who hurt us will soon move out of our lives. In some ways, the recognition of this fact is admirable. There is something in it that says, "No, I will not let these things break me. I will continue to fight and live and go on, and realize that I won't always feel like this." It refuses defeat.
But at the same time, it refuses healing.
Jesus did not die so that you could accept your pain and carry it with you for the rest of your life. He did not rescue you from a life of misery just so that you would "deal" with your heartbreak by pushing it to the back of your mind. He does not stand with open arms, able to carry the entire weight of the entire world's sin, waiting for you to come to Him, just so you can say, "Nah, it's okay. Life goes on. I'll get over it."
No, my friend, you are made for more! So much more! Your God did not design you to accept brokenness. He did not create you for a life where crack after crack forms in your heart and you simply try to ignore it and forget the pain. He shaped you so that you would be whole. He does not want you to muddle through a mediocre life, pushing yourself back up time and again thinking that's the only way life can be -- you might as well deal with it. No! Your God made you more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus. You are to live victoriously. Passionately. Fully. You were not made to settle, you were made to want Jesus' best. He did not give up all so that you would settle for a life less than that!
Our God can calm a raging storm with a word. He heals the lame. He restores sight to the blind. He brings the dead to life. And He wants to take your heart, that has died one tiny piece at a time, and breathe His life into it. He desires disciples who are completely alive!
"And He who is seated on the throne said, 'See! I make all things new'" (Revelation 21:5). Come, fall at the feet of your God. Do not do it flippantly. Do not do it just for show or to make yourself feel better. Do it with a deep desire to be made completely new, completely alive. Come to be made strong, and to fall head-over-heels in love with a God who is strong to save. Come to discover victorious life in Christ. Come; worship; seek the heart of God. And as you lose yourself in His beautiful heart for you, yours will be raised to life. And life will, again, go on -- but it will go on with a strength and power that you could never have imagined.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Our Greater God
If you've never experienced them, college applications are an extremely stressful process. It's not so much the deadlines or the essays or all the times you have to shout to your parents, "Wait, where did you go to college?" It's the money. Sitting down with your dad to add up the tuition, fees, room and board of all the schools you want to go to is not exactly encouraging. "You can totally go to this school, Kendall! You just need to earn $3,000 this summer, okay?"
Yeah. Not so happy...until I realize that my God is so much bigger than tuition. Something that may seem far too large to overcome is absolutely nothing to Him. While I sit around fretting that I'll have to go to my second-choice school, He gently whispers, "Have you forgotten who I AM?" Even if I do end up going to my second-choice school, I have every confidence that I will be attending His first choice. When we are in hot pursuit of the Almighty, He doesn't decide to give us second-best.
The God who calmed the waves and conquered death and keeps this entire world in motion is bigger than any circumstances. Paul said that neither death nor life, angels nor demons, the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation can separate us from the love of Christ. If Paul were alive today, I don't think I'd have the courage to walk up to him and say, "Um, you forgot one teensy-little thing. I think it's too big for God."
"And what's that?"
"Er...college tuition. I mean, you guys didn't really have college back when you wrote that... So I would totally understand if that just didn't cross your mind."
Paul was a fun-loving, sarcastic man, so at this point he would probably be laughing at me. I don't think I'd be willing to do that.
Amy Carmichael wrote, "If I cannot catch 'the sound of noise of rain' long before the rain falls, and, going to some hilltop of the spirit, as near to my God as I can, have not faith to wait there with my face between my knees, though six times or sixty times I am told 'there is nothing,' til at last 'there arises a little cloud out of the sea,' then I know nothing of Calvary love."
Our God will come through for us. Perhaps not in the way we expect. And certainly not if we're running as fast as we can in the opposite direction. But if we have the faith to trust Him, and praise Him for the rain even before it falls, there is no length He will not go to in order to bring His perfect will to pass. Let us wait patiently on our God to answer our prayers, in His own time, in His own way; and let us not cease to pray until He answers. Let us look at our circumstances and smile, remembering a God who brought three men out of a fiery furnace not only burn-free, but without the smell of smoke hanging upon them.
"The heart set to do the Father's will need never fear defeat." ~Elisabeth Elliot
Yeah. Not so happy...until I realize that my God is so much bigger than tuition. Something that may seem far too large to overcome is absolutely nothing to Him. While I sit around fretting that I'll have to go to my second-choice school, He gently whispers, "Have you forgotten who I AM?" Even if I do end up going to my second-choice school, I have every confidence that I will be attending His first choice. When we are in hot pursuit of the Almighty, He doesn't decide to give us second-best.
The God who calmed the waves and conquered death and keeps this entire world in motion is bigger than any circumstances. Paul said that neither death nor life, angels nor demons, the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation can separate us from the love of Christ. If Paul were alive today, I don't think I'd have the courage to walk up to him and say, "Um, you forgot one teensy-little thing. I think it's too big for God."
"And what's that?"
"Er...college tuition. I mean, you guys didn't really have college back when you wrote that... So I would totally understand if that just didn't cross your mind."
Paul was a fun-loving, sarcastic man, so at this point he would probably be laughing at me. I don't think I'd be willing to do that.
Amy Carmichael wrote, "If I cannot catch 'the sound of noise of rain' long before the rain falls, and, going to some hilltop of the spirit, as near to my God as I can, have not faith to wait there with my face between my knees, though six times or sixty times I am told 'there is nothing,' til at last 'there arises a little cloud out of the sea,' then I know nothing of Calvary love."
Our God will come through for us. Perhaps not in the way we expect. And certainly not if we're running as fast as we can in the opposite direction. But if we have the faith to trust Him, and praise Him for the rain even before it falls, there is no length He will not go to in order to bring His perfect will to pass. Let us wait patiently on our God to answer our prayers, in His own time, in His own way; and let us not cease to pray until He answers. Let us look at our circumstances and smile, remembering a God who brought three men out of a fiery furnace not only burn-free, but without the smell of smoke hanging upon them.
"The heart set to do the Father's will need never fear defeat." ~Elisabeth Elliot
Friday, December 24, 2010
You're Beautiful
I sat down to write about how beautiful my God is. But my heart is too full for words. All I want to do is worship this amazing God. All I want to do is give Him every part of me. I can't even begin to describe all He's done for me. He quite literally turned my life around and took it in a direction I never would've imagined for myself. He's been so much more than enough. And even though I've just succeeded in writing a paragraph about how amazing He is, my words right now don't seem nearly enough for how much He's done for me.
So, I kinda want to know: What are some of your amazing God stories from the past year? How has He changed you? How has He saved you? What has He done for you, and what has He led you to do for Him? At this time of year, when we tend to take for granted that He came as a baby to live a perfect life and die for us, what is it that brings you to your knees in amazement?
And yeah, I really truly want to know. So leave a comment on this post, or on the Facebook link, or send me a message, because I want to be astounded by how He's working in your life. So then we can worship Him together.
I love each and every one of you, and I pray that you are learning to discover the glorious riches of the love of Jesus Christ.
Merry Christmas.
So, I kinda want to know: What are some of your amazing God stories from the past year? How has He changed you? How has He saved you? What has He done for you, and what has He led you to do for Him? At this time of year, when we tend to take for granted that He came as a baby to live a perfect life and die for us, what is it that brings you to your knees in amazement?
And yeah, I really truly want to know. So leave a comment on this post, or on the Facebook link, or send me a message, because I want to be astounded by how He's working in your life. So then we can worship Him together.
I love each and every one of you, and I pray that you are learning to discover the glorious riches of the love of Jesus Christ.
Merry Christmas.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Ordained Praise
Satan loves pity parties. You may think you're the guest of honor, but it's really him. He thinks they're the greatest things ever. Pity parties are the perfect time to sneak up behind you and whisper in your ear every single little insecurity you've ever had. They're the perfect time to distract you from everything you know is true. And what he really loves about them is that they make you feel helpless against it. You don't see a way out of this self-pity and all the hurtful thoughts it brings; so he convinces you that it's not even worth trying. Or if it is worth trying, he warps what you believe about how to fight against it. Pretty soon, we have eating disorders; cutting; depression; suicide. Most commonly, we hate ourselves for feeling this way -- and thus begins the vicious cycle of self-pity.
And oh, Satan just gives a gurgling giggle of glee. The absolute best lies come out during these times. One of the main ones: This isn't a pity party. I'm hurting, and I want to mope about it, okay?? Yes. We hurt. And Satan loves to convince us that it's absolutely okay to dwell on that pain. And that even if it's not okay, there's really nothing we can do about it. After all, if we're not thinking about it, how are we ever going to get better?
LIES, I tell you, lies! Absolutely, we should not deny that we're hurting. (That's another one of the things he likes to convince us to do... Golly, I don't like him.) But do you know what we are supposed to do with all that pain? With all those broken pieces?
"Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you." ~1 Peter 5:7
"Arise, cry out in the watches of the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord." ~Lamentations 2:19
"From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger." ~Psalm 8:2
The first two state exactly what we should do when confronted with pain: Dump it. Not on your friends, although of course you can ask for prayer. But they cannot heal you. So please don't expect them to. No, cast everything on God. For He cares for you. He knows everything that's going on already, but there's something crucial about you actually coming to Him and talking about it.
And finally, my personal favorite response when Satan's lies start to creep in: Worship. Praise. This should not be that kind of worship like, "Oh my gosh, God, life is really horrible. Please make it better." That's supplication. That's the kind of intercession that your friends can be doing for you. That's also included in the "casting your cares" part. But once those cares are cast, leave them, and just start worshiping. Praise Him for who He is. Praise Him for His promises. Completely disregard your circumstances, and just worship! He is worthy, and whatever is going on in your life does not change that fact. Satan cannot stand it when you worship God -- especially in the face of pain.
These are a few "worship methods" that my mom and I have come up with and shared over the years. Of course, they're not original, but they are effective, and we go back to them over and over again.
Well -- there isn't one. So no matter how much you don't want to, get with your King and praise Him. Even if it doesn't feel real, even if it doesn't feel true, He'll help you. As you pour out your worship before Him, He will fill you up with Him. And Satan will run away as fast as possible from the powerful presence of God.
It's sometimes not easy -- but it's simple. So worship, my friend. Be astounded by the beauty of your God. And forget all of that pain you hold inside; for as you praise Him, He heals you. And when He heals you, you won't be able to keep from praising Him.
And oh, Satan just gives a gurgling giggle of glee. The absolute best lies come out during these times. One of the main ones: This isn't a pity party. I'm hurting, and I want to mope about it, okay?? Yes. We hurt. And Satan loves to convince us that it's absolutely okay to dwell on that pain. And that even if it's not okay, there's really nothing we can do about it. After all, if we're not thinking about it, how are we ever going to get better?
LIES, I tell you, lies! Absolutely, we should not deny that we're hurting. (That's another one of the things he likes to convince us to do... Golly, I don't like him.) But do you know what we are supposed to do with all that pain? With all those broken pieces?
"Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you." ~1 Peter 5:7
"Arise, cry out in the watches of the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord." ~Lamentations 2:19
"From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger." ~Psalm 8:2
The first two state exactly what we should do when confronted with pain: Dump it. Not on your friends, although of course you can ask for prayer. But they cannot heal you. So please don't expect them to. No, cast everything on God. For He cares for you. He knows everything that's going on already, but there's something crucial about you actually coming to Him and talking about it.
And finally, my personal favorite response when Satan's lies start to creep in: Worship. Praise. This should not be that kind of worship like, "Oh my gosh, God, life is really horrible. Please make it better." That's supplication. That's the kind of intercession that your friends can be doing for you. That's also included in the "casting your cares" part. But once those cares are cast, leave them, and just start worshiping. Praise Him for who He is. Praise Him for His promises. Completely disregard your circumstances, and just worship! He is worthy, and whatever is going on in your life does not change that fact. Satan cannot stand it when you worship God -- especially in the face of pain.
These are a few "worship methods" that my mom and I have come up with and shared over the years. Of course, they're not original, but they are effective, and we go back to them over and over again.
- Journal. Satan cannot hear your thoughts; and if you try to pray in your head, you're much more likely to get distracted by those lies still being shouted at you from that despicable, mean, horrid...you know.
- Pray out loud. Same dealio as the journaling. And specifically, pray that God would banish the Evil One!
- Read scripture out loud. Particularly Psalms. Psalms of thanksgiving are the absolute best.
- Sing! This is my favorite (for those of you who know me, that's not a surprise...) I sit at the piano or pull out the guitar and just repeat the same worship songs over and over. OR I pull out my iPod (or open YouTube) and sing along. These songs usually have nothing to do with the precise lies I'm hearing at the moment. They're just songs telling God how absolutely great He is. And Satan really doesn't like being reminded of that...
Well -- there isn't one. So no matter how much you don't want to, get with your King and praise Him. Even if it doesn't feel real, even if it doesn't feel true, He'll help you. As you pour out your worship before Him, He will fill you up with Him. And Satan will run away as fast as possible from the powerful presence of God.
It's sometimes not easy -- but it's simple. So worship, my friend. Be astounded by the beauty of your God. And forget all of that pain you hold inside; for as you praise Him, He heals you. And when He heals you, you won't be able to keep from praising Him.
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