Living in the Desert

Right now, I'm living in a season of adversity, and it's like I'm living out in the desert.  I feel alone at times, but truthfully I'm never really alone.  God is always with me and I've never been alone once in my life.  I may not can see him now, but He has always had a bigger picture for my life.  Not only that, but He has a bigger plan set in place to redeem me. I may face trials that shake me to my core, but I will never be separated from Him—not if I keep my eyes fixed firmly on Jesus.

If you ask anyone who's dealt with their fair share of valleys in their life with chaos and heartbreak, then they'll probably tell you that while it was a difficult chapter, they saw God moving in their hearts and in their character more than ever.  I can say that's true for the two years it took for me to find a job after college graduation.  I sent out countless resumes and went on interview after interview but I didn't give up on God's plan for me or on myself.  He came through with the perfect job for me that was right for those 5 years of my life.

So, now God's plan for me involves 'waiting'.  Anyone who knows me knows that waiting is not my strong suit.  I'm impatient, to say it mildly.  When we go through a long, hard season where we feel like God is distant, we don't know what His big-picture plan is. We simply have to trust and move forward the best we can. God knows what He was doing back then, so why don't I trust in His plan for me now?  Because, I have to be still and know that He is God, not I.

"It's often those moments of obscurity and doubt that we come face to face with God Himself."

"If we've learned anything about God, is that He makes beauty out of our brokenness."

"When God makes a promise, He never forgets."

After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward." But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” ~ Genesis 15:1-3.

When the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. ~ Genesis 15:4-6

When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking fire-pot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadiof Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates—the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.”
~ Genesis 15:17-19

"If we remember the story of Abraham and Sarah, this is the perfect example of a couple navigating the "desert" of life. They had previously been promised by God that they would be fruitful and blessed. After years and years of infertility, Abraham and Sarah must have been wrestling with all those tough emotions. Guilt, doubt, despair, anger, loneliness. Still, they continued to hold on to hope and wait on the Lord."

What a great story of waiting and a promise fulfilled. When my time 'in the desert' is over, I will come out stronger and He will have blessed me beyond my imagination. I just have to cling to my faith, my hope and my trust in Him. Whether I'm on a mountain or in a valley, God is worthy of my praise in every season of this life. God always knows what He is doing and God is good, all the time and all the time, God is good.


Broken

I begin this blog with the acknowledgement that I've reached the end of myself.  There is a blessing from Jesus that comes from that, which is Him meeting me there in my brokenness.  The first beattitude that Jesus talks about on The Sermon on the Mount is in Matthew 5:3,  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."  He redefines what happiness truly means.  We can chase after our desires but real happiness comes in pleasing Jesus.  Right now I feel bummed because I'm not getting to do what I want without an aide to help me, but when I finish this blog on my own then I will be truly happy that I did something pleasing for the Lord.

Psalm 14:18, "The Lord is near the brokenhearted; He saves those crushed in spirit."

We need to be beautifully broken before the Lord.  When we are, He will draw us nearer to Him and put us back together as He sees fit.  We first have to trust Him with our brokenness, then we can be restored thru Him to be what He wants us to be and do what is pleasing in His sight.

Psalm 37:4, "Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart."

How many people confuse 'the desires of their heart' with what God really means, is in the verse is 'a relationship with Jesus Christ"?  "That verse does not say “God will give you the desires of your heart because you delight in Him”. Instead, the verse commands us to “Delight yourself in the Lord” and then He will fulfill your desires because He is the only One who can satisfy your heart." [gracecalling.com]

How many of us would like an easy life?  Jesus promised that we would suffer in our trials, but that He would also give us peace in them.  John 16:33, "These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

In all of our found brokenness, God's love for us never decreases.  He will never forsake His children.  Even tho we may struggle through our trials, would we not give up our desires, if it's not Jesus' will?

John 1:24, "Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit."

When we willingly submit our lives to Christ, then we glorify Him with our testimonies and bear fruit in this broken world.  Even if our life isn’t what we hoped for, God will not abandon us or leave us in tribulation. Isaiah 29:11 states, “‘For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

As for myself, I built my life on dreams and desires of my own. Now that all of that has left me, I've concentrated my life more on what God wants from me.  This will be my 1356th blog since 2011.  These are more important to God, than any number of tests I took in school or lab tests I ran at work.  These blogs have also drawn me nearer to Christ , than anything I've ever done.  My blog collection has truly been a source of happiness for me.

Remember, in all of our pain and sufferings, it is Christ who calls us and in Him are our desires truly satisfied.


Grace

''Grace, grace, God's grace... grace that is greater than all my sin.''  

Are we grace givers or fault finders?  We are not called to be like other Christians, but to be like Christ.  His way is the only way.

We are all sinners.  The dirt and gold co-exist, but how deep do we dig and what are we looking for in others?  Relationships are built on mutual respect and love for one another, despite the differences we all have.

Because I am so dependent on others, I often have to let go of 'my way' of thinking or otherwise I'd be a fault finder to someone else's way of doing something.  Jesus is the only one who has lived this life perfectly.  He is our role model, and no one else.  We must humble ourselves because the moment you think you've got it all together, is the moment you just lost it.

Trust

Do you know what God's most frequently used warning in the Bible is?  'Fear not.'  Worry is misplaced fear put into action.  Why do we do it?  It is hard to let go of what we can't control.  Matthew 6:27, ''Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?''  Worry not only eats at us but takes away our strength and peace.  

''There is nothing that wastes the body like worry, and one who has any faith in God should be ashamed to worry about anything whatsoever.''-- Mahatma Gandhi

Our fears should be calmed knowing that God works with our best interest always in mind.  He will also finish the good work He began in us.  'I've no cause to worry or to fear.'  Sometimes we know of things destined for the future and we have to choose how to anticipate it.  We can worry until it happens, waste peaceful days and then see God work it out despite your lack of trust in Him.  Or we can lay our burden before Him in prayer, trust in His grace and accept what we never had control over to begin with.

'Worry implies that we don't quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what's happening in our lives.'


T - Take one day at a time.
R - Remember all things work together for the good of those who love God.
U - Under no circumstances should you worry.
S - Start every day with prayer & thanksgiving.
T - The Lord will never forsake you. 

Broken

I begin this blog with the acknowledgement that I've reached the end of myself.  There is a blessing from Jesus that comes from that, which is Him meeting me there in my brokenness.  The first beattitude that Jesus talks about on The Sermon on the Mount is in Matthew 5:3  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."  He redefines what happiness truly means.  We can chase after our desires but real happiness comes in pleasing Jesus.  Right now I feel bummed because I'm not getting to do what I want without an aide to help me, but when I finish this blog on my own then I will be truly happy that I did something pleasing for the Lord.

Psalm 14:18, "The Lord is near the brokenhearted; He saves those crushed in spirit."

We need to be beautifully broken before the Lord.  When we are, He will draw us nearer to Him and put us back together as He sees fit.  We first have to trust Him with our brokenness, then we can be restored thru Him to be what He wants us to be and do what is pleasing in His sight.

Psalm 37:4, "Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart."

How many people confuse 'the desires of their heart' with what God really means, is in the verse is “a relationship with Jesus Christ"?  "That verse does not say “God will give you the desires of your heart because you delight in Him”. Instead, the verse commands us to “Delight yourself in the Lord” and then He will fulfill your desires because He is the only One who can satisfy your heart." [gracecalling.com]

How many of us would like an easy life?  Jesus promised that we would suffer in our trials, but that He would also give us peace in them.  John 16:33,  "These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

In all of our found brokenness, God's love for us never decreases.  He will never forsake His children.  Even tho we may struggle through our trials, would we not give up our desires, if it's not Jesus' will?

John 1:24,  "Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit."

When we willingly submit our lives to Christ, then we glorify Him with our testimonies and bear fruit in this broken world.  Even if our life isn’t what we hoped for, God will not abandon us or leave us in tribulation. Isaiah 29:11 states, “For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

As for myself, I built my life on dreams and desires of my own. Now that all of that has left me, I've concentrated my life more on what God wants from me.  This will be my 1356th blog since 2011.  These are more important to God, than any number of tests I took in school or lab tests I ran at work.  These blogs have also drawn me nearer to Christ , than anything I've ever done.  My blog collection has truly been a source of happiness for me.

Remember, in all of our pain and sufferings, it is Christ who calls us and in Him are our desires truly satisfied.