Every time- Jeremy Camp
I spin around
I can hardly see
To catch a glimpse of this moment
I hear the sound of this simple plea
To wait at the feet of Your love
Every time I'm on my knees
Pleading for Your strength
I will find You there
Find You there
Every time I'm on my knees
Reaching for Your strength
I will find You there
Find You there
To feel the crown of the One I have breathed for
To know the door
It will never be broken
Because I have found that time this time
Has no hold on the rate that I need You
And I know it's never hard to find You
Every time...
I'm holding on to this hope I've been given
To be always with You
I'm seeing now that this fullness of faith is always seeking You
Every time....
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Another of David's prayers
I finished reading I Chronicles today. The book does not detail David's sin as king. It really highlights his service and praise of the Lord. I liked this aspect as his sins of adultery, murder and deceit have become such a well known portion of his legacy. Granted, his sin should not be overlooked or excused. This is a great example of how sin affects many others besides the sinner and how it can ruin a testimony. However, I enjoyed getting to know another side of David; reading of how he praised and served the Lord until his death despite what had become such a marring mistake in his life.
Something that stood out was King David's prayer just before Solomon's anointing as King and Davids death.
I Chron 29:10-13
"Praise be to you, O LORD , God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.
11 Yours, O LORD , is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD , is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.
12 Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.
13 Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.
I love how this prayer of praise points to God's greatness and vastness. There's something about not being able to fathom how big God is or exactly how much love He has for me. I feel safe and protected. Every little girl likes to picture her daddy as strong and able to fend off any danger yet tender enough to wipe away her tears. Its wonderful to know my Heavenly Father IS that big and that loving....
Something that stood out was King David's prayer just before Solomon's anointing as King and Davids death.
I Chron 29:10-13
"Praise be to you, O LORD , God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.
11 Yours, O LORD , is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD , is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.
12 Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.
13 Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.
I love how this prayer of praise points to God's greatness and vastness. There's something about not being able to fathom how big God is or exactly how much love He has for me. I feel safe and protected. Every little girl likes to picture her daddy as strong and able to fend off any danger yet tender enough to wipe away her tears. Its wonderful to know my Heavenly Father IS that big and that loving....
David's Prayer
I was reading I Chronicles 17 while meeting with the Lord the other day. The chapter is God's covenant with King David and his response in prayer to the Lord. David speaks to Nathan the prophet about building a house for the Ark (which was in a tent at the time). Through Nathan, God tells David that he is not meant to build the temple but that his son, Solomon would be chosen to accomplish this task. What really stood out to me is David's response to God: humility, awe, praise and thanksgiving. The statement he makes about God in vs 21 particularly captured my attention.
David's Prayer
David's Prayer
I Chron 17: 16-21
16 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD , and he said:
"Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?
17 And as if this were not enough in your sight, O God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men, O LORD God.
18 "What more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant,
19 O LORD . For the sake of your servant and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made known all these great promises.
20 "There is no one like you, O LORD , and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.
21 And who is like your people Israel-the one nation on earth whose God went out to redeem a people for himself, and to make a name for yourself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt?
Of all "gods" known to any nation on earth, my God is the only one who has redeemed His people for himself. That caught me.... its one of those things I know but dont really contemplate as often as I should...my God is the only one who loved and cared enough to humble Himself, be humiliated, tortured, and killed for the sake of saving my eternal life. No one has ever or will ever do what He did for me. No one else measures up. No one else loves me more. Its a great comfort and also a great challenge. I'll never be able to repay what He's done. The closest I can come is giving Him my life daily to use as He wills.
16 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD , and he said:
"Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?
17 And as if this were not enough in your sight, O God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men, O LORD God.
18 "What more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant,
19 O LORD . For the sake of your servant and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made known all these great promises.
20 "There is no one like you, O LORD , and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.
21 And who is like your people Israel-the one nation on earth whose God went out to redeem a people for himself, and to make a name for yourself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt?
Of all "gods" known to any nation on earth, my God is the only one who has redeemed His people for himself. That caught me.... its one of those things I know but dont really contemplate as often as I should...my God is the only one who loved and cared enough to humble Himself, be humiliated, tortured, and killed for the sake of saving my eternal life. No one has ever or will ever do what He did for me. No one else measures up. No one else loves me more. Its a great comfort and also a great challenge. I'll never be able to repay what He's done. The closest I can come is giving Him my life daily to use as He wills.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Grace upon Grace...
I'm honestly not quite sure how cohesive this post will be.... God's been revealing Himself and His plans for me in ways I'm sure I don't fully understand yet. Although some of it may not make sense, there are definitely things worth sharing as God's been working so much in my life. So here goes.....
I spent the long MLK weekend in Clemson. For various reasons, my heart very much needed to be uplifted through the prayer and fellowship of members of my church family, particularly my sisters (To those of you who have been so graciously lending a loving ear and sound council: I am so thankful for you and your prayers. God's been using you so mightily in my life! Once again, you never fail to speak truth while showing more love than I know how to accept sometimes. You're truly tools of our Father) My time back in home sweet TigerTown was divided among much-needed time with my sisters, much-missed group activities, gathering the wisdom of mentors, and also some time alone as God ministered to my heart through His creation. (oh how I long to be closer to such breathtaking reminders of God's creativity, attention to detail, and beautifully mastered pursuit of my heart through nature). My Heavenly Father knows every intimate detail of what I need and graciously provides even when my sinful nature selfishly holds on to fear that things wont be as good if I release control.
I told some of those I spoke with over the weekend that it seemed to me that God "turned up the volume on His voice" on my trips to Clemson. The drives there and back are a great time to listen to sermons, music or just shut everything off and spend quality time with the Lord in prayer. While I'm there, I'm surrounded by such strong believers who I respect and cherish time with. A few days after I returned, a friend pointed out that I see God through people. I think she makes a valid observation. It definitely explains part of why the transition away from Clemson and my church family has been so much more difficult than I anticipated. She encouraged me to remember that God isn't just in Clemson. Although its going to be different and probably a little frightening at times, it will be good for me to experience change in this new season of my life.
I also experience God through nature which is very much a part of the Clemson landscape. I loved taking advantage of free time to just enjoy the peace of campus, the Botanical Gardens and other areas nearby. God had already been working on my heart in the area of trust. He used this time to comfort and encourage me to allow Him full control over my next steps. After leaving the church staff position, I really felt lost as to where I'm called. To some extent, I still do though I have more of a peace that God's going to reveal His will in His perfect timing (just as He has at every change of season or direction in my life). When I heard the wisdom and council of those who I know love me, it was repeated confirmation of what God had been trying to get me to accept. As a young single, the whole world is open to me. God could call me anywhere. I cant deny that I'm still a bit frightened about the uncertainty of my future but I'm also starting to get excited about the possibilities. Jer 29:11 I know God has a plan for me. He's going to greatly use this time when He's all I have to cling to through all these changes.
I spent the long MLK weekend in Clemson. For various reasons, my heart very much needed to be uplifted through the prayer and fellowship of members of my church family, particularly my sisters (To those of you who have been so graciously lending a loving ear and sound council: I am so thankful for you and your prayers. God's been using you so mightily in my life! Once again, you never fail to speak truth while showing more love than I know how to accept sometimes. You're truly tools of our Father) My time back in home sweet TigerTown was divided among much-needed time with my sisters, much-missed group activities, gathering the wisdom of mentors, and also some time alone as God ministered to my heart through His creation. (oh how I long to be closer to such breathtaking reminders of God's creativity, attention to detail, and beautifully mastered pursuit of my heart through nature). My Heavenly Father knows every intimate detail of what I need and graciously provides even when my sinful nature selfishly holds on to fear that things wont be as good if I release control.
I told some of those I spoke with over the weekend that it seemed to me that God "turned up the volume on His voice" on my trips to Clemson. The drives there and back are a great time to listen to sermons, music or just shut everything off and spend quality time with the Lord in prayer. While I'm there, I'm surrounded by such strong believers who I respect and cherish time with. A few days after I returned, a friend pointed out that I see God through people. I think she makes a valid observation. It definitely explains part of why the transition away from Clemson and my church family has been so much more difficult than I anticipated. She encouraged me to remember that God isn't just in Clemson. Although its going to be different and probably a little frightening at times, it will be good for me to experience change in this new season of my life.
I also experience God through nature which is very much a part of the Clemson landscape. I loved taking advantage of free time to just enjoy the peace of campus, the Botanical Gardens and other areas nearby. God had already been working on my heart in the area of trust. He used this time to comfort and encourage me to allow Him full control over my next steps. After leaving the church staff position, I really felt lost as to where I'm called. To some extent, I still do though I have more of a peace that God's going to reveal His will in His perfect timing (just as He has at every change of season or direction in my life). When I heard the wisdom and council of those who I know love me, it was repeated confirmation of what God had been trying to get me to accept. As a young single, the whole world is open to me. God could call me anywhere. I cant deny that I'm still a bit frightened about the uncertainty of my future but I'm also starting to get excited about the possibilities. Jer 29:11 I know God has a plan for me. He's going to greatly use this time when He's all I have to cling to through all these changes.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Update
Hey everyone!
I'm not even sure who reads this anymore.... If anyone still does I'm long overdue to let you know whats going on....
As of early December, after a great deal of prayer and discussions with church staff and my family, I resigned from Generation LINK staff. It was very difficult but I believe the decision was definitely Spirit led. I am currently job searching praying that God would send me where I'll best be used by Him. Please keep me in your prayers as the economy is not currently friendly to job seekers. My family continues to be a great support. They've been such a blessing and so patient as I'm not sure when I'll be heading out on my own as I should have months ago...
Also, please pray for my grandmother (dad's mom) She's had numerous long hospital stays in the last month or two Many in the span of a week or more. She's also had blood transfusions, numerous tests and now an upcoming surgery. She is in her 80's so of course anything has its risks. Please keep my family in prayer as this will be a difficult time.
There's not much else to report. I will likely get to visit Clemson soon I'm very much looking forward to the fellowship! I definitely need a time of refreshing with my church family.... I miss them so much especially in times that I would have run to their side for encouragement and comfort. They've remained my wonderful, supportive, loving brothers and sisters through everything including distance. They've truly been doing everything they can to support and love me. I'm so blessed to have them in my life! I have no doubt though that this is part of God's plan for me.... when I'm not geographically close to what has been my support system, when I'm frightened and unsure of whats to come, when I feel like I have nothing left, I'm going to feel His arms around me the most. Although there is so much uncertainty, my God is stable, strong, peace, and mighty!
I'm not even sure who reads this anymore.... If anyone still does I'm long overdue to let you know whats going on....
As of early December, after a great deal of prayer and discussions with church staff and my family, I resigned from Generation LINK staff. It was very difficult but I believe the decision was definitely Spirit led. I am currently job searching praying that God would send me where I'll best be used by Him. Please keep me in your prayers as the economy is not currently friendly to job seekers. My family continues to be a great support. They've been such a blessing and so patient as I'm not sure when I'll be heading out on my own as I should have months ago...
Also, please pray for my grandmother (dad's mom) She's had numerous long hospital stays in the last month or two Many in the span of a week or more. She's also had blood transfusions, numerous tests and now an upcoming surgery. She is in her 80's so of course anything has its risks. Please keep my family in prayer as this will be a difficult time.
There's not much else to report. I will likely get to visit Clemson soon I'm very much looking forward to the fellowship! I definitely need a time of refreshing with my church family.... I miss them so much especially in times that I would have run to their side for encouragement and comfort. They've remained my wonderful, supportive, loving brothers and sisters through everything including distance. They've truly been doing everything they can to support and love me. I'm so blessed to have them in my life! I have no doubt though that this is part of God's plan for me.... when I'm not geographically close to what has been my support system, when I'm frightened and unsure of whats to come, when I feel like I have nothing left, I'm going to feel His arms around me the most. Although there is so much uncertainty, my God is stable, strong, peace, and mighty!
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