trust

Playing in the Sand

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I do it a lot. Act like God is not with me. I get myself in wads and then whine, complain, quit or cope. Instead of simply turning to Them and asking for truth, or help, or just understanding.

I don’t simply stop very often.

But yesterday I did.  The wind was blowing fierce on the beach and I sat beside a storage shed to get some shelter. As I was sitting there, I started running my fingers through the white, sugar-like sand.  I realized, though, I was still running the autopilot list in my head of stuff to process, fix and resolve.

It was a paradox. Child-like playing in the sand. Grown up stressing in my head. And the Lord asked me, “Write in the sand.”

“What should I write?”  I asked.

“How about all that stuff in your head?” (Yes of course He already knows it.) So I wrote out a short list of the needs I had. 

“Great. I got all that. Now wipe that away.”

One movement of my hand, it was erased.

“Now, do it again.”

This went on for several lists. Physical needs, material needs. People I was praying for, events coming up. Each time, the reassurance came that He had this taken care of, each time came the instruction to wipe it away.

Then there was a quiet calm. As I sat there for a few minutes and JUST played in the sand, two powerful things happened. One was a simple reflection. Wonder what I wrote last year? He had indeed wiped all those things away. He had over time resolved, provided, and advanced each the issues that pressured me last year. Would this year be any different?

The second thing was a very, very real awareness of His presence. As I played, the wind lifted and shifted the sand smoothing and scattering my doodles. I looked to my right, and the wind was lifting and shifting other little mounds of sand.

“I like playing in the sand too.”

Sometimes you have to stop the noise to hear the roar of the ocean. Sometimes you have to sit and play to remember that you are His child. Sometimes you have to give stuff to Him and let Him blow away all the distractions and just be with Him.

Oh to sit in the delight of the One who thinks of us, more than the grains of the sand.

How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
   How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
   they would outnumber the grains of sand—
   when I awake, I am still with you.
Psalm 139:17-18

It Leads Only to Evil

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Talk about a wake up call. I was reading Psalm 37 and although I have read this Psalm a hundred times, I saw a line I had never seen. But first a little background. I was stressed out, striving and sick about it. I needed help and wanted answers, NOW!  Guess what? God doesn’t always have “NOW” on His clock, so I was really upset. I went to the scripture for comfort, for perspective. And sure enough Psalm 37 delivered both.

 “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 way 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.

So rich is the word of God. Trust, delight, commit, shine. He will do this. The next passage is about being still and waiting patiently for Him. Yes, it was a comfort. It was a God perspective that I needed.

But then came the cold water splashing in my face. “Do not fret — it leads only to evil.”

Just look at those words. Say them out loud. Do not fret. It LEADS only to evil. It leads ONLY to evil. It leads only to EVIL.  I have never considered it before, but it’s true. Fretting leads to gossip, manipulation, deception, stealing, striving, quitting, settling, doubting, coping, addiction, etc.

This is not what God wants for us. Honestly it is not what we want for us but it is what our minds lead us to if we are not centered on trusting God. He promises us rest and hope, “For the Lord upholds him with His hand.”

Focus on the face of God and not on the circumstances. Allow yourself to feel His hands holding you instead of wringing your own.  Be mindful of your mind. Ask the Lord to keep you.

Driving Blind By Faith

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It was one of those moments when the Supernatural overshadowed the natural. I was taking the girls to school just like any other of hundred trips down the same road. But this morning, the familiar road was completely clouded by fog. As we came down to the intersection, you could barely make out the traffic light. Instead of being able to see the rise of the the next hill with its traffic lights, cars, trees and buildings, instead of being able to see like we did every time, there was only a wall of fog.

You literally could not see more than fifty feet in front of you. I thought to myself, “Am I really going to drive blind?”  Then came the Supernatural moment. 

“We live by faith and not by sight.”

And we drove on, straight into the wall of fog. 

Why did we do that? Because we had some sense of what was ahead? Maybe.
Because it was rote and routine? Maybe.

But really it was because we knew where we were going. We had Faith that somehow, some way, we were going to make it where we were going. Even though we couldn’t see all the details, we knew we would get there. As we kept going, the road continued to clear before us, little by little.

If you can do this in the natural, how much more power do you have to do this in the Supernatural? Because in Christ, you not only know Where you are going, but also you know Who is with you. Don’t be afraid to Faith God just like you faith those roads in the fog.

Keep driving, and let Him bring revelation in the middle of mist. He knows where you are going and He will get you there.

He’s So Funny

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Guess what I’ve been working on this morning? New songs for the new worship CD:  Real.Life.

And I wanted to share a funny God moment. I have iTunes playing randomly in the background, different songs, different artists. As I was refining the lyrics, I hear a familiar hiss telling me my songs are garbage. “Why bother?” he sneered.

I was writing on a song about trusting the Lord so I just kept plugging along despite the lie that was like an incessant dripping in my head. And lo and behold, guess what songs came on next?  The songs from my last CD!

“Oh yeah? He thought those would never work either!”  I heard my singing God say. I rejoiced in my spirit. Liar, liar devil on fire!!

Press in to the dreams and the goals of your heart. As Graham Cooke says, “You can’t have a desire that is not mirrored and matched by His desire. Because that where it started.”

Seek to be where He is first and foremost. He is our life.

Don’t Scramble. Follow.

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Don’t scramble. Follow.

Simple words. Big, hairy, audacious way to live. Scrambling and striving is innate, ingrained. Expected and applauded. By the world, that is.

Following is scary, unsure, uncertain and certainly out of your control. But whose life is it anyway?

Weren’t we crucified with Christ? And now, we don’t live anymore? Our demands for control got nailed to the tree. Right?

Want to know if you are simply doing life the Jesus way when He said, “Follow Me” ?

Pay attention to your fear, anger, and need to know the outcomes. They are dead give-aways that you really, really, really think you are in charge.

Not only did Jesus say He would never leave you, He also said you couldn’t add one hour to your life or an inch to your height by worrying. He implied, why fret when when you can trust?

Fretting comes from fear of being alone and on your own. Trusting comes when you know you are in His hands. And it is the only and best place to be.

“Let not your heart be troubled. Trust in God. Trust also in Me” John 14:1

There’s a Bigger Picture You Can’t See

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I was praying in the early morning during that half awake, half asleep time. Praying for people and issues, questions and concerns, needs and desires. I ended my time with, “Lord I really need to hear from You. I need to know what  You have to say about all these things.”

I rolled over in the bed and heard this line from a song:

“There’s a bigger picture you can’t see
You don’t have to change the world
Just trust in me…”

I was fully awake, instantly.

Here I was mulling and turning over my plans. Could I — should I —how will I? And God was talking about His plan followed by one instruction: Just trust in Me.

I thought I was. I would have told you I was. But hearing that one phrase in light of all my murmurings made me question myself. Am I really trusting Him? Are you?

When I got out of bed, I went and found the song that had “magically” popped into my head. Then I listened to this song over and over for several days. It retells the old, old story of people just like me and you. People to whom God said, “Me and you are gonna do big things.” And the people responded just like us — with excuses and but-but-but. Here is my favorite part of the song. Each person laid out their objections of why God’s plan won’t work and questioned Him on how He was going to use them with all their limitations.

“It’s not your problem, God replied. And the rest is history.”

If you go back through the Bible, go back through history, you see His mighty hand doing things that don’t make sense to us. Achieving and completing great works that don’t add up to us. That part is not your problem. His ask of them was the same as His ask of us, “Just trust in Me.” That is your problem. Work on the ‘trust in Me’ part.

You can’t trust your plan until it is His plan. You can’t trust Him until you see, understand and relent the notion that somehow you can do it. Jesus said, “Apart from Me, you can do nothing.” Funny how we spend so much time trying to disprove that comment.

Go listen to “I AM” by Ginny Owens. You will love the beauty of His big picture.  Our trust in Him does change the world.

“There’s a bigger picture you can’t see
You don’t have to change the world
Just trust in me…
I am your Creator
I am working out My plan
Through you, I will show them
I AM.”

Pennies from Heaven

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I had this great God encounter the other day.  Charis and I were at the pool and she wanted money for the snack bar. So I handed her a handful of change and she looked at the amount mounded in her hand and declared, “This is plenty.” When I asked her to count it, she didn’t see the point because there were so many coins in her hands. “But some of those are pennies,” I said.

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” she said with a wave of her free hand. (You know your kids were raised in the South when f-i-n-e is a three syllable word. It’s beautiful to hear.)

Anyway, we separated the coins into like piles and I helped her add up the quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies. Once she heard the magic number of $1.25, which is the exact cost of a frozen Swiss Miss Chocolate Bar, she scraped all the change into her hand and was off. Contented and provided for.

Five minutes later, I am talking to Beth who is preparing to go BACK to Zimbabwe for six months this time to serve at the youth camp. We were working on her financial needs, listing out the room fee, phone, airfare, etc. Her magic amount was a bit more than $1.25.

That’s when the God encounter happened.

“Beth, think about it. When Charis came to me asking for money, she was never one time concerned about whether I had enough money. Her only concern was a yes or no answer from me. And once my answer was yes, it was on me to make it happen,” I said.

“Don’t miss this. She didn’t even care about the pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. To her, it was more about Mom’s got it taken care of. Sure for you, it’s not pennies and quarters but it’s $100s, $200s, $1000s. But to God it is the same. It’s all pocket change to Him. ”

He said yes. It’s on Him to provide the change. And that is what it is. Pocket change from our Dad. A day at the snack bar with His kids.

Ask Big.  You have a Big, Big, Dad.

Our Prayers for Zimbabwe

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I told my friend that my heart is so different and I haven’t even left for Zimbabwe yet.  God has convinced and convicted me of so much. He keeps talking about trust and surrender. His life in my life. Trust that His life is in me when I surrender my life. Funny how those two things always hang around together. Think hand in glove. Think air in lungs.

But as we draw closer to leaving, would you pray with us? My heart’s cry has become the same things for two different groups: The team going and the people staying. Our needs are much the same, and our God is definitely the same. So join us as we ask God to pour out His favor on us and on them:

Health — Protection and strength, ability to sleep so our bodies serve us well. That those we visit will be healed and renewed in physical strength.

Revelation — We need a greater vision of God’s loving relationship. So do they.

Sustaining Power — In the strain of daily living  that we, and they, might ask for, expect and receive the grace from God who sustains all things by the power of His word.

Encouragement — Praying for God to strip off the lies and traps that keep us and them numb, silenced and defeated. That we all would experience the courage and comfort of the Holy Spirit.

Here is the scripture that God gave me in answer to the question, “What are You up to in Zimbabwe?”  Hallelujah, what a Warrior God.

 5 This is what God the LORD says—
       he who created the heavens and stretched them out,
       who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it,
       who gives breath to its people,
       and life to those who walk on it:
 6 “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;
       I will take hold of your hand.
       I will keep you and will make you
       to be a covenant for the people
       and a light for the Gentiles,
 7 to open eyes that are blind,
       to free captives from prison
       and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
 8 “I am the LORD; that is my name!
       I will not give my glory to another
       or my praise to idols.
 9 See, the former things have taken place,
       and new things I declare;
       before they spring into being
       I announce them to you.”
Isaiah 42:5-9

An Invitation to Trust

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My friend Toni unknowingly blew my head off one day when she was talking about obedience. She said, “We have a wrong thought about obedience. It is not a hard, mean thing.  It is kind of like when you were a kid and your dad or mom says, ‘Hey I am going to the store, you wanna come?’ ” 

It’s an invitation. An invitation to trust the One who is asking you to come along.

I have brewed on this conversation with my insightful friend for a long time now. Every time I hear Chuck invite one of the girls to go on an errand, the Lord takes my understanding a little deeper. Why does Chuck ask? He wants to have some one-on-one time. He wants to talk to them about something specific. He has a surprise for them. He just enjoys their company.

Rarely do the girls fire off these questions:
Where are we going?
How will we get there?
How long will we be gone?
How much will it cost?
How will I pay for this?
How am I supposed to do this alone?

You see, all they know and rest in is that their dad, imperfect but loving dad, has asked them to go somewhere. The details don’t really matter because it is about the two of them going on an adventure.

If you told them, “you have to go”, the reactions would be different wouldn’t they? That Self kicks up in a moment. And this is the beauty, and the scandal, of our free will choosing of God. Our perfect Loving Father has asked us to trust His leading, trust His way. Trust Him. Even when we don’t understand the details and we can’t foresee the outcome. Jesus said, “Follow me.” He did not say, “You have to follow me.” He invited them into an adventure. And even though His followers surely did not know the future, they saw in His eyes something they could not refuse.

Where are you chafing?  What are you fighting for or against?  Who are you fighting? And what if you just looked instead into the eyes of God?  What if you listened again to what He said, ‘Follow me’, and without throwing out a thousand rebuttals, you just trusted the Heart that was asking you to come on an adventure?

 9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
       which have no understanding
       but must be controlled by bit and bridle
       or they will not come to you.
Psalm 32:9

For I Know…

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How much of what God knows matters one whit to you?

If you read with your eyes and assimilate with your mind that “God knows the plans He has for you,” does that actually impact what you do with the rest of your life, your day, the next hour?

I find in my life that I have this uncanny ability to bank more on what I know, than what HE knows.

This is very, very scary.

Last night in the WGR class, we closed with a song by Sidewalk Prophets. It was so rich that I got up and had another dose of its truth this morning.

The Words I Would Say

Be strong in the Lord and
Never give up hope
You’re going to do great things
I already know
God’s got His hand on you so
Don’t live life in fear
Forgive and forget
But don’t forget why you’re here
Take your time and pray
Thank God for each day
His love will find a way
These are the words I would say

I need to be reminded that GOD has big plans for me and you.  I need to be reminded that “His arm is not too short to save” and “nothing thwarts the plans of God.” But more than simply being reminded, God invites me to live Differently because of this truth. I can rest in the reality that God is for me, with me, calling me out and drawing me in.

The only way to combat fear is to walk with Truth. The only way to change your mind and your life is through worship and repentance. Worship: soaking in the beauty and goodness of God. Repentance: confessing areas that you trust someone, something more than God and turning back towards Him.

I pray that today your hope will be in His plans for you. Yes you.  I pray His plans will fuel everything you think and do with a renewed sense of purpose that your life lived with Him, today, matters for all eternity.

Oh yes, I also pray that because you trust Him, and His plans, you learn to trust that He is going to use what you are going through Today to advance His plans. “For I know the plans I have for you…”