Thursday, January 26, 2017

One Year Jan 13, 2017

One year.  One. Whole. Year. 

The wise man built his house upon the rock (Jesus), and the foolish man built his house upon the sand.  When the storms came – oh, and the storms came – to BOTH the wise and the foolish – the house rooted firmly in the foundation of the Lord endured.  It may have been battered by all ferocity of the storm, but it still stands, because the Lord himself provided the strength to stand firm.  And HE does not collapse.  He does not crumble.  And therefore, neither do we.

It is HIS strength and HIS peace that sees us through this journey every day.  Of course, we would love to walk an easier path in life.  But we need to keep our eyes on the destination.  And on WHO is leading us.  And when He asks us to use the difficult and rugged trail full of rocks and downed trees and dark shadows and vertical cliffs, we can be confident that He himself goes before us and leads the way.  He is the one who guides us through the valley of the shadow of death.  And when the trail becomes too difficult, we can rely fully on Him to see us through it; to help us over the rocks, to bandage our wounds, to light the darkness of the shadows, and to guide us through uncertain places.  We can be grateful for the journey, because it brings us closer to Him. as we are forced to rely on His strength. We can trust Him fully, not only for getting us to the final destination, but for walking with us through each step of the journey. If we were walking down an easy path in life, would we need to rely on Him?  Would we be able to trust in our own strength and peace and wisdom instead of leaning fully on His? And so, we can be grateful for the journey, even in all of its difficulties. (Not that I wouldn’t just LOVE to have the easy path once in a while!!)

If you knew the depths of our weaknesses, you could fully understand the overflowing abundance of His strength and peace that He gives.  May He be glorified, always, through each and every step of our journey. 

This year has brought many changes, many challenges, many weaknesses, and oh, so much strength and peace and joy. God is good.  God loves us.  His plan is good and perfect.  And He works all things together for the good of those who love Him (that’s me! That’s us!).  Is there really anything else that we need to know? Not really.  Stop fretting.  Let God have it.  Rest in Him.  Be still. 

Thank you, all, for walking this difficult journey with us. We love you all, more than you could ever know.  We are blessed.

Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5-6

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.  Psalm 56:3

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD. Psalm 150:6

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thess 5:18

Giving thanks always for all things unto God, even the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;  Ephesians 5:20

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Phil 4:6

I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High. Psalm 7:17

The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior! Psalm 18:46

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. Psalm 28:7

Praise be to the Lord, for he showed me the wonders of his love when I was in a city under siege. Psalm 31:21





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