He is my God. He is strengthening me and helping me. He is holding me up with his victorious hand. Can you imagine a stronger more trustworthy more perfect hand holding you up?
Tonight, we were swimming. And because of my challenges vertically, there were places in the pool where I could not reach and if I did not know how to swim and if I would have been alone, I could have drowned. But of course, I have known how to swim since I was 5 years old. But I imagined God could have saved me multiple ways. Because his right hand holds me up, I imagined his hand pushing me up into the air, up into the oxygen I needed for life. I imagined him underwater with his outstretched hand, giving his life to keep me above water. But he already did this on the Cross, so I knew that wasn't accurate.
But then I thought about how he provided me with the knowledge of swimming to keep from drowning. Although I know God could have brought in his hand physically like that, what if, instead, he used the years of practice I did in previous times in my life?
And then I thought about this year and this fasting and this time-tithe to the Lord. How much greater is it that he is having me learn this way, rather than just providing the correct emotions/mindset/heart toward him and toward a possible spouse. It's like having to work all year, rather than winning the lottery with the same amount of annual income. I'd choose the work. Jesus endured all 40 days of suffering and temptation on earth with demons as companions, to prove his perfection. God is proving to me that I can be worthy enough to be called Christ-like. I will not reach perfection, but I can run the race. "Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I discipline my body like an athlete." (1 Corinthians 9) I want to wake up every morning to run to God even when I don't feel like it. To offer any kind of surrender of sin or of self to God in order for him to fill up any dark place within me, to fill up any hole within.
To fully submit myself to God as a wife would to a husband. "The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority over his body to his wife." (1 Corinthians 7) Jesus offers us his body over and over again: "Jesus took some break and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, 'This is my body, which is given for you.'" (1 Corinthians 11) Paul commands in Corinthians 7 for the submission to be mutual. If I am married to the Lord, then every single day I want to offer my life to him, that he is free to use me for his will. These are my vows.
Come Away by United Pursuit Band - a word from the Lord.
Come away with me, come away.
It's never too late. It's not too late for you.
I have a plan for you. I have a plan.
It's gonna be wild.
It's gonna be great.
It's gonna be fully me.
2 comments:
such a wonderful song that one! :)
and your comment about working all year rather than winning the lottery made me think of "First Day of My Life" by Bright Eyes. The last chorus goes like this:
"So if you want to be with me, with these things there’s no telling. We'll just have to wait and see, but I’d rather be working for a paycheck than waiting to win the lottery..."
It's so true...working towards a goal is so much more beautiful than being handed it. It makes the arrival all the more satisfying. Besides, no one wants to read a book in which the character spontaneously ascends from child to hero. It's just not an interesting story. I think we all long for our lives to be interesting stories, am I right?
Good stuff!
Agreed! Thanks for the encouragement!
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