Seeing God In The Waiting

Hummingbirds. I enjoy watching the frenzy of these busy little birds as they stop by for a quick visit just outside our dining room window. Photography is fun for me and my camera is usually not too far away--so this opportunity arose. 

I had been trying to capture one at my feeder--but wow--they are fast! Except for this one. She just sat there. No cares-no worries-just enjoying the view of my flower garden sitting on my primitive heart shaped weather vane. At that season of my life I was in a time of waiting. Waiting on God in a set of what seemed to be impossible circumstances that rocked my world. And click-this photo. And click-a snapshot from God Himself to this war torn woman who was trapped in a frenzy of worry, despair and woundedness. God showed me something that day. If this hurried hummingbird can sit on a little heart and drink in the beauty--so could I. I desperately needed soul rest and God used this feathered friend to give me a picture of how to get through a time of waiting on God. He taught me to slow down and drink in His presence and see the beauty that is unfolding. He taught me how to rest on the very heart of God for answers.

I love it when God connects His precious Word to the hot pavement of real life. Our Wednesday night Bible study is going through the book of 1 Peter and it is mind blowing to say the least. His words surround me like a warm blanket and I find that once again I am assured beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am born into Living Hope. (1 Peter 1:3)...and Living Hope isn't leaving me. That is a reality to be experienced not just simply a good idea. He is REAL and He wants you to really know that Living Hope never leaves.

Just this weekend I was among 300 of the most beautiful sisters at a Current 4 Women event in a little town next to ours. We opened the book of 1 Peter and dove into the most wonderful reality of Living Hope in the "now" of life. 

Are you finding that you are in a season of waiting--that you're in a dry dessert and there is no water in sight? Does it seems like God is pressing the pause button on your future or you are falling apart because of a situation you are facing and your prayers hit the ceiling? There is LIVING HOPE for the here and now. I want to share 3 things that I learned in the last 48 hours that spoke TRUTH into the time of waiting.

1. Remember God has never failed.

It's our own lack of trust in our Heavenly Father that leaves us to sit and spin. God is on His throne.God has never failed. Not once. Ever. Throughout the entire Bible God proves Himself to be faithful and Victorious in every situation. His promises have never been broken and each one He has kept throughout all time and history. He is FOR you--not against you. He is wanting to give you so much more than fixing the mess and moving on! It's time to make the great exchange of unbelief for believing that He truly works all thing out for our ultimate good. He wants to create in you a heart of worship and a mind that is clear in the midst of chaos. He wants you to learn to trust Him and to surrender the outcome. He wants you to see more of Him and less of your situation. His thoughts and desires for your life are so much higher than you can imagine. What is holding you back from believing that He has got this thing in control?

2. Remember your time of waiting is a time of growing.

His Word is sure-His timing is perfect--and He wants to do more with your time of waiting than you can even imagine. Dead hope is trying to do this thing called life on your own. By fixing your eyes on the AUTHOR, PERFECTER and FINISHER of your faith He shows you the big picture because HE wrote it. God is using this mess right now to produce in you...

~AUTHENTIC FAITH~

The kind of faith that roots  into 

who you are as a daughter of the

Most High King.

This trial and suffering you are walking through is forming a genuine faith one day at a time. He is in the process of building you a new identity in Christ. He is giving you an opportunity to CHOOSE Living Hope rather than surrendering to the spin cycle the moment you are faced with the pain of your circumstances.

3. Remember God wants a heart that listens to Him alone.


I get really irritated sometimes when I see "coffee cup" promises and the inauthentic "health and wealth" versions of Christianity. You know the ones! It's a little trite phrase that is supposed to give me a vision that everything is going to be rainbows, sunshine and puppy dogs. Maybe you have been on the receiving end of a very well intentioned soul who slaps a promise on your wound which only deepens the pain. When trial hits home it is so easy to slap on a promise that was never intended to be our answer. We take in so much of the worlds theology when suffering strikes and our time of waiting seems endless. Most of the New Testament was written to people who were under intense suffering and unimaginable circumstances. The authors of the Gospels knew that joy and hope didn't come from a change of circumstances. Joy and Hope come being rooted in a PERSON. His name is Jesus. It isn't about perfect circumstances--it's about a heart that is being perfected in the circumstance by a Perfect God. 

Take time to listen. Listen closely. What is He wanting you to hear through all of this? Leave the empty the chatter of the world and the coffee cup mentality at the cross and take up His Word and begin to fix your eyes on what He is saying in your time of waiting. Listen closely because it is a quiet voice and you will find that His voice speaks joy, love, trust and hope. Your heart becomes steadfast as you wait for God to triumph in your circumstances. Let Jesus take hold of your heart and you will find that having more of God is more than sufficient through the trial. Take courage--your Creator is using this moment to fashion you into His perfect image. It is a painfully beautiful mess-But the outcome is priceless.

"He counts the number of the stars; 

He gives names to all of them.

Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite." 

Psalm 147:4-5

The Power Living In You

"...so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him." 

~ Ephesians 3:10-12

Christ IN You.

You are IN Christ

Powerful.

Power living IN you.

Power in you to live rightly.

Power in you to make known in the spiritual realm who is King of Kings

and Lord of Lords.

Did you know the prophets LONGED to see Jesus?

They diligently searched, sacrificed and served their God--not for themselves

...but for YOU.

They wanted to see the revelation of Christ IN us and the glory that would be

seen through that revelation.

It wasn't about them--it was about YOU.

It was about Christ IN you--that is what they longed for.

The angels even waited in anticipation of salvation's plan.

Did you know that the angels marvel at the thought of Christ IN us?!

They marvel at Christ IN us!   WOW.

" As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them they they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through  those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven--things into which the angels long to look." ~1 Peter 1:10-13

The unsearchable riches of Christ!!!!!

...the power of Christ living in us...salvation.

Angels can't know what it feels like to be saved.

God's manifold wisdom of salvation is made known through YOU to the ANGELS.

S.P.E.EC.H.L.E.S.S.

..and all of heaven rejoices when one sinner is saved.

I can't imagine the thunder of angel wings...

the songs of the saints in glory...

the praises of heaven

over one sinner who repents.

Angels marvel at the power living in us.

Do you?

Do you know you have victory?

Do you know the power living in you?!

Do you know Him?

What is your position?

IN CHRIST.

...and all of heaven marvels.

And you, O daughter of God, can raise your head and your hands and walk in victory today because we never walk alone.

Is Christ Your Cornerstone?

"Therefore you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone."

Ephesians 2:19-20

I did a bit of research on cornerstones...good stuff! So, what is a cornerstone?

It is a stone placed at the corner of a building that was used as the foundation and standard upon which a building was constructed. Once in place, the rest of the building would conform to the angles and size of that cornerstone. From that one stone, the entire building would be measured.  It was critical in ancient times that the cornerstone was strong-square-and perfectly shaped or the building would not remain sound. In modern times-a cornerstone is typically for decorative or commemorative uses.

..so I started thinking...

buildings used to need a cornerstone to stand...in modern times it is decoration...

...so I started thinking about my foundation

...and the foundation of our country

...the foundations of the modern church movements

...and wondered if there is any correlation between 

where we came from

--where we are

--and where we are headed.

Cornerstones.

Construction Zones.

What are we building on, folks?!

I think it is about time we take a serious look at our lives.

Is Christ truly The Cornerstone of your life? 

...or is He just a decorative add on to make the outside look good?

Is Christ the basis for your decision making?

...or do you rationalize your choices based on what others will think?

Is Christ the center of your home?

...or do you attend church when it fits your schedule?

Is Christ the focus of your day?

...or do you Facebook or surf rather than getting your face in The Book?

Is Christ the basis of your relationships?

...or do you sink into shallow living so you fit in with the crowd?

Is Christ the center of your mind?

...or do your thoughts wander to places and ideas that  are offensive to God?

Is Christ the reason for what you do?

...or are you motivated by money, advancement, social status?

Is Christ your EVERYTHING?

...or is He just one more thing that you add on to your life...like fire insurance.

Tough Questions...

even tougher answers...

Sometimes the tough questions bring feelings of conviction...

Sometimes the answers reveal the need for repentance...

BUT OUR JESUS NEVER CONDEMNS THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST.

So, do you have some areas under construction??

--praise God He is showing you that!

repent-believe-and trust you are being built into

His dwelling place.

Look up sweet sister-you aren't alone.

All of us are in the same boat in need of the same saving Grace.

We are all under construction and thank God we have the Master Builder

that sees our finished product.

"Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A precious cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed. I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line." 

Isaiah 28:16-17

What a precious crimson flow, that sealed you IN CHRIST.

JESUS -THE ONE WHO JUSTIFIES YOU AND GIVES

YOU A RIGHT STANDING BEFORE GOD.

Jesus-the cornerstone to which everything is measured by.

What a precious Rock that we can cling to.

AND THAT MY DEAR FRIEND--IS WORTH CLAIMING HIM AS

YOUR CORNERSTONE.

Check out 1 Peter 2: 4-10. In that passage you will find that you are a living stone because you are IN CHRIST and you are being built up as a spiritual house that God will use. It is a precious thing for those who believe...but for those who don't believe, they will stumble over the very Rock that you are holding on to.

So the ultimate question of the day... IS CHRIST YOUR CORNERSTONE?

Oh, sweet sister-run the race! Dig into knowing who you are IN Christ and what HE wants your building to look like. There is SO much life to live out there beyond what this world offers.

 "...work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is GOD WHO IS AT WORK IN YOU both to will and to work for His good pleasure." ~Philippians 2:12

PRESS ON!

Christ In Me

"...and you were dead in your trespasses and sins..." Ephesians 2:1

d.e.a.d.

That is where I am was.

d.e.a.d.

Yup. Somehow before I met Jesus I thought I was really living. I am sure you did too. I had no idea that I was walking around dead.... Thinking I was really winning the race when in reality I was nailed in a coffin the whole time.  God sure sees things so differently than we do.  

Meeting Jesus changes everything. Knowing you are IN CHRIST rocks your world. Looking back at your past and seeing where God has brought you from produces A HEART OF GRATITUDE. A HEART OF WORSHIP.

" But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us live together with Christ..." Ephesians 2:4-5

That is your Jesus...so rich in love...so kind in His mercy to you! Rescuing you before you ever knew you needed help... 

Jesus-

The One who enters into your muck and mire.

Pulls you out of the pit.

Washes you off.

Gives you a robe of righteousness.

Plants your feet on The Rock

...and gives you the strength to 

point the way to freedom for others.

THAT IS WHAT YOU ARE HERE FOR.

Close your eyes sit back and listen to God singing over you today.Praise God that you know who you are IN CHRIST...then go, sister!!!
Share the Good News with someone who desperately needs to meet your
Jesus.

God Is For Me

We all do it. We have an entire armload of worries...

finances

health

children

marriage

future plans

employment

you name it...we carry it around like a sack of cement on our backs. 

It is so exhausting.

It is so...well...unnecessary.

But we do it anyway.

It is so easy to forget God in the equation.

We forget that we are IN CHRIST.

We forget that we have his WORD on the matter.

We forget that we have access to

the power of God in each situation.

We forget that He can give us new eyes

to see the situation how HE sees it.

What we don't forget is how human we are!

It seems to hit the replay button

over and over

until we are drowning

in ourselves.

YUCK.

We do not have to listen to that tune.

"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will KNOW what is the hope of HIS  calling, what are the riches of the glory of HIS inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of HIS power toward us who believe."

~Ephesians 1:18-19

I don't know about you...but this morning I needed enlightened to say the least. The eyes of my heart had lost its focus last week and some things sent me on a spiral. How easily I had forgotten to listen to what God thinks of me and I gave into the chatter of my defeated foe. nasty stuff... not just for me...but for everyone around me.

******

Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon

pg.391 (July 13th-evening)

" When I cry unto Thee, then shall my enemies turn back; this I know; God is for me."

~Psalm 56:9

"It is impossible for any human speech to express the full meaning of this delightful phrase, 'God is for me.' He was 'for us' before the worlds were made; He was 'for us' or He would not have given His well-beloved Son; He was 'for us' when He struck the Only begotten, and laid the full weight of His wrath upon Him--He was 'for us,' though He was against Him; He was 'for us, when we were ruined in the fall--He loved us notwithstanding all; He was 'for us' when we were rebels against Him, and with a high hand were defying Him; He was 'for us,'or He would not have brought us humbly to see His face.

He has been 'for us' in many struggles; we have been summoned to encounter hosts of dangers; we have been assailed by temptations from without and within --how cold we have remained unharmed to this hour if HE had not been 'for us'? 

He is 'for us,' with all the infinity of His being; with all the omnipotence of His love; with all the infallibility of His wisdom; arrayed in all His divine attributes, He is 'for us', '--eternally and immutably 'for us;' 

He is'for us' when the clouds will be rolled up like a worn out piece of clothes; 'for us' throughout eternity. And because He is 'for us' the voice of prayer will always ensure His help. 

'When I cry unto You, then shall my enemies by turned back.' This is a sure hope and a well grounded assurance--'this I know." I will direct my prayer to You, and will look up for the answer, assured that it will come, and that my enemy will be defeated, 'for God is for me.' Oh believer, how happy you are when the King of Kings is on your side! How safe you are with such a Protector! How sure your case is when the Advocate is pleading your cause! If God be for you, who can be against you?"

sweet. sweet. sister.

you. are. in. Christ.

He. is. for. you.

And He wants you to know

that He is

SEATED

in heaven...

on His throne.

V.I.C.T.O.R.I.O.U.S

and you are, too.

So this morning-we can 

cry out to our Strong and Mighty God!

"And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear."

~Psalm 65:24

What a powerful verse.

What a powerful and mighty God that can do that. 

Wow.

A View from the Garden

The garden view is awesome this year and I didn't have to deal with the garden hose at all...

Ohio enjoyed (survived) the Great Flood of 2015.

yeah-this is our yard...a few days ago...

and oh--this is my husbands replanted soybean field too....

 rain makes life messy sometimes...

but sometimes it produces some great flowers in a garden

and weeds...

I love flowers...I dislike weeds...

alot.

Yup...the front of the bed looks great...but as you can see they are being held up by brilliantly green and vivaciously happy 

weeds.

Which leads to the garden...that I actually MOWED today...

yeah---the riding lawn mower.

And I am a farmers wife for crying out loud...

humiliating. 

I really should have a manicured garden since that

is our family tradition.

pshaw.....not this year.

I AM MANAGING A FAILING ENDEAVOR...

(stop laughing)

Each of us have a heart that looks like my garden...

A little bit fancy...

A lot of nasty weeds...

Pleasantly productive...

Particularly  pitiful....

That's how life is.

We live in the flesh and it is messy.

Yet God still chooses to use us.

...to live in us.

I AM IN CHRIST.

and even though I am a mess...

He counted it all JOY

to go to the cross

for me

so he could bear fruit in me...

Sweet sister,

the power you have access to

brought Jesus back

from the dead!!!

He wants us to know

that YOU ARE HIS.

BLOOD BOUGHT.

SPIRIT FILLED.

SEALED.

EQUIPPED.

The down payment that tells you that you are His bride...the sealing of the Holy Spirit inside of you. 

"...I am sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise who is given as a pledge of our inheritance..." 

Ephesians 1:13-14

God gave each believer a SEAL.

A GENUINE MARK

OF AUTHENTICITY.

HIS STAMP OF APPROVAL.

Irrevocable.

He gave you the free gift of the Holy Spirit to let you know

YOU ARE HIS.

no doubts.

NO SECOND GUESSING.

Living inside of YOU...

and He will NEVER leave.

NEVER

"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever." 

~John 14:16

Flesh and Spirit.

Painfully jumbled together as we climb upward to the high calling of being IN CHRIST.

I am thankful he doesn't look at my weedy mess and declare my

insufficiency .

I am IN CHRIST

and HE is sufficient.

I am IN CHRIST

and I am SEALED WITH...

THE HELPER.

COMFORTER AND COUNSELOR- John 14:16

TEACHER-1 Cor 2:13

LEADER- Romans 8:14

GUIDE TO TRUTH- John 16:13

GIFT GIVER- I Cor 12

COMMANDER- Acts 8:29

CONVICTOR OF MY HEART- John 16:7-11

And if the Holy Spirit is living inside of you...He will faithfully deal with the sinful weeds that are choking the life out of you.

Not because he is mad at you.

A garden can't weed itself.

It must have a caretaker.

I didn't walk out to my garden

and rant because it was full of weeds...

The garden was just doing what gardens do.

 And my sinful heart does what sinful hearts do.

I sin.

Our Perfect Caretaker pulls the weeds

and it is painful yet productive

Because

God knows that when those nasty weeds 

are gone...

you will be more aware of

of His presence! 

You will experience the glory of His goodness!

...and be overwhelmed by the grace

freely given to you IN CHRIST.

Sweet one, you are going to fall more

deeply in love with JESUS.

So press on sister to the high calling of 

KNOWING WHO YOU ARE 

IN CHRIST!!

It is a

great place to be.

..weeds and all.

Foundational Thinking

Today's headlines...you read them. HISTORIC DECISION BY THE SUPREME COURT--MONUMENTAL. Fundamental Change...Foundations are shaking. Everyone is weighing in on the issues. yak-yak--blah-blah...he said/she said.It is somewhat irritating if it weren't so important.

...and I sit and ponder what the future holds for America...for our children and our grandchildren

...and my heart simply burns with a deep ache for what lies ahead.

...and my eyes sting with tears--because marriage is at the very heart of God

...and I look around at a world of wars, chaos, evil and disease...

...and I open THE WORD...

to the beautiful book of Ephesians...

...and the heart of God speaks so softly--and sings so sweetly of His GRACE AND PEACE to me. (Eph 1:2)

...and he tells me that He chose me to be IN CHRIST before the world began...and he sees me as blameless and holy before Him. (Eph1:4)

...and He tells me that I am His Child because His will is kind  (vs5)

...and I am redeemed through His blood and forgiven lavishly by grace (vs7-8)

....and I find my position...once again...

I am in Christ.

I am IN Christ.

I AM in Christ.

I am in CHRIST.

That phrase wraps around my heart like a warm blanket. It calms the inner storms and gives me a peace that can't be taken away.

In Christ-I know who I am.

In Christ-I know who He is.

In Christ-I know where I am going.

The courts can make rules--the governments of this world can go to war--our leaders can boast and celebrate over what breaks the very heart of Our God. We save whales yet kill the unborn child....we hug trees yet hunt down Believers...they can take away our right to pray in schools and remove the manger scenes from public places. They can sterilize Holidays and History books...

but our God wins.

period.

He has the final word...

because HE IS THE WORD.

IN CHRIST. That is my position. My foundation is the person of Jesus Christ. He can't be moved-broken-sterilized-taken away-over ruled-legislated or silenced. He isn't subject to opinion or culture and won't change with the political climate.

HE WAS

HE IS 

AND HE IS TO COME.

HOW FIRM IS YOUR FOUNDATION?

Lessons from a cat...

What do you get when you cross a dumpster at the Aeschliman farm...a wild Tom cat...and empty peanut butter jar?

Yes. This is a real-and this cat really did this to himself. This poor Tom cat apparently crawled into our dumpster and found some choice dining. Crazy. While sporting his new attire-he crashed into buildings--flopped--flipped--rolled--jumped in a futile attempt to rid himself of his newly found identity. (...it was actually pretty funny!!) And folks-the jar wasn't coming off no matter what that cat tried. Tommy needed some outside help if he was going to ever catch the next meal. It took 3 attempts by Keri to get this face mask off of this furry feline. I am proud to say--he appears normal and probably is busy re-populating our neighborhood. (sorry.) And yes-he still is snacking in our dumpster--hopefully a bit more wisely.

God has a way of giving me some fairly crazy visual aides to help me in my walk...I guess he knows what works with me. Apparently a dumpster diving cat with a craving for Peter Pan extra creamy helped me to understand Ephesians 1: 1-6. (...check that passage out!) 

Identity. We all chase something that will define us...make us unique...always wanting to be different than everyone else. WE want to matter. A passion. A mission. A calling. A testimony. You name it. We chase it whether it is good or bad.

" We try to control our image, since what is inside feels impossible to fix." 

~Jennie Allen (Chase) 

That is true--and...most of the time we end up looking just as ridiculous as my dumpster diving cat. 

We dig around in the worldly dumpsters hoping for a morsel to satisfy.
We get a taste of something...something yummy...and then we are stuck. 
We can't move like we are meant to move.
A wrong identity gives us a dangerous world view. 
Our vision is blocked-we are on a collision course...and if we keep it up long enough...it could kill us.
Unless we have outside Help.

Maybe if we could grasp what transpired at the cross--we wouldn't be so inspired to chase the wind.

Transformation only happens when I begin to grasp the depth that Love had to go to save this sinner.


"For those of us who know Christ, we stand on the unchanging reality that we have been so loved by our God that He purchased us with the blood of His Son. See, we have worth, but it doesn't come from within us--it comes to us from the One who made us." ~Jennie Allen (Chase)

I walked away from Tommy with a profound thought.

I can just be me. 

I don't need to be someone else.

I look pretty stupid when I chase after things that are a temporary fix.

I don't define me. God does.

Ephesians 1:1-6 says that I am 

adopted.

loved.

accepted.

holy.

 blessed.

All because of what Jesus did for me.

Jesus died for the real you...not some future version of you that is new and improved...not some superwoman who has it all together. Jesus died for the real you...the messy you...the broken you. God has abundant grace to pick you up and give you a new identity.

God is for you.

He is not against you.

I CAN'T GET THIS SONG OUT OF MY HEAD...AND THE PICTURE OF THAT CRAZY CAT...and how much I want to know my worth in Christ-believe it with my whole heart--and then live like it.

AND I AM ON FIRE!
I AM CHASING MY GOD!
I AM CHASING HIS IDENTITY FOR ME!
AND BOY IS IT A BEAUTIFUL SOUND...CAN YOU HEAR HIM CALLING YOU TODAY?

Drops in the Ocean by Hawk Nelson

Crank up the tunes and praise

Him for who He is!

Feel free to check out my other posts on the same topics!

  Identity Crisis

Chaff

When the Hurt and the Healer Collide

Little Places

Dirt and the Farm Wife

Confidence in...who? 

Calmer of the Storm