My chains are gone

Yesterday in church we sang Amazing Grace, one of my favorite songs.  Not only because it is such an amazing picture of how God redeemed by life and so many others but now especially meaningful because Nicole and Stefan used this as congregational singing at their wedding instead of a soloist. It just brings tears to my eyes when I think about it.  There is a bridge in the song that says:

My chains are gone
I've been set free
my God, my Savior
has ransomed me
and like a flood
His mercy reigns
unending love
amazing grace

I'll be honest, the first time we sang it years ago I was a little "bugged" by that addition.  Amazing Grace is such a classic message....why did we need to add anything else??  Over the years, my heart has been changed and yesterday the words pierced my heart.  First was His mercy reigns, but in my mind I kept thinking "rains" as in pouring down lavishly over us with abandon, soaking into every part of our being and quenching the thirst within us that seems like such a mystery.  We know there is something we need but keep reaching for it in all the wrong ways.  We keep stretching to do life our way completely oblivious to the fact that every day while we have the option to just embrace the grace and mercy He so willingly gives.  We can't do it any other way but still we try.  When something finally brings us to our knees and we acknowlege and embrace His way and plan, that mercy comes in again like a flood washing over us, cleansing us, making us new.  Those things will keep coming in our life because His mercy reigns.  It is all around us, always and forever waiting to be recognized, embraced and carried with us daily.  And, oh how amazing it is to sit in the puddle left behind realizing the beauty that we partake in if only we open our hearts and let Him both reign and rain in our life!!!

The second thing that really touched me was "my chains are gone".  He has set me FREE, why do I live as if I still have those chains tying me down?  Can you relate?  If His mercy and grace are fully reigning in my life - people should know it, see it, feel it and hear it!!  Everything I do should be done with abandon for Christ, my Savior with no thoughts of what other people think of me personally or my actions.  If they are done for His glory and with His love.  Unending love, amazing grace....oh, that I should love others that way with grace for their faults and failures.  After all, I have my own set of faults and failures, too.  If Christ gives me that grace and mercy - how can I do any less to those around me?  When I hold hard feelings, bitterness, fear in my heart or can't let go of my past, I am allowing those chains to hold me....I am choosing to let them encircle me even though there is no padlock to keep them there.  This time of year is one of reflection and plan for change.....may I choose to fling off those chains I've kept and live with abandon for Him in everything I do.  May I choose to allow His grace and mercy to both reign in me and rain over me!!

Prayer Journey

Matthew 21:22 “and whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive if you have faith”

Sounds pretty simple, right?  If only it was….I know that we all struggle with this is verse.  We just have to ask……and then, when the answer is no or wait or there is no obvious answer that we can see we begin to question our faith and the strength of our beliefs.  Even worse, sometimes we question if God is really listening or if He really cares.  There….I said it and wrote in black and white.  It’s time to get real and be honest instead of being the “Sunday morning Christians” that fill our churches.  If there is one thing I want to be in everything I do and write – it’s to be real and honest and caring and loving and more like Jesus every day.

There is a BIG two letter word in that verse….”IF”.  I love studying the word and circling the ifs and therefores , in’s,  so that’s and for’s (I’m sure that was grammatically slaughtered!!); it adds so much more depth and real meaning to the Word.  So here – the word “if”…what does that mean to us?  For me it means realizing again and again and again (to infinity) that I have to do my part in resting in faith.  I have to understand that those prayers where I seek His will above my own are the ones that will be answered.  Here is the amazing part – when we finally let go of what we want…. telling God our plan and waiting for him to catch on, we are FREE and at peace.  Tell me I’m not the only one who has to keep coming back to this place of realization!!  You would think the first time it happened and you felt the burden literally lifted off your shoulders, when you wanted to just run and jump and yell praises that we wouldn’t go back to carrying that heavy load of trying to do it ourselves.  But we do.  Over and over again.  Or at least I do.  Oh, Lord help me to realize that your plan will ALWAYS give me more joy that I can even begin to comprehend and your plan is so much bigger than mine could ever be!!

In verse 21 it says that if you have faith and do not doubt – even the mountain can be thrown into the sea.  I love this part because He already knows the plan. His Will is already set to be accomplished.  We just have to be faithful and obedient to understand that we are riding His train and the tracks have already been set.  Think about that for a minute – do you get on a train and midway through the journey tell the conductor to stop, get out and re-lay the track to change the path of the train?  Silly question and imagine how labor intensive and time consuming that would be!!  Why do we try to do that in our own lives when he already has the tracks laid and ready for us?  There are three words in verse 21 that hit me hard "it will happen" - my study bible explains that beautifully when it says this shows the immeasurable power of God, unleashed in the lives of those with true faith.  When we believe in God's plan for our lives - it will happen and it WILL BE amazing!!!

“We think that we understand better than He does when and how our prayers should be answered….We make use of prayer to convince God that we see the matter in the right light,  that the answer should be given immediately, and should be as we planned it….We are afraid that God will not permit Himself to be convinced by our prayer, but will do as He wills regardless of our supplications…When, therefore, the Spirit has taught us that God is inexorable on this point and that He Himself decides when and how our prayers are to be answered, then we shall experience rest and peace when we pray.”  O Hallesby

I love that – we think we should convince God and are afraid that His mind will not be changed by our petitions.  Oh, how sadly true of so many prayers that I have prayed.  But, when I really (and I mean not just saying it but really after wrestling with God) let go of what I want and how I think things should be accomplished, then and only then do I find rest but even more than rest is pure joy unknown in any other way.  Then am I free to discover more about God and his glorious plan for me and then I am free to worship and serve in truth and complete vulnerability!!!

“The meaning of prayer is that we get hold of God, not the answer”  Oswald Chambers

Lord, thank you for giving us the beautiful act of prayer to lay down our desires and burdens understanding that in YOUR GREAT POWER we find unspeakable joy and peace no matter what the answer.  Thank you so much for allowing us to engage in prayer to find YOU!!  Show us your unending mercy as we seek your will and path for our lives and grace to deal with the difficulties and challenges that we will encounter.  May we find joy in the journey you have planned for us know that if we are faithful we will find the peace your promise in your word.  

TODAY

"Time is a gift; it is not a possession.  It is to be used wisely."  Cynthia Heald


I just finished an amazing bible study and the above quote was from the author.  Her message was to abide in the Lord daily.  What a message that I needed to hear.  I'm going to be transparent here and share that I have almost always lived in a state of working toward what is next, waiting for "this" or "that" to happen and assuming that peace would find me there.  I share this in hopes that there is someone reading this who may have that same issue.  The hard truth is that I needed to look for peace, rest and joy right where I was.....or right where I am!!  Can anyone relate?

I need to be reminded daily that our life here is but a whisper of what is to come.....we live like we can just reach out to someone tomorrow or wait to start a project after we reach a goal.  We'll make that call tomorrow or follow the dreams God put in our hearts when our bank account is full, when the kids graduate, after school starts, when school ends, after summer vacation etc etc etc.  Can you tell I'm writing this on the eve of the first day back to school.  This is my last "first day" - my youngest starts his senior year tomorrow.  Perhaps that is why this is so heavy on my heart.  Time goes so quickly and in an instant that little baby you are holding goes off to college.....ok, maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself and sound a little dramatic (but if you are a parent - you KNOW it's true!!!).  OK, I'll get back on track.....

We were created by God with a purpose - each one of us with a unique gift that HE created in you and for you!!!  But we get so caught up in "living" that we stop thinking about it.  I'm going to challenge you to stop right now and think about that.  Do you know what gift God has given you, do you know what unique dream or purpose God designed just for you?  If you cannot stop and write that down RIGHT NOW.....don't read any more.  Get on your knees and  spend some time asking God to reveal that to you - trust me, He will!!  But you have to ask, you have to be honest with Him, if you are struggling with something - tell Him and you have to be willing to accept ANY answer and be obedient to that word!  Please don't push the thought aside or think it's unimportant.....

In I Timothy 4:14-15 it says "Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given to you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.  Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all my see your progress."  (emphasis added was mine)  In my study bible it defines "the gift" as "the grace given to Timothy and ALL believers at salvation which consisted of a God-designed, Spirit-empowered spiritual ability for the use of ministry"

Notice that it says "spirit-empowered".  We don't have to do this in our own strength, we cannot do it in our own strength.  We don't have to have the plan all laid out ahead of time.....sometimes we just have to take a leap of faith or sow that tiny mustard seed today so God can begin his plan.  I heard someone say once that before you can be great, you have to be good and before you can be good you have to be bad, but before you can be bad, you have to DO SOMETHING!!!  The beginnings of the dream may seem small and insignificant but until you sow that seed - you will never know what it will become!!

God hit me over the head with a 2 x 4 this morning (it was much needed and deserved) and I'm thankful.  I've spent so long looking at tomorrow and missing out on the joys of today, waiting for tomorrow to be just the right day to get started.  I choose to start today - even if the house is a mess, the laundry isn't done and tomorrow is the first day of school!!  He desires me to be present in this very moment without worrying about tomorrow.  To follow the dreams HE gave me with everything I have, working hard but finding joy in the fleeting moments of today....they will never come again and I want to savor every moment!!  How about you??