"If you do what the LORD wants, he will make certain each step you take is sure. The LORD will hold your hand, and if you stumble, you still won't fall." Psalm 37:23-24 (Contemporary English Version)
Recently, while doing my LIFE (Living in Freedom Everyday) small group homework, I was asked to read the above verse and say what happens when the godly stumble. However, what I found more interesting is that the writer, David, says "if you stumble". As though it's assumed we won't fall (sin) the closer we are to Jesus. Right before I was getting up the nerve to speak up at my small group, God gave me a revelation about this. At least, He spoke to me in the way I learn best, through analogies.
Do you remember those punching bag toys from the 80's, where the bottom was filled with sand? Usually they were about four feet high once fully inflated, with a picture of a clown or something on the front. Well, if we continually stand and hold on the promises of God (which by the way, according to Google, there are more than 3,000 in the Bible), then they are like grains of sand to anchor us down; much like the sand in the punching bag. The more "sand" in your life, the less likely you'll be to fall (sin). Jesus is there holding your hand to give you balance and support. We just have to remember to keep holding on to His promises, so when the devil or outside forces attack, we'll be on guard and ready.
Here are some to you started:
Psalm 50:15 - "Pray to me in time of trouble. I will rescue you, and you will honor me."
James 4:7-10 - "Come near to God and he will come near to you."
Psalm 32:8 - "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you."
I John 1:9 - "But if we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away."
Jeremiah 29:11-13 - "I will bless you with a future filled with hope--a future of success, not of suffering. You will turn back to me and ask for help, and I will answer your prayers. You will worship me with all your heart, and I will be with you."
"The best reason to pray is that God is really there. In praying, our unbelief gradually starts to melt. God moves smack into the middle of even an ordinary day... Prayer is a matter of keeping at it... Thunder claps and lightning flashes are very unlikely. It is well to start small and quietly." -- Emilie Griffin
I know it's been forever and a day since I've written. I've been a tad busy with life. Writing about my angst took a back seat to my fairytale romance. :) More on that another time.
While sitting in traffic today, I had a thought. Well, to be more precise, I had a strings of thoughts, but I want to write about one of them: Magic Eye. Do you guys remember these from the 80's? You'd stare at a 2D image for a while until your eyes adjusted and a 3D image would magically appear and leap off the page! Once I "find" the hidden treasure, I'm able to look all around the page and take everything in.
I Googled Magic Eye and found THE coolest site: 3D Stereogram where you can make your own Magic Eye Picture like this: Check it out! So cool, huh? Can you tell what it says?
You might be saying to yourself, 'This is neat, Mer, but what's the point?" My thoughts exactly. God gave me the analogy that my life right now is like a Magic Eye picture. Thanks, God, but what does that mean?
The other night at church, Pastor Steve Blair told us a story how he taught his girls how to ride bikes when they were little. When they first started out, he'd have a firm grip on the back of their t-shirts, that way, if they fell off, he could quickly pull them up and out of harm's way. As the girls progressed and got more independent, he could loosen his grip up a bit. The girls thought they were doing it on their own, but their daddy was still protecting them. Steve said that God does the same thing with us. Sometimes He's got a tight grip on us and we feel it; feel the protective love and safety. While other times, when it feels as though we're footloose and fancy free, He's still got a hold of us.
When we look at our life and everything seems all out of focus and there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to anything, if we'll just focus on Jesus then everything else blurs away and HE becomes our focus.
On the surface, my life is peachy-keen, as my Grandfather used to say. Nothing is perceivable wrong, however, I've felt this restlessness for a few weeks now. I've been trying to figure out what God wants me to do next. What new project am I to take on for His glory? I, of course, would love to write another book, but the time isn't right. Jason and I have been praying that God will reveal to me the path I'm to take next. Jason found this verse, in John I think, where the Holy Spirit goes before us and leads us before we even think about a decision.
We sing this song at church that feels like my heart beat lately: Awakening by Chris Tomlin.
For You and You alone Awake my soul, awake my soul and sing For the world You love Your will be done, let Your will be done in me
It gets me every time as tears stream down my face as I worship. I believe God's been trying to bring forth an awakening in my own life. Far too long I've been going with the flow of life traffic; instead, shouldn't I be salmon? What could I be doing to change the destiny of someone? Will you pray with me as I try to discover my new God-Project? Thanks.
One last thing, completely unrelated to anything I've previously said, yet very cool and should inspire you nonetheless:
Anyone know who sings this? They are some of the lyrics from a song that came on "So You Think You Can Dance" the other night. I would love to have this song in my collection. Help?!
"...You are a lighthouse when I'm lost at sea and you are the language I'm trying to speak and you are a taste that keeps me thirsty in the air and on the ground it's rising"?
Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when The first tree said, 'Someday I hope to be a great Treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver And precious gems. I could be decorated with an Intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty.'
Then the second tree said, 'Someday I will be a Mighty ship. I will take Kings and queens across the Waters and sail to the corners of the world. People Will eel safe in me because of the strength of my Hull .'
Finally the third tree said, 'I want to grow to be The tallest and straightest Tree in the forest. People Will see me on top of the hill, look up to my branches, And think of the heavens and God and how close to Them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all Time and people will always remember me.'
After a few years of praying that their dreams would Come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, 'This looks Like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the Wood to a carpenter, and he began cutting it down. The Tree was happy, because he knew the carpenter would Make him into a treasure chest.
At the second tree the woodsman said, 'This looks like A strong tree. I will be able to sell it to the shipyard.' The second tree was happy Because he knew he was on His way to becoming a mighty ship.
When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree Was frightened because he knew that if they cut him Down his dreams would not come true. One of the men Said, 'I don't need anything special from my tree, I'll Take this one,' and he cut it down.
When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was Made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in A barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he Had prayed for.
The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing Boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying Kings had come to an end.
The third tree was cut into large pieces, and left alone In the dark.
The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.
Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave Birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box That was made from the first tree. The man wished that he Could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would Have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event And knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.
Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from The second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and The tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men Safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and He stood and said 'Peace' and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew That it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.
Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the People mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed To the tree and raised in the air to die at the top Of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to Realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top Of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, Because Jesus had been crucified on it.
The moral of this story is that when things don't seem To be going your way, always know that God has a plan for You. If you place your trust in Him, God will give you great gifts.
Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined.
We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His Ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.
