willing

Basic fact #425: God calls us to do things way out of our comfort zones. And personally, it takes alot of prayer and letting go to follow God with the right attitude. The journey is hard, but as long as we are in God's will, we are provided for. 

However, what if God calls us to think about something just to ask us if we are simply willing to do His will? I saw this come up in my college search. I learned about a two year Bible college near my home, but it wasn't anything like the other colleges I was considering. However, I felt this huge pull to pray about the school and consider it. After much prayer, just when I was ready to talk to my parents about this change in plans, the pull was gone. I felt peace about my original decision. 

I think God wants me to be willing to follow Him to the ends of the earth, whether or not I stay in Wisconsin or even the United States. My heart needs to be willing. And if I am always open and receptive to God's will for my life, I can only imagine where His plan will take me. 

Jesus wants a willing heart. Are you willing? Am I?

psalm 23

I cannot tell you how many times I have read Psalm 23...it brings me comfort and confidence in who God is.

That being said, I don't think I ever fully noticed the last few lines of the Psalm until recently:

"Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

I have dwelled so much in my sorrow that I would repeat the first few verses to myself over and over again, completely forgetting the promise that God leaves us at the end.

No matter what happens, God's goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life. I WILL dwell in the house of the Lord forever, no matter what happens. No matter what! Isn't that incredible?

Check out this song by Jon Foreman, called The House of God, Forever.

treasure

"I would run for a thousand years
If I knew every step would be getting me closer;
I'd swim to the ocean floor,
For my Lord is the treasure
My Lord is the treasure."
               -Desperation Band


My family will be moving this summer, most likely to Colorado. I have struggled with this for a long time. It's easy to look at the broad scope of something as an adventure, but to get caught up in the details and then to lose trust in God and his will. Lesson one of this move is that God is in all the details, no questions asked. 


Something that I'm still trying to grasp is the idea of making God my everything- my heart, my home, my hope, my love, my peace, my joy, my comfort...I am realizing that humans seek an outlet to experience all of these things in their lives, maybe through a relationship or a hobby or a really nice home. We want to have something to turn to that will settle our nerves and assure us that we are loved and wanted. Some people spend their entire lives seeking comfort/joy/peace/acceptance. It's almost as if we as humans try digging in random places for a treasure chest, but we aren't paying attention to the map and the details it provides (forgive my weak analogy). 


The Bible says that all of creation points to God. The Bible tells us to place our hope in God, to place our trust in God, to place all of our resources in His hands. HE is to be our treasure- the reason we run the race and our reward for running it well. 


How does this tie back to moving? Well, as I pack up all of my belongings, it is so very easy to become sentimental and measure my life or memories or success by all the things that I am having to put away. I am continually reminded that Jesus is my treasure. He is the reason that I can move 16 hours away and still have hope and joy. I trust that, unlike my material items, He will never fade or be destroyed or lost. 


Here's my heart's take on the song mentioned earlier:


I would move a thousand miles away
If I knew every step would be growing me closer;
I'd live out of my comfort zone, 
for the Lord is my treasure,
My Lord is the treasure.


"Jesus Your love has come one step closer;
I will trust that You will never let me go
Jesus Your love has won me over
All my trust has found no other
I will declare the beauty of the Lord
Nothing compares to the beauty of the Lord
Jesus Your love, it takes my breath away"
       -Desperation Band