Back On The Market

Well, we just put our house back on the market after a two month “rest” following over two years in the housing market.  Our realtor had said that it would be good to take it off the market and then re-enter the house as a new listing in hopes of our listing receiving more attention.  So, here we go again... always having to keep the house “showable” at any given time.  Maybe that will again help me keep a cleaner home.  That wears me out just thinking about it!  But do it, I will.  God will give me the strength to do what I need to do in this adventure.

As I think about this re-entry into the housing market (the devastated housing market), I declare once again my trust in the Lord to do what He has told me in His Word that He will do... that He alone can do... and that is to sell our home and move us to Arkansas to help care for my Daddy.  He told me years ago that He is going to do this, so I will hang on to His Word to me and trust Him in it all.  

The refrain of the hymn “Come Every Soul By Sin Oppressed” comes to mind.  “Only trust Him, only trust Him, only trust Him now.  He will save you, He will save you, He will save you now.”  That says so much.  Yes, I will trust Him and, yes, He will save us.  He will do just what He has said He will do.  He is faithful.  Thank You, Lord!

“Those who know Your Name will trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You.”  Psalm 9:10

“But I trust in You, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’”  Psalm 31:14

“Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in Me.”  John 14:1

“And again I will put my trust in Him...”  Hebrews 2:13a   

Romans 8:28

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”  Romans 8:28

Everywhere I go, everywhere I look, everywhere I read... this scripture is placed in front of me.  I seldom am looking for it, but the Lord puts it in my path again and again and again.  I’d say He is teaching me something.  I’d say He is probably preparing me for something that is yet to come.  I want to be a good student in His “classroom” and I want to be prepared for whatever is to come into my life.  I’m so very thankful that He is reminding me once again that He truly works everything, EVERYTHING, together for good because I love Him and am called according to His purpose.  

I’d be less than candid if I did not say that I’m seriously wondering what it could be that He is preparing me so heavily for.  My thoughts go in so many directions and I could easily become overwhelmed.  My desire is to simply keep walking hand in hand by His side, keep staring into His face and follow wherever He takes me.  I choose to trust Him and rely on Him and His faithfulness.  Whatever may come I know that He will work it all together for good.  I also know that He will carry me under the shadow of His wing during it all.

Enjoy these other scriptures that speak the Truth of Romans 8:28...

“In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him Who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will.”  Ephesians 1:11

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”  Genesis 50:20

“Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered much anguish...”  Isaiah 38:17a

“Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.”  Philippians 1:12

“Indeed this will turn out for my deliverance...”  Job 13:16

  By His grace.... only by His grace...

Wake Up!!!

I thought I had missed it.  I had asked to Lord to let me watch it if He wanted me to see it.  However, Sunday night came and went and I did not see it.  I assumed that the Lord had not wanted me to see it, but I still had a deep desire to see it.  Then last night the Lord opened the door for me to see it and used it mightily to do His work in my heart.  Amazing!

What am I talking about?  The 9/11 Wake-Up Call simulcast with Joel Rosenberg, Anne Graham Lotz and Selah.  It was truly indescribable.  Selah led the worship times, Joel Rosenberg spoke of the Biblical prophecies concerning the end times that are being fulfilled right before our eyes every day and Anne Graham Lotz spoke about what our response is to be in light of these prophetic signs.  Every word they spoke rang true and I was spellbound as I watched the delayed presentation of the simulcast.  It was so amazing that the Lord delayed my hearing it to a time when I could be completely alone and He could do His healing work in my heart.  No distractions... just Him, me and His messengers of His Truth.  I loved it.  

Anne Graham Lotz spoke about God’s gifts coming in “brown packages”, His gifts that come through difficult circumstances.  The real gift is inside the brown package but we don’t like the way the gift is packaged so we don’t realize the gift within the brown package.  A wonderful analogy about our trials and the gift in the midst of our trials.  I understood what she was talking about.  I’m living it now.  Inside my brown package is the gift of more of Him in my life, a deepening intimacy with Him.  Despite the hard times, I am learning more about Him and growing more and more in love with Him.  That’s my gift inside my brown bag.  Thank You, Lord, for my brown package.  

However, that was not the only thing she talked about.  Anne Graham Lotz spoke of repentance and that is where the Lord did most of His work in me.  As she spoke, many tears and cries to the Lord from the depths of my heart followed.  He loves me so much that He didn’t want anything to keep me from being intimately close to Him, so He brought me to my knees.  I needed repentance.  How humbling that was...  Thank You, Lord, for giving me just what I needed.

“Therefore this is what the LORD says: “If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me...”  Jeremiah 15:19

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”  Psalm 139:23-24

Reflections...

I’ve watched all the news reports today about the remembrances of the tenth anniversary of 9/11.  As I’ve seen them I have wept and my heart has grown heavy once again.  I have again thought of all those who died that day in NYC, at the Pentagon and in the field in Pennsylvania.  My first reaction to that infamous day in 2001 was shock but then the realization that there were over 3,000 souls that met their eternal destination that day.  While I grieved the horror of what had happened that day and the potential of future devastation, my heart was consumed with whether or not all those that died had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ before they died.  My heart ached to think that there were probably those who did not find themselves in Heaven with Jesus but eternally separated from the Lord after their death.  My grief was overwhelming and my prayer was that the Lord would draw people to Himself in the aftermath of the tragedy.  During the days after 9/11 my heartache remained deep within me until the Lord gave me His assurance that He is in absolute control.  My job was now the act of praying for those still apart from Christ... that He would use this tragedy to draw the unsaved to Him and His gift of salvation... that He would work this all together for good and that He would be glorified in it all.  

So today I find myself with that broken heart again for the unsaved.  Again I know that the Lord is sovereign and that He will again use this to draw people to Himself through His Son.  Again it is my job to pray for the unsaved and share the gospel with others by the power of His Holy Spirit.  I cannot save the lost, but He can and will and does.  That in itself is a comfort to me.  There is nothing that He cannot do.  He will bring good and be glorified in this once again.  Something that only HE can do.  

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”  Romans 8:28

“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” Matthew 19:26

The Woodcutter's Wisdom

One of my favorite excerpts from Max Lucado's many books..... 



The Woodcutter’s Wisdom


Once there was an old man who lived in a tiny village. Although poor, he was envied by all, for he owned a beautiful white horse. Even the king coveted his treasure. A horse like this had never been seen before—such was its splendor, its majesty, its strength.


People offered fabulous prices for the steed, but the old man always refused. “This horse is not a horse to me,” he would tell them. “It is a person. How could you sell a person? He is a friend, not a possession. How could you sell a friend?” The man was poor and the temptation was great. But he never sold the horse.


One morning he found that the horse was not in the stable. All the village came to see him. “You old fool,” they scoffed, “we told you that someone would steal your horse. We warned you that you would be robbed. You are so poor. How could you ever hope to protect such a valuable animal? It would have been better to have sold him. You could have gotten whatever price you wanted. No amount would have been too high. Now the horse is gone, and you’ve been cursed with misfortune.”


The old man responded, “Don’t speak too quickly. Say only that the horse is not in the stable. That is all we know; the rest is judgment. If I’ve been cursed or not, how can you know? How can you judge?”


The people contested, “Don’t make us out to be fools! We may not be philosophers, but great philosophy is not needed. The simple fact that your horse is gone is a curse.”


The old man spoke again. “All I know is that the stable is empty, and the horse is gone. The rest I don’t know. Whether it be a curse or a blessing, I can’t say. All we can see is a fragment. Who can say what will come next?”
The people of the village laughed. They thought that the man was crazy. They had always thought he was a fool; if he wasn’t, he would have sold the horse and lived off the money. But instead, he was a poor woodcutter, an old man still cutting firewood and dragging it out of the forest and selling it. He lived hand to mouth in the misery of poverty. Now he had proven that he was, indeed, a fool.


After fifteen days, the horse returned. He hadn’t been stolen; he had run away into the forest. Not only had he returned, he had brought a dozen wild horses with him. Once again the village people gathered around the woodcutter and spoke. “Old man, you were right and we were wrong. What we thought was a curse was a blessing. Please forgive us.”


The man responded, “Once again, you go too far. Say only that the horse is back. State only that a dozen horses returned with him, but don’t judge. How do you know if this is a blessing or not? You see only a fragment. Unless you know the whole story, how can you judge? You read only one page of a book. Can you judge the whole book? You read only one word of a phrase. Can you understand the entire phrase?


“Life is so vast, yet you judge all of life with one page or one word. All you have is a fragment! Don’t say that this is a blessing. No one knows. I am content with what I know. I am not perturbed by what I don’t.”


“Maybe the old man is right,” they said to one another. So they said little. But down deep, they knew he was wrong. They knew it was a blessing. Twelve wild horses had returned with one horse. With a little bit of work, the animals could be broken and trained and sold for much money.


The old man had a son, an only son. The young man began to break the wild horses. After a few days, he fell from one of the horses and broke both legs. Once again the villagers gathered around the old man and cast their judgments.


“You were right,” they said. “You proved you were right. The dozen horses were not a blessing. They were a curse. Your only son has broken his legs, and now in your old age you have no one to help you. Now you are poorer than ever.”


The old man spoke again. “You people are obsessed with judging. Don’t go so far. Say only that my son broke his legs. Who knows if it is a blessing or a curse? No one knows. We only have a fragment. Life comes in fragments.”


It so happened that a few weeks later the country engaged in war against a neighboring country. All the young men of the village were required to join the army. Only the son of the old man was excluded, because he was injured. Once again the people gathered around the old man, crying and screaming because their sons had been taken. There was little chance that they would return. The enemy was strong, and the war would be a losing struggle. They would never see their sons again.


“You were right, old man,” they wept. “God knows you were right. This proves it. Your son’s accident was a blessing. His legs may be broken, but at least he is with you. Our sons are gone forever.”


The old man spoke again. “It is impossible to talk with you. You always draw conclusions. No one knows. Say only this: Your sons had to go to war, and mine did not. No one knows if it is a blessing or a curse. No one is wise enough to know. Only God knows.”


The old man was right. We only have a fragment. Life’s mishaps and horrors are only a page out of a grand book. We must be slow about drawing conclusions. We must reserve judgment on life’s storms until we know the whole story.


I don’t know where the woodcutter learned his patience. Perhaps from another woodcutter in Galilee. For it was the Carpenter who said it best:
“Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” (Mt. 6:34)  He should know. He is the Author of our story. And he has already written the final chapter.


From In the Eye of the Storm
 
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 1997) Max Lucado

All...

Lately the Lord has been showing me an in-depth look at the word “all” in His Word and especially in Romans 8:28.  I’ve know this scripture for a long time, but these days He is giving me a deeper understanding of it.  

“And we know that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”  Romans 8:28

Not some things, not many things, not most things but ALL things.  No matter what happens God is working good in the midst of it, whether or not the outward circumstances appear to be good.  Although things are looking bleak in many of the circumstances of my life these days, I am assured that God is working good things in and through them all.  Sometimes it is hard to see the good, sometimes it is easy to see the good, and sometimes it is impossible to see the good that God will bring in and from it all.  That’s when I must trust that He knows what He is doing and that He truly is working things all together for good and His greatest glory.  As the hymn says, I must “trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey”.   And so, by His grace and in the assurance that He is working all things together for good, I step out in faith to follow wherever He leads me.  It is all I know to do.  He will make ALL things possible as I go forward with Him by my side and my face focused on His as we walk hand in hand into His future for me and mine.  He indeed will work it all together for good and His greatest glory.  

“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God ALL things are possible.”  Matthew 19:26

“No, in ALL these things we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us.”  Romans 8:37

“And my God will meet ALL your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:19

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in ALL circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

“Cast ALL your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”  1 Peter 5:7

“Come to Me, ALL you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  Matthew 11:28

“Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart and with ALL your soul and with ALL your mind and with ALL your strength.”  Mark 12:30

“Though Him ALL things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.” 

John 1:3

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of ALL comfort, Who comforts us in ALL our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”  2 Corinthians 1:3-4

I’m learning more about what His ALL means and to simply take Him at His Word in all the difficult circumstances of my life and those around me.  As He tells me that He will never leave me nor forsake me, I can see His “ALL”  and know that He is working everything for good, because I love Him and am called according to His purpose.  

Lord, once again I surrender ALL to you and follow wherever You lead me.