Rest Tired Heart

Rest, Tired Heart

Rest, tired heart, within those arms eternal,

Like cradled child upon its father's breast;

Oh, lean on Him who giveth to the weary,

After the day is over, blessed rest.
Rest, troubled heart, oppressed by care and sorrow,

Let every fear and vague foreboding cease;

Oh, rest in Him who giveth to the burdened,

After the day is over, blessed peace.
Rest, anxious heart, take no thought for the morrow,

Thou needest not wake, for God His watch doth keep:

Oh, rest in Him who giveth His beloved,

After the day is over, blessed sleep.

By Annie Johnson Flint

Still Learning To Talk With Jesus 

Nearer Is He Than Breathing

There is a wonderful line in a poem that reads, "Nearer is He than breathing, nearer than hands and feet." I sometimes forget that God is waiting to just talk with me. I'm quick to call on Him when fear and discouragement overtake. I'm fast to seek His counsel when faced with a difficult question. I am hasty in running to Him when loneliness grips me. However, I'm so slow in just spending consistent, regular, committed time with Him. I've never been good at having a dependable and steady prayer life. Its part of an entire package of self-discipline that I seem to have forgotten to pick up when God was handing out the packages of character somewhere at the starting-line. And so, I have run this race haphazardly and without much self-discipline. It's been mostly hit and miss, cross my fingers and hope for the best. What I want is to set goals for my day and complete them. Set goals for my life and cross the finish line. Instead, I'm lumbering, staggering along never really knowing for sure if I'll make it. And so, today I have been reminded that He is near and He is waiting for me to spend time with Him. And He longs for me to live a disciplined life because He knows that ultimately I will be the better for it. Please excuse me now while I spend some time with my Lord who is waiting so near.

My Burden Lightened 

Dancing On The Tops Of Flowers

Trying to be happy and cheerful when you're feeling sad and lonely is a bit like trying to stand tip-toe on the top of a flower. And that's what I've been trying to do all day; and the flower did not make it! I've had one of those days when I've felt like, "I just can't do this anymore!" And as soon as the words are out, I realize that no, I can't do this; only God can. And that's the problem isn't it? I'm always trying to do it, find it, solve it, make it, control it. And God says that only He can do those things. And I know that if I let it go and give it all, every bit of it, truly over to God I will not only be standing on the tops of flowers but dancing! And so today, I sat with my arms raised high over my head and I envisioned my burden lifted up there before my Lord and I asked Him to take it and then I literally threw it forward. And truly, I felt my arms lighten and they dropped down to my sides and hope flooded me and I breathed deeply. And I saw God catch that thing I threw and He turned and walked away with it; and I knew that He had taken it to His place of healing and refining and forging. And I turned and stepped lightly to the top of a rose and sang a song of praise.

Bathed In God's Grace 

Shaken But Not Stirred

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:32

This verse leapt off the page and took hold of my heart and mind and filled me with hope this morning as I read my devotions. It was as if someone had grabbed my shirt collar and was shaking me back and forth shouting, "How will He not give you all things? He sacrificed His beloved child for you! Is there anything now, after that, He wouldn't do for the love of you?" And my worries of where my child and I will live when our home sells and will I have enough money to return to school and can I pay these bills and will I have a husband, all just seemed to become as mist and the intensity of them dissipated and peace settled in their place. And on days like today, when the sadness cloaks me in a heavy blanket and depression sinks in and tries to take hold, I will turn back to this verse and grab tightly my own collar and give myself a shake and remember that the God of the universe longs to graciously give me all things.

"Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power

and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,

for everything in heaven and earth is Yours.

Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom;

You are exalted as head over all.
Wealth and honor come from You;

You are the ruler of all things.

In Your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.

Now, our God, we give You thanks, and praise Your glorious name.

"But who am I, and who are my people,

that we should be able to give as generously as this?

Everything comes from You, and we have given You only

what comes from Your hand." 1 Chronicles 29:11-16

Walking On Clouds 

A Letter To Anonymous (and to all the other anonymous' of this world)

For those of you about to read this post that did not read the comments attached to yesterdays blog, I received the following comment from an anonymous visitor:

"Get your head out of the clouds . . . dang biblebelts."

Dear Anonymous,

I'm so glad you visited and even happier that you left a comment. You have tripped across my mind so many times since yesterday and I feel sure this morning that God is at work in your heart. I'm sure you did not stay long enough to read more posts and discover that I am presently in the middle of a very difficult chapter of my life. I want to share with you that even though it may seem like my head is lodged firmly in a bank of clouds somewhere, I am in fact, facing dark realities that are very real and very painful every day. However, because I have Jesus as my best friend and my comforter and my counselor, I can face these days with joy and strength and confidence that everything will be okay. God is not up in the clouds but rather a very real presence in my heart and I am so lucky to have Him watching out for me. I'm not just pretending that everything is okay, just trusting and believing that even though I don't know what the future holds, God does. He cares about me, He cares about you. He wants to meet you in your sad places, in your difficulties, in your loneliness. You can know for sure that even though I don't know your name or what your life is like, you are not anonymous to God! He knows you by name. He made you and knows everything about you. He is whispering to you right now...can you hear Him? He's saying, "I love you! My Son Jesus died for you so you and I can spend eternity together. I am here, just speak My name and I will make myself known to you." Please, Anonymous, come again anytime and leave a comment, good or bad. Just promise me, you'll read a little.

Love Becky

No One Left But Jesus 

Just The Two Of Us

I believe, because we are so very loved by God, that there are times He removes from us, everyone and everything we are leaning on, trusting in, counting on that is not Him. And in the doing of this, we are forced to rely on Him alone to see us through. It is a hard lesson. It is a lonely lesson for me. There are quiet moments in my day when I feel totally and utterly alone. Abandoned by those that I have learned to lean on for my comfort, call on for companionship, trust to be there when I need them; And they are not. And in those poignant and heart-rending moments God reminds me with gentle whispers that He has not abandoned. He is in the very heart of this thing. It is His doing. He is working and moving and implementing and achieving and carrying out His purpose in me. As I look to the future, I must remember that God is already there. And though I feel forsaken by human comfort and care, my Lord will never, ever leave me alone. And I pray that in this doing, in this thing, He will do something amazing in me. And He and I will walk this road together, just the two of us, and that is enough.

God Knows What Treasures Await Us - We Just Need To Trust 

The Key Master

"Do not get discouraged; it may be the last key in the bunch that opens the door." ~ Stansifer

If you could have seen the size of the smile on my face when I read this in my morning meeting with God, you would not be able to hold back an answering grin. The simplicity of the words struck me with awesome truth. I could see that key, the very last one, sliding into the lock that holds closed the lid on this treasure chest called my life. I could hear the click as the tumblers turned and slid into place. I could hear the creak of the lid as it slowly lifted. I could hear the heartbeat of Jesus inside and see the glow from His smile as He anxiously waited to show me the answer that lay within. Oh how I long for that day! But until then, I will simply trust that God is the master of the keys and He knows precisely when the time has come to spring open the chest and reveal His plan for me!

A Promise Is A Promise 

Standing On The Promises Of God

"God said it, I believe it, that settles it." That was a popular saying when I was a teenager in youth group in the early 80's. I never knew then how dependent I would be on that truth now. It means that I can fully rest in the promises God has made, His covenant to me, His holy Word. He cannot go back on what He promised because He promised that He wouldn't. And if He did, God would be a liar and all creation would cease to be. The planets would fall from the heavens. The stars would drop like burning embers from the sky. The universe would turn in on itself and vanish. But God does not lie. He has promised to be with us in trouble; He has promised to never forsake us; He has promised to hear us when we cry; He has promised that He will deliver!

I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. John 14:18

"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."
Isaiah 41:10

"Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me."
John 14:1

"'For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but My loving kindness will not be removed from you, and My covenant of peace will not be shaken,' Says the LORD who has compassion on you."
Isaiah 54:10

I will crawl under my quilt tonight, resting solely on His promises to me. And I will believe, even before I see answers, that He will deliver me out of my troubles. And I will praise Him. And I will trust Him because that is what He has asked me to do.

Mold Me And Make Me After Your Will 

Pressed On All Sides

"I was crushed...so much so that I despaired even of life, but that was to make me rely not on myself, but on the God who raises the dead" (2 Cor. 1:8, 9).

"Pressed out of measure and pressed to all length;

Pressed so intensely it seems, beyond strength;

Pressed in the body and pressed in the soul,

Pressed in the mind till the dark surges roll.

Pressure by foes, and a pressure from friends.

Pressure on pressure, till life nearly ends.

"Pressed into knowing no helper but God;

Pressed into loving the staff and the rod.

Pressed into liberty where nothing clings;

Pressed into faith for impossible things.

Pressed into living a life in the Lord,

Pressed into living a Christ-life outpoured."

~ Mrs. Charles E. Cowman

Reading this poem was like looking at a reflection in a newly polished mirror. It so clearly echoed back the sigh of my soul. But nothing worth having, worth being, worth feeling comes without some squeezing, molding and modifying. There would be no fragrant wine, there would be no polished gold, there would be no exquisite glass without the pressure, the buffing, the fire. How amazing to be loved by God enough that He wants to see us sparkle and shine with brilliant colours and dazzling beauty. He knows us. He holds us. He works us until the spark within lights the world around us and illuminates the shadows.

Feasting On The Fruits Of The Spirit 

Bitterness Makes You Ugly!

My mother once said, "Bitterness makes you ugly." She's so right. No matter how 'lovely' a person may be on the outside, if they're bitter and angry on the inside, the outside somehow has an ugliness to it that's hard to explain. Last night and this morning I was covered in a blanket of bitterness. I felt short-changed, ripped off, unfairly treated. And when I looked in the mirror today, an ugly face stared back at me. I knew I had to toss off that bitter blanket and instead, cover myself with grace and forgiveness and love. The fruits of the spirit ran through my mind: Galations 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, kindness, self-control." I plucked these fruits from the tree of life and placed them in a basket. I will carry this basket around with me and nourish my body with their sweetness. When I feel the urge to be bitter, I will eat the fruit of patience & kindness. When I feel hope vanishing, I will eat the fruit of faith. When I feel the tears welling and the lip quiver, I will eat the fruit of joy. And when the storm clouds build and darkness falls and fear presses in on all sides, I will eat the fruit of peace.

Safe In The Arms Of Jesus 

Tough Night

Feeling heart broken and discouraged tonight...but still believing in my Lord. Going to crawl under my quilt tonight and wrap up warm and secure in His love. Hugs to you all.

 

I prayed for strength, and then I lost awhile

All sense of nearness, human and divine;

The love I leaned on failed and pierced my heart,

The hands I clung to loosed themselves from mine;

But while I swayed, weak, trembling, and alone,

The everlasting arms upheld my own.

--Annie Johnson Flint (selected part)

"The love I leaned on failed and pierced my heart." How true for many of us. How true that we have all leaned on something other than Jesus at some point in our lives and felt it crumble away beneath us, leaving a swaying, trembling, weak, and lonely soul. It may have been someone close to us. It may have been financial success. Perhaps physical prowess. Maybe even 'the church'. I am learning, on this journey, that God is a jealous God. He wants us to lean wholly on Him. Clutch only His arm. Seek only His approval. Strive only to please Him. Everyone else can fail us. Jesus never fails. Everything else can be lost in a moment. Jesus never leaves. Every thought, every great idea, every true intention means nothing if it doesn't find it's origin in Christ. That is why He must be the author and finisher of our faith. That is why He is the Alpha and Omega. It all begins and ends with Him. I am learning daily to lean on His everlasting arms and rest in His promises that when everyone and everything seems lost to me, He is still behind, before, beneath and beside me.

Yes, Jesus Loves Me 

God Must Love Me

Tonight I went to the movies and saw "Kingdom of Heaven". Besides all of the obvious emotions a follower of Christ feels when watching anything about the Crusades, I was struck by one line in particular. Balian, the lead character states a number of times throughout the movie that God doesn't know him. He felt abandoned by God because of the death of his wife and child. Near the end of the movie, after Balian had done amazing things, someone says these words to him: "God must love you, look at everything he's helped you do." The instant the words reached my ears, the tears began to roll down my face. And there in the darkness of the theatre I knew that God must still love me, look at all He's helped me do! When others would have given up, He has helped me persevere. When disappointment and hurt has doubled me over, He has lifted my head. When I could have chosen to turn my back and run, He has turned me around and held my hand as I stood firm in the face of adversity. When I have come to those moments when my brain has said, "enough, I can't take any more", my heart has heard Him whisper to me that I don't have to take any of it at all, He will carry this burden for me. I have not done amazing things by the worlds measure, but I have done more than I ever would have imagined I could in this battle. And it's because God loves me and in the knowledge of that alone, I stand on the ramparts and wave my flag of victory! "Satan, don't count me out just yet! You have thrown your best at me and I still know that God loves me. And in that, and that alone, I stand against you and claim this truth: Christ has conquered you!"

Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: "The Lord's right hand has done mighty things! ~ Psalm 118:15

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ~ 1 Corinthians 15:57

 

Finding Courage

Where has the time gone? Usually, when I'm waiting, watching for something to happen time moves so slowly. Anticipation is the sticky substance that makes the moments creep sluggishly. But not this time. It's flying by far too quickly and I seem to be running out of moments. There are so many decisions to be made and I have been so fearful to make them. I think that is why things are speeding by me. Fear. I feel paralyzed. I am so envious when I hear other women making hard decisions and confronting issues with courage and confidence. I tend to run screaming in the opposite direction when I need to face the hard stuff. What am I afraid of? I suppose rejection, someone's angry words, hurt feelings, being vulnerable. Fear is something that I am going to have to give over to God in order to prevent Satan from using it as a weapon against me. I know that fear stops me from being what I could be in Christ and allows me to hide from confrontation and change. Fear is me holding on to the reigns and not letting go...letting God.

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." ~ Romans 8:15

I don't want to be a slave to fear any longer. I'm not exactly sure where to start. I'm a bit fearful, to be perfectly honest. I know I have to face things head-on and just trust in the power of God to protect me, uphold me and give me the courage I need. As a true daughter of the King of Kings, I must hold my head high and be fearless. Call me Becky the Bold in Christ!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the amazing Moms that bless me with their presence here in Blogger. Much love, Becky 

Just Watching And Waiting For God's Perfect Answers 

What's Gotten Into Me?

I have known such peace for the last few days, even though things are tougher than ever, that I'm just not sure what's gotten into me! Well, okay, I guess I do know. I've been asking the Holy Spirit to fill me with His presence. I've asked Him to wash over me, a flood of peace in a desert of doubt and uncertainty. And He has done just that. There is a quietness and tranquility of spirit that I have not known over these seemingly unremitting days of sadness. Can it be that I have truly come to rest in God's promises? I dare not become slack in diligent prayer, but must continue to ask Him to cover me with His hand and lead me along in this journey. Not that He needs me to guide His steps, but rather that I need to continue to communicate my needs so that I can lay the burden down and also see His answers to my prayers. He has become everything to me. And for that statement alone, I would not trade this difficult crossing from a humdrum faith to a life totally dependent on God, for anything in this world. I am so very blessed that He has seen fit to love me this much.

 

He Longs To Be Gracious To Me

C.H. Spurgeon has an incredible knack for having penned, many years ago, exactly how I am feeling today. In this mornings devotional this is what he had to say:

"My case is urgent, and I do not see how I am to be delivered; but this is no business of mine. He who makes the promise will find ways and means of keeping it. It is mine to obey His commands; it is not mine to direct His counsels. I am His servant, not His solicitor. I call upon Him, and He will deliver."

How amazing is that? It is not mine to direct His counsels! That's exactly what I have been trying to do. I've been trying to tell the Almighty God of the universe how to do His job. How incredibly arrogant! How humbling to see it written this way. It was like a lightbulb turned on over my head. "I get it Lord! I think I truly get it!" He promises to deliver. It may be in the way I am thinking. It may not. As a matter of fact, He might have something bigger, better, more marvelous planned for me and I certainly don't want to limit His grace to just what I have planned. Doesn't scripture say He can do more than anything we could ever ask or think? Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. ~ Eph. 3:20
And doesn't the bible also say that He longs to be gracious to us? Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! Isa. 30:18 Who am I that He longs, longs to be gracious to me? It fills Him with joy that He can give me the desires of my heart. Isn't that a humbling thought? This doesn't mean that I stop talking to Him and telling Him what those desires are, but in the end, I must simply trust Him to answer how He sees fit. "Thank you Father for loving me this much. It's hard to fathom such perfect love. It's hard to imagine it is mine for the taking. But I willingly and humbly accept it with a heart that is at peace with my life."

He Holds Our Lives In His Hands 

He Noticed Me

I don't know how they do it! Those in this world who don't have Christ to lean on. Those in this world who don't have the love and prayers from strangers as I have, lifting them up before God. How do they get up when life knocks them down without the help of the Holy Spirit? How do they lift their weary heads when sadness and hurt bends them to the ground? Who quenches their thirst? Who holds them close and tells them that they don't have to worry, fret, wonder because their loving Father has all the answers and is directing their future?

I feel so fortunate, so unworthy, so very, very thankful to have God's love and your prayers during this journey. I have been referring to it as my sorrow, my sadness, my heartache, my storm. I see now that I must call this time my testing, my sharpening, part of my journey towards becoming more like my Jesus. Because of Christ, I can truly bow my head and whisper through the tears, "thank you, thank you, thank you Lord. You have chosen me as your own. You have called me to a higher purpose. You have noticed me. Let me say that last one again. You have noticed me!" Isn't that an astounding thought? The same God who knows the stars by name and hung the planets in the sky, noticed me. And He noticed you. And He holds all the keys to my life and He alone knows what to do, when to do it, when to hold back. And He holds all the keys to your life. And we are so blessed. We are so incredibly blessed. We are not alone. Praise God. We are not on this journey alone!!

 

Faith Without Sight

Well, this is it. I believe I have come to the fork in the road and decisions will be made soon that will determine if I turn left or right, or carry on forward. As I stand at the center of the crossroads, my eyes are looking, searching the horizon before me, beside me, watching and waiting for directions. "I don't know which way to go Lord!" I find myself asking Him a thousand times over in a single day, "what should I do and what's going to happen to us?" And no answer comes; just vague feelings that I must not sway from the straight course. An idea that I have been put on this road to walk it to the end and I must not veer, not even now as I stand here with a chance to turn. Perhaps another chance won't come along for a long time. But promises were made. Vows were said. Others are watching to see what I do. God has spoken. "I want to do something wonderful for you. I will bless you if you stay the course. Don't give up. Don't look to the right or to the left. You are not walking this road alone. Have faith. You don't need to see the plan. You don't even need to see the road. Just close your eyes, take hold of My hand. One step forward. Then another. Then another. Trust me," He whispers so close in my ear I feel my hair stand up on the back of my neck. "Just...Trust...Me." And so, my eyes close shut. I take a deep breath and I slowly lift my foot off the ground. I put it down in front of me. And I lift it again. I squeeze the hand. I put my foot down in front of me. Am I moving? I am walking forward? Did we turn left or turn right? "Just trust me," the whisper comes to me. And I lift my foot again.