Better than any "Aha!" Moment

When I was younger, I always thought that I’d reach a certain time in my life where I’d know what I was doing. For example, when I was 8 or 9, I thought that surely by the time I was 15 I would be so much more knowledgeable and know more of who I was. Or when I was a freshman in high school, I thought that by the time I graduated I’d know what I would want to major in and where I should go to college. In my naivety, I thought that one day I would have an “Aha!” moment, and suddenly my confusion and uncertainty about the unknown future would go away.


That “Aha!” moment never came.

 

But the more I’ve thought and prayed about it, I’m glad. I may not know the future, but my heavenly Father does. My uncertainty causes me to depend on Him, which is the way it should be.

 

And God, in His loving care, has not left you and me alone to walk blindly through this journey of life. He has given us His Holy Spirit, the ability to talk with Him anytime and anywhere through prayer, and the Bible.

 

“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet,

            And a light unto my path.”

                        Psalm 119:105

 

God’s word is a lamp for our feet, and a light for our path! We are not left to stumble in the darkness. We have been given a light.

 

A devotional I read a few days ago describes this perfectly:

“When it comes to God’s plans for our lives, we like to know where God is taking us, the steps we need to take to get there and all of the wonderful details of how He is going to do it.  However, we find that God doesn’t reveal everything to us, but only what He wants us to know and what we are ready to receive.  No matter how in the dark you feel about God’s direction for your life, there is always a light shining on a particular task He wants us to do, even if that task is to spend more time with Him in prayer and study of the Bible.  You will find that as you walk in obedience to what you know to do, God will begin to reveal more in time.  He always will give us direction and light, just maybe not in the areas we want it in.  In Biblical times, night travelers would tie clay lamps to their ankles so that they could see the path right in front of them.  Their path didn’t blaze with light showing the entire road.  They only could see the steps right in front of them to take.  God’s Word is a lamp unto our feet and is a light to our path (Psalm 119:105).  His Word shows us what we need to do step by step.” (From Daughters of the King, daily devotional “One Step at a Time”)

 

As much as I would like to know the big picture and what God’s plan for me is, I’m thankful that I don’t know all of it. If I did, it would be too easy to live my life independently from God, instead of in dependence on Him. I also think that it would be way too overwhelming. Our God, in His loving-kindness, leads us day by day, moment by moment, if we choose to follow Him. He reveals a little bit of the picture at a time, all in His perfect timing.

 During the times when the uncertainty of the future is daunting and overwhelming, my Father whispers His promises…

 

“I am with you always, to the very end of age.” (Matthew 28:20)

 

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5)

 

“My peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

 

I may not know the future, but I know Who holds the future.

 

And that is better than any “Aha!” moment.

The Potter

“This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.”  So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel.  But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.” Nehemiah 18:1-4

 

“Yet you, Lord, are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.”  Isaiah 64:8

 

He is the Potter. We are the clay.

 

The Potter has a vision for what He is forming. He has a specific purpose in mind for the clay in His hands. It is His choice whether he turns the clay into something for “special purposes” or for “common use,” (Romans 9:21) both of which are important and essential. Who is the clay to question its Potter? The Potter knows best, and knows how the formed clay will be best used.

 

He is the Potter. We are the clay.

 

The Potter chooses how He will form the clay, whether through reshaping, pressure, or through fire. It is His choice. It is also His choice whether or not to break the clay back down into a soft lump, in order to reshape it for His purposes.

 

It’s that last thought that has been on my mind. It hadn’t really occurred to me, until my pastor spoke about it. When I would read the verses above, I would always think about God being the Potter, meaning that He is the One who formed me and the One who is shaping me into the person He wants me to be.

 And that is all true.

 However, I hadn’t thought about the fact that God, being my Potter, has the power and the right to break me down so that I can be remolded in to something of greater use in His Kingdom.

 Then I started thinking… have I ever prayed that? That God would break me down, to make me into whatever and whoever He has in mind?

 

Honestly, that’s a scary prayer to pray.
But I’m going to start praying it.

 

I remember playing with play-doh when I was younger. The best play-doh was the soft, moldable clay. I would always choose to play with that over the hardened playdoh. The soft clay was so much better and so much more useful.

 

That’s what I want to be. Soft, moldable clay. Able to be shaped into whatever my Potter wants. And if He needs to break me down to get me to be the soft clay, then so be it. I pray that I’ll be open to whatever my Potter wants to do in my life.

 

He is the Potter. I am the clay.

 

“Take me.
Mold me.
Use me.
Fill me.
I give my life to the Potter’s hand.
Call me.
Guide me.
Lead me.
Walk beside me.
I give my life to the Potter’s hand.”
                                    -Hillsong United

My Good Shepherd

Yesterday morning I read Psalm 23, and God opened my eyes to the truth contained in that short chapter in a new way. I’ve read Psalm 23 countless times before, so when I began reading it that morning I wasn’t necessarily expecting to learn something new, but God wanted to remind me Who He is.

“The Lord is my shepherd,” David writes at the beginning of the chapter. I started thinking about shepherds, and how they tend to their sheep with care. They care for them, making sure that they have what they need to live and thrive.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, and he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.”

God is my Shepherd, and He will provide what I need. Like the shepherd tends to his sheep, leading them to green pastures (providing them with the nourishment they need), God provides what I need. The shepherd leads his sheep to quiet waters (so that the sheep would not be frightened by rushing water, and so that they would actually drink from it). God is leading me, He is providing what I need, and calming my fears. My Shepherd restores my soul!

“He [My Shepherd] guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.”
God is guiding me along the right path. Like a good sheep I need to keep close to Him, following Him wherever He leads. Sheep don’t know where they are being led, but they follow their shepherd anyway. Sheep go astray, need to be found and led back to the right path. Sheep are dumb animals, and need someone to guide them to the things they need (like food and water). I don’t think it was a coincidence that we are compared to sheep many times in the Bible. We are sheep, and because of that we need a Shepherd!

“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way” Isaiah 53:6

“I have strayed like a lost sheep.” Psalm 119:176

“Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” Psalm 100:3

The Bible compares us over and over again to sheep, and calls Jesus our Shepherd. In John 10, it says that “he [the Good Shepherd, or Jesus] goes on ahead of them [the sheep], and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” Did you catch that last part? The sheep follow him, because they know his voice. They recognize that He is their shepherd. They know his voice, and therefore know that they should follow Him.

Psalm 23 goes on to say that “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Because my Shepherd is leading me, I don’t need to be afraid. There is evil in the world around me, but my Shepherd is guiding me, so I need not fear.

As I read Psalm 23, especially the first four verses, God reminded me that He is my Shepherd, and that He is in control.

Daughter, you are just a sheep, but fear not the evil that surrounds you in this life. I am your Shepherd, and I am leading you. I am guiding you along the path of righteousness, for My Name’s sake. Times may seem troubled, but I am leading you to quiet waters. It is not for you to determine when you will get there, for I know the right time. Trust me as I lead; I will provide what you need.

Trust Me. I am your Shepherd, follow My voice.

Already There

"When I'm lost in the mystery
 to You my future is a memory
cause You're already there.
Standing at the end of my life
waiting on the other side
 and You're already there.
You're already there."
 -Casting Crowns

This song has been on my mind lately. It's like the song was written straight to my heart. It is just what I needed to be reminded of. The decision of where I want to go and what I want to do in the future has been on my mind a lot lately. It's so hard not knowing.

God keeps reminding me that He is in control and that He has a plan, and I truly believe that.

But then I have the days when I let myself forget Who is in control, and I start stressing about all that I have to decide, all that I have to do, and so on...

And then God whispers, "You're not in this alone, my daughter. I know the plans I have for you, and they are good. Stick with Me, and I will guide you."

 I was having one of those forgetful days, when I heard that Casting Crowns song on the radio.
God knows! He is already there, in MY future. What an awesome thought! When I think about the future, I don't need to stress or worry because my God is already there. And He cares for me, He loves me. So why am I worried?

Let that sink in. The God who loves you, who cares for you, who is all-powerful, He is already in your future. He sees it all, and He is in control.

It's a daily decision to give this worry, these decisions, to God.

Give it to Him, because it is better in His hands than in yours or mine. He is in control, and He is good. So let go of your tight grip on the future (which you and I can't control), and trust God (Who can control it) with it, because He is in the future already.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Be Loved, and Love

Over the past few months, God has been teaching me about love, specifically His love and how I should love others. His love is amazing, unending, and unchanging. And He wants me to love the people around me with HIS love. In our society we seem to think that first we must love others, and then we will be loved. “Love and be loved.”

 

God, however, is the opposite. He beckons to us to come to Him and drink in His love. First be loved, and then love others. We can’t truly love others until we have the love of God in us. Trying to love others from within ourselves is like trying to pour water out of an empty pitcher. You might get a drop or two, but not enough to fill a glass and not even close enough to quench your thirst. We can’t love the way God wants us to, not on our own. We have to soak in God’s love, knowing and remembering that His love is deep and perfect, before we can begin to love others.

 

I read this in a devotional called Daughters of the King a few days ago, and it caught my attention:

“The love of God is deep. His love is wide. His love is high and it is long. God’s love is not far-fetched or something that you cannot totally wrap your heart around. It is not incomprehensible or unable to be fully received. Rather, it is something that God intended for us to comprehend, to eagerly take, to seize, and possess as our very own. We receive it into our lives, so that we can freely give it away. If you’re not full of the knowledge that God loves you, you won’t have anything to pour out into others. If you only believe God loves you when you perform well, and only when you live right, you won’t have anything to pour out on those who aren’t performing well or those who aren’t living right. What you receive for yourself is what you will ultimately give away. In a world that struggles with the idea of a loving God, amid all of the destruction and evil, you must have a firm understanding of God’s love. You must be rooted and grounded in it, so that you can effectively share His love with others.”

 

“I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.” Colossians 1:12-14 (AMP)”

 

We must be ROOTED in God’s love. It must be our foundation. If it is, then and only then will we be able to effectively share God’s love with the people around us.

 

To be totally honest, I have a hard time loving people sometimes. Some days it is just really hard, and it’s easier to go through the day in my own little world. I tend to have a “grit my teeth and love” type of mentality. But God is slowly and surely chipping away at that tendency in my life, reminding me and teaching me that I can’t effectively love others without Him. God used a book by Max Lucado, A Love Worth Giving: Living in the Overflow of God’s Love, to really start whispering to me about His love for me, and to show me that the way I love others needs to change.

 

Lucado writes:

“Could it be we are missing a step? Could it be that the first step of love is not toward them [the people in our lives] but toward Him? Could it be that the secret to loving is receiving? You give love by first receiving it. ‘We love, because He first loved us’ (1 John 4:19 NASB). Long to be more loving? Begin by accepting your place as a dearly loved child. ‘Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us’ (Eph. 5:1-2 NIV).” (Lucado, p. 9)

 "God loves you. Personally. Powerfully. Passionately. Others have promised and failed. But God has promised and succeeded. He loves you with an unfailing love. And His love—if you will let it—can fill you and leave you with a love worth giving. So come. Come thirsty and drink deeply.” (Lucado, p. 14)

 God loves me. And He loves you. Deeply. Greatly. In a way that no one else has or ever will.

 Drink in His love.

Be drenched in the downpour of it.

Soak it in.

And then, give His love away.

 

Because God’s love is the only love worth giving.

Substitutes

“Sin is a substitute for what God really wants for you.”

 

I heard this on the radio a few days ago, and it caught my attention. When I choose sin, I’m choosing something that is a substitute for what God has for me. He has a plan and a purpose for me (Jeremiah 29:11) and He wants me to have REAL life… Life to the full! (John 10:10) But when I choose to sin, I’m actively choosing a substitute in place of the greater things that God has for me. God wants me to choose to live the life He has for me.

 

“Today I set before you life and death. Choose life.” –Deuteronomy 30:19 (paraphrased)

 

God knows what is best. He is our Heavenly Father, who knows each of us better than anyone. And because He knows us, and because of His love for us, He truly wants what is best for us. He does not want us to settle for the substitutes of sin… He wants us to choose HIM instead of our own desires, His will and plan for us instead of sin.

 

God wants us to live focused on Him, not on the substitutes. Jesus came to give us life, real and full.

 

Choose the life God has for you…. Life to the full! John 10:10

Tis so Sweet

The week of Christmas was a little rough for me. I had been sick for over a week, and it didn't feel like I was going to be back to normal anytime soon. I was a little stressed and worried, and I knew that my perspective needed to change. God began speaking to me through Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, which is a daily devotional written from the perspective of Jesus talking to you and me.

God wants me to trust Him, in everything. Three days in a row God reminded me, through Jesus Calling, to trust Him.

"How much better it is to walk close to Me, depending on My strength and trusting Me in every situation." -Jesus (Young, 378)

"I am your Refuge and Strength, an ever-present Help in trouble. Therefore, you don't need to be afraid of anything." -Jesus (Young, 379)

"Trust Me with every fiber of your being!" -Jesus (Young, 380)

Jesus is calling out to me, saying "Trust Me, Jenna. I love you." 
"Trust Me, Jenna. I am your Refuge." 
"Trust Me, Jenna. I am your Strength."

He's calling out to you, too!

It's really easy to say that you trust the Lord, but it's another thing when you must trust Him actively.

A few days after Christmas, I flew from Chicago to New Orleans. I'll be honest, flying scares me and I tend to be stressed/worried about it. This time, however, I knew that Jesus was telling me (and had been preparing me the week beforehand for it), "Trust Me, Jenna with this situation. Give your fear to Me. Trust Me, my dear child."

Once I was sitting on the plane waiting for the takeoff, I started thinking that it would be nice and I'd feel a lot better if my boyfriend was with me. If I could just sit next to him and hold his hand, I'd feel safe. Then God whispered to me, "Aren't I enough? I'm with you, always. Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you. Sit with Me, my child. Hold My hand." (Joshua 1:9, Psalm 73:23) So I did.

Then God brought the song "Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus" into my mind,  so that it replayed over and over and over again in my head during the flight. For one of the first times in my adult life, I truly felt that I chose to trust God instead of my fear. And God met me where I was and filled me with His peace and joy. He sat with me and held my hand. This might seem trivial, because it was just a flight, but it was a big deal to me and a big step of faith for me. God meets us where we are, and cares about the things going on in our lives. For me last week, it was flying. For one of the first times in my life, I wasn't filled with fear while flying. I was filled with God's peace.

Trust is hard. It is a battle that must be fought daily. I hope from this day forward that I will ACTIVELY trust God with every ounce of me.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding." Proverbs 3:5

Don't lean on your understanding, or on your fears. Trust is a decision. A daily, hour-by-hour decision. It means giving your fears to God, instead of holding on to them. But it is worth the effort. Choose trust.

Walk through each day holding onto God's hand, whispering "Jesus, I trust You."

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart."

"When I am afraid,
I put my trust in You.
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?" Psalm 56:3-4