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Chelsey Murphree

The Desires of Our Heart: Trust in the Lord

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“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Psalm 37:3-4 seems a little short and simple to study for a full week, but the longer I sit with these two verses, the more I’m finding new troves of treasure in each of them. Truthfully, I find myself focusing on that last part – the Lord giving me the desires of my heart – with much more excitement and passion than I feel in the instructions before those words. I spend so much time chasing a calling or a desire of my heart, that I forget the instructions he has so beautifully laid out before me: Trust in Me. Do good. Dwell in the land. Befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in Me. 

I’d love to spend this week together turning our attention to those things and seeing how the Lord transforms and grants us the desires of our hearts when we put things in their right order.

 

Trust in the Lord

Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

Psalm 37:3

MondayI grew up going to some form of camp in the summers, and then in college, I worked for a youth ministry and put together camps. Ever participated in a trust fall? I remember one where you had to fall from a lifted platform to your entire team down below … and I also remember being thrilled that I didn’t end up having time to participate in that one! I like to think of myself as a go-with-the-flow type of person, and as pretty trusting, but I was not about to freefall into the arms of my teammates without any backup plan or assurance that all would be well.

As easygoing and as trusting as I may be, I still like to have a little bit of control. I like to know what I’m in for, and I like to know at least a shadow of what’s ahead. Unfortunately, I’m learning life doesn’t happen like that.

When Jesus called Peter out of the boat and onto the water, Peter had no idea what was going to happen. I don’t think Peter expected to step out of the boat and stand on top of the waves. He simply knew who Jesus was, and he trusted that whatever was about to happen – Jesus was taking care of it.

To trust the Lord, to trust anyone really, we have to get to know the person. We have to see him as trustworthy. Spending time with the Father and reflecting on our journey with Him this far in life allows us to see His trustworthiness. Choosing to trust allows us to step out of the boat whenever and wherever He calls us.

A little less than a year ago, while I was relearning what it looks like to trust the Lord, I wrote this in my journal as I felt Him speaking, and I feel as if it’s a word we all need to hear from Him.

I know you.

I know your heart and your desires. I know what I have created you for. When what’s to come is overwhelming, look up. Look to me, because I know you. I can be trusted – release the burden of distrust and step into new, beautiful places of trust and reckless abandon.

I know you. And I love you … not in spite of knowing you, but because I know you.

I know you. Trust Me.

Chelsey

Savoring Your Season: Even In Waiting

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Life is full of seasons other than spring, summer, fall and winter. Childhood, adolescence, and adulthood; single, dating, engaged and married. We have healthy and unhealthy seasons, ones of flourishing and of pruning, and every high and low in between. I’ve been one to say I’m in a season of waiting just as often as I say I’m in a season of going. Too often, we lose sight of the present season for looking too much on the seasons past or future. Let’s take some time this week to be honest about our seasons – mentally, spiritually, physically and emotionally – and learn to savor and soak in where we are now.

 

Even In Waiting

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart…

fridayEcclesiastes 3:11

Waiting is one of my least favorite things in the world, yet I feel like I am always waiting on something. Whether it’s a vanilla latte or a visa in my passport, a Prince Charming or a new job, waiting seems to be a constant in my life.

Too often we have the wrong perspective on waiting. We get stuck in the mentality that “Life will finally start when _____:” I get promoted. I get married. I buy a house. You fill in the blank with whatever it is that you’re waiting on. I’m so guilty of functioning under the belief that happiness and ability to serve the Lord only comes when all of my ducks are in a row, but that’s just not the case.

Every season is deliberate and infused with God’s presence, and it’s ours for the taking. We can choose to be present in our seasons of waiting, but too often we catch glimpses of what’s ahead or think we know what we want to happen and then lose sight of what is here and now. We push and barrel forward, praying for a change in seasons, and miss what is right in front of us.

We were created with an ache for a different season because God has put eternity in our hearts. The desire we feel for what’s next is rooted in God’s desire for us, that we would seek first the Kingdom and chase after the home awaiting us.

Our mortal lives will always be marked by waiting for what’s next, but we can learn to be present in the waiting. We can learn to seek and praise God in each season of waiting, to take what His hands have dealt and to worship in the in-betweens of life.

We will find the most fulfillment when we are living out God’s will for us in the seasons He has placed us in. Choosing to seek His higher perspective on our current circumstances and taking His view on our seasons rather than our own makes all the difference.

Chelsey

Savoring Your Season: The Art of Simplicity

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Life is full of seasons other than spring, summer, fall and winter. Childhood, adolescence, and adulthood; single, dating, engaged and married. We have healthy and unhealthy seasons, ones of flourishing and of pruning, and every high and low in between. I’ve been one to say I’m in a season of waiting just as often as I say I’m in a season of going. Too often, we lose sight of the present season for looking too much on the seasons past or future. Let’s take some time this week to be honest about our seasons – mentally, spiritually, physically and emotionally – and learn to savor and soak in where we are now.

 

The Art of Simplicity

Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

John 15:2

thursdayIf you search the phrase “simplify life” on Google or Pinterest, there will be no shortage of websites and blog posts that give you a list of things to do to find the simplicity in whatever area of life you’re in. It’s pretty obvious that simplicity is something that everyone is looking for, and as believers, we should actually consider joining the crowd for this one.

I remember listening to a sermon at some point in my life where the speaker showed a picture of what looked like an overgrown bush. It looked as if it was dying – the branches looked dry and the leaves were yellowed and quickly turning brown, and the few fruits hanging on looked like they would shrivel up at any second. Then he showed us a different picture of a vineyard. The leaves were green and the grapes were beautiful. I was shocked to find out that those pictures were from the same exact place. The difference was in the way they came to life: the first was allowed to live overwhelmed by buds and branches and new growth, someone never choosing what was most important and cutting back the rest. The second was intentionally cut away in order to allow the best to grow more.

Too often, our lives look like the overgrown mess. We feel like we have to do so many things and we have so many different branches and buds of obligations and service demanding our attention that they all suffer. We want to volunteer, we want to be a part of this Bible study and lead that small group. We commit to taking on another project at work, we want to go on this mission trip and that service project – all because these things are good. They are good, but oftentimes, the “good” is the enemy of the “best.”

Just like a plant with too many buds and branches cannot possibly sustain all of them, so are our lives if we’re overloaded with commitments. Some buds have to die and some have to be intentionally cut away or pruned in order for the most important ones to flourish. Simplification may look at first like death, but it brings greater and healthier growth than any other option.

I’ve had to learn to declutter my life, and I’ll continue having to learn to declutter my life as seasons change. All that a cluttered, overloaded life does is distract me from what should be most important and central: Jesus Christ.

We are called to much, yes, but we are not called to everything. Remembering this frees us to live fully where God places us.

It may look like simplifying your closet, your expenses, your appointment book or your list of ministry commitments, but I encourage you to spend some time asking the Lord what simplification looks like for you in this season.

Chelsey