shadow

faithful

Piece of Art

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“For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Thy works, And my soul knows it very well.” Psalm 139:13-14, NASB

16809784779_e90b547c98_bFaithful. Loving. Creator of beauty.

Recently, my Tidbits of Truth segment ended with a question: “What will  you and I treasure about Christ today?” And I jotted down the above–snippets of who God is.

GOD IS FAITHFUL…

I always come back to this characteristic. Knowing the Lord will never leave me hanging and never leave period fills me with tremendous comfort. Whenever the road of life curves into darkness–leaving me anxious, afraid, or perplexed–I know God is faithful. I’ve experienced His faithfulness many times over. Though undesirable circumstances sometimes occur, I always can count on God’s resilient reliability. He’ll come through whether I understand details or not. He won’t fail.

GOD IS LOVING…

He loves me more than I can imagine. How could He Send. His. Son. to die … for me? I’m so accustomed to hearing this awesome truth that honestly, the wonder doesn’t always wash over me. But maybe if I’d witnessed Jesus’ precious back torn by whips or His strenuous walk bearing the cross on open wounds–His blood dripping from above onto the dust from which He made man–maybe then the wonder of His love would permanently penetrate me every waking minute. Yet even though I lack so much in my response to Him, He loves me still because God is love.

GOD IS CREATOR OF BEAUTY…

I live in a family of artists. Painting, drawing, music, and other art forms touch my life through loved ones. The older I get, the more I  appreciate God-given talent and skill. I love to hear artistry flow through my son’s guitar and my husband’s drums. I’m impressed beyond words with my daughter’s sewing expertise and the dresses she creates. To know God placed these talents in them in the womb makes me smile. Certainly He delights in seeing the results. When we use the abilities God has entrusted to us, we express beauty designed by Him. He’s the ultimate artist, shaping us body and soul.

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Dear one, are you anxious, afraid, or perplexed? God is faithful.

Do you possess a deficient response to God’s amazing heart? He loves you still. 

Are you using the the incredible skills He wove into the core of your being? YOU are His piece of art.

Treasure these truths with me today.

Emily

 

Top photo credit: Geranium vases 1 step 2ab xero a multi specks via photopin (license)

Trusting God in Tough Times: When We Don’t Understand God’s Plan

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It’s inevitable. Tough times will come along during our lives. A pastor friend once told me something along these lines: “You’re either coming out of a time of struggle, in the midst of a difficult time, or heading toward a challenging time.” The Christian life (or any life) is not always a bed of roses—and the Bible doesn’t promise us a life free from trouble. This week, let’s take a Scriptural look at trusting God through difficult circumstances.

 

When We Don’t Understand God’s Plan

“Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant.” 

2 Samuel 7:28, NIV

Maze_THURSDAYYou’ve just lost your job. You want to have a baby, but it’s not happening and you can’t understand why. A loved one has been diagnosed with cancer. Your marriage is falling apart in spite of your best efforts. Whatever your particular situation, your dreams are crushed and it hurts.

How can this be God’s plan for your life? Sometimes our dreams don’t come to fruition and our best laid plans fall apart.

When things don’t go according to my plans, I’m tempted to assume God has forgotten about me. Maybe the details of my life just aren’t important to the God of the universe. Can I trust Him? In the midst of my pain, I tend to blame God instead of trusting Him.

Even though we sometimes feel forgotten, God is present. He doesn’t overlook His promises to us. He delights in us and wants the best for us.

I love how Corrie ten Boom explained God’s plan. She said, “Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see.” (The Hiding Place). This is an especially powerful testimony since Corrie ten Boom spent almost a year suffering in three different prisons, including a concentration camp in Germany, after she and her family helped Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. Ultimately, Corrie ten Boom was released (due to a technical error) and spent the next 40 years speaking and writing about God’s love and the power of forgiveness.

God is faithful, and He is able to use every circumstance to draw us closer to Him. Even if we can’t see how the pieces will fit together, God is weaving a beautiful story in our lives. He loves us more than we can imagine. In that infinite love, he created a plan for each of us. We can trust that God will show up. Believe anything is possible with God. He is trustworthy.

Dear Lord, we put ourselves and our futures in your hands. We believe you will do a powerful work with and through our lives. We submit our plans to you. Line up our plans with Your plans. God, Your plans are greater and Your ways higher.

Learning to trust more fully,

Allison

Trusting God in Tough Times: When Bad Things Happen

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It’s inevitable. Tough times will come along during our lives. A pastor friend once told me something along these lines: “You’re either coming out of a time of struggle, in the midst of a difficult time, or heading toward a challenging time.” The Christian life (or any life) is not always a bed of roses—and the Bible doesn’t promise us a life free from trouble. This week, let’s take a Scriptural look at trusting God through difficult circumstances.

 

When Bad Things Happen

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

Isaiah 55:-8-9, NLT

Ship_Wreck_TUESDAYIt’s difficult for me to watch the nightly news. So many bad things happen in our world, and it’s overwhelming! I find it especially hard when I hear of a child who is ill or a tragedy that affects an entire family. As I write this, the news is reporting the murder of nine people in a Charleston church.

How do we deal with heartbreaking events such as these? Where is God in the midst of tragedy?

These are really difficult questions, and I’m not prepared or qualified to provide all the answers in this daily devotional piece. However, I think it’s important to know what the Bible tells us about God’s sovereignty. It also helps us know how to respond when our unbelieving friends ask these same questions.

It helps me when I realize that God is not surprised by anything that occurs. He’s not sitting on His throne frustrated because things aren’t working out. In fact, nothing in the universe happens without His oversight and purpose.

Consider these verses that demonstrate God’s complete control at all times:

His rule is everlasting, and his kingdom is eternal. All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him. He does as he pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth. No one can stop him or say to him, “What do you mean by doing these things?” Daniel 4:34-35, NLT

Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him. Psalm 115:3, NIV

We live in a fallen world affected by sin. It’s far less than ideal, but God has a plan. Bad things will happen, and we won’t be able to understand. Today’s verse in Isaiah 55 explains how God’s ways are far beyond our imagination or understanding.

Trusting God means believing that He has everything under His absolute control, even when it seems like the opposite and even when it’s beyond our own understanding. His hands are capable. He is good and loving and worthy of our trust, even when bad things happen.

Learning to trust more fully,

Allison