Honey on my lips
God is amazing. I mean seriously, He is so good.
Yesterday was a very contemplative day for me. I was quiet yesterday. I thought a lot, reflected and prayed a lot. It was good. I spent time being still with my God the lover of my soul. God was faithful to me and He met me right where I was at.
His word was alive yesterday as I was reading. It was like God was sitting right there talking with me- like I was finding out all these wonderful secrets. I was hanging on His every word with excitement and anticipation.
Spending time with God and His word is not usually eventful for me. Often I do it as a spiritual discipline and because I have a deep desire and longing to know Him and to feel His touch. But mostly those times are dry.
I am not quite sure what made yesterday any different. Whenever I am blessed with actually being able to 'feel' God and I am sort of surprised and caught off guard. But it was nice. It was comforting. It was encouraging.
I felt like God really carried me yesterday and ministered to me. "And the Lord spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me." Zechariah 1:13. There was no angel with me yesterday- but still this scripture shows how God is both kind and comforting and longs to be that for us.
I felt like I got back to the place and perspective where I always want to be. It is odd how far we can drift in the current of complacency. But I realize that the only place where I find true everlasting joy and peace is in God. A good friend was sharing with me recently how joy and peace are linked and go hand in hand together. You don't really have one with out the other.
I am now and always want to be completely satisfied with God and the life He has given me. I want to be content in Him and satisfied in His love. I know that unless I am complete in Him and by Him that nothing in this world with quench that desire.
I have again tried to stop just going to God with my 'wish list' of requests and instead go to Him a lot less pretentious, simply desiring Him and time with Him.
This thought has always challenged me: "God should be our end, not our means to an end." God is the goal. It shouldn't be: "Well God, I am going to come and spend time with you so you will bless me. Oh and by the way please reward my efforts with a husband, a house and a dog- a golden retriever to be exact. Thanks God, see you tomorrow!"
Often I come to God with my own agenda. I feel like if I can suck up to Him and flatter Him that He will have to answer my requests. It is like I am using Him to get the things I really want and that is SO wrong. I should simply just want Him. I am glad because I am coming back to that place. I am thankful that He is gracious enough to show me this sin and to gently lead me back to Him. I am thankful for grace.
For the rest of this blog I will share with you scriptures that God has used to reiterate His kindness and comfort to me. I hope and pray it will bring you the same.
Hosea 2:14 "But then I will win her back once again. I will lead her out into the desert and speak tenderly to her there. I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope."
Hosea 2:20 "I will be faithful to you and make you mine, and you will finally know me as Lord."
Hosea 10:12 "I said, 'Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of my love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and shower righteousness on you."
Hosea 11:4 "I led Israel along with ropes of kindness and love. I lifted the yoke from his neck, and I myself stooped to feed him.
Hosea 13:5 "I took care of you in the wilderness, in that dry and thirsty land."
Hosea 14:5 "I will be to Israel like a refreshing dew from heaven. It will blossom like the lily; it will send roots deep into the soil like the cedars in Lebanon."
Joel 2:26 "Once again you will have all the food you want, and you will praise the Lord your God who does these miracles for you. Never again will my people be disgraced like this."
Amos 9:15 "I will firmly plant them there in the land I have given them," says the Lord your God. "Then they will never be uprooted again."
Micah 4: 6-8 "In that coming day," says the Lord, "I will gather together my people who are lame, who have been exiles, filled with grief. They are weak and far from home, but I will make them strong again, a mighty nation. Then I, the Lord, will rule from Jerusalem as their king forever. As for you, O Jerusalem, the citadel of God's people, your royal might and power will come back to you again. The kingship will be restored to my precious Jerusalem.
Micah 7:7 "As for me, I look to the Lord for his help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me."
Micah 7:14-16 "O Lord, come and rule your people; lead your flock in green pastures. Help them to live in peace and prosperity. Let them enjoy the fertile pastures of Bashan and Gilead as they did long ago. Yes, says the Lord, I will do mighty miracles for you, like those I did when I rescued you from slavery in Egypt. All the nations of the world will stand amazed at what the Lord will do for you.
Nahum 1:7 " The Lord is good. When trouble comes, he is a strong refuge. And he knows everyone who trusts in Him."
Habakkuk 3:17-19 "Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vine; even though the olive crop fails, and the Fields lie empty and barran; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation. The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He will make me as surefooted as a deer and bring me safely over the mountains."
Zephaniah 3: 14-18 "Sing, o daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! be glad and rejoice with all your heart, o daughter of Jerusalem! For the Lord will remove his hand of judgment and will disperse the armies of your enemy. And the Lord himself, the King of Israel, will live among you! At last your troubles will be over, and you will fear disaster no more. On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be, "Cheer up, Zion! Don't be afraid! For the Lord your God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty savior. He will rejoice over you with great gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will exult over you by singing a happy song. I will gather you who mourn for the appointed festivals, you will be disgraced no more."
Zephaniah 3:20 "On that day I will gather you together and bring you home again. I will give you a good name, a name of distinction among all the nations of the earth. They will praise you as I restore your fortunes before their very eyes. I, the Lord, have spoken."
Zechariah 2:5 "For I, myself, will be a wall of fire around Jerusalem, says the Lord. And I will be the glory inside the city!"
Zechariah 9 :12 "Come back to the place of safety, all you prisoners, for there is yet hope! I promise this very day that I will repay you two mercies for each of your woes!"
Zechariah 9:16 "When that day arrives, the Lord their God will rescue his people, just as a shepherd rescues his sheep. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown."
Zechariah 10: 6-8 "I will strengthen Judah and save Isreal; I will reestablish them because I love them. It will be as though I had never rejected them, for I am the Lord their God, who will hear their cries. The people of Israel will become like mighty warriors, and their hearts will be happy as if by wine. Their children, too, will see it all and be glad; their hearts will rejoice in the Lord. When I whistle to them, they will come running, for I have redeemed them. From the few that are left, their population will grow again to its former size."
Zechariah 13:9 "I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure, just as gold and silver are refined and purified by fire. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, 'These are my people,' and they will say,'The Lord is our God."
Malachi 4:2 "But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture."
posted by Kellie # 12:20 PM
