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God's Faithfulness

What are you waiting on?

One of my favorite Scriptures is Isaiah 40:31. I remember first time I realized what a treasure it was. I was a freshman in college, and have been in love with it ever since. It became a life “theme” verse for me, and continues to retain it’s title as one of “The All-time Favorites.”

In fact, I’m looking at it right now, beautifully posted at my desk where I can soak in God’s Truth.
Do you love this verse too?
“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (NIV)
“But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, they run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind.” (The Message)

And check this version out:
“But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.” (Amplified)
(Emphasis mine)
Recently I read something profound about this verse. It went something like this: When we wait on people or events or circumstances, it wears us out. OR When we put our hope in people or events or circumstances, we become weary. But when we wait on the Lord… our strength is renewed. Renewed – Not zapped.
That’s profound to me! All of these months, I’ve been waiting on the Lord WHILE I’ve also waited on a committee to call my husband for a job interview. Knowing that my husband’s resume is in the hands of several committees and waiting on them to call has been exhausting…Until I realized where the power of this verse lies.
People, plans, events, committees, and circumstances are always subject to change. And putting our hope in something that changes is definitely stress-producing… because we never know what to expect.
But putting our hope in the Lord is energizing… because He never changes. “I the Lord do not change. That is why you… are not consumed.” (Mal. 3:6)
Now every time I start to “hope” that someone will call today, or “hope” that the right job will come along soon, I put the breaks on that train of thought. Out loud, I’ll say something like, “No, Lord… I’m not hoping in that phone call, circumstance, person, etc., I’m hoping in YOU!”   And immediately, my strength is renewed.
It’s an amazing and immediate transformation. I dare you to try it!
What are you waiting/hoping for? If you are waiting on or hoping for something or someone, I challenge you to try switching the focus of your hope from that person or thing onto the Lord.
If you’re like me, you’ll find an incredible strength and a surge of the Lord’s peace that you have been missing. You’ll actually be energized in your wait.
I can guarantee it… Because His Word promises us that this is true. Try it, and let me know how it worked for you!
Waiting and hoping in the Lord (instead of in anything else) with you~
Jennifer
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Encouragement for today: After the fire…we will shine!

Bless you for your prayers and encouragement to me/us!!!   You gifted us as we walked into a new stage of trusting the Lord. He truly has made us glad and given us His peace. Thank you for sharing in our walk. We love you and thank God for you!

If you’re like me, verses like Proverbs 3:5-6, and Romans 8:28 are such a familiar passages, that I find myself glossing over the deep Truths these verses convey.  However, familiarity doesn’t negate truth, and today, the Lord has brought them afresh to me.  What an encouragement they are!

If you need some encouragement today, read these verses, asking the Lord for fresh eyes to see them… to really soak in what the Lord is saying… and let Him bless your heart and mind.

“Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord
with all your heart and mind.

Do not rely on your own insight or understanding.

In all your ways
know, recognize, and acknowledge Him,

and He will direct and make straight and plain

your paths.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 (Amp)


“We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor]

all things work together and are [fitting into a plan]

for good to

and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.” 

Romans 8:28 (Amp)

Every so often this story comes across my in-box in the most timely of ways.  It’s a beautiful reminder of what God is doing in all of our lives when we place ourselves and our loved ones into His hands.

May you be blessed and encouraged through this – and may the Lord make each of us to shine in such a way that we reflect His character to everyone we encounter. 

Malachi 3:3 says: ‘He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.’ 

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.  One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.


That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: ‘He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.’ She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed..

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, ‘How do you know when the silver is fully refined?’

He smiled at her and answered, ‘Oh, that’s easy — when I see my image in it.’


If today you are feeling the heat of the fire , remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

Because He IS working all things together, fitting them into His plan for you, for your good, and for His glory!  His Word says so.  And we can trust Him.

Peace in the Lord Jesus Christ be unto you~
Jennifer

Picture: Google Images

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As we approach this Friday, He has "Made me Glad"

This Friday is January 15th. This date may not mean a lot to you, but to our family, it is the first day of a life whose security has nothing to rest on except in our God. We honestly thought that by this date, James would be in a new job. We never imagined that we would hit this date unemployed. As we thought toward our future, we expected to celebrate the 15th of January with hearts full of gratitude to the Lord for all He did while we were unemployed, as we happily rejoiced in all the new things God would be doing in our lives through the new job.

But the 15th is here, and there still is no job… and not for the lack of trying.   We are still at the “rejoicing in the things God is doing while we are unemployed” stage.

I imagine that for various reasons, this has been a difficult week for many of us. I don’t know about you, but for me, that battle between faith and sight has been tough. Burdens of our own, and those we are carrying for others (ones we know and ones we only know about) have been heavy. I’ve cried a lot. Prayed a lot. And I’ve eaten a lot of chocolate. 🙂

As I’ve rolled those burdens upon the Lord time and time again, The Lord has been gracious, comforting, loving, gentle, and firm in His reminder that He is on His Throne. In our own life situation, as well as in the devestation in Haiti, with the martyrs around the world, the lost, the lonely, the grieving… God is still working, loving, comforting, strengthening, healing, saving, and He will not let go of His hold upon us. (Heb. 13:5-6, see below.)

While we’ve done what we can for others, filled our minds with Scripture and our home with Praise Music, God has blessedly calmed our hearts and made us glad. We look toward the future, uncertain of what, where, and how it will be, remaining certain of Who it is in.

A sweet friend wrote this to me the other day: “The God who loves you, provides for you, comforts you, and sustains you on the 14th, will be the same God who loves you, provides for you, comforts you, and sustains you on the 15th…”

So true! Not just for the Walker family and our “deadline”, but for you, too. I have a feeling that someone, besides me, needed to be reminded of this today. This side of Heaven, we will not completely understand the mind and heart of God, but we can trust that no matter what, He is and will always be Who His Word tells us He is.  He is good.  He is loving.  He is just.  He is merciful.  He is our Shield, our Strength, our Portion, our Deliverer, our Shelter, our Strong Tower, our Ever Present Help in time of Need!  He is Everything!

If you need some encouragement on this day, spend worship some time with the Lord through this song, Made Me Glad. Because, no matter what happens, or what day of the week it is, or what deadline comes and goes, when we put our lives into His hands, He is the One  – the Only One – Who forever can make us glad.

I love you, and am praying for you~
Jennifer

“Since God assured us, “I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you,” we can boldly quote,
God is there, ready to help;
I’m fearless no matter what.
Who or what can get to me?”
Hebrews 13:5-6 The Message

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Just Give Me Jesus

Hi friends~ You have been so wonderful in your comments and your prayers for BellaMella and family! I will send them on to her, and know that she will be blessed.

I just realized that Christmas Day is a week from Friday! This is the first year in my adult life that I’ve not been running 90 miles an hour – like most of you probably are right now – in preparation for “Christmas”. The “waiting with the Lord for a job” situation has placed us at a slower pace of living. And the financial cut-backs we are making has helped us prioritize the things/needs/wants/gifts that are usually the focus of this time of year.

This stripping away has been a wonderful awakening to the real reason we are celebrating Christmas. It has given us a chance to appreciate the Gift God gave us in Jesus, Who is ENOUGH! Jesus, Who is EVERYTHING! Jesus our SAVIOR, our PROVIDER, our LIFE!

I pray that our family will forever be changed in how we look at this time of year. Even if James has a million-dollar salary this time next year (ha ha!), I don’t want to ever again place our priority on “things” and “busy-ness” and miss the quiet moments spent soaking in the tremendous love of God through the Gift of His Only Son, Jesus.

“Thank You, Father, for unwrapping Jesus for us this year through our required dependence upon You. He truly is all we need. Because we have Jesus, we have Everything. I love you. And I deeply thank you for the peace of walking into the days ahead with You, Jesus, and Your Spirit. May You be magnified in our lives.”

Give Me Jesus

In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
Give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus.
You can have all this world,
Just give me Jesus.

When I am alone,
When I am alone,
When I am alone,
Give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus.
You can have all this world,
Just give me Jesus.

When I come to die,
When I come to die,
When I come to die,
Give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus.
You can have all this world,
Just give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus.
Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus.
You can have all this world,
You can have all this world,
You can have all this world,
Just give me Jesus.

by Jeremy Camp

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The Battle between "Faith" and "Sight"

Yesterday, a {Boxing Title Match} was held in my heart. Two heavyweight champions fought for the reigning title of Ultimate Victor. Instead of writing the promised blog post on “how to have a quiet time with Jesus during these busy days”, I spent the day refereeing this famous fight in my heart and mind. It was an all day battle between “Faith” and “Sight”.

One minute “Sight” would knock “Faith” out cold. Then the Words of the Lord hidden in my heart would whisper to me, and “Faith” would arise the momentary victor! Faith would remain victorious until “Sight” looked around and reminded me of how few days of insurance we have left, etc….Then “Faith” was down for the count.

The battle raged all day, and I was exhausted and emotionally spent by bedtime. But, Praise the Lord!, in the end, “Faith” won! When I clung to God’s Word, and started recounting the many ways the Lord has taken care of us in the past, and when I remembered the promises He has given us for our future, “Sight” was defeated!!!

Unfortunately, because of the nature of being human, the fight isn’t over. “Sight” will come back for a re-match one of these days. But Faith muscles were built yesterday that will come in handy during the next Title Match.

And I learned something in that battle: “Sight” can only gain control of the fight when we take our eyes off of what we KNOW to be true – God’s love and concern for us, His provisions, and His plans for us that are GOOD!

This morning, my husband shared Charles Surgeon’s “Morning by Morning” devotion with me, and I wanted to pass it along to you. What a blessed reminder to all of us when “Faith” and “Sight” are boxing for the Title of our lives!!! I’ll be reading and re-reading this today as the Lord heals my wounds from yesterday’s fight. May He bless and strengthen You with it, too. 🙂

“Therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you.” (Isaiah 30:18)

God often delays in answering prayer. We have several instances of this in sacred Scripture. Jacob did not get the blessing from the angel until near the dawn of day – he had to wrestle all night for it.

The poor woman of Syrophenicia was answered not a word for a long while. Paul sought the Lord three times that “the thorn in the flesh” might be taken from him. He received no assurance that it would be taken away, but instead received a promise that God’s grace would be sufficient for him.

If you have been knocking at the gate of mercy and have received no answer, I will tell you why the mighty Maker has not opened the door and let you in.

Our Father has reasons peculiar to Himself for keeping us waiting. Sometimes it is to show His power and His sovereignty so that men may know that Jehovah has a right to give or to withhold.

More frequently the delay is for our profit. Perhaps you are kept waiting in order that your desires may be more fervent. You will prize the gift all the more because of its long tarrying.

There may also be something in you that needs to be removed before the joy of the Lord is given.

If your prayers are not immediately answered, they are certainly not forgotten. Your prayers are filed in Heaven. In a little while your prayers will be fulfilled to your satisfaction. Do not let despair make you silent. Continue in earnest supplication.”

December 9, “Morning by Morning” by C. H. Spurgeon.

Photo: Google Images

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