In His Presence -- There is Peace

Five minute Friday: Gather 

 Psalm 143:8-12

"Let me hear in the morning of Your steadfast love,
for in You I trust.
Make me know the way I should go,
for to You I lift up my soul.

 Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD!
I have fled to You for refuge.

Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God!
Let your good Spirit lead me
on level ground!

For Your name’s sake, O LORD, 

preserve my life!
In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble!

And in Your steadfast love 

You will cut off my enemies,
and You will destroy all the adversaries of my soul,
for I am Your servant."

(ESV)

He gathers me close and whispers He loves me. That gentle message crowds out the lies that I’m not enough; that I have to be perfect or whole or stronger. He can and wants to use me in my brokenness. He promises to bring healing.

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Skip down a few verses – He promises to defeat the adversaries of my soul. To satisfy as only He can, to bring light and love and joy where there was once darkness, hate and sorrow. He gathers those insecurities and replaces them with peace and contentment.

I don’t know what is next or what order I’m supposed to do these things He has laid on my heart. But I don’t have to know the future to realize where my destiny lies. I just need to stay close beside Him, to gather my burdens and lay them at His feet.

~Liz

Beauty from Brokenness

I'm still reeling from all that has occurred in the past few days. Much of it was unexpected, some of it I knew was coming, but all of the circumstances elicited a strong emotional response from me. I'm often told that my biggest strength is also my greatest weakness, and I tend to agree. I care too much sometimes. Now, before you draw conclusions on what that really means, let me explain. 

For as long as I can remember I have always had a compassionate heart and been sensitive to the needs and struggles of others around me. But so many times I will internalize that pain as if somehow I can make it go away or make it better. As a result, I stumble and fall beneath these burdens that I was never meant to carry alone. 

I hate seeing loved ones who are hurting, but trying to take that all on by myself helps no one. Time and time again, my loving Father reminds me to bring my sorrows to His throne and leave them there. No matter how hard I might try, I am incapable of changing someone's heart. Fortunately, that is not my calling; I'm never expected to accomplish a task not assigned to me in the first place.

None of the events that I encountered this week were a surprise to God though. He graciously filled me and prepared me to deal with some difficult stuff. Had I not been broken completely earlier this week, I would have fallen apart. Even now I am a bit fragile, but have peace and contentment regarding the situations He has placed me in for now.

Do I understand the purpose of these circumstances fully? Hardly. But I know God has a purpose for everything and I am clinging to that promise. He can redeem anyone, turn around the worst of situations and bring glory to His name while providing healing for hurting souls. He weaves His beautiful story of redemption through our broken lives, and prepares us for future ministry in doing so.