This has been a rough week for us topped off by a sucker punch tonight with a separate situation. The enemy has been hard at work on our family, attacking every front. The temptation has been to give into bitterness and anger and frustration but God reminded me again that He is SO FAITHFUL. He prompted me, after a ton of prayer, to go back to my notes from Sunday's incredible time of worship. We had 2 of the most incredible harvest moons on Friday and Saturday night. I remember being struck by the beauty and the steadiness of those moons shining into the darkness and wondering if all of the busy people racing around noticed that, even through the moon, God is trying to get our attention. That all of creation is CRYING out to us that God is here, He is steady, He is magnificent, He is majestic and that He loves us with an everlasting love! Do you know that He is WAITING for you to come to Him, to cast your cares upon Him and let Him carry you through whatever storm you're going through?! He WILL be your defender. He WILL be your provider. He WILL be your healer. He holds it ALL in His hands....every last teeny, tiny detail.
This past week our church celebrated how God brought us through one of the darkest days that no church should ever go through. A gunman entered our campus, shot multiple people, including a father and 2 young girls from one family. Both girls died. Our church never thought that they would survive that as 13 months prior their lead pastor was involved in a scandal. How does a church survive not one but TWO devastating losses in such a short time? Jim and I were at a different church at that time but unbeknownst to us, God had begun to knit our hearts w/this church. After the scandal broke, one of the worship leaders, in a time of grief, wrote one of the most incredible songs I've ever heard, called "Overcome." The lyrics go like this:
"Seated above, enthroned in the Father's love
Destined to die, poured out for all mankind
God's only son perfect and spotless one
He never sinned but suffered as if He did
All authority, every victory is Yours
All authority, every victory is Yours
Savior, worthy of honor and glory
Worthy of all our praise, You overcame
Jesus, awesome in power forever
Awesome and great is Your name, You overcame
Power in hand
Speaking the Father's plan
You're sending us out
Light in this broken land
We will overcome
By the blood of the Lamb
And the word of our testimony
Everyone overcome"
After the shootings, this song became the turning point for this church and they CLUNG to the promises that God gave them. He WAS and IS faithful and our church is healed and thriving....yes, thriving! All because God is FAITHFUL!!!
I never knew the story behind that song until later but it became an anthem for me personally not only for each trial that we began to face but the ones in the past. When we were exhausted from trying to get our house ready to sell, while it took seemingly forever to sell, when we were exhausted from moving and no one came to help, when our church went through a horrific scandal, while we were healing from lies & betrayals, when we got our match from China and wondered how would we complete it....oh the list went on and on. And after God joined our hearts w/our new church, how He would bring this song over and over again to let us know that we WOULD overcome because He had brought our new church through horrific events. If He could do that, He could accomplish anything.
There's something about having suffered loss and betrayals and having God bring good out of it and to be with others who have suffered and triumphed....it's the most incredible type of worship for God that you can ever imagine! Sunday as we sang "Overcome", I was overcome by the incredible depth of God's faithfulness in our church and in our family. I sobbed tears of joy as I sang, so incredibly thankful to be one of God's children and SO thankful that He has helped us overcome so much!
This may have been a rough night and rough week but God is faithful! He will be our defender, provider and our healer. So as I see it, "What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." (Romans 8:31-37)
Here was my devotional today. "REST IN ME, MY CHILD, forgetting about the worries of the world. Focus on Me - Emmanuel - and let My living Presence envelop you in Peace. Tune in to My eternal security, for I am the same yesterday, today, and forever. If you live on the surface of life by focusing on ever-changing phenomena, you will find yourself echoing the words of Solomon: "Meaningless! Meaningless! Everything is meaningless!" Living in collaboration with Me is the way to instill meaning into your days. Begin each day alone with Me, so that you can experience the reality of My Presence. As you spend time with Me, the way before you opens up step by step. Arise from the stillness of our communion, and gradually begin your journey through the day. Hold My hand in deliberate dependence on Me, and I will smooth out the path before you." (Jesus Calling)
God is no different today than He was before time began. He loves me and He loves you and He is faithful. I know who holds me. Who's holding you?
No comments:
Post a Comment