faithfulness.

there are things i've always struggled with.
trust and patience. i thought i would never learn to wait on God to do something and trust that He will actually do it.

today, i was given a chance to practice trust as a reward for learning to wait. and i'm so excited to see where it goes.

did i ever tell -you- you're awesome? cuz you are.

mind blown.

(clarification pending pictures. they say more than words do)

Psalm 149 : ⁴For the LORD takes pleasure in His people;
He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation.

clay jars

i cleaned my room today and found half of the Jars of Clay "Furthermore" album, the live portion. this song was on here... i remember how much i loved it like 6 years ago (probably the last time i heard this song)... it's a good one.


eleventh hour:

trace the shape of my heart
'til it becomes more familiar to your eyes
i've been lost without you
cold without your love
it's taken days and nights to make me realize

rescue me from hangin' on this line
i won't give up on giving you
the chance to blow my mind
let the eleventh hour quickly pass me by
i'll find you when i think i'm out of time

take the place of my heart
'til i become a stranger to my life
i've been down without you
wrong without your love
in time will i be what you're thinking of?

rescue me from hangin' on this line
i won't give up on giving you
the chance to blow my mind
let the eleventh hour quickly pass me by
i'll find you when i think i'm out of time

i've been down without you
cold without your love
in time will i be what you're thinking of?



"i've been down without you, wrong without your love..." i am always wrong without Your love.

selah.

truth from wr. webster and david

impatient: adj. "restless in desire or expectation; eagerly desirous."
patient: adj. "bearing provocation, annoyance, misfortune, delay, hardship, pain, etc., with fortitude and calm and without complaint, anger, or the like."
fortiutde: adj. "mental and emotional strength in facing difficulty, adversity, danger, or temptation courageously."

Psalm 27:14 "Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD."


this is not the first time I've posted this verse on here, nor will it be the last.

we're always waiting for something. in his message on sunday, chad told us all to write down "suffer well." that is true, we should all want to suffer well. but more generally, we should all want to wait well. wait for what? what to "see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living." or to wait for something more trivial.
or to wait to be able to see all the things you're waiting for as actually more trivial than waiting to see your savior... ponder that for a little while. you'll feel about this big. or smaller. but you'll definitely feel foolish.
feeling foolish before God is okay, because that means we are seeing ourselves for who we are—foolish and finite creatures in front of a God of infinite wisdom. have faith in that. feel comfort in that. because He does not see our feeble, foolish, and finite forms. He sees perfection, righteousness, and objects of infinite love because of Jesus.

i read psalm 27 when i know i need to be reminded of 1) God's grace, 2) God's faithfulness, and 3) God's promises. i read psalm 27 often.


selah.
EM

run to win

1 Corinthians 9:24-25
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.

Psalm 81

13"Oh that My people would listen to Me,
That Israel would walk in My ways!
14"I would quickly subdue their enemies
And turn My hand against their adversaries.
15"Those who hate the LORD would pretend obedience to Him,
And their time of punishment would be forever.
16"But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat,
And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you."

"Lord, thank you for Your heart to bless! All you require is my trust and obedience. Your endless blessing for my simple obedience—there's no comparison!"

Selah

Psalm 71

Psalm 71
Prayer of an Old Man for Deliverance.
1 In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
Let me never be ashamed.
2 In Your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
Incline Your ear to me and save me.
3 Be to me a rock of habitation to which I may continually come;
You have given commandment to save me,
For You are my rock and my fortress.
4 Rescue me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,
Out of the grasp of the wrongdoer and ruthless man,
5 For You are my hope;
O Lord GOD, You are my confidence from my youth.
6 By You I have been sustained from my birth;
You are He who took me from my mother's womb;
My praise is continually of You.
7 I have become a marvel to many,
For You are my strong refuge.
8 My mouth is filled with Your praise
And with Your glory all day long.
9 Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
Do not forsake me when my strength fails.
10 For my enemies have spoken against me;
And those who watch for my life have consulted together,
11 Saying, "God has forsaken him;
Pursue and seize him, for there is no one to deliver."
12 O God, do not be far from me;
O my God, hasten to my help!
13 Let those who are adversaries of my soul be ashamed and consumed;
Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor, who seek to injure me.
14 But as for me, I will hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more.
15 My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And of Your salvation all day long;
For I do not know the sum of them.
16 I will come with the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD;
I will make mention of Your righteousness, Yours alone.
17 O God, You have taught me from my youth,
And I still declare Your wondrous deeds.
18 And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me,
Until I declare Your strength to this generation,
Your power to all who are to come.
19 For Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens,
You who have done great things;
O God, who is like You?
20 You who have shown me many troubles and distresses
Will revive me again,
And will bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
21 May You increase my greatness
And turn to comfort me.
22 I will also praise You with a harp,
Even Your truth, O my God;
To You I will sing praises with the lyre,
O Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to You;
And my soul, which You have redeemed.
24 My tongue also will utter Your righteousness all day long;
For they are ashamed, for they are humiliated who seek my hurt.

"Lord, thank you for bringing me up in You. Thank you for saving me from so many things i haven't even seen. I never want to be ashamed of You—I will continually praise You for all You have done for me... I can never even know how much that is! Thank you for Your grace that saves me, and thank you all the more for Your grace that keeps me safe in You!"

Selah...