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...

to the One who does not allow my feet to slip...

Psalm 66:16-20
16 Come and hear, all who fear God,
And I will tell of what He has done for my soul.
17 I cried to Him with my mouth,
And He was extolled with my tongue.
18 If I regard wickedness in my heart,
The Lord will not hear;
19 But certainly God has heard;
He has given heed to the voice of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God,
Who has not turned away my prayer
Nor His lovingkindness from me.

"I will praise you, because You do not take your love away when my life gets messy and difficult. You listen to my cries for help... I will tell all who will listen about Your faithfulness!"

Selah

Psalm 61

1 Hear my cry, O God;
Give heed to my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
3 For You have been a refuge for me,
A tower of strength against the enemy.
4 Let me dwell in Your tent forever;
Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah.
5 For You have heard my vows, O God;
You have given me the inheritance of those who fear Your name.
6 You will prolong the king's life;
His years will be as many generations.
7 He will abide before God forever;
Appoint lovingkindness and truth that they may preserve him.
8 So I will sing praise to Your name forever,
That I may pay my vows day by day.

"Thank You for listening to my prayers and cries for help. Thank You for giving me peace and leading me in Your strength. You have saved me from my sin, You deserve all my trust. I will trust in Your salvation and follow Your lead because You love me and have proved Your faithfulness over and over again."

Selah.

Psalm 56

1 Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;
all day long an attacker oppresses me;
2 my enemies trample on me all day long,
for many attack me proudly.
3 When I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?

5 All day long they injure my cause;
all their thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They stir up strife, they lurk;
they watch my steps,
as they have waited for my life.
7 For their crime will they escape?
In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!

8 You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book?
9 Then my enemies will turn back
in the day when I call.
This I know, that God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the LORD, whose word I praise,
11 in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?

12 I must perform my vows to you, O God;
I will render thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered my soul from death,
yes, my feet from falling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.

"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you! You are worthy of my praise, You have won my trust—what can this world do to me? They want to see me fail, but You hold my in Your hands. You count my tossing and turning, You catch my tears when they fall—You have written everything of my life in your book. My enemies will all scatter when I call for help, but I know that you are with me. I trust You, what can man do to me? I trust You, because You saved me. You guide my steps to walk in your light—you have given my life. I will trust in You!"

Selah.

Psalm 46

1 God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
The holy dwelling places of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;
He raised His voice, the earth melted.
7 The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.

8 Come, behold the works of the LORD,
Who has wrought desolations in the earth.
9 He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariots with fire.
10 "Cease striving and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
11 The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.

"I will not fear because You are my strength. The earth will quake with fear and tremble with questions, it will roar with uprising and overflow with evil; but You are with your people, and we will not be moved! You have displayed your works for me to see. You have ended wars and disasters; why do I try to do so for myself? I will no longer. I will stop trying to control the chaos and the fear, because You are God and You are with me."

Selah

Psalm 37

4 Delight yourself in the LORD;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it...
23 The steps of a man are established by the LORD,
And He delights in his way.
24 When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong,
Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand.

If I delight in Him, He will give... When I follow and trust Him, He will do what I cannot... He establishes my steps and walks with me. I will fall and fail, but He will not let go.
Selah

Psalm 31

1 In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
Let me never be ashamed;
In Your righteousness deliver me.
2 Incline Your ear to me, rescue me quickly;
Be to me a rock of strength,
A stronghold to save me.
3 For You are my rock and my fortress;
For Your name's sake You will lead me and guide me.
4 You will pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me,
For You are my strength.
5 Into Your hand I commit my spirit;
You have ransomed me, O LORD, God of truth.
6 I hate those who regard vain idols,
But I trust in the LORD.
7 I will rejoice and be glad in Your lovingkindness,
Because You have seen my affliction;
You have known the troubles of my soul,
8 And You have not given me over into the hand of the enemy;
You have set my feet in a large place.
9 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress;
My eye is wasted away from grief, my soul and my body also.
10 For my life is spent with sorrow
And my years with sighing;
My strength has failed because of my iniquity,
And my body has wasted away.
11 Because of all my adversaries, I have become a reproach,
Especially to my neighbors,
And an object of dread to my acquaintances;
Those who see me in the street flee from me.
12 I am forgotten as a dead man, out of mind;
I am like a broken vessel.
13 For I have heard the slander of many,
Terror is on every side;
While they took counsel together against me,
They schemed to take away my life.
14 But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD,
I say, "You are my God."
15 My times are in Your hand;
Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me.
16 Make Your face to shine upon Your servant;
Save me in Your lovingkindness.
17 Let me not be put to shame, O LORD, for I call upon You;
Let the wicked be put to shame, let them be silent in Sheol.
18 Let the lying lips be mute,
Which speak arrogantly against the righteous
With pride and contempt.
19 How great is Your goodness,
Which You have stored up for those who fear You,
Which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You,
Before the sons of men!
20 You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man;
You keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues.
21 Blessed be the LORD,
For He has made marvelous His lovingkindness to me in a besieged city.
22 As for me, I said in my alarm,
"I am cut off from before Your eyes";
Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications
When I cried to You.
23 O love the LORD, all you His godly ones!
The LORD preserves the faithful
And fully recompenses the proud doer.
24 Be strong and let your heart take courage,
All you who hope in the LORD.

"Nevertheless, You heard the voice of supplications when I cried to You."

"Even when I don't believe You hear me, You answer. Even when I have no faith in You, You are faithful. Even when I don't trust in You for all that I need, You give me more than i can imagine. You are my strength—You will always be my strength. You rescued me from my sin, and You overflow my heart with Your love."
Selah

black keys and brown eyes

thanks to Gabe, i have discovered a new love in music.
Andy Davis
he's a perfect blend of jon mclaughlin and the blues with a little of matt wertz guitar. i've had some of his stuff for a while and finally listened to it and realized, wow. amazing. so i bought his most recent album "Let the Woman" and am now listening to it constantly. i will try not to kill it like i do most other music...

if i tell you about him again, inform me that i have done so already, but only if you have already at least listened... here's a link to assist you in doing so.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfCBE9vNfa8

enjoy. please.

Psalm 130

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;

2 O Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.

3 If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins,
O Lord, who could stand?

4 But with you there is forgiveness;
therefore you are feared.

5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.

6 My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.

7 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
for with the LORD is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.

8 He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.

Out of the Depth
Bob Kaughlin

Out of the depths, O Lord, I cry to You
When I am tempted to despair
Though I might fail to trust Your promises
You never fail to hear my prayer
And if You judged my sin
I’d never stand again
But I see mercy in Your hands

So more than watchmen for the morning
I will wait for You, my God
When my fears come with no warning
In Your Word I’ll put my trust
When the harvest time is over and I still see no fruit
I will wait, I will wait for You

The secret mysteries belong to You
We only know what You reveal
And all my questions that are unresolved
Don’t change the wisdom of Your will
In every trial and loss
My hope is in the cross
Where Your compassions never fail

this isn't the psalm Bob wrote the song from, but it has a few crossover points. i love this psalm.
Psalm 27

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh,
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.

3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.

4 One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.

5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.

6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.

7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.

8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"
Your face, LORD, I will seek.

9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
O God my Savior.

10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.

11 Teach me your way, O LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.

12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence.

13 I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.

14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

Selah...
pause and wait.

EM