Better is One Day

Isaiah 57:14-19, “And it will be said: “Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.” For this is what the high and lofty One says - but who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. I will not accuse forever, not will I always be angry, for then the spirit of man would grow faint before me- the breath of man that I have created. I was enraged by his sinful greed; I punished him, and hid my face in anger, yet he kept on in his willful ways. I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him, creating praise on the lips of the mourners of Israel. Peace, peace, to those far and near,” says the Lord. “And I will heal them.”

I don’t know about you but the greatest search of my life is for consistent peace. A life that resounds with peace that not only keeps me but overflows onto others. I would love to have a calming effect on people because my faith is so strong that I live by faith and not by anxiety. I would love to have a peace that passes all understanding 365 days a year for the rest of my journey here on earth. I have glimpses of peace. A few weeks ago I was in my truck driving and it hit me. I am happier and more peaceful right now than I have ever been in my life. Just kind of hit me out of the blue. Are my circumstances any less stressful? No, probably not. Am I in crisis right now? Well it depends on whom you ask and how you define crisis. Could I look around and see crisis, absolutely, so what is different now than before?

Philippians 4:12-13, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned to secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

How do we find that place that Paul describes? Don’t you wish he would just write it out in a way that gave details? I know that as I have sought my own healing, as I have found God’s love and mercy for me in those hard places I am not as worried by them as I once used to be. I know that for the past few months my husband and I have been visiting some places of need that we have traveled before. This time though it is much different in the fact that our faith is much stronger, we know that God brought us through it stronger last time and we put faith in the fact that he will do it again. God has healed us of a lot of our anxieties.

When you walk into a place for the first time, there tends to be some anxiety. Last semester I took this class and the hype for weeks before hand was that it was going to be a hard class. We all walked in with anxiety and fear. Some of us got past it and continued with the class growing more comfortable at every meeting. Some were so overwhelmed by the anxiety in the beginning that they never came back. This semester though as I continue with this class there seems to be a new peace. There is much less anxiety because some of us have paved the way for the others. We know that there is nothing to be afraid of and we can reflect that for the others around us. I believe that is the lesson that my husband and I are learning right now. We have walked this path before. We know what to look for along the way. Kind of like when we travel to Florida we know all the best exits, the cleanest restrooms and our favorite places to get fuel. We have made the trip before and we know what to expect.

That is how God is our guide; Moses had to live in the desert for 40 years with his wife and father-in-law before he could be the deliverer of his people. God takes us through it and teaches us the way so that we can lead others and reflect his glory. People know us well enough to know that we couldn’t get through this on our own and then they are left with no choice but to believe that God is our provider and that he sustains and blesses us.
The peace comes in the understanding that God never leaves us. No matter what the circumstances are. There are have been some awful places that I have taken the God that is with me. He has watched me do some things that I would take back now out of love for him that I never would have done if I had known of the fullness of his love at the time. However, I believe that he guided me even in those times.

Much like Job, he allowed me to experience some stuff so that I could help others. So that my heart would break when I see others walking the path of pain that I once skipped down. I can get past my own hurts and see the hurts of others around me. I have heard it said a thousand times, God doesn’t take you to it, without taking you through it. I am living proof of that. I don’t deserve to be here, I don’t deserve by any means this life that he has provided for me. There is nothing that I could do to justify his blessings and his provision in my life. It is all by his hand that I am even here. That I am alive and well is his doing. My home was a gift, my family a gift, all sugar coated in grace. His grace and his mercy for my life are so profound, that when I sit here and think about it I can’t help but know that he is with me, and that he has forgiven me and has lead me on this path to healing.

Psalm 138, “I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; before the “gods” will sing your praise. I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted. May all the kings of the earth praise you, O Lord, when they hear the words of your mouth. May they sing of the ways of the Lord, for the glory of the Lord is great. Though the Lord is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me. The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever – do not abandon the work of your hands.”

Father God, I thank you for the hard places. I thank you for the trust that you have in me. Lord, I know that it is in those rough places that you heal me, it is in those rough places that there is so much less of me and so much more of you. Father your love for me is overwhelming your provision is without measure. Lord, I thank you for reviving me, on a consistent day-by-day basis. Your word says that your grace and mercy is new every morning. Lord, every day I get a new chance to be what you have for me. Thank you for guiding me. Thank you that I am never alone, even when I would want to hide from you. You have never left me and you have never forsaken me. Lord, you have healed me in so many areas; I pray that you continue to guide me in a way that brings glory to you Lord. You created me for such a time as this and it is my hearts desire to bring your peace and your presence with me everywhere I go. Lord, my passion for you grows more and more with every passing hour. I trust you with this life that you created for me. I trust the authorities that you have established for me. I willingly submit to your divine purpose for my life. I love you, giving you all the glory and the praise for every success that I have. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.