Monday, April 14, 2008

my big 25th birthday weekend...some highlights!

Lunch with Mierma family

Me and Patti and Mom

Sweet friends from church threw me a surprise

party at the Clothes Closet!

sweet friends

Care group girls


My two set of parents!


My roomie, Chandler

Laughing

My sweet parents came into town to celebrate!

Friday, April 4, 2008

i love hymns...

Whate'er My God Ordains Is Right

1. Whate’er my God ordains is right, Holy His will abideth.
I will be still whate’er He does, And follow where He guideth.
He is my God, Though dark my road.
He holds me that I shall not fall
Wherefore to Him I leave it all

2. Whate’er my God ordains is right, He never will deceive me
He leads me by the proper path, I know He will not leave me
I take, content,What He hath sent
His hand can turn my griefs away
And patiently I wait His day

3. Whate’er my God ordains is right,Though now this cup in drinking
May bitter seem to my faint heart, I take it all unshrinking
My God is true, Each morn anew
Sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart
And pain and sorrow shall depart

4. Whate’er my God ordains is right, Here shall my stand be taken
Though sorrow, need, or death be mine, Yet I am not forsaken
My Father’s care Is round me there
He holds me that I shall not fall
And so to Him I leave it all
©1998 David Braud Music

Thursday, April 3, 2008

"pray without ceasing"

"My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep." Psalm 121:2-4
Our faithful God answers prayers. We all have seen answered prayer, from the big stuff to the mundane requests. Yet, often when I'm in the middle of a certain request that seems so urgent for God to answer, I become over-whelmed with the request that it consumes me. Like God needs to answer it immediately and/or in my way that I think is best! Well, let's be honest this is not good. Who can truly understand the mind of God? Who am I to be so demanding? I have no rights to demand from God, but we are told that we can present our requests to God (Philippians 4:6), He's faithful to hear them. I want to learn the balance of praying without ceasing, but guard against becoming impatient with the Lord when He may be working in other ways that are better for me (that I can't see), and so delaying my requests or perhaps saying no.

More and more I am convinced that I have no clue what I really need. Which is good because I can trust that the Lord does and that He will give me what I need in every station of life. In fact, He has given me all that I need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), He has given me His Son. And like the Psalmist said above, He the Keeper of my life. In fact, He is so very different then I am...He never needs to sleep and never grows impatient!

The reason I wanted to share this is because tonight a little prayer of mine has been answered! I starting praying specifically for it Monday night and found out just an hour ago that it has been answered...it was pretty urgent that the Lord would answer it, and He did in His right way. It's nice when God reminds us that He does hear our prayers (even the little ones)...and in the prayers that haven't been answered (like salvation for friends and family,better job, future husband, future stuff in general) I can rest that He knows and is in fact is sovereign over all my prayers and desires and needs! And is giving me exactly what I need for today, so that I may worship Him and depend upon Him.

Praise God that He remains faithful, when I can be so faithless! His providence in my life is always for my good and always for His glory! May we learn to pray without ceasing and walk in confidence that our Father knows and is gracious to His children! Let's keep lifting our hearts to the One who holds all things together, for this is where our true help comes from!


A John Piper Quote from his book Future Grace:

"It's a deepening, ripening, peaceful willingness to wait for God in the unplanned place of obedience, and to walk with God at the unplanned place of obedience-to wait in his place, to go at his pace. And the key is faith in future grace."