"Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart."
Psalm 37: 3-4
Last night there was a gusty rain storm blowing in snow and ice. Normally this would be frigidly endured and a tad resented... but the view from where I sit this morning is spectacular. Our family was invited to stay at a beautiful lake house this week while our friends are on spring break and IT HAS BEEN A DREAM!!! Normally a person dreams of sunny skies, sandy beaches and warm breezes, but the past few days, as the rain has been pouring, I have been looking out at my beautiful view imagining myself on a houseboat, a safe haven as a the rain and snow pelts against the floor-to-ceiling windows! With the deck jutting out of the upper level, and the water levels so high - with most of my views from the kitchen and living room I can't even see the grassy slope of a backyard so my houseboat vision seems a reality!!!
This morning I woke up to a blue and orange sky, a snow frosted waterline partway flooding the backyard and a glorious display of crisp colors and glistening water... not to mention the runaway swim raft humoring me as it makes its way across the width of the lake!!!
I have a fridge full chicken curry, a pantry full of freshly made apple chips and a freezer full of fresh caught steelhead from the Muskegon river.
Michael went fishing this past weekend (hence the steelhead) - a two day fishing trip with a dear friend who took him river fishing on a sweet boat!!! Kenley was coming off a sad fever and while Michael was gone, Rowin decided to head-dive off his toddler bed and face-plant an unforgiving wooden chair. Yep, their was blood... and tears... not fun. And due to the intensity of the season we are in and the rigorous schedule we've been keeping, I was somewhat overwhelmed.
On the second day of Michaels fishing trip, I woke up to a glorious surprise! Not only had our dear friend blessed my husband with a refreshing weekend on the river, but this person had arranged an entire spa day for me - complete with babysitters and a lunch date at the french laundry! I'm talking a massage, I'm talking nails and I'm talking I got my hair did at a fancy salon!!! (So yes, as I type this, I keep admiring my fancy schmancy nails!!!) I am BLOWN AWAY by the extravagance and thoughtfulness!!!
AND THE PURPOSE of painting this extensive picture for you is to remind you: "Trust in the Lord". Let me encourage you today, TRUST HIM. Live in such a way that you unreservedly trust him. We ALL have opportunities DAILY where we can either choose to tap into anxiety and striving, or to engage in faith and trust. You don't have to be a missionary to DEPEND on God for your daily bread.
Michael & I have chosen to step out as missionaries. As missionaries, we are paid by people whose hearts have been stirred to partner with us in the ministry we are doing to the Lord and to people. Michael & I might not have a weekend river trip or annual spa day budgeted into OUR BUDGET... BUT GOD DOES FOR US!!! There are SOOO MANY things like that in my life!!! (If you EVER want stories - we GOT 'EM!!!)
That kind of mindset of TRUSTING GODS GOODNESS for my life doesn't come naturally, however. Being raised on earth (as opposed to heaven!), and furthermore, being raised in America, A LOT of my natural thought patterns and perspectives on things need to be re-submitted to Jesus and reformed. Romans 12:2 "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
I invite you to take Gods Word and promises for your life at face value today. Don't make exceptions. I am ALWAYS reminded of my son when it comes to this! Oftentimes I will make him promises, "get your shoes on and I will give you a fruit snack in the car" or "eat all of your dinner and you can have a treat" and sometimes I FORGET. I will wonder, wow, he must have REALLY liked this dinner... nope, he wanted the treat! Or wow, I didn't know he could put his shoes on so fast... yep, he was working for that fruit snack. MY SON DOES NOT FORGET A PROMISE. He holds me to it and reminds me of the promise UNTIL HE RECEIVES! Is he greedy? Heavens NO! The boy KNOWS WHAT IS HIS!!! I don't need to say anymore but I will (just in case some of you haven't had your morning coffee yet)...
NOT ONLY has God given you promises, but HE HASNT FORGOT about them, and HOW MUCH MORE will He give them to you if you ASK AND KEEP ASKING until you have received!!! Want to begin seeing his promises come to pass? Start with the promise at the top of this blog... TRUST in HIM. DWELL in his FAITHFULNESS... and just like the refreshment Michael & I have experienced this week, He will give you the desires of your heart!
Renew your mind today by pondering and talking about these scriptures:
Luke 18: 1-8
Luke 11: 1-13
Numbers 23: 19