Passing through deep waters of trial...

Words fail me right now. All I can say is that I am going through something unbelievably painful. I am shocked, sort of in denial, and grieved to the depths of my soul. But I do not doubt God. I have seen God be more faithful than ever before, and have never been more sure that every letter of His precious word to us is truer than true, and that He is all He says He is. I am convinced that I am His child and more grateful than ever that He has chosen to save me. Yet, I still am suffering. What's more, I am watching others suffer. Please, please pray for me and all the people involved.

"Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, Where there is no standing; I have come into deep waters, Where the floods overflow me. I am weary with my crying; My throat is dry; My eyes fail while I wait for my God. ...  Deliver me out of the mire, And let me not sink; Let me be delivered from those who hate me, And out of the deep waters. Let not the floodwater overflow me, Nor let the deep swallow me up; And let not the pit shut its mouth on me. Hear me, O LORD, for Your lovingkindness is good; Turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies. And do not hide Your face from Your servant, For I am in trouble; Hear me speedily." Psalm 69:1-3, 14-17


"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you." Isaiah 43:2


Scripture is an incredible wealth of comfort. In the midst of all this, I can truly say "God is good!"

Wait.

Just wanted to remind all of you girls out there who are waiting for the right man that what you're waiting for is worth the wait! Don't give up, don't compromise, don't be taken in by vanity. Wait on the Lord.

Peculiar

There's a lot of pressure to be like everyone else. 

Wear the same clothes, have the same haircut, like the same movies, talk the same way, 

go the same places, and on and on and on...

But guess what - the Bible sets you free from that. Telling us not to worry about what people think about us, it liberates us from trying to do what's "popular." In fact, it tells us we should be totally different! 

These two simple verse release us from all that pressure:

Proverbs 29:25

"The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe."

 1 Peter 2:9

"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should 

show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:"

Be peculiar!

All things

Romans 8:28 says, 

 "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, 

to those who are the called according to His purpose."

That's a promise.

But, we all face situations in life where we think, "Surely, this can NOT be good!"

Well, that may be true. But read the verse again - slowly. Does is promise that every single thing that happens will be good? No, it says that everything will work together for good. What's the difference?

Let me explain. 

Suppose you came to my house around supper time one evening, completely famished. "Christy, I am starving, can I have something to eat?" you say. 

I reply, "Sure! I'll get you a cup of flour." 

"Umm... eww?! That doesn't sound very good."

"No? How about a teaspoon of salt - that has more flavor."

"No, that wouldn't be any better?"

"What about some baking soda? That will really wake you up!"

*Blank stare*

"Oh, and then we'll wash it down with a big cup of Crisco oil... mmm. Finally, you can drink some buttermilk."

"Christy, all those things sound absolutely disgusting! Why in the world would anyone want to eat them?!"

"Well, how about if we mix them all together and make biscuits?"

"Ohhhh...."

You see, when you look at your life, you may see a bunch of bland-tasting flour, sickening oil, and bitter baking soda. You may wonder, how is God going to use all this for good? But God has the recipe; you don't. Lately I've been challenged to just trust that He's going to use every single thing to make something amazing out of my life. Even when I can't see, by faith I will believe that all things work together for good to those who love God.