Monday, January 10, 2005

Can we believe???

Well... Church yesterday was amazing. I really enjoyed DEAF - we talked about tithing - and there were a ton of questions. Great stuff.

Then we went to the big house. GREAT sermon - go here if you want to hear/read it and click on Sermons on the right. PB (Pastor Burt) talk about Isaiah 54 and "Not believing that God CAN do things, believing He WILL." It's about living life like we ALREADY HAVE those things He's promised us... the barren woman stretching out her tent pegs and believing beyond belief that her tent will be filled to overflowing with children. The BARREN woman!

We wrote our letters to Jesus, too. We were supposed to write them, not asking for things for this year, praying for our situations, but AS IF WE'VE ALREADY RECEIVED HIS ANSWERS. Yikes! That was SO hard! It's easy to ASK for things, but it's hard to act as if God's already given them to us. Especially the things I talked about, at least for me...

I know God wants these things for me and those around me. I know that. But... to live as if He's already answered?!?!?! The things I pray about just seem SO FAR AWAY... They happen to other people, to other groups, to other... whatevers... but not to me. AND YET I KNOW GOD WANTS THEM FOR ME!!!! How can I be so sure of two things at once!!! smile...

And so... I live life TRYING to believe Isaiah 54. TRYING to believe the verses He's given me as mine for this year... Trying. And He'll straighten me out if I'm off track--He's done it before.

Here's to trying.

"Sing, O barren woman,
you who never bore a child;
burst into song, shout for joy,
you who were never in labor;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
than of her who has a husband,"
says the LORD .
Enlarge the place of your tent,
stretch your tent curtains wide,
do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
strengthen your stakes.
For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
your descendants will dispossess nations
and settle in their desolate cities."

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Believe! Rejoice! Sing! It's not about Trying....It is about BELIEVING!!!! You know you can do it! God Loves You!

Emily said...

Thanks, Anonymous... You were there on Sunday! (Or at least you listened to the message!) You gave that away in your post! :)

Thanks for the encouragement... whomever you are! Have a blessed day!

Slicer said...

Emily,
Are you really ready for the Lord to "Enlarge the place of your tent"? Do you fully understand what that might mean for you?

I pray for you regularly as the Lord brings you to mind.

Emily said...

Matt, thanks so much for your prayers. I covet them.

Am I ready? Do I know what it means? You have no idea what that struggle is within me. I feel like I've been fighting this all week... For the first time in my life, at least that I can really put a finger on, I'm not sure I have enough faith to believe this. And that scares me. And really... I wrote about three specific areas where I think God would tell me to "expand"... I've come up with one idea on how to do that, but the rest??? and believing it??? He'll help me, I know this, but this wrestling is a scary place to be. I want to believe. I really do.

Anonymous said...

I understand how you feel. You see other things happen to other people and not you. But how I look at it, it's all in God's timing. Being patient is the hardest thing for me. As I listened to that sermon, and wrote that letter, my first thought was yeah, right like these things will happen to me, they never do. But I had to stop and think, what was I doing?? I was denying God's capabilities to do things, and underestimating God's powers. Another thing I learned is what we want may be not what God wants. Sure, I want a house, I want many things, but does God want me to have a house?? Maybe he rather me live in an apt. instead. I want to get married but does God really want me to have a man in my life, maybe He wants to use me for something else instead, I do share my desires with God, but I have to be willing to say, God if it's not your will then I'm willing to live in an apt. I'm willing to be single, I'm willing to be and do what you want be to be, and not look at what others have and what others are getting, you know my plans and what you will be giving and providing me, and I thank you for that. We have to be sure we don't confuse our desires with God's will. Sometimes we want something so much that we think it's God saying he's going to give it to us and want it for us. We just have to say let me be all you want me to be for you. And that's hard right there but He will bless and reward you according to His Will and plan. I've learned that. Just keep hanging in there...I believe God can do anything He wants to do...It says, "With God all things are Possible. " Matthew 19:26