On the way out the door last night, I paused to search through some Homeschool Convention CDs and pull one out to listen to while I drove. The one I selected was Marcia Sommerville's talk, "The Nearness of God is My Good." I had not had the best day ever and was wrestling with a particular issue. Really, I was looking for encouragement and seeking something to distract my mind from the thing that was plaguing me. Marcia is very vulnerable in this talk, expressing the years of fear that she faced as a result of not drawing near to God. Her encouragement is that we nurture a rich devotional life and draw near to God as The Source of our strength. It was wonderful confirmation to me.
This past year I have been growing more and more in my understanding of abiding in Christ, yielding and surrendering to His Lordship, and being filled by the Spirit and walking in Him. When I started "school" again earlier this month, I committed to making time in God's Word and prayer a priority, every morning, after I showered but before anything else. :) This consistent quiet time has been so good for me. The past couple of weeks especially as I have been mining the riches of the book of Hebrews have been such a tremendous blessing. Just yesterday morning, I was marveling and meditating on the verses, "...we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast..." (Hebrews 6:18-19) The picture of the hope we have as an anchor of the soul lingered with me throughout the day.
And when the trials came, when I was misunderstood, insulted, and falsely accused; when my words were twisted and taken out of context; the anchor held. My hope is not in what other people think of me or what other people say about me. My hope is found in Christ and in God's promises...in His Word. To be honest, I was shaken, my stomach was in knots (it still is), I was distracted, but I would have been a mess if I was not continuing to rest in the Lord, to seek Him, to make sure that I was in step with Him and really saying and doing and writing what He wanted me to say and do and write. Drawing near to Him early in the morning had set the precedent of yielding to Him and surrendering to Him throughout the day. So, I say,"Amen," as Marcia Somerville quotes Psalm 73:28, "The nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works." I have taken refuge in the Lord GOD, and He has held me through this storm and I will testify of His goodness. None of us know what the day will hold, do we really want to face it on our own? Isn't it better to be anchored in Him?
If you're struggling in this area, I encourage you to order Marcia's talk, this link has CDs for $6 and this website has the MP3 for $3.50.
"But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, 'GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.'
Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
(James 4:6-8) |
