Just Pondering
Today seems like a day for pondering to me - pondering of all kinds of things. It has been an odd week with many ups and downs and events that don't normally all happen in one week's time. My friend Alex was in a terrible accident. A dear friend of my parents passed away after a long battle with cancer. Another friend got a new job with lots of anticipated promise. And another friend lost her job. It snowed. My car was broken into while it was sitting in a parking lot waiting for me. I'm sure there are other things that I'm forgetting...
Anyway, all this pondering leads me to one thing. There is always a reason to praise even in weeks like this one - in every situation. As for Alex, there is praise in the fact that although he is still in bad shape, he is improving and God is working some incredible healing in his body. There is rejoicing in the passing of my parents' friend because he is no longer suffering but with His Lord. Certainly I can praise that my friend got a new job and I can even praise because of the loss of my other friend's job because it frees her up to pursue some other things that have been on her heart. Not to mention she's married to the friend who just got the new job!!! Praise for snow?? OF COURSE. I live in Texas. It rarely snows here! So it is a wonderful thing! Praise about my car... the praise would be that I hadn't left anything in there that was irreplaceable or too difficult to deal with like credit cards or a garage door opener or keys or something. I can certainly praise that all they took was some change and a box of my Whispered Treasure books. I joked with friends at dinner afterwards that my book was now 'on the streets' and that the thief even got a poster so if he/she wanted to set up a booth somewhere to sell them they already had a marketing tool! And I'd personally signed them with blessings and special scriptures making them even more valuable!! Of course the greatest praise would be for the thief to read the book and for Father to speak to his/her heart. I'm praying for that. And I'm praising.
If you've ever had a bad week or a bad month or even a bad year, I'm sure you found it hard to praise or to see what was praiseworthy in the midst of your circumstances. It seems my pride over the hurt or loss or damage keeps me pointing at someone else or at the circumstance when I really need to humble myself and recognize that no matter what happens, my God is worthy of praise. And I should be pointing at Him. And He is always at work in my life because I am His child - allowing things to happen and working in them for my good - to transform me, giving me more Christ-like character, teaching me to trust, showing me His love and faithfulness. How can I humble myself to this point? Psalm 28:7 helps me do it. Perhaps it will help you, too.
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. Psalm 28:7 (NIV)
My pride and personal feelings seem to fall away when I look at Him and see that He is my strength and my shield. He is providing me with all I need to overcome my circumstance and He is shielding me from even worse things and it is all for my good and His glory. Who am I to think I can judge or point or blame anyone or anything for what is wrong in my life? And then I realize I need to trust Him to handle the situations and not think I should or can handle them on my own. And if I acknowledge His strength in my weakness and His protection in my vulnerability, and I trust Him to handle things, I am helped. And my heart can leap for joy. And I can give thanks to Him in song. I can praise. I can point to Him and all of His glory and splendor.
This morning on the way to the repair shop to have my car window replaced, while wearing many layers and a coat and scarf and gloves and still shivering while the freezing air blew all around me, I was singing a song from Psalm 150. "Everything that has breath, praise the LORD!" Are you breathing? Are you praising? He is worthy.
Amy
Anyway, all this pondering leads me to one thing. There is always a reason to praise even in weeks like this one - in every situation. As for Alex, there is praise in the fact that although he is still in bad shape, he is improving and God is working some incredible healing in his body. There is rejoicing in the passing of my parents' friend because he is no longer suffering but with His Lord. Certainly I can praise that my friend got a new job and I can even praise because of the loss of my other friend's job because it frees her up to pursue some other things that have been on her heart. Not to mention she's married to the friend who just got the new job!!! Praise for snow?? OF COURSE. I live in Texas. It rarely snows here! So it is a wonderful thing! Praise about my car... the praise would be that I hadn't left anything in there that was irreplaceable or too difficult to deal with like credit cards or a garage door opener or keys or something. I can certainly praise that all they took was some change and a box of my Whispered Treasure books. I joked with friends at dinner afterwards that my book was now 'on the streets' and that the thief even got a poster so if he/she wanted to set up a booth somewhere to sell them they already had a marketing tool! And I'd personally signed them with blessings and special scriptures making them even more valuable!! Of course the greatest praise would be for the thief to read the book and for Father to speak to his/her heart. I'm praying for that. And I'm praising.
If you've ever had a bad week or a bad month or even a bad year, I'm sure you found it hard to praise or to see what was praiseworthy in the midst of your circumstances. It seems my pride over the hurt or loss or damage keeps me pointing at someone else or at the circumstance when I really need to humble myself and recognize that no matter what happens, my God is worthy of praise. And I should be pointing at Him. And He is always at work in my life because I am His child - allowing things to happen and working in them for my good - to transform me, giving me more Christ-like character, teaching me to trust, showing me His love and faithfulness. How can I humble myself to this point? Psalm 28:7 helps me do it. Perhaps it will help you, too.
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. Psalm 28:7 (NIV)
My pride and personal feelings seem to fall away when I look at Him and see that He is my strength and my shield. He is providing me with all I need to overcome my circumstance and He is shielding me from even worse things and it is all for my good and His glory. Who am I to think I can judge or point or blame anyone or anything for what is wrong in my life? And then I realize I need to trust Him to handle the situations and not think I should or can handle them on my own. And if I acknowledge His strength in my weakness and His protection in my vulnerability, and I trust Him to handle things, I am helped. And my heart can leap for joy. And I can give thanks to Him in song. I can praise. I can point to Him and all of His glory and splendor.
This morning on the way to the repair shop to have my car window replaced, while wearing many layers and a coat and scarf and gloves and still shivering while the freezing air blew all around me, I was singing a song from Psalm 150. "Everything that has breath, praise the LORD!" Are you breathing? Are you praising? He is worthy.
Amy
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