I Put My Trust in Him

"When I am afraid,
    I put my trust in you." (Psalm 56:3)

You might have noticed I've been a little slack in blogging for about the past week. I've been a little stressed about a couple of things. That's not a good reason, but it's my excuse.

Anyway, stress aside, I'm generally a positive, upbeat person. In the face of problems, I look for silver linings. It's just who I am. So in the midst of busyness and stress and concerns about a million different things, I got up this morning, ready to start my day. Normally, I work from home on Fridays, but I'm working on a particular project, and I needed to get some things done at the office. I wasn't totally happy about it--I do love my Fridays working from home, often in my pajamas.

And honestly, I had a lot of things on my mind and on my heart, including my husband. You see, he woke up with the right side of his face paralyzed. Now I'm not the kind to panic. so we talked about our options. He already had an appointment with a dermatologist, but we debated him going to our primary care to see if they could work him in. He decided to stick with the dermatologist. I told him to call me as soon as he saw the doctor.

The first thing I saw when I walked into the office was our prayer wall. And on the whiteboard where our sweet "Office Mom" writes scriptures ... "When I am _________, I put my trust in Him." I stopped where I was and pulled up the Bible app on my phone to look it up.

Long story short, my husband called. The doctor was sending him to the ER. We still don't have all the answers about what's going on with him, but all day--from the time I saw the passage on that board, all the way up to right now when I'm listening to the live stream of the Westside church of Christ's Youth Lectures--that verse has stayed with me. It's brought me peace and comfort. It's reassured me. It's reminded me Who is in control and that I don't have to worry about everything.

And silver linings? Well, I have two kids who stepped up to the plate and took care of some things I usually handle. The MRI ruled out a stroke. Through the marvels of modern technology, I'm able to watch and listen to the Youth Lectures, which is one of my favorite events of the year. And finally, if I hadn't had a big project at the office, I wouldn't have had that scripture smack me in the face. And I wouldn't have gone outside and seen that picture right down there, the clouds above my neighbor's house reflecting the sunrise.

God is good. All the time.

Always Yes in Christ

"For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes." (2 Corinthians 1:19)

I intended to write a completely different blog. Had it all planned in my head. But when I went to copy the verse I had in mind from the Bible site I use, this verse spoke to me.

I'm not much of a planner. And when I do make plans ... say, for a specific blog, I sometimes change them. I change my mind. I know I'm not the only one. I know a certain teenage girl who changes her plans and her mind on a basis that might be dizzying to lesser parents. (I'm kidding; it makes me dizzy, too.)

So isn't it reassuring to know in Christ, the answer is yes? Not maybe. Not I've-changed-my-mind-today. But yes.

I know a lot of people fall into the mistake of believing God is some genie who'll grant your wishes. The prosperity gospel, as it were. But asking for wealth, for material things (not necessities, mind you) isn't what God's yes is for.

BUT ... when we come to Him asking for forgiveness, for salvation, for peace, comfort, wisdom--anything we ask according to His will--the answer is, and will always be YES.

Because God wants to forgive me. He wants me to have peace and comfort. He definitely wants me to have wisdom. And salvation? He wants me to be saved so much He gave His son to die in my place.

So the next time you change your plans, stop. Take a few minutes to thank God for His steadfast love and mercy.

Worship Matters

"Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:28-29)

Have you ever wondered about that phrase "acceptable worship?" Sometimes I see things that make me question the world's definition of worship.

The dictionary defines worship in two ways. First, as a noun, meaning the feeling or expression of reverence or adoration for a deity. Second, it's defined as a verb, meaning to show reverence and adoration for a deity, or to honor with religious rites.

Nowhere in either of those definitions did I see I, me, or my. In other words, worship isn't about me. It's about God. The Father. The Son. The Spirit.

I hear a lot these days about the reasons young people are leaving the faith. I read articles about all the things churches need to do to attract and keep people. I've seen churches that offer every kind of entertainment imaginable. I know people who complain about not getting anything out of going to church.

But honestly? God never told us it was for our pleasure or entertainment, did He? He demanded man worship Him, and He demanded that worship be according to His desires, His rules, not ours. Don't get me wrong. I take great pleasure and joy in worshiping God. But I also believe the congregation I belong to follows the Bible in our ways of worship.

I mean, shouldn't we learn something from Leviticus 10? Was it really "strange fire" that caused the deaths of Nadab and Abihu? Or was it, perhaps, the disobedience represented by that strange fire? Was it because they didn't follow the Lord's directions for worship?

And shouldn't that give us all pause? Shouldn't it make us question if our worship is pleasing to God ... or only pleasing to us?

Worship matters. The Who and the how. And we should pray we're always doing it in the way God's word shows us, whether through direct commandment or inferred by example.

Is our worship for us? Or for God?

It matters.

Barricades and Confidence

"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)

I want you to use your imagination for a minute.

Imagine you're visiting Washington D.C. You want to go visit the president of the United States. You mosey on up to the fence, hop over, and head on up for a little chat with the man in the Oval Office. And then you find yourself face down on the White House lawn with a mouthful of grass and the knee of a Secret Service agent in your back.

New scenario.

You're in London, and you want to see if Queen Elizabeth is as gracious as she seems. Again, you wander on up to the gate and slip past those guards. Now bear with me, because I've never been to London, so I don't know exactly what would happen. I'm pretty sure, however, you'd end up face down again, just like you did on the White House lawn.

The thing is, your reason for wanting to see the POTUS or the queen doesn't matter. Those security guys don't care. They're going to tackle first and ask questions later. And oh, boy, are they going to have questions. And even if they frisk you and search you and question you for hours, and they determine you're harmless, guess what.

They're still not letting you in.

Now imagine going before the throne of God. You just ... walk right in. You sit down at His feet. You tell Him how thankful you are for all the blessings He's given you. You pour out your heart to Him. Your worries, your cares, your fears. And then the security guards come and drag you out of ...

No. Nobody comes to take you away. He listens. He takes every word you've spoken into His heart. There are no guards. No barricades. Not even a fancy velvet rope to keep you away.

No, the only thing keeping you from approaching God on His throne ... is you.

What's stopping you?