Abiding, Like Never Before

With my sweet husband in the ICU for the last two weeks, I'm learning to ABIDE like never before...

A is for Abandon – a surrendering of one’s power; to give up control or influence; a thorough yielding. Lord, as much as I long to have things my way, I know Yours is ultimately better.

B is for Bask – to lie in or expose oneself to a pleasant warmth or atmosphere; to take pleasure or derive enjoyment; delight in the Lord. I soak up Your Goodness, Lord. I remember all the kindness and compassion You have shown me.

I is to be Intentional – eager attention; having the mind, attention or will concentrated on some end or purpose; focused determination. I lift my eyes up to the Lord, where my help comes from.

D is to Dwell – to remain for a time; to live as a resident; to keep the attention directed. I will remember the things You have told me. I will camp here in the shadow of Your wings.

E is to Endure – to continue in the same state; to remain firm under suffering or misfortune without giving up, drawing my strength from the Lord. Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.


Lord, Abiding in You brings strength. There is no place I'd rather be.

A More Magnificent Plan

Many of my prayers are still awaiting an answer. How about yours?

Some days my heart aches, longing to see these issues resolved. They are situations far out of my control -- there is no other way but for God to step in. So I call on Him...and wait. Sometimes the waiting is so long. It can be difficult and painful.

The "unknowns" loom out there, and we wish for resolution. My mind could wander down the path of "what ifs," but I call it back and tell it to focus on God and His goodness.

I know God is all good from the countless hours I've spent with Him, listening for His voice amid all the distractions. He has Heaven and Earth in His hands, including my prayer requests and yours. There may be days when we don't see much happening -- but things are not always as they appear.

Remember Good Friday... what appeared to be the most awful day of all turned out to be the most beautiful redemptive grace of God in action! What appeared to represent death and loss turned out to be glorious life and gain!

Another example is the life of Joseph whose brothers sold him to slavery. Later, Potipher's wife had him wrongfully imprisoned. Things appeared quite hopeless, but Joseph kept his eyes on God. And God brought great good for a whole nation out of what others intended as harm. (Genesis 50:19-21)

It can be that way with our prayers, too. What appears to be a hopeless situation, is not at all. Our heartfelt burdens can be the very reason we draw close to God, learning to more fully abide in Him and depend wholly on His grace. God loves to have His children close and to provide for all the needs of His faithful. From the throne of Heaven, He sees all and knows what's best. His plan is more magnificent than the immediate solutions we can see and hope for. What seems like forever for us to suffer in a situation is more like five seconds in God's time. He is at work changing hearts and orchestrating details into place for the more elegant tapestry yet to be revealed. 

Yes, we can have joy while we are waiting -- by keeping our eyes on Him and putting all our faith in Him -- no matter how long the wait.

Awesome God, continue to teach us what it is to walk in joyous faith, remembering the awe of who you are and what you are doing behind the scenes. I humbly bring you my requests, but I bow to your more magnificent plan.

Inspired by an earlier post, on April 20 I will be speaking on "Joyful in the Wait" as a breakout session at the Women's Breakaway in Chilton.

Open Wide

Springtime in the Smokies

With everyone we love, we carry burdens because of that love. When they hurt, we do, too.

In a sleepless pocket of the night, concerned and praying for someone close to me, some words popped in my mind...

"Open wide your mouth and I will fill it."

I recognized the words had come from scripture, but exactly where I did not know. But they comforted me and I drifted into a sweet sleep.

With the first awareness of morning, the words were there again, crisp and clear. I went to my Bible, eager to look up the context. They belong to Psalm 81.

"I am the Lord your God who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it."

The psalm talked of the joy in remembering the things the Lord had done for His people Israel. Delivered them from famine. Removed the burden from their shoulders. Even made water come from a rock when they were thirsting in the desert. He had done wondrous things they could never have done on their own. He had made things possible in situations that seemed impossible.

All He asked then -- and all He asks now -- is our loyalty and trust, looking only to Him for all we need. No idols, no looking to something or someone else to resolve those difficult issues in life.

"If my people would but listen to me... how quickly would I subdue their enemies (v. 14)," He said. "You would be fed with the finest of wheat, with honey from the rock I would satisfy you (v. 16)."

As I went about my day, the anxiety I had felt was replaced with a gentle comfort. My heart was truly warmed by these sweet words that formed a rich picture of God caring for all and being in control of all. It was a powerful reminder of what a humongous difference it makes to shift my focus off my concerns and onto trusting in the Lord alone for all life's needs.


Almighty God, Our Father, I thank you for the wondrous ways you provide when we look to you for all our needs. I love to hear your comfort and direction when I am open enough to listen.

Total Dependence

Depending on the Vine for all we need...

The thought of having God "help me" with something is really quite ridiculous. Let me explain...

I often find myself in prayer using words like "help me"...do well with this or that, "help them" to feel or see or accomplish this or that. As I reflected on these types of prayers, they began to sound like I had all the grand ideas and was telling God what I needed help with. (What?!)

Ted had planted the idea with me awhile ago and we've talked a great deal about it in recent weeks: When we pray, we are not asking God to help us with our agendas, but rather, we are asking to be sensitive to His Spirit so that we can join Him with His agenda at hand. I've begun to deliberately and carefully change my approach.

I do believe that God hears all our prayers and doesn't criticize the words we use -- He knows our hearts and understands what we are asking, so we should never be afraid to come to Him and spill our guts, however it all comes out.

But, now I've been coming to God, realizing my great need for Him. I know these situations I bring are far beyond my control or ability to do anything about. But nothing is too difficult for the Lord! I thank Him that He has everything under control, that He has a plan, that His love is infinitely deep. I remember that His wisdom is tremendously greater than anything I could ever dream up and that His faithfulness is so amazing as I recall all He's already given and already done.

Who am I to limit God or suggest my meager solution when there is no end to what He could or would do?  I remember the great and wonderful "Who" I am talking to...that He is able, powerful, kind, gracious, loving, generous, merciful and just! 

Prayer is humbling ourselves before the Lord, uniting with Him, admitting our total dependence, surrendering to His will and outcome. Prayer is powerful when we're focused on His word, His character, His promises. When we are filled with Him, there is no longer any room to have our eyes on our problems.

Lord, forgive my sometimes lazy prayers that sound like laundry lists of all that's gone awry in "my" world. Thank you for your great wisdom, power, passion and patience. You inspire me with many beautiful examples of total dependence in the Bible:
Hannah, David, Solomon, Daniel and, of course, Jesus.

(The colored names are links to their prayers.)

Unpolished

A silver cup, unpolished.

I don't know about you, but I like things neat and tidy... I like my bed made, my socks matched, my bathroom clean and my stove top wiped off. I work as an editor, so all day long I am crossing t's, dotting i's, carefully choosing the right action verbs and tightening up phrases. I like solutions to problems, paid bills and loose ends tied up. I love order.

Right now, my life is anything but that!

My life feels disheveled, with many concerns. My heart is torn in many different directions with people I want to be there for. My time is small and my to-do list is large. My hands are raised, with many unanswered prayers.

Standing in the midst of it all, it can feel overwhelming. I certainly feel unpolished and inadequate.

As I was driving home from work one day, I was casting all my cares on the Lord. At the very moment I was telling Him I feel "not enough," my words synced up with a song on the radio..."I've told myself you're not enough..."

I began to pay attention to the words: "You're the One who conquers giants, you're the One who calls out kings, you shut the mouths of lions, you tell the dead to breathe. You're the One who walks through fire, you take the orphan's hand, you are the One Messiah, you are I AM."

What a powerful and perfectly timed reminder that while I am not enough, He is! He is ALWAYS enough. He is all powerful. He sees all, knows all and is in charge of all. He is our refuge and strength... our counselor, comforter, redeemer, friend. We were never meant to do it all alone, apart from Him. We are to abide in Him and He in us.

Hallelujah, He lives in Me!

Again, I realize that exactly because I am unpolished, inadequate or not enough, that's exactly why I need Him...

...in every messy area of my life.

Thank you, God, for walking among us, living with us and sending your Spirit to abide in us forever.

Abiding Hits 100th Post

Woo-hoo! A new milestone, and I'm happy to be still blogging!

When I starting "Abiding," I wanted to record and share the "aha's" God blessed me with in my reflections, to hone my practice of writing, and to dialog with others who, like me, are learning daily what it means to surrender and be obedient in walking with the Lord through whatever life gives.

As I re-read my reflections, I see God's loving guidance preparing me for what I'm walking through today. I "connect the dots" on how He's orchestrating good things. Best of all, in blogging as in journaling, I have a record so that I don't forget all the wonderful insights He's revealed to me!

These are some of the posts that received the most attention (number of readers):

Joyful in the Wait (188) July 4, 2012. I'm impressed by a man who heard earth-shattering news and still he stood in awe of God, trusting Him to bring about His just and good plan. Even while all he saw was doom and gloom, he walked by faith and was joyful in the wait!

Wrapped in His Love (76) June 28, 2011. We were between a rock and a hard place with the choices we faced when Ted was in intensive care with a serious lung condition. But, despite the great trauma, we felt absolutely wrapped in God's love. 

A Whole New Level of Abiding (58) July 2, 2011. I sat helpless in the darkened room with only the hum and hiss of the machines and the constant activity outside Ted's room in ICU. That night I wrestled desperately to find that perfect peace again. 

Blessings for Obedience (53) March 27, 2011. On a road trip to Arkansas, I was amazed at all God promised His people if they would listen and obey. It's a great reminder and exciting to think about how He beats incredible odds!

The Aroma of Christ (43) January 16, 2011. Deadlines, expectations and other distractions had me believing I was accomplishing important work. But our real work is spreading the aroma of Christ.

Thank you God, for your unmistakable guidance and love through all of life. Teach me, each day, to more fully abide in you and walk by faith.

On Being Still...

A thoughtful gift from my sister.

In a season of many distractions and much to do, I continue to reflect on "being still." I'm trying to let Psalm 46:10 melt into me, once again.

What does it mean to you? As a way of seeking to "soak it in," I'd love to have you comment below and share your reflections, too:

1. To cease striving.
2. To appreciate the quiet.
3. To reflect on the Reason for the Season.
4. To abide in Him and He in me.
5. To empty myself and let Him fill me.
6. To realize that nothing I have to do today is more important than this!
7. To let go of control and expectations.
8. To receive from Him what He so wants to give.