.. let the Word make your heart sing....

so this is my newest fav song... I like the lyrics... but most of all I like what John Piper says....

take a moment to listen to it.....

I love John Piper, he is a 72 year old pastor, professor and author who I think is very accurately and passionately sharing and teaching from scripture..

I think it would be right to say that he loves the Word...

so do I.

I think it would be accurate to say that he loves Jesus...

so do I

I think it is fair to say that he has gone through some suffering in his life...

so have I.

in this little blurb John Piper speaks about suffering... and the weight of glory it achieves for us, how purposeful God in His goodness is when He allows it in our lives...

but most of all these few last lines are what have really ignited my heart:

" take the truths ( from these verses - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18  / or any other scripture that applies to your life situation )  and focus on them day by day.

preach them to yourself every morning.

get alone with God and preach His Word into your mind ( let it sink in deeply, anchor itself in your mind, heart and soul ) until it makes your heart sing with confidence 

that you are NEW and CARED FOR. "

and LOVED. and PROTECTED.

that nothing is MEANINGLESS

that there is a PURPOSE

that He NEVER LEAVES

that He is the one that gives it all MEANING

and JOY

.....

I could go on and on and on.

so, when there is conflict, hurt, loss and grief, when there are things that annoy, aggravate, or scare me...

I choose to get out my Bible and do just that.

this is why 2 years ago I reinvested myself into memorizing scripture, verses, passages that are meaningful to me... 

that's what I do, when I cannot sleep, when I cannot stop thinking about what's going on...

I recite those verses that speak right into what I am experiencing to myself... there is no shortage of scriptures for anything you could encounter at any time...

I pray them back to Him who gave them to me in the first place....

what a delight it is.

how He meets me in my moments of need and gives me the strength to go on, on the path of obedience... all by His strength, never mine...

God is so very good.

though He slay me, yet I will praise Him

in Your presence there is fullness of JOY

at your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.

eternal glory achieved....

So we do not lose heart. 

Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.  

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,  

as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. 

For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Because God in His loving Sovereignty,

to reconcile those He chose before the beginning of time to Himself,

gave His one and only Son

I do NOT ever have to lose heart.

no pain is meaningless

nothing happens to me that is not according to His perfect plan.

any Exile that I am in,

any broken relationship,

any "unfair" situation,

any sickness

any hardship..

ALL OF IT..

is not meaningless.

it is temporary

it is light 

compared to the most peculiar glory it achieves...

in the trial, 

I am called to be obedient to Him.

to forgive the one that hurts

to pray for my enemy

to trust Him, the Lord of my salvation

to as far as it is up to me

 pursue peace

to love

to reach out in kindness and patience and forbearance

to submit to God

and those He put in authority over me

never forgetting that it is about Him

and His Glory

God does not need me to manipulate or try to control

He is more than capable to orchestrate His will

He alone is God

He alone is worthy

in His time 

He will make all things 

BEAUTIFUL 

fixing my eyes on HIM

on things eternal

and in the temporary

by His grace

and His strength 

represent HIM well

thank you Lord for the trials of many kinds... through them the ones that don't know you yet can see you clearly in me.

thank you for my brokenness... through the holes in this vessel others can see your light shine out...

take my life Lord and let it be, consecrated Lord to you....

SOLI DEO GLORIA