Affliction, Need, and His Grace . . .

Friday, July 16, 2010 1:54pm

You have led me to the sadness
I have carried this pain
on a back bruised, nearly broken
I'm crying out to You

I will sing of Your mercy
that leads me through valleys of sorrow
to rivers of joy

When death, like a gypsy
comes to steal what I love
I will still look to the heavens
I will still seek your face
but I fear You aren't listening
because there are no words
just the stillness
and the hunger
for a faith that assures

I will sing of Your mercy
that leads me through valleys of sorrow
to rivers of joy

alleluia, alleluia
alleluia, alleluia

while we wait for rescue
with our eyes tightly shut
face to the ground using our hands
to cover the fatal cut
though the pain is an ocean
tossing us around, around, around
You have calmed greater waters
higher mountains have come down
[all of the above: jars of clay....the valley song]

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During this afternoon...I’ve realized this in part.
It is only because of God’s amazing, wonderful, steadily-there Grace...
That we don’t become a horrible animal of a human, ready to slash everyone to pieces and swear off the sun after healing from a wound. A loss. A tragedy. A great pain. Affliction.
It’s only because of His grace.
And oh, how thankful I am for Him.
How grateful I am for His gift.
It’s amazing.
We would shrivel up like a scab over a wound if not for His grace.
Because of His grace, we can, someday, look upon hard times and extreme pain as a life lesson of sorts..
We will one day be able to look back and see a beautiful scar.
A beautiful wound that hurt worse than anything . . . being the cause of us shoved over a cliff into His arms. Depending on only Him for staying alive.
Because if pain killed, we’d all be dead.
We can’t change on our own; we can’t clutch the broken, shattered, ugly pieces of our life and hurts to ourselves. We can’t keep them. We have to begin with giving Him something. Something. Otherwise, we’ll choke on it one day.
And many of us have reached that ‘one day’ several times...
I wonder how long and how many times it will take for some of us to get a hint?
To get a clue that the mystery is not what matters, but how much we need to depend on Him?

I will praise You in the storm

by Heather E.

"I was sure by now God You would have reached down and wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day."

How often have we thought this. Why isn't God rescuing me from this sorrow? Why is He silent?

"Once again, I say Amen and it's still raining"

I love this line! Even when we don't understand and nothing makes sense. With tears in our eyes and sorrow in our heart, we can say Thy will be done.

"As the thunder rolls, I barely hear You whisper through the rain, I'm with you. And as Yuor mercy falls. I'll raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away."

And in that surrender, God blesses us beyond all imagination--That is when He showers us with mercy and grace. And that is how Job could say after losing everything, " "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord." (Job 1:21b)

"I will praise You in this storm. I will lift my hands. For You are Who You are, no matter where I am."

God is good, faithful and He never changes. No matter what our circumstances are, His truth is always the same.

"Every tear I've cried, You hold in Your hand, You never left my side and though my heart is torn. I will praise You in this storm."

The world wonders how we are able to keep our faith. It's because He never leaves our side. How could any of us continue if we didn't know that God was going to see us through it?

"I remember when I stumbled in the wind, You heard my cry, You raised me up again. My strength is almost gone, how can I carry on? If I can't find You. "

How awesome is it that God picks us up again and again. I know I stumble so many times. God is always there to raise me up.

"As the thunder rolls. I barely hear You whisper through the rain. I'm with you."

Sometimes it's hard to hear God when it's raining. You have to listen closer but He's there. Never believe Satan's lie that Christ doesn't care. The Bible says He cares for the sparrows, so how infinitely more He cares for you, His own precious child.

pictures from google.

Lyrics from Casting Crowns

Teach Me to Worship

As I was praying, I was very conscious of my inablility to pray with words fitting my Maker. I prayed, "Lord, teach me to worship You acceptably." Much to my joy, He answered:

When you accept whatever situation you are in without murmuring,

you are worshipping Me.

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When you can rejoice in Me in the midst of your infirmities,

you are worshipping Me.

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When I have brought pressures to bear upon you to bring out

the gold of My nature and you bear them patiently--

blaming not Me, nor another person, nor yourself--

then you are truly worshipping Me.

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When you can "forgive yourself" for your weaknesses and

failures and cease expecting your human nature to bring

forth perfection, you are worshipping Me.

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When you have come to the place of recognizing and

acknowledging that "of myself I can do nothing",

then do I have praise of thee.

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When you can look upon a wasted life and agree that

I can and will make this one every whit whole--

that this is My desire--then you have offered Me

true worship, for you have seen My true nature.

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When you look upon My natural creation and the beauty of it

and magnify Me, than I am worshipped.

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When you hear My word within you saying

"This is the way--walk ye in it",

and ye obey My word with rejoicing, I feel worship from thee.

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When you look with compassion upon one who is afflicted,

tossed, and broken, then I am worshipped.

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When you recognize My Body and honor them as My brethren,

this is true worship unto Me.

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When thy lips are silent because of your pain,

and you lift your heart to Me, I feel your worship.

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When you say, "I cannot--please help me!"

then I am worshipped.

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Worship is a heart attitude in every place and situation in which you find yourselves. It acknowledges My Lordship, the righteousness of My nature, the truth of My Word, and the reality of my indwelling presence. You may offer true worship at all times and in every situation by keeping your heart right toward Me and toward your fellow-man.

Given to Elaine Cook,

May 1994

Bill & Elaine Cook publish "Gospel of the Kingdom", available at www.kingdomgospel.org

"O living flame of love
that tenderly wounds my soul.
In its deepest center! Since
Now you are not oppressive,
Now Consummate! If it be Your will:
Tear through the veil of this sweet encounter!
O sweet cautery,
O delightful wound!
O gentle hand! O delicate touch
That tastes of eternal life
and pays every debt!
In killing You changed death to life."

~St. John of the Cross