Okay,
imagine this: you are anxiously awaiting the Fourth of July fireworks show to
start and all of a sudden a blast of noise and color emerges about 20 feet from
you. What’s your reaction? I would first be startled, but then would enjoy the
beautiful colors that emerge from the fireworks. I know some of you personally
would not even be sitting at the Fourth of July celebration, but humor me in
envisioning yourself thereJ Have you ever listened to someone speak
and after walking away felt absolutely refreshed? Well, I can honestly say that
is how I felt after listening to Beth Moore speak via simulcast Saturday. She
is similar to a lit firework that explodes every other second!! Either way, I left
the simulcast encouraged. A couple key take aways that I received from Saturday
are:
1) Beth said, “Our story was meant
to be dramatic, climatic – a showcase of God’s faithfulness.” How profound. When
I first heard her say this I was reminded of the rollercoaster message I recently
wrote. She nailed it. Our lives are on display for ANY and ALL to see how we
ride the rollercoaster of life. We can ride it with our hands up: hooting and
hollering the whole way through, or we can ride it with our hands over our eyes
and our heads ducked between our knees. I have noticed that when my hands are
up and I am excited about the ride, I trust that God has the ride under
control; I am submitting to his plan.
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is being sure of what we
hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
Even though I cannot see the next hill or turn, I have
faith that the ride will return safely to the platform with the helpful
employees to assist me in getting out. I have found that by allowing myself to
open my eyes on the rollercoaster – I have been able to reach out to others who
may be going through a similar ‘ride.’ I am grateful for the friendships that
have evolved because of this journey.
2) The second point that I loved
from Beth’s fireworks display was, “Faith faces the fact that there is no
formula.” I instantly felt convicted. I often put God in a box and expect him
to give me what I desire. Recently, God revealed to me that He has already
given me what I need. He doesn’t need to swoop down and give me A, B, C just
because I asked him to. He may skip A, B, C, and give me Q, R, X! A verse that I
learned Saturday put Beth’s point into greater perspective:
John 1:16 “From
the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.”
Wow. Because he chose to spare my life by taking my sin
upon Him at Calvary, I can receive blessings upon blessings? That is somewhat
unfathomable for my human brain. What IS fathomable is that I can see the
blessings all around me. One of my favorite blessings is, Cole. Another great
Cole quote from today, “Even though God may not be giving me what I want, He is
still ALWAYS good.”
And
finally, I will leave you with my new favorite song on repeat in the Supercharger:
One Thing Remains, by Krisian
Stanfill. It warms my heart and I hope it encourages you, too. My favorite part
of the song is the fact that God’s love is higher than ANY mountain that I come
upon here on earth, and His love is CONSTANT during any trial, adversity or
change I face. He is real. He is good.
One Thing Remains: Kristian Stanfill
Chorus:
Your love never fails
It never gives up
It never runs out on me
(x3)
Your love
Verse 1:
Higher than the mountains
That I face
Stronger than the power
Of the grave
Constant in the trial and the change
One thing remains
One thing remains
Chorus
Verse 2:
Because on and on and
On and on it goes
It overwhelms
Your love never fails
It never gives up
It never runs out on me
(x3)
Your love
Verse 1:
Higher than the mountains
That I face
Stronger than the power
Of the grave
Constant in the trial and the change
One thing remains
One thing remains
Chorus
Verse 2:
Because on and on and
On and on it goes
It overwhelms
And satisfies my soul
And I never, ever,
Have to be afraid
One thing remains
One thing remains
Chorus
And I never, ever,
Have to be afraid
One thing remains
One thing remains
Chorus
Bridge:
In death, in life
I'm confident and covered
By the power of Your great love
My debt is paid
There's nothing that can separate
My heart from Your great love
