This past Wednesday I posted an entry called, "Wedding? Groom? Don't ask me I'm just the Bride" and it was probably one of the most difficult posts that I have entered on this site to date. It was difficult to write because it was difficult to receive. Once we receive something through God's word or through God's voice in our life we are faced with a choice as to how we will respond to what we have recieved.
I have been thinking about that picture of the bride and groom just about all week long and it has set heavily on my heart. I am not sure how far down the aisle the bride is but I do believe she is getting closer to the altar than she realizes. I think it hit even heavier than it might have if it were not this week that I received it to share. There has been so much that has happened this week in our nation and even around the world that has made the reality of the bride and groom more applicable than ever.
I was doing some home renovations on the 4th and I had my ear buds in as I was demolishing one of our bathrooms. It needed some attention and what had started out as a simple step in the process of remodeling a bathroom, very quickly became a "Run for your life because this here wall is a comin down" shindig! (That is southern for " Major Demolition time")
I was taking a little break and decided to rest in one of our living room chairs where I could see my two oldest children playing in the back yard. I was listening to some music and just sitting there when I felt a little hand pat me on the knee. I looked down and it was my youngest son Blake.
My heart melted. I love that kid! He has me wrapped around his finger in a way that only the youngest child can. He was reaching up for me so I scooped him in my arms and sat him in my lap. He leaned his head back on my chest and just rubbed my arm as we sat looking out the back door. A few seconds had passed when he squirmed his body around where he could look up at me and then his eyes caught site of my ear buds. He pulled them out of my ears and just examined them because he had never seen these before.
I placed one of them in his ear and put the other one in my ear and turned on my music. His eyes grew wide and he just stared into my eyes and you could just see him processing this new sound directly in his ear. We sat there listening to music for quite awhile and that moment became "the moment" for me and I just got lost. There was a lot of good things and great times with the family that i experienced on the 4th but this will be registered as my favorite moment of the week.
Sitting together with my son as he got to experience something new.
Have you ever felt that way?
Just you and your heavenly Father sitting together as He introduces you to something new that will forever change the way you view this life, Him, and all that He will bring you to and through?
Jeremiah was a prophet that watched his people and his nation that he loved, fall into a God allowed captivity. He sat in a cave outside of the city and completely overwhelmed by what he saw began to write the book called, "Lamentations". It was a lamenting for God's hand of judgement and the reason that God had chosen to correct His children. It was in that time in the cave with his heavenly Dad that God allowed him to hear something that changed his entire viewpoint on the situation he saw.
It was as if God shared an ear bud with His child and the sound that Jeremiah heard that afternoon made his eyes grow wide and you can almost see him trying to process what he heard.
What did he hear come though the headphones?
It came out of his lips and was put on paper.
"It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. they are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him." ~Lamentations 3:22-24
The thing that stands out to me is that you do not need to be in a situation that is life threatening to understand this or to see God's hand of provision. He remains faithful in the day to day operations of our life.
We miss out on what God speaks to us because many times we make no, or very little effort to listen in.
In the early thirties there was an insurance salesman in New Jersey that was really struggling. Financially as well as emotionally. He had at one time tried to work in the ministry but his poor health made him seek a desk job. He wanted to speak for the Lord where ever he was at and he decided to write poetry and songs. One of the songs that he wrote reflected his heartfelt sentiment of the God that he had determined to "Love Him and be loved by Him one day at a time". No significant things were done in man's eyes with the life of an ordinary insurance salesman by the name of Thomas Chisolm, but what he heard through God's ear buds he wrote down as well for the rest of us to hear.
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Thomas Chisholm – 1925
Great Is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father!
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Though changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.
Refrain:
Great Is Thy faithfulness,
Great Is Thy faithfulness,
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy Faithfulness, Lord unto me!
Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.
Refrain
Pardon for Sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Refrain
Here was a man who did not live an exciting life as we would think of exciting, but rather just asked God to let Him listen in to something that God knew about that man often fails to recognize.
I want to challenge you today to just take some time to sit somewhere with your "Dad" and listen to Him speak to you about His mercies that are new experiences for you every day.
His compassion is overwhelming! His faith fullness is beyond fantastic!
I can promise you that if you accept this challenge, there are a lot of good things and great times that you will experience this weekend, but this will have to be registered as your favorite moment!
Dad is waiting and I bet you anything if you take the time to pat Him on the knee He will be more than ready to scoop you up and remind you of His mercy, faithfulness, and compassion for you.
Climbing with you,
~Dan
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