Singleness... "What Now?"

This morning I was writing a letter to my future husband, and I ended the letter with the question “What do I do?”…  Upon writing the closing of the letter, this song suddenly popped into my head…

“What does this song have to do with writing a letter to your husband?” you may ask…  Well, as I was sitting there I started to think about the words of the song.

“What now?  What will you do, now that you’ve found Me? What now? What will you do with this treasure you’ve found?  I know I may not look like what you expected, but if you remember, this is right where I said I would be… You found Me… What now?”

I started to think about my life, and how it does not at all look like what I expected it to look like.  I’m 27 years old, and I’ve never had a boyfriend… I’ve never been on a date… I’ve never had a prospect… My plan was to be married at twenty!  I was supposed to start having kids at the age of twenty-five…  What now?

“I know I may not look like what you expected, but if you remember, this is right where I said I would be… You found Me…”

Because of my singleness, I have had my ups and downs in my communication with the Lord over this past year. But in all of the stuff that I’ve been through, I still trust Him with my future.  Singleness is where I have found Him.  Singleness is where I have seen His Face!  Singleness is where I have drawn closer to Him in trust.  Singleness is not the end of the world.  Singleness is where I am supposed to be in this moment in my life.

Yes, I still desire to get married.  Yes, I hope that the man who will become my husband walks into my life tomorrow.  But I don’t want that to define me.  I want God to define me. 

What now?  I’m going to strive to be the best example of God’s love that I can be.  I want to shine the light of God’s love everywhere I go.  I want to desire Him over a husband.  I want God to be my joy.  He is my joy… Sometimes I just have to reevaluate and remember why He is my joy.  He is my Salvation.  He saved me by paying the ultimate price.  I don’t have to spend an eternity in hell because Jesus took all my lies, my disrespect, my selfish pride, my judgmental attitude, my anger, my fear, my eye rolls, etc… He took all of it away and put his name on every single one of my sins.  How can I not be joyful in that? 

Where have you seen the face of Jesus?  Where does he make Himself most evident to you?  What now?

~ S*

I'll Trust You Jesus... So...That just happened...

Here is a picture of my car as of yesterday afternoon...

Let me start by saying, no one was hurt.  Not even a sign of whiplash.  The truck I hit didn't even have a scratch on it.

I think a few people in my life would like to know what happened, so here it is.  Right or wrong, the light turned yellow in a 50mph intersection... I would have gone through the light, but the people in front of me decided not to. I tried to change lanes, but someone was in my blind spot leaving me not enough time to slam on my breaks and stop without hitting the people in-front of me.  It was my fault.  If I would have just begun to stop completely, without trying to change lanes, I would have been just fine.

What stinks: My car is damaged.  And I really like my car.  I don't want to have to get a new one any time soon... I am without my car for a few days... I was late to work...  I could have gone shopping with my mom and sister that morning instead... Why did I leave that house at just that moment...

What's AWESOME: I didn't get charged with anything.  I will still have a clear record after this is all said and done! No one was injured! No damage was done to the other person's vehicle. I still got all of my tasks done at work that day!  The air bags didn't deploy! It just so happened to be the day my dad could come and get me even though he was at work! Insurance will pay for the repairs.  And the damage, to my current knowledge, appears to be minimal.  Did I mention I didn't get a ticket and this doesn't go on my record?????? :)

While I was sitting in my car waiting for the cop to show up, I began to hyperventilate.  I've never experienced anything like that before, and I've never witnessed someone having a panic attach... It was freaky.  My entire face went numb.  As I was sitting there panicking in my car, I began to thank God for His protection, and I told Him I trusted Him.  No matter what went on with my car, the police, etc... I Trust You Jesus.  

This is where the song for today's entry comes from.  I really pulled this one out of the archives.  It was one of my favorite songs growing up, and I didn't even really get what the words meant at that point in my life.  But it is a great reminder today.  

I'll Trust You Jesus.  In the chorus of this song it says, "For every situation that has tried to make me doubt. You've anointed me, given faith to me, so my Lord I'll trust in You..."  These words really hit me this morning as I was thinking about the events of yesterday... I was totally thinking in my car yesterday... How did this happen? I thought You were supposed to protect me from things like this?  Where were You? What did I do wrong?  Doubt totally crept into my mind.  But as the day progressed and I realized (as listed above in the "What's AWESOME" section) the things that didn't happen to me, I saw God's hand all over my situation.  Once I told Him "I trust You" I immediately felt better.  I had peace that surpasses all understanding.  (Philippians 4:7)

Bottom line.  I'm okay!  I'm great!  Better than that, I'm fabulous!  Why? Because God took care of me, and will continue to take great care of me for the rest of eternity!  Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and don't depend on your own understanding. Remember the Lord in all you do, and He will give you success. Don't depend on your own wisdom. Respect the Lord and refuse to do wrong." Proverbs 3:5-7 (NCV) I don't know why I had to experience that accident, but I know God will work it out for good. (Romans 8:28)

Today in my daily devotional these were the verses:

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds." James 1:2

"I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13

"You will keep in perfect peace Him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You." Isaiah 26:3

The last paragraph of the devotional said "The way to walk through demanding days is to grip My hand tightly and stay in close communication with Me.  Let your thoughts and spoken words be richly flavored with trust and thankfulness.  Regardless of the day's problems, I can keep you in perfect Peace as you stay close to Me." -- Jesus Calling June 4 entry

What an encouragement for me! That is what I chose to do yesterday.   I chose to thank Him even when I couldn't see the bright side yet.  As I trusted Him, He began to show me just how blessed I am. 

What do you need to trust and thank God for?

Blessings!

"Thy Will Be Done" Not My Plan

Recently a new song has been playing on the radio.  "Thy Will Be Done" by Hillary Scott.  The first time I heard this song, it stopped me in my tracks!  I felt like I could have written the song myself, because of how well I could apply it to the events of the past 365 days.  Please take a listen before I continue.






Verse one talks about listening to God, and following His direction, only to end up in a place of confusion and hurt. And you're standing there asking God WHY!?! What did I do wrong!!!!

Verse two talks about living in that time of confusion and trying to figure out what happened. And how amazingly Awesome God is. One of my favorite lines in verse two: "just trying to make sense of all your promises... Sometimes I've got to stop. Remember that You're God, and I... am... not..."  I have definitely been in that place this past year.

Then there's the verse: "Thy Will Be Done..."  Those words have been something I have uttered a million times to God throughout my life. As many times as I have asked God for a husband, I have always ended my prayers with "Not my will, but Yours be done".  Thoughts have entered my mind that this prayer is why I don't have a husband right now... But these little seeds of thought are not of God.  God has the best plan for my life.  Nothing I do or come up with could match God's BEST PLAN for me.

The bridge says, "I know you see me, I know you hear me Lord, Your plans are for me, goodness You have in store..."  I have a hard time driving when I sing the bridge, for I just want to close my eyes and worship.   This is the truth.  Jeremiah 29:11 says, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord, 'Plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and hope.'" The enemy tries to whisper in our ear that God isn't listening to our prayers, that He doesn't care about this "little thing" in our life, He has more important things to "worry" about.  All of these are lies.  The Bible warns us in 1 Peter 5:8, "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." (NASB) The Bible also tells us in John 10:10 that, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." (NASB)

Don't believe the devil's lies.  He has no authority anymore.  Jesus became our Redeemer when He died for us on the cross.  We don't have to believe the lie that satan is still in charge.  He's NOT.  Don't be afraid to listen to the Holy Spirit.  Don't be afraid to follow God's best plan for your life.  It will not look like the world. 1 John 2:15-17, "Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever."  Notice that promise at the end: But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever."  That is what I want.  I want to please God.  

"Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven." -- Matthew 6:9-13

"Draw Me Close To You" Refocused

I know it's been a while.  I've had a few ideas run though my head the past couple months, but didn't know quite how to get them down on "paper". But this morning I was inspired by a song that popped into my head while I was reading the Bible.  This song is an oldie, but goodie.  :)  And you get to see a video of me singing it this time!






As I mentioned above, this song popped into my head this morning. I love it when God will use a song to be just what I need in a particular moment of time.  This song is my current prayer to God.

Recently I've been trying to refocus myself on God whenever I feel like I'm starting to get off track (by worrying, thinking about my future, getting stressed out, feeling unorganized, or concentrating on wanting my future husband.)  I've been saying, in those times, "Lord, I want you to be all I need.  Please be my focus, my motivation, my first thought."

A few weeks ago, while at a church event, I was really struggling with my desires for a husband.  If you know me really well, you will know that it tends to be this ongoing battle everyday... But in that particular moment, I was asking God how in the world I could be fulfilled physically with Him?  My love language is touch, so I feel the most fulfilled when I get a hug from my dad (would be my husband, if I had one...).  How can God meet my constant desire for a warm embrace?

As I was standing there, I had this... I don't know what to call it... vision seems a little strong of a word... thought seems like not strong enough... But this image was suddenly playing in my brain:

I walked into a place that was all white, for it shone with God's glory.  In front of me was a massive throne!  It was made of very strong material, like marble or something, but had something soft covering the hard surface.  There were steps leading up to this throne, and I approached it.  Suddenly, sitting on the throne, was Jesus!  I couldn't see his face.  I could see him from the neck down.  His face was too bright to see.  As I walked up to the throne, He motioned with open arms for me to come up and sit on His lap.  So I did.  I walked up the steps crawled onto His lap and laid my head on His shoulder.

How Awesome is that!?!  When my mind starts to go wandering to desires of a husband, I remind myself of this "vision".  He is holding me in His arms right now!  He cares for me beyond what I could ask or imagine.  And something that I never thought possible happened... I snuggled with Jesus!

 I guess what I'm getting at here... Jesus is really, truly, all you need.  You can go on without a husband, wife, family, brother, sister, friend...  You can live without any of those people in your life, for God is all you need.  He is all I want.  He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all I could ask or imagine.  (Eph. 3:20)

Today I encourage you to read Psalm 91.  It is one I memorized as a child, and has been great to speak over my life at many different stages.

Have an amazing week!

"I Will Trust in YOU" One of those days...

Have you ever had one of those days when you just want to scream at the top of your lungs!?!  Today is one of those days for me...

Last year, I thought that God told me I would meet my future husband before the month of September hit...  I thought I was going to get married to this mystery man over Labor Day weekend of last year.  I'm not sure where I went wrong...

Leading up to September, I talked to God just like I would talk to anyone.  It was an easy back and forth conversation between us.  I would talk to Him throughout the day every day.  But since September first... It hasn't been that easy.

I have been struggling with thoughts and doubt ever since.  What if most of the stuff I "heard" wasn't God speaking to me at all?  What if it was just my brain tricking me into predicting everything I was hoping and dreaming for?  I don't know the answers to these questions.  I don't know how to ask God these questions...  What do I do?

A song came on the radio one day after I'd had a huge counseling session with my mom about the events of last year.  It was exactly what I needed at the moment.  The lyrics to the song "I Will Trust in YOU" by Lauren Daigle were exactly what I have been thinking/praying/feeling these past few months.  And I would love for you to listen to this song.







The lyrics of this song are my prayer to God right now.  I am still having to do battle every day with my thoughts and emotions about what happened last year, but I am trusting God no matter what!

Yes, my relationship with my Lord and Savior is a bit different than it was last year.  I question things a lot more than ever before... I don't have those everyday one on one conversations... I believe those conversations are still a possibility, but honestly, I'm not sure how to go about it right now...  BUT, I still believe in Jesus! I still believe what the Word says!  I still pray everyday. I still read my Bible everyday.  I still trust God with my life.

I do NOT know what God's plan for my life is... I question it everyday.  But I will trust God with my life and His plan for it, no matter what!

~ S*

"Whatever" Your will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven

This morning I read Matthew chapter six.  In this chapter are many amazing teachings of Jesus.  One of which is the teaching about prayer.  Verses 8-13 are where “The Lord’s Prayer” come from.  Many of us know this prayer by heart, but I really enjoyed reading it in a different version than I have memorized it:

“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.” (NLT)
As I read, I began to pray this verse in my own words.  As I prayed, I noticed some things I have never noticed before.

1.    We pray that God’s Kingdom come before we say “Your will be done”
2.    This prayer isn’t really focused on any one particular person.  Jesus isn’t praying for the guy
       over there; and He isn’t “praying for Himself” either.
3.    He tells us in verse eight not to merely repeat our words over and over again.

Point number one stood out to me because, it seems that we are praying for God’s Kingdom to come for our own reasons.  We don’t want to go through the trials and tribulations of the book of Revelation.  This verse showed me that we are allowed to ask for things for ourselves, but need to remember to keep it under God’s control.  Your will be done above my own, Lord.  Even though I want to meet my husband so badly, I want Your plan for my life to take place even more so than that desire.

Point number two… I never noticed before that Jesus doesn’t really pray for all of His friends and family… Maybe when we do, we should add onto that prayer, “Your will be done”.  I think it is God’s will for everyone to go to Heaven to be with Him, so wouldn’t it be best to put it into His hands?

Point number three… I often feel guilty when I don’t pray for my unsaved friends and family over and over and over again… But verse eight says, “They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask Him!” My first experience talking to God occurred a long time ago.  I was doubting my salvation at the time.  That morning, I happened to be home alone, so I started my Bible time in the morning and asked God if I was saved.  Before I could even finish the question “Am I sav…” I heard a “YES”. As the day progressed, I spent most of it talking to God like I would any other person.  It was Awesome! During our “chat” I asked God if I needed to pray for the salvation of certain people in my life over and over again… I felt like He told me, “no”.  It has been over 15 years since that day, so I don’t remember exactly His answer… But it was something to the effect of, “I know exactly what you need even before you ask Me.” He was not telling me to stop asking altogether, but was freeing me from the burden of “religiously” having to pray for each person every day.  God knows our hearts.  He knows that I desire for my friend to come to know Him as his true Savior and Lord.  He knows that I desire for every one of my relatives to come to know Him.  He knows that I desire for my cousins to find their purpose in life, and to follow Him every step of the way.  He knows that I want to protect my friends and family from bad relationships…  He knows all of my thoughts and intentions.

Since this blog is called “Inspired by Lyrics”, it was only fitting that a particular song popped into my head regarding this morning’s topic: “Whatever” by Steven Curtis Chapman.  Please listen to the words carefully.  Can you truly tell God, I’ll do “Whatever” you say?  I’m working on it, but don’t know that I am there yet.

What do you get out of “The Lord’s Prayer”? Did anything stand out to you that you had not noticed before? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

Blessings!

~ S*