Growth
The other day, I was contemplating a lot in regards to where I've been, and where I am now. As I was praying through Proverbs and some Psalms, I realized just how different my prayers have become.
When I first became a Christian, I just wanted peace. I wanted God to step in, to 'fix' me, to heal the situation I was in. I wanted His guidance and love and assurance, and {obviously} I wanted to grow in relationship with Him.
These past two weeks have been a bit of a struggle for me. I've hit my first little 'dip' after being on the field, and I was in a low, silent season. There wasn't one thing in particular that I could point to that was wrong; I just didn't feel joyful or hopeful.
I still sought the Lord with all that I had. I kept up my morning readings and prayer time, asking for the Spirit to fill me that day and help get me through.
One of my friends told me that she knew I was being diligent. Through prayer, fasting, and reading His word, she knew that I would be heard. She reminded me that God heard my voice, and that in all my seeking, I would find Him.
There are often times in life where we go through a season of sadness, grief, heartache, anger, sickness. Seasons of doubt and questions, filled with what seems like silence. It's in those times that we must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and His promise that He would always be with us. He promised to hear our cries, to be by our side, to send the Spirit to lead and guide us.
God promises growth. He doesn't want us to stay the same. He wants us to grow our roots deeper into Him. He wants us to produce not just more, but sweeter, juicier, more satisfying fruit. We can't do that on our own. We can't grow by staying still. We must absorb every piece of rain that He sends us in order to nourish ourselves. It's not meant to harm, but to give life.
When we open our eyes to see and understand that, when we open our hearts to receive that growth, when we open our souls to being rooted and grounded more in His love, we can have joy amidst our sorrow. We can have hope in the silence. We can have perseverance in the storms.
Because of the growth that God has graciously allowed me to experience in personal wounds, these past couple weeks have been different: I never once doubted that God wouldn't hear my prayers. Even though it seemed like every day I was in the same old rut, I had faith that God would carry me through. I had faith that He had a purpose for this time, and I trusted it, whatever it was.
My prayer for you, brothers and sisters, is that you open yourself to growing. Don't let the storms overtake your soul, but dance in the storm knowing that your Father is in complete, sovereign control. He wants to give you far more abundantly than anything you can think or ask - let go of your idea of what that looks like and surrender your souls to Him: completely.
When I first became a Christian, I just wanted peace. I wanted God to step in, to 'fix' me, to heal the situation I was in. I wanted His guidance and love and assurance, and {obviously} I wanted to grow in relationship with Him.
These past two weeks have been a bit of a struggle for me. I've hit my first little 'dip' after being on the field, and I was in a low, silent season. There wasn't one thing in particular that I could point to that was wrong; I just didn't feel joyful or hopeful.
I still sought the Lord with all that I had. I kept up my morning readings and prayer time, asking for the Spirit to fill me that day and help get me through.
One of my friends told me that she knew I was being diligent. Through prayer, fasting, and reading His word, she knew that I would be heard. She reminded me that God heard my voice, and that in all my seeking, I would find Him.
There are often times in life where we go through a season of sadness, grief, heartache, anger, sickness. Seasons of doubt and questions, filled with what seems like silence. It's in those times that we must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and His promise that He would always be with us. He promised to hear our cries, to be by our side, to send the Spirit to lead and guide us.
God promises growth. He doesn't want us to stay the same. He wants us to grow our roots deeper into Him. He wants us to produce not just more, but sweeter, juicier, more satisfying fruit. We can't do that on our own. We can't grow by staying still. We must absorb every piece of rain that He sends us in order to nourish ourselves. It's not meant to harm, but to give life.
When we open our eyes to see and understand that, when we open our hearts to receive that growth, when we open our souls to being rooted and grounded more in His love, we can have joy amidst our sorrow. We can have hope in the silence. We can have perseverance in the storms.
Because of the growth that God has graciously allowed me to experience in personal wounds, these past couple weeks have been different: I never once doubted that God wouldn't hear my prayers. Even though it seemed like every day I was in the same old rut, I had faith that God would carry me through. I had faith that He had a purpose for this time, and I trusted it, whatever it was.
My prayer for you, brothers and sisters, is that you open yourself to growing. Don't let the storms overtake your soul, but dance in the storm knowing that your Father is in complete, sovereign control. He wants to give you far more abundantly than anything you can think or ask - let go of your idea of what that looks like and surrender your souls to Him: completely.
"Looking back on the span of our lives,
we can see the marks that testify
to how far we've come
how much we've grown
how much of His grace we have been shown."
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