Fitting Adjectives

I don't know about you, but I benefit from being reminded of ways in which I will never be like God. That's just what a reading of Psalm 74 did for me this week. As far as I can remember, no one has ever called me resplendent. And, actually, that's okay. You see, I have a God who is resplendent. He's also majestic and glorious, additional adjectives which I don't anticipate being used to describe me. I'm so grateful for the numberless ways in which God is...well...God. I am weak and forgetful and selfish and... He, on the other hand, is perfect. And, I need His perfect strength and purity and beauty and wisdom and... I could go on and on and on. Isn't our God marvelous? Ahh...another adjective I'll leave to the Creator of the Universe.

(I just realized that I used this same photo a few posts ago--a perfect example of my many imperfections :)! Ahh...praise be for a perfect God!)

He Listens...Always and Forever

"I love the Lord because He hears my voice and my supplications.

He has inclined His ear to me,

Therefore, I shall call upon Him as long as I live."

Psalm 116:1,2 NASB

I'm to be a Mirror

St. James Park, London -- 2008

"'I must act in a holy manner, not for reward or appearance but because of God's nature. The Law continually reminds me that commandments are to be kept, not for their own sake, but for God's sake. I will be righteous then, because God's nature is such. His character determines my conduct.'" Jim Elliot (missionary martyr), as quoted by his wife Elisabeth Elliot, in Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot, pg. 113

Watering and Fertilizing My Faith

As we begin the adoption process yet again, I've been rereading biographies of George Mueller, a man whose faith, devotion to prayer and love of God's Word have deeply impacted me. Mueller's long life covered nearly all of the 1800s. During that time he saw to the care of more than 10,000 orphans in Bristol, England, all without asking for a penny. He took each need to the Lord alone. And His prayer-hearing God met every need. Every single need.

Like George Mueller, we, too, have experienced the Lord's never-ceasing help. In our case, He has shown Himself faithful in all the many ways we have needed Him in order to adopt and then parent older orphans from Russia. With each of our three adoptions of trios of kiddos, He has consistently healed the hearts, minds, and bodies of these formerly broken and hurting children. Even though we have repeatedly experienced His faithfulness, I still find it helpful to be reminded through the stories of Mueller's experiences just how safe it is to count on the Lord for all we need. God is more than able to navigate us through this remarkably complex process, leading us to the blessed outcome of adding four siblings to our family.

The verse above was one of Mueller's favorites.

My Help

A Firm Foundation

Downhearted?

Strutting on the grounds of Warwick Castle, England -- May 2008

Make glad the soul of Your servant,

For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

Psalm 86:4 NASB

Each summer our pastor, Dave Sowers, preaches from the book of Psalms. He calls the series "The Summer Psalms." We have been richly blessed as he takes us deeper into individual Psalms Sunday after Sunday. However, not only do we grow to understand specific Psalms at a more profound level, but we also learn new ways to pray. Pastor Dave has instructed us repeatedly that if we see one of the Psalmists cry out to God in a particular way then we can use that as a model for our praying.

A couple of weeks ago, the verse above caught my eye. When I'm feeling dragged down, I can lift my heart to the Lord and make the Psalmist's cry my plea: "O Lord, please make my soul glad. To You I lift up my soul."

I have already prayed this way on a couple of harder days when I have felt pulled down by my circumstances. Within the next hour or two it slowly dawns on me that my spirit has been buoyed. I feel hopeful again. Not so overwhelmed. Despite no change in what's happening around me, I find I'm able to relish the day, instead of merely trudging through it.

Cloud Praise

The heavens...

...declare...

...the GLORY...

...of God!

Psalm 19:1