Tuesday, February 28, 2012

I breathe air ---- HE breathes Grace

I sat in the car waiting for the high school boys to emerge from their session at church. Everything was wonderfully silent (for the moment), i indulged in "listening". Our church was hosting a weekend event for hundreds of high schoolers, working to help these young people navigate through challenging waters they all feel in the teen years.
Praying for the boys about to fill up my car, praying for our Maggie as she shared the weekend with her 9th grade girls, praying for our Mike as he too shared the weekend with his 11th grade boys.
It rolled through my mind --- how magnificently ABLE our God is.

At any given moment, everything imaginable is before our Savior.
-someone is dying
-someone is being born
-someone is considering ending their life
-someone is fighting to live
-someone is hoping for death
-someone is working to save a life
-someone is finding out she's pregnant
-someone is having an abortion
-someone is giving birth
-someone is miscarrying
-someone is hearing wonderful news from the tests the dr. ran
-someone is trying to breathe through the bad report
-someone is buying their first house
-someone is losing their home
-someone is moving in
-someone is moving out
-someone just hugged his wife
-someone just hit his
-someone is cradling their precious baby
-someone is ignoring their little ones cries for comfort
-someone is injecting a drug
-someone is stealing from their loved ones to pay for more drugs
-someone is celebrating days of being drug free
-someone is forgiving a hurt
-someone is feeding bitterness
-someone is falling in love
-someone is signing divorce papers
-someone is screaming at God
-someone is clinging to Him

How mighty is our God ---- El Roi --- the "God who sees us".
He's not concerned so much with how happy or comfortable or easy or pleasant our days are --- He knows there are much more important things to deal with now.
Happy, comfortable, easy, and pleasant --- those are Heaven words. Those are things we are promised in Heaven, along with no pain, no suffering, no sickness, no death.

God -- our wise, mighty, loving God --- is much more concerned with us clinging tightly to Him and His ways --- no matter what our moments may look like here.
The enemy of our Lord would want us to doubt God in the hard moments and rail against Him in the  moments that break us apart.
But God knows --- that it's in those very moments, those gut-wrenching moments --- we will be able to taste His goodness if we hold on tightly and keep our eyes, our focus, on Him. We will be able to "feel HIM" as never before. He's fully prepared to carry us through.
We will miss Him completely if we insist on turning our focus inward and indulge in the self-pity that haunts the edges of all pain.

As the teenagers began trickling out of the doors, i wondered, what is a reality in their life that doesn't show on the outside. And do they realize Yahweh is just as near to their pain as He is to their joy. And that Yahweh can do just us much with suffering as He can with joy --- perhaps even more.
When they are happy, it is because of God's goodness. When they suffer, only God will be able to bring good from it. Will they cling to Him? I hope so. I prayed as they bounced about doing their goofy teenage antics across the parking lot. And i wondered, do i live my days in such a way that would inspire the silent, distant observer to choose to cling to the Father no matter what???
I knew the answer was no --- so i kept talking with the ONE who remains with me, even when i choose poorly, even when i don't show HIM WELL. He's that forgiving --- He breathes out Grace --- I'm hopelessly His ---- and so i am filled with HOPE.

And i praised God --- that in that very moment --- He could hold the one dying and present new life to a mother's waiting arms.
I worshiped God, that He cares enough to be attentive to the details of a tiny human life.
He needs nothing from us ---
He has much for us ---
We can do nothing for Him ---
He can accomplish much through us ---
If we will ---
He will ---

It's what i'm clinging to this week.
The God who sees us --- sees all that we face --- all that we will endure --- all that is required.
And HE SMILES.
I may tremble. I know i am unable...
He smiles. He knows He is about to show His greatness!

This picture taken by a mother for her very sick daughter. They had left the hospital after cancer treatments, the little girl was violently ill in the car, but looked up and said, "Mom, look at all the angels watching over me". It was shared with me, to include in this post. Even in the clouds ---- He can show Himself with us. Please pray for little Alyssa.


"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”Deuteronomy 31:8


"No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you."  Joshua 1:5

"That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."  2 Corinthians 12:10 (oh God -- please grow us thoroughly to this place of strength --- YOUR strength found when we are at our weakest -- amen)


©2012 Donna Taylor/Reaching for the Robe

2 comments:

  1. Oh Donna, thank you! Bless you for these words of comfort and reminder! He IS in charge, He does care, He really can hold us up when the world spins out of control! I so desperately needed these words this week...once again He has blessed you with a beautiful ability to hit the nail that truly needs driven in! And He does shine through every beautiful fiber of your being...I see Him every time I look at you, my friend!

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  2. this is a beautiful post! two of the things that blows my mind about God is His omniscience and his omnipresence. that He can be attentive to all of us, with perfect intimacy that's specific to our situations, is beyond my ability to comprehend.

    and i think the distant observer WOULD be inspired to cling to the Father by watching your life. no one's perfect, but i think you model turning to Him as you live each day.

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