MY HOPE

I realized this morning, that I am putting my hope in events and times and places and people instead of in the Lord. In some things I have placed my hope in Him – but in one big thing I have only half placed my hope in Him. I am waiting for something to happen. Praying and trusting and hoping for something to happen – but instead of placing all my hope in Him I have placed some of it in the day that this event will take place. And I know the time for it is near so I hope ever more on that day – yet this is such a futile and fruitless thing to do.

Isa 40:31: but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (NIV)
Here it is clearly stated. If I hope in Him for this event I will not grow weary and doubtful that it will ever happen. As difficult as this is, I will make start from now to place my Hope in Him alone and not in the actual event.

Thank you Dineen for this lesson. I didn't see it at first, but I get it now.

MY HOPE (Hillsong)
You are righteous, you love justice
And those who honor You will see Your face
I will arise, and lift my eyes to see
Your majesty, Your holiness.
All I am will bless You

My hope is in the name of the Lord
Where my help comes from
You’re my strength my song
My trust is in the name of the Lord
I will sing Your praise
You are faithful

A HEART ABLAZE

My heart is burning with the desire to know God more. I have experienced His grace in the recent months that has awoken in me a longing after Him and a thirst and a want that cannot be sated – even by Him. I have discovered a well of longing in me that will never be filled and will leave me always seeing more of Him. There is deep crying out to deep that only another longing heart will understand.
He showed me His amazing grace and never in all the years of being a Christian have I experienced such a longing in my soul. It is so difficult to put into words what my heart is feeling. I hope I can get it across in this post.

Psalm 42: 1 ... As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.
I now can understand the heartfelt yearnings and songs and poems of David. He put into words his longing to know God better. I want to go deeper into His word, to peal away the layers and unfold the mysteries and promises “hidden” there.

I feel like I have found a new love, like I am falling in love for the first time, I want to spend every hour of the day with Him – and every opportunity I have I spend it with Him. He fulfills my desire, my deepest longing.

I pray that your desire for God and for a deeper and real relationship with Him will be awakened in your heart. I pray that you will remember the sweetness of the day you were saved and how natural it was to pursue the lover of your soul.

A.W Tozer said this in his book “The Pursuit of God”
…before a man can seek God, God must first have sought the man…
… there must have been a work of enlightenment done within him; imperfect it may be, but a true work nonetheless, and the secret cause of all desiring and seeking and praying which may follow. We pursue God because, and only because, He has first put an urge within us that spurs us to the pursuit.

We love Him only because He has loved us first. It is not a legalistic thing of spending “so many” minutes / hours a day with Him, or a rigid schedule of prayer and Bible reading, no. It is being in His presence whether you pray or not and whether you read your Bible or not. Just being in His presence will enlighten (open) the eyes of your heart and He will reveal His heart and secrets to you in that place. I pray that God sets your hearts ablaze too, that you can experience His heart as I have been

This is a prayer for you, also from Tozers book:

O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, that so I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, 'Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.' Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long. In Jesus' name, Amen.

WISDOM AND REVELATION

Most of you know that I have just recently experienced a time of facing giants and of hardship. But I have to share with you that since I have come through that very difficult time I have been changed on the inside. I have a desire to read my Bible like I have never experienced before. And God is revealing such wonderful things to me in His word.
In fact just yesterday God reveled a piece of scripture to me that I can pray for my husband. I am so excited, and quite amazed. It is a piece of scripture that I have read over a dozen time before yet never really saw it.

It is Eph 1 : 16 – 19 and it reads:
I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints and His incomparably great power for us who believe.

Let me break it down
I have not stopped giving thanks for you – God is saying to me that I must be thankful for the husband that I have and not grumble about silly things. I must give thanks for him!!

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. – This is exactly what I want for him – but never quite new how to ask for it. A spirit of wisdom and revelation is exactly it!! I couldn't have put it better myself.

that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you – This is especially awesome because I know what he has been called to. God has shown me the plans He has for him and I cannot wait for it all to happen!! And for him to finally know how powerfully God is going to use him to advance His Kingdom.

I mean, isn't this just amazing?? This is exactly what I so badly want for my husband. Not for me (anymore) but for Gods kingdom and for himself. Wisdom and revelation are the most wonderful things you can ask for. And I just shared this very same verse with that young lady I told you about in my previous post and she was encouraged by it too. I really feel that this is a powerful scripture to pray over a loved one who is not saved.
And, it is a prayer I can pray for my children and for myself so that we can know God better too.

Isn’t God good?

GOD USES EVERY SITUATION TO HIS GLORY

I think most of you know that my husband is not saved right? Well that said when I began praying for him I set off (unknowingly) on a journey of learning and growth. And I can tell you that I have truly learned so very much about myself that I never would have imagined.

When I started praying, I imagined God would be reckoning with my husband about himself, but instead He has been reckoning with me and gently teaching me how to pray correctly for my husband. How to be submissive and obedient to my husband and how to show him the respect and love he deserves as my husband.

But the most amazing thing that is starting to show in my life through what I have learned on my journey is that God is using what I have learned through him to help other women who are “spiritually unequal” (Thanks Lynn – I love the way you put it on your blog title). I just spent about 20 minutes sharing and talking to a young girl whose husband is not saved, and simply sharing the things I have learned over the years with her. It was the most amazing time and after I shared that famous verse in 1 Peter 3 about how we as wives will win our unbelieving husbands over for Christ by how we live and without opening our mouths, she asked me does she do that? How does she live out that verse? And all I could tell her was ask God to show you. And she flung her arms around my neck and gave me such a hug, that I was almost moved to tears (again). I managed to control my tears and shared a little more with her – but I know I have imparted something to her that will remain in her heart. And THAT is what makes everything I have learned, every tear every prayer and every hurt so worth while.

God is taking my life and using me as an example and I feel so honored and so blessed to be used by him in such a way. And I give Him all the glory for the wonderful things He is doing in my life!

Thank you Jesus