Being Confident Of This

Grace for the work-in-progress woman

When You Need Showers of Blessing

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In the few weeks since my husband resigned his position as pastor of our previous church, he has filled out many a job application.

He’s even had several interviews.

But still….

nothing.

And I have to be honest, claiming God’s promises to provide for His children was a lot easier when we still had extra money sitting in the bank. It’s easier to trust Him for showers of blessing when we’re not quite in drought yet.

When needs arise, what is your first course of action? Often we neglect to ask for showers of blessing that our Heavenly Father is waiting to provide. What if we tried a different approach?

I knew that this moment would come when our faith would really be put to the test.

Now is the time.

Now is the time when the money is no longer coming in, the time when the savings account is running woefully low.

Yet now is also the time when we see the very hand of God act on our behalf in both big and small ways!

There shall be showers of blessing…

It’s true, friends, that in the midst of this season of trial, we are reaping a multitude of blessings.  Not just mercy drops, but showers!

I’ve been longing to keep record of the showers here in this space as stones of remembrance that I can look back on. So here goes.

A record of our showers of blessing:

~ unexpected income from a funeral my husband preached and I sang for

~ taking a family vacation we were planning but hadn’t paid for yet (not even a need, but purely a want)

~ Church Camp for our middle son

~ Missions trip for our oldest son

~ miscellaneous food for a family get-together

~ a tank full of gas

~ a Kohls gift card for some of our back-to-school shoe and clothing needs

~ new backpacks and school supplies from a local back-to-school carnival

~ a local church’s generous love offering to cover the rest of our school supply       list (from mostly strangers…people who don’t even know us, friends!!)

~ Overlapping coupons saving us a bundle on a pair of much-needed           running shoes for the oldest boy who is currently in cross country training        (hey, this isn’t the first time this bargain shopping mama has asked the Lord  for help to find a good deal on necessities)

~ free eggs (I know it’s small, but every bit helps, right?)

~ vacation extras this past week, like cheese fries, ice cream, and a boat ride

~ income from this blog (which has never, ever produced income before last month!)

Specific answered prayers for church-planting needs:

~ donated pews

~ an offer of building space to use for gatherings

~ smooth sailing through the church-planting application process with NAMB     thus far

Not just a handful of blessings, friends, no – showers of blessings!

When needs arise, what is your first course of action? Often we neglect to ask for showers of blessing that our Heavenly Father is waiting to provide. What if we tried a different approach?

So often I am quick to ask the Father to provide for big, noble, spiritual needs – like funding for church planting or for a missions trip, etc. Then when it comes to smaller needs or things that might just be selfish wants, I’m afraid to ask.

I fear that  my reasons aren’t “spiritual” enough, so He might choose not to provide for them. How about you, friend? Are you ever afraid to ask?

This is the promise of love…

When I think on the line above, I’m reminded that God is my Heavenly Father and a father’s main role is to provide for the spiritual and physical needs of his family.

My husband certainly desires to meet all of our children’s needs whether big or small and yes, even some of their wants, too.  Yet we are earthly, human, imperfect parents.

“Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” Mt. 7:9-11

 Too often we are busy trusting in our own ability to provide for ourselves to see our Father already at work on our behalf. 

When needs arise, what is your first course of action? Often we neglect to ask for showers of blessing that our Heavenly Father is waiting to provide. What if we tried a different approach?

It’s only when we are incapable, when we have no way to meet our needs on our own, that we finally turn to Him and ask.

When will I learn? When will we learn that God is the Father who is not only capable, but also willing to provide all that we need, and even some things that we simply want?

Maybe as James wrote, we don’t have because we don’t ask? (Js.4)

I’m not talking about asking the Father to make us millionaires or provide for worldly extravagances (although sometimes He likes to blow our socks off with an extravagance, doesn’t He?!).

I’m talking about asking Him to meet our needs first…

before we step into problem-solving mode,

before we launch into penny-pinching mode,

before we sink into panic mode!

What if we just asked Him first and trusted in His character as our loving Father, as Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides?

There shall be seasons refreshing

Sent from the Savior above…

I’m betting we’d see more miraculous answers to prayer than we’re used to.

Next on the list?

The right jobs for us and a partial new roof before winter.

Praise the Lord along with us, friends!

Mercy-drops round us are falling

But for the showers we plead!

Jen 🙂

Sharing with: Grace and Truth, Tell His Story, A Little R and R Wednesdays, Wholehearted Wednesdays

When Church Becomes Worship

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It’s almost here:  Sunday, a day when brothers and sisters in Christ from around the world gather together to worship the one true God.  And this Sunday, I will be able to go to church!  Isn’t that exciting?!

I’m ready, ready for worship, for fellowship, even for conviction to sting my heart during worship.

I’m ready for serving, for listening, for both giving and receiving.  I’m ready for hugs and how-are-yous and happy-to-see-you-todays.  I’m so ready that I would love to skip right over Saturday straight to Sunday!

I wish I could say I felt this way each and every Sunday, but the truth is that I don’t.  Many Sundays, I would rather not attend church.  I would rather not serve or worship or fellowship.

I usually go anyways; it’s kind of hard not to when you’re the pastor’s wife. 🙂

But on those Sundays when I grudgingly rise up from bed and grudgingly head out the door to church, I’m the loser, the one who misses out.
Sometimes even the pastor's wife doesn't feel like going to church. Here's a change in perspective that moves us from church-going to true worship. When Church Becomes Worship

There is nothing different about those Sundays except for my own attitude.  I take worship for granted and fail to see it for the privilege that it is.  Thus, I miss out on the blessing church attendance could be.

It’s funny, really, how an illness or injury or absence of any kind can help you to appreciate those things in life that sometimes feel like burdens rather than the blessings that they truly are.  Like family.  Like motherhood.  Like worship.  Like serving the Lord.

We who are in Christ, especially here in America, are blessed with so many privileges that we fail to see as such!

When does church attendance become a burden?

When do we forget the blessing of knowing God, of being chosen?

When does spiritual life become less razzle-dazzle and more ho-hum?

It happens when we forget who we are and who He is.  Because when I remember what an unworthy sinner I am, how flawed, how small, how unlikely to be chosen, I know my real place.

And when I remember who He is,

the King of Kings,

Creator of the heavens and earth,

Blessed Redeemer,

Constant Provider,

a Refuge of Comfort,

Faithful Friend,

Lover of my soul,

then I leap at the chance to give Him the praise He is due!

I’m reminded, too, that I live in America, the land of the free, while so many of my brothers and sisters in Christ around the world do not share in that privilege to fellowship and worship without fear!

In fact, nearly a third of the world does not even know the truth of a Savior who willingly bled and died for the sake of our redemption from sin and slavery.

And with that perspective, the opportunity to worship with fellow believers becomes a blessing and not a burden, a delight rather than a duty.  That’s when church becomes worship.

Sometimes even the pastor's wife doesn't feel like going to church. Here's a change in perspective that moves us from church-going to true worship. When Church Becomes Worship

I wish we who are in Christ could feel this way about a chance to worship Him in church every Sunday! How powerful would that be?  Even if our church isn’t perfect (and which one is?), even if our relationships aren’t perfect (yes, those, too), even if we aren’t perfect (and no one is, no, not one), our God is perfect.

Does He not deserve our adoration and obedience?

Hebrews 10

19 Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus,

20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,

21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,

22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;

24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,

25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Where will you be this Sunday?  I plan to be praising my Lord at church because

He

is

worthy.

Jen 🙂