When choosing stillness wins…#GraceMoments Link Up

When we are surrounded in our moments, with the knowledge we are known… it makes even the difficult, the misunderstood, and the stressful somehow acceptable.

Because in the stillness… in the waiting… in the longing for more of God, we have the chance to know Him as  He is.  I Am.

The words I had waiting here for you, ones I prayed over and longed to share are stuck in a laptop that is sitting next to me, on my table locked and inaccessible to me.  The message I meant to send your way, the one I had filled with His Word in an effort to encourage you, will have to wait for another day.

But still… He is always I am… in our midst, friends.  He is always fully present and fully in control no matter what our circumstances look like.   And I needed to remember that today. I needed to be reminded that no matter what I am going through the Heavenly Father has not left my side.

Even as I type this I want to scoff.  A large part of me wants to cry at the possibility of losing everything that has not been backed up onto a spare drive.  Words and plans and pictures that are a part of this year of firsts and seasons of loss and sorrow capturing hope together, everything in between.

It is somewhat comedic that I have failed to see how much I have relied on things that have no hope of lasting through eternity to become so important.The more I think about it, the more I want to fret…but clearly I hear His Words.

Be Still and Know that I  AM.

And yet I am comforted that for every catastrophic event, there is going to be an extraordinary opportunity for God to show up and blow me away with His goodness.

I am encouraged that even though it is inconvenient, I can trust that it isn’t the end of the world.

I am convicted that to fret and stress over something that is easily set forgotten is really not what I am called to do.

He is our defender.

He is our shield.

He is our confidant.

He is our high tower.

He is our strength.

He is our advocate.

He is our ransom.

He is… I Am.

And so I am offering a small reminder as I pluck away on my daughter’s laptop this evening to gather with you in His generous invitation. Listen close and lean in a little more, let go of all the things that are keeping you back and rest close in the arms of the One who is speaking a stillness into your heart.

Trust Him to provide even when the horizon looks bleak and dark.

Believe that He is working out all those things that are hard for your good.

Know that you are seen, heard, loved, and rejoiced over when it feels like you are walking all alone.

You are welcome to share your words here as we pause and remember in our stillness that even in this effort to bleed grace on a page, the most important thing I can share with you is the hope that He has placed in my heart.

He is in the midst of all our days…. the chaos, the busy, the dark, the blurred, the joyful, the victorious and all those moments in between.

Wherever you are let His stillness settle your soul. 

Be still and know that he is God. 

God is your refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.Therefore do not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried in to the midst of the sea; Though the waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains tremble at its swelling and tumult.  Selah

There is a river, whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.The nations raged the kingdoms were moved; he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Come, behold the works of the  LORD,  Who has wrought desolations and wonders in the earth. He makes wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaks the bow into pieces and snaps the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire. Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth! The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

–Psalm 46

 

My prayer for you today, because we all need to know that we are covered by the falling graces of His love.

Heavenly Father,

Today I ask you to bless and to build up every heart that is seeking you in stillness.  May we be bound to the promises of your continued mercy and abundant grace. Help us to grow in our faith, to be strengthened in our convictions, to be bold in our believing, and to bring wise counsel into every conversations.  This week, as we prepare to serve you from a state of resting in you first, please be the original mover in our relationships, the love that fills them with more and more of you, and the righteousness that brings wayward hearts back to you.  Bind our wandering hearts to you, Lord, that we would never long for anything but your will in our lives.

In Jesus Name… Amen.

IT’S YOUR TURN TO BE A GRACE COUNTER!  SHARE YOUR GRACE MOMENT IN THE COMMENTS BELOW AND THEN COUNT GRACE WITH A FRIEND WITH COMMENT ON A BLOG OR TWO.

If you are a blogger, link up here with  a post about finding grace moments in your life or one of your favorite inspiring and encouraging posts from this week. Share your thoughts in the comment section telling me about the #Grace Moments you experienced this week. *(only 1 post per link please)*

Take time to visit your neighbor next to you, and if you want visit a few more friends on the journey. We all need a little encouragement and affirmation as we travel together.

If you don’t have a blog, you can connect with me via my Journeys in Grace FB page by sharing a photo or a comment.  Or you can join the party by sharing your images on Instagram with #Gracemoments hashtag.

Each week I will  try visit as many of your amazing  posts as I can.This is a safe place to sit and dwell in grace together, friends. I can’t wait to pour a cup of friendship with you and take in the grace moments you have to share. Don’t forget to leave a comment below, I love to hear from you.