Through the years as I’ve walked with the Lord, as I’ve walked (or crawled) through the Bible, I’ve marked meaningful verses or passages. In doing so, I’ve come to see a pattern for myself: foundational verses that I run to, or stand on, regardless my circumstances.
They are my mental go-to Scriptures when I face trials; they are my affirmations when I see specific provisions or His specific answers to prayer. I say ‘His specific answers to prayer’ bcz they are not necessarily the answers to the prayer requests I made, but surely the answers to the prayers I prayed. Does that make sense? In fact, it’s a good thing when the Lord does not answer the prayers I pray using the suggestions or solutions I offer Him. It’s a good thing He answers according to His will, in His way and in His timing. I’m learning to more quickly recognize and thank Him specifically for this.
O, I’d be in a heap of trouble were He to answer my prayers according to my judgment. I pray or make requests or give offerings to Him according to what I have in my hand – my resources and my understanding — but His answers are according to His limitless resources and His infinite wisdom.
I’m learning to do art journaling in my KJV Journaling Bible. I’m not “an artist” and don’t have the drawing or design skills to do beautiful artwork in the generous space on each page. But I have begun my feeble attempts to highlight specific verses or passages in an artistic way — I use glitter pens, sharpie “no bleed” pens, and water colour pencils to write or illustrate my favourite or foundational verses. I recently decided to make a Pinterest page with links to Bible art journaling images and art supplies — thinking that since they were an inspiration to me, maybe they’d be of help to other sisters in the Lord, too. I’ve thought many times: I’ll never be able to make pages like Karla Dornacher’s beautiful pages… but then I realized that mine won’t and don’t have to look like that to be meaningful to me. Chastened by my own recent blog posts regarding comparisonitis or comparing ourselves with others, I just decided to simply consider the examples and made a determination to not compare my work with theirs, but to glean and be instructed or inspired by the ideas.
As I’ve struggled in different areas of my life, I see the one constant, strong thread is faith and trust in the Lord—and that the struggles are the challenges or testings of my faith and trust. [cp_quote style=”quote_left_dark”]If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. 1Timothy 4.6
[/cp_quote]When I faint in the day of adversity, my strength is small and when I’m alarmed at situations or feel impending doom when I hear of problems, I see in that initial response (and a red flag) that my eyes are not on the Lord, they’re on my circumstances; my hope is dashed when it’s based on what I see around me—but it’s bolstered when I place all my hope Him. This is why I determine to be in the Word, to be fortified by it and to be strengthened in faith—the faith of Jesus. And I assure you, it is an act of faith or an act of obedience to be in the Word and in prayer—these are not natural desires, these are truly, literally, God given desires. Left to myself, I would fret or despair or give up hope–but in faith, I press on (Philippians 3.14). It’s what Jesus did, it’s what He calls me (and you) to do and it’s where I find Him each day. It’s the foundation on which I stand.
Waiting. Perhaps the simplest and most difficult action we’re commanded is waiting. I don’t know if anything epitomizes our sin nature more than our natural response to waiting. We’re naturally prone to not wait. To not want to wait. To not seek to wait. More often than not, we believe or live as though we believe otherwise. Think of the times you’ve exclaimed, “I cannot wait!” in reference to an upcoming event or for somewhere you want to go or for something you want to do or for someone you want to see. But in the end, you waited, though you thought you could not.
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord,
thankful to have woken early this morning… long before my alarm was to ring (and more thankful now, that I didn’t disregard the purpose and attempt to go back to sleep). I’ve come to see that, in these sorts of times, the Lord has work to do in me — though, sadly, I often don’t see it or acknowledge it at the time. In such times, I know it’s sort of a wrestling match when I awake, instantly aware of the presence of the Lord — and then, almost simultaneously, I’m conflicted and reason (or attempt to negotiate with the Lord) that I’ve had less sleep than I planned on. You know… He gives His beloved sleep. Ah… you’ve tried that, too?