Monday, January 7, 2008

Wow! It has taken me several hours today to bring this post to fruition. I had it all written out (although not saved, of course) and when I went to answer the phone, my youngest son snuck into my office and managed to delete everything. I then sat down to rewrite it and my interruptions were too numerous to count. Perhaps Satan didn't want any of us rejoicing today. But he's no match for our faith and our God.

You lose, Satan.

Happy Monday, fellow Girlfriends!

-Becky

Joy in Leaning

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:4-6, NIV)

These verses seem to sum up the theme of my weekend. Rejoicing in the midst of everything, no matter what the situation.

My family seems to be inundated with difficult situations right now... loss of jobs, inability to find jobs, loss of property and home, financial difficulties, loss of foster babies, homes sitting on the market with no potential buyers in sight. Why we are getting hit so hard, I have no idea. But I do know this: we are choosing to rejoice because we know that we have a God Who sees the big picture, a God Whose hand is at work in ways we can't even see, a God Who can make a miracle, a God Who sees how these situations are molding our character and creating within us a deeper faith and trust in Him.

When we choose to rejoice, our actions are making a statement about our trust in God. When we choose to rejoice, we defeat any anxiety or depression that tries to come our way. When we choose to rejoice, we inspire and encourage each other. When we choose to rejoice, we wait with excitement and anticipation to see what God is going to do.

It's not a magic answer to the problems that we face. Rejoicing does not ensure that everything is going to instantaneously be resolved. In fact, things may get worse before they get better. It's a possibility that must be acknowledged.

God doesn't let any experience go to waste. He uses everything. And we believe and stand on His promises to take care of our needs. It is with that belief, and with hearts full of joy, that we continue to bring our requests and needs before Him.

In yesterday's sermon, the pastor mentioned the old hymn "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms". He said that he always pictured it as leaning back into God's chest as His arms encircle us. However, he then realized that leaning does not have to be leaning back, it can be leaning forward. He used the illustration of snow skiing. In skiing, you have to lean forward into the hill (the very thing that's scary!) and allow the momentum to propel you forward. If you lean backward, you'll get nowhere and you'll fall. So he said that now he pictures "leaning on the Everlasting arms" as God's strong and mighty arms around us as we lean forward into the scary and unknown. Just picture a child sitting on her father's lap leaning forward toward the ground, arms outstretched, and laughing. Her father's arms are what prevents her from falling.

That's us! With God's arms encircling us, we can lean forward into the scary parts of life, with joy and laughter, knowing that He will never let us go.

God's got you in His arms today... rejoice!