This post shares a testimony of God's faithfulness and a bit of my heart. It may seem to bounce around...but I hope it kind of makes sense. Here goes...
We owe several people many many "thank you"s for helping us put together our first yard sale to go towards our saving for adoption (we wish to begin the process next spring). The Smiths graciously opened their yard for us to sell...thank you! Our family donated items to go in the sale...thank you! Randy and Denise carried a truck and trailor full of furniture (which was a six hour or more trip)...thank you! My parents, siblings, and aunts donated much of the merchandise...thank you!
I'm not sure if I shared this in previous blogs, but I'm studying the book of Jeremiah right now, and God is faithfully teaching me about Himself. David Platt explains in his survey of the Old Testament (Google Secret Church Materials) that in the historical books we learn about what took place in Israel (and Judah)'s history. The prophets tell us about God's thoughts regarding what took place in Israel's history. Several themes are found throughout Jeremiah. 1. REPENTANCE: God wants more than shallow compliance to His rules...He wants our heart. He wants us to want to turn from our sinful ways and align ourselves with His thoughts. 2. HEART: God cares about the condition of our heart. The heart is mentioned at least 20 times between chapters 1-29. There's another theme I'll get to later.
God wants our heart to beat for Him. What struck me most recently is a passage in chapter 32 and like it always happens when I'm in the Word...Scripture and life meshed for me...I'm reading Jeremiah and preparing for a yard sale...last Friday morning. The dilemna for the yard sale was that I was dependant on others to make it happen and because so many people were involved in making it happen that we had to secure a date and stick with come snow or high water ;) . We can't use our house because we live down an obscure dirt road...no traffic...Google maps won't get you to my house. So we prayed. Some amazing friends of ours offered their home in the perfect location and we had a multi family sale. Thank You God...and Smiths. I'm really floored by Denise and Randy's willingness to DRIVE all the way to our house with so much stuff...to donate the stuff to begin with. And the same for my side of the family who are hosting another yard sale in March. Amazed by their kindness and encouragement.
Friday was overcast, wet, and cold. Saturday's forecast wasn't looking much better. I started my studies and here's some of my prayer journal:
PREFACE..I'm learning to ask God for my needs as my Abba. The concept is really hard for me because I truly believe in reverencing Him...BUT/AND/BUT we are told several times that He welcomes us to come to Him with every thought and anxiety...a post for another day and time.
JOURNAL:
Father, as I look outside I know it's supposed to rain today. We have a big yard sale tomorrow. I pray for safety on the rode today for Randy and Denise's travel. If I could ask of You one thing -Abba- it will be that You fill me with Your Spirit and come what may--Your joy. Will You enable this yard sale to be a success: in attitude, heart, and physically (weather, customers). Thank You for Nathan...my precious husband. Thank You for Joshua...my precious son. I pray Lord over this weekend. Abba--Daddy--I cry out to You on behalf of this yard sale and the raising money for the adoption--the journey seems so long--so far off into the future.
Another theme in Jeremiah is plucking and planting (which coincides well with the Heart Cry workshop I've been going through at church...an orphan ministry...another post for another day) God's discipline over me as His child is painful and difficult but it is ultimately for my good. As an adopted child of God, He is teaching me through all circumstances (delightful, easy, difficult, painful circumstances) that He is at work sanctifying me. But Friday as I read...My Heavenly Father basically gave me a little gift and for that I'll always have this passage highlighted in my Bible (keep in mind that I've been studying the context...and simply don't have the space or time to cover that important aspect...God just told Jeremiah to do something that doesn't make sense given his present cirumstances):
Jeremiah 32:16 (Jeremiah's speaking)
"I prayed to the LORD, saying 'Ah Lord God! Behold You have made the heavens and the by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You"...(and the rest of the passage is good too)
Jeremiah 32:26-27 (The beginning of God's response to Jeremiah)
"The the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah saying, "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?"
Then God tells Jeremiah how He will unfold history and how He will bring Israel (His chosen people back to the land...His discipline will not last forever)
Jeremiah 32:40-41 (God's words)
"I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me. I will rejoice over them to do them good and will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and all My soul..."
I mean when I read these words last Friday morning...I cried. First of all, the fresh awareness that when my Heavenly Father--Abba--tells me to love Him with all my heart and soul and strength, I don't obey Him simply because He says to, I obey Him because He loved and restored me first...with all His heart and soul. He planted me into His family through the cross of Christ...praise His name I am included in that everlasting covenant.
I still saw that the weather forecast predicted a cancelled yard sale, I still asked God to prosper the yard sale, but I had a fresh awareness that if the yard sale was a flop it was because the God who loves me with all His heart and soul thought it to be in our best interest. He doesn't need a yard sale to raise money for an adoption.
JOURNAL AFTER READING JER.32
No Lord nothing. Nothing is too difficult for You, and You love me. You have made me a mommy. You have put adoption on my heart. You are not casting Your face away because of the cold icey weather. You will work in spite of it. Thank You Lord. Help me to love the way You do. You don't feel lukewarm and apathetic toward Your children--but You tend to us with all Your heart and soul. Just thank You.
Well I'm not saying that everytime I ask of God, He says yes and right away (or yes at all)...He doesn't...because I don't always ask for what's best. But I will say that inspite of the cold weather (and it did sleet for about five minutes at which point I stood stunned after all that the people around me had done to help I thought that was it), inspite of the weather...God did send customers and the yard sale was a success. We raised a little over $700!
I would be one ungrateful child of God if I didn't give Him a big thank You!
I'm overwhelmed by His love today.
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