Here I am

Well folks, in a few months I will be a college graduate.  I do not know what I will be doing after May 5th. There is so much scary excitement about that. (I apologize if you got here by facebook and thought you would find out what my future holds...I'll let you know when I know) I could go anywhere and do anything.  I am completely at the mercy of God's hands.  I have no plans (amazing in itself..it took years for God to achieve this in my heart ;]). I feel like there is new large blank canvas that is the rest of my life.  It is truly for God to paint. I will lay everything down in surrender, fully knowing there will be heartache and trials.  And fully knowing I will get to experience God's love in greater depth than I ever thought possible. Honestly, I don't want it any other way.  My future is most secure in His Hands. His understanding is greater than mine, so I want to follow Him, rather than my own ambitions.  I only see such a small portion of what is really happening. He sees it all, so I will give Him everything.

So after many tears, this is the cry of my heart. I mean every word with as much of my little heart as I can muster. Here is my prayer for the rest of my life...

Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice and let me sing
always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold
not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
every power as You choose.
Here am I, all of me.
Take my life, it's all for Thee.

Take my will and make it Thine
it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is Thine own
it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord I pour
at Your feet its treasure store
Take myself and I will be
ever, only, all for Thee.
Take myself and I will be
ever, only, all for Thee.

Here am I, all of me.
Take my life, it's all for Thee.

 (Take My Life-Chris Tomlin)

⁴ When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”  And Moses said, “Here I am.” -Exodus 3:4

An Anointing...

^{Many years before Jesus ever stepped on the earth God said this to Isaiah. God was talking specifically about Jesus.  Jesus will bring justice to the nations. This is what He was put on earth to do from the very beginning.}

 

¹ “Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
   my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
   and he will bring justice to the nations.
² He will not shout or cry out,
   or raise his voice in the streets.
³ A bruised reed he will not break,
   and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
 ⁴ he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
   In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”

 ⁵ This is what God the LORD says—
the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
   who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,
   who gives breath to its people,
   and life to those who walk on it:
⁶ “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;
   I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
   to be a covenant for the people
   and a light for the Gentiles,
⁷ to open eyes that are blind,
   to free captives from prison
   and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

Isaiah 42:1-7

 Then there is this in Isaiah 61:1-3.

¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
   because the LORD has anointed me
   to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
   to proclaim freedom for the captives
   and release from darkness for the prisoners,
² to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
   and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
 ³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
   instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
   instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
   instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
   a planting of the LORD
   for the display of his splendor. 

Jesus was placed on this earth to set captives (aka you, me, and every human on this earth) free. Free from slavery to sin and death. When He sets us free from death, He puts His Spirit inside of us-anointing us be His vessel in setting others free.  We all have different gifts.  This will not and cannot look the same in everyone's life.  However, this is the anointing we are given as followers of Jesus.  Are you doing what you have been anointed to do-set the captives free?

 

Faith and Love

I think I --like so many others-- have had a wrong view of pain and God's love.

"Now I know faith is not a fire, as much as it is a glow,

 A quite lovely burning underneath the snow.

And it's not too much-it's just enough to get me home.

'Cause love moves slow."

 -Audrey Assad lyrics to "Slow"

For me, it is hard to see pain and suffering in others lives.  It is also hard to understand why I have to experience hurt.  If we have excepted Christ in our lives and God really does exist then why do we have to see evil and experience hurt. Doesn't God love us? Doesn't He know how this is hurting His children?

As a matter of fact, He does.  A perfect and holy God made Himself human (Jesus), so that He could experience pain. He didn't have to do that, but He wanted to show His great love by joining us in the suffering.  He experienced suffering and pain because of His love for us.

So my heart breaks at the pain I see around me and as my heart breaks, I am learning the amount of faith I am going to need to make it through this life. Evil lives on earth.  As long as it exists on earth, there will be suffering.  God has chosen me, a weak servant, to step into the pain and suffering and be a light.  As I do this, He will draw me closer to Himself.  Pain and suffering force to me to have faith that there is something better, there has to be a reason for it.  If there is not a reason for it, then hopelessness will flood my heart.  I will be consumed by despair.  

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 

Hebrews 11:1

In the face of pain and suffering I will choose to seek a deeper understanding of God's love.  I will choose to believe that as I experience heart break and wait for healing, Jesus is right beside me. Jesus can relate to my waiting. Jesus is waiting for the day when I get to come home to Heaven and see Him face to face.  He is preparing me for that day through the trials, because through every trial I learn a greater depth to His love.  A little bit of a Heaven on earth when trials are overcome. He is cleansing me for the day when I will be found perfect in His sight.

For that day, I wait.  I have faith, full confidence, in the fact that the day will come when I will see God face to face. For that day, I wait in eager expectation, knowing that every trial faced on earth will have been worth it.  If I seek Him in faith, I will slowly learn the depth of His love.