You are my love,
my life, my longing heart fulfilled
my life, my longing heart fulfilled
You are my quiet
place, where all is safe and still
place, where all is safe and still
You are my gentle
Father, and my loving Lord
Father, and my loving Lord
You are my Savior
and my King forever
and my King forever
Chorus:
And I will not
fear, the storms of life, but I’ll ride upon the waves
fear, the storms of life, but I’ll ride upon the waves
Cos You are my
Rock, the sure foundation of my faith
Rock, the sure foundation of my faith
Oh my soul, oh my
soul… find rest in God alone
soul… find rest in God alone
Oh my soul, oh my
soul… find rest in God alone!
soul… find rest in God alone!
You are the Living
Water that I come to drink
Water that I come to drink
You are the River
flowing full of power and strength
flowing full of power and strength
You are the One
Who reads the writing on my heart
Who reads the writing on my heart
You are the Wings
that carry me beyond the dark
that carry me beyond the dark
Chorus:
And I will not
fear, the storms of life, but I’ll ride upon the waves
fear, the storms of life, but I’ll ride upon the waves
Cos You are my
Rock, the sure foundation of my faith
Rock, the sure foundation of my faith
Oh my soul, oh my
soul… find rest in God alone
soul… find rest in God alone
Oh my soul, oh my
soul… find rest in God alone!
soul… find rest in God alone!
These
are words of the song ‘Find Rest’ by Julie True that especially ministers right
to my core. Not just the words, but the accompanying music that allows you
simply soak and lose yourself in the Lord’s presence.
are words of the song ‘Find Rest’ by Julie True that especially ministers right
to my core. Not just the words, but the accompanying music that allows you
simply soak and lose yourself in the Lord’s presence.
Over
the past few weeks, I have found myself listening to this song over and over,
and constantly singing or humming the particular the line in the chorus ‘Oh my soul, find rest in God alone!’ It
has become a sort of anchor for me in the combination interesting-cum -difficult
times that I have more often than not found myself in since the beginning of
this year.
the past few weeks, I have found myself listening to this song over and over,
and constantly singing or humming the particular the line in the chorus ‘Oh my soul, find rest in God alone!’ It
has become a sort of anchor for me in the combination interesting-cum -difficult
times that I have more often than not found myself in since the beginning of
this year.
I
have been silent awhile on this forum largely because for some reason, I have
not been able to do more than sit and stare at my screen for so long. It had
become a prayer point that the Lord breathe afresh on my creative abilities and
minister something to me that is a word in season for you and I, sis. Truthfully,
so much has happened over these past few weeks, each experience of which has
been a message in itself, but somehow I would sit down to write… and strangely
enough, my mind would draw a complete blank.
have been silent awhile on this forum largely because for some reason, I have
not been able to do more than sit and stare at my screen for so long. It had
become a prayer point that the Lord breathe afresh on my creative abilities and
minister something to me that is a word in season for you and I, sis. Truthfully,
so much has happened over these past few weeks, each experience of which has
been a message in itself, but somehow I would sit down to write… and strangely
enough, my mind would draw a complete blank.
One
of the things the Lord had said to me recently as I fellowshipped with Him, was
that there was too much noise in my soul. And how right He was, of course! It has
been really noisy inside at my end sis, how about you? From the major pains that
I have felt as a mother thinking through the brutal murders of young boys in a
school here in my country, and the kidnapping of about 25 young girls that same
night by the terrorists; to the many unwarranted deaths that are daily reported
in the news; to the incredibly frequent stories of rape that have suddenly
become almost the order of the day… worse still being that most of the reported
stories are rapes of minors; to the trauma of the missing Malaysian airplane;
the ferry in Korea that sunk with all those school children on board; the second bout
of kidnappings of over 100 teenage girls again in the northern part of my
country…. Need I go on?
of the things the Lord had said to me recently as I fellowshipped with Him, was
that there was too much noise in my soul. And how right He was, of course! It has
been really noisy inside at my end sis, how about you? From the major pains that
I have felt as a mother thinking through the brutal murders of young boys in a
school here in my country, and the kidnapping of about 25 young girls that same
night by the terrorists; to the many unwarranted deaths that are daily reported
in the news; to the incredibly frequent stories of rape that have suddenly
become almost the order of the day… worse still being that most of the reported
stories are rapes of minors; to the trauma of the missing Malaysian airplane;
the ferry in Korea that sunk with all those school children on board; the second bout
of kidnappings of over 100 teenage girls again in the northern part of my
country…. Need I go on?
I
have felt very physical pain imagining what the parents of those murdered,
raped, and worse still – kidnapped are going through. I’m a mother myself, and
with only one daughter who is so infinitely precious to me. Tell me sis, how do
you go to bed each night not being sure if your 13year old daughter is at that
time being raped physically, mentally, and spiritually by one or more dirty,
disgusting perverts who kidnapped her from school? How do you go through the
day not being sure what pain or trauma your child is facing at each point in
time, or if indeed she is still alive? How do you reconcile the horror of your
son being burnt alive in a school you sent him to, while you slept on in
ignorance? Ah sis, my heart has been bleeding for a while. It certainly has, and
it still is!
have felt very physical pain imagining what the parents of those murdered,
raped, and worse still – kidnapped are going through. I’m a mother myself, and
with only one daughter who is so infinitely precious to me. Tell me sis, how do
you go to bed each night not being sure if your 13year old daughter is at that
time being raped physically, mentally, and spiritually by one or more dirty,
disgusting perverts who kidnapped her from school? How do you go through the
day not being sure what pain or trauma your child is facing at each point in
time, or if indeed she is still alive? How do you reconcile the horror of your
son being burnt alive in a school you sent him to, while you slept on in
ignorance? Ah sis, my heart has been bleeding for a while. It certainly has, and
it still is!
Ifall these weren’t enough to deal with, my precious uncle died. He was my father’s
only sibling. There had always been just the two of them. He was my second
father, so much so that he it was who gave me out in marriage on behalf of my
own dad. This is a pain that is beyond words. In the middle of my grief, I have
tried and cannot fathom just how devastated his wife and children are, if my
own pain is so much. I cannot fathom the intensity of pain and loss that my
father would be going through right now, given how close they had always been. Can
you understand sis, when I say that I have stared at my screen for weeks and
seen nothing? Life has gone on. I have gone to work and done the things I needed
to do. I have run my home as I always have. I have stayed in the place of
praying and spending time with God. But, there has been noise in my spirit that
has tried to take my ‘voice’ away from me; that has tried to distract me from
my assignment.
Sometimes,
life just bows us down doesn’t it? We find ourselves ‘hard pressed on every
side’ sometimes, don’t we? Even the strongest of us will go through those
seasons where our ‘strength’ is tested and we are reminded that in and of
ourselves, we have no power. I have had to remind myself time and again of my
commitment to be relentless in this assignment. But you know what sis? The
furthest I have been able to get in that commitment has been to actually sit in
front of my laptop and open a fresh page. Beyond that…. I couldn’t make anything
else happen. I have given up on trying time and again because I couldn’t find
it in myself to make it work. ‘I’ couldn’t sis, …But God could, did and has!
life just bows us down doesn’t it? We find ourselves ‘hard pressed on every
side’ sometimes, don’t we? Even the strongest of us will go through those
seasons where our ‘strength’ is tested and we are reminded that in and of
ourselves, we have no power. I have had to remind myself time and again of my
commitment to be relentless in this assignment. But you know what sis? The
furthest I have been able to get in that commitment has been to actually sit in
front of my laptop and open a fresh page. Beyond that…. I couldn’t make anything
else happen. I have given up on trying time and again because I couldn’t find
it in myself to make it work. ‘I’ couldn’t sis, …But God could, did and has!
I
love how those of us who believe are always able to come back to this place of ‘But
God’, sis. by the grace, mercies and power of the Lord, He brings us back to
where our simple declaration is ‘But God!’. Ah, but I’m so eternally grateful
for the privilege of being able to declare ‘But God..’, sis.
love how those of us who believe are always able to come back to this place of ‘But
God’, sis. by the grace, mercies and power of the Lord, He brings us back to
where our simple declaration is ‘But God!’. Ah, but I’m so eternally grateful
for the privilege of being able to declare ‘But God..’, sis.
·
But
God… Who was and is always mindful of me
But
God… Who was and is always mindful of me
·
But
God… Who is indeed the Anchor for my soul
But
God… Who is indeed the Anchor for my soul
·
But
God… Who is indeed my gentle Father, and
my loving Lord
But
God… Who is indeed my gentle Father, and
my loving Lord
·
But
God… Who is indeed my quiet place,
where all is safe and still
But
God… Who is indeed my quiet place,
where all is safe and still
·
But
God… Who is indeed my Rock, the sure
foundation of my faith
But
God… Who is indeed my Rock, the sure
foundation of my faith
·
But
God… Who is indeed the One Who reads
the writing on my heart
But
God… Who is indeed the One Who reads
the writing on my heart
·
But
God… Who is indeed the Wings that carry
me beyond the dark
But
God… Who is indeed the Wings that carry
me beyond the dark
· But
God… Who is indeed my confidence, so that I
will not fear, the storms of life, but I’ll ride upon the waves
God… Who is indeed my confidence, so that I
will not fear, the storms of life, but I’ll ride upon the waves
Ah
yes, sis… because of God, my soul finds its rest!
yes, sis… because of God, my soul finds its rest!
We
woke up really late on Easter Sunday and so had to go to another church to
worship. I’m ordinarily a very early riser, so I know now that God had a
purpose in my late rising that day. As Pastor Tony Rapu of This Present House opened his mouth,
and the Lord began to speak through him, the word was a clear message for me
sis, even as it is for you. Pastor Tony spoke about all the same sets of things
that had been weighing hard on my spirit. He talked about how from the
beginning of the year it had been one thing or the other – the kidnappings, the
bombings, the rapes, the murders, the disappearing planes, on and on. It was like
the Lord opened the pages of my heart and showed him everything that had been
troubling my spirit.
woke up really late on Easter Sunday and so had to go to another church to
worship. I’m ordinarily a very early riser, so I know now that God had a
purpose in my late rising that day. As Pastor Tony Rapu of This Present House opened his mouth,
and the Lord began to speak through him, the word was a clear message for me
sis, even as it is for you. Pastor Tony spoke about all the same sets of things
that had been weighing hard on my spirit. He talked about how from the
beginning of the year it had been one thing or the other – the kidnappings, the
bombings, the rapes, the murders, the disappearing planes, on and on. It was like
the Lord opened the pages of my heart and showed him everything that had been
troubling my spirit.
The
word from the pulpit was very clear… that the enemy is working hard to bow Christians
down in their spirits; to paralyze us in despair and despondency; in fear and
in uncertainty; in diminishing of our faith; and in a working to move us steadfastly
into the place of prayerlessness and powerlessness; to remove our focus from
our purpose and Kingdom assignments. This is the strategy of the enemy, but God…
word from the pulpit was very clear… that the enemy is working hard to bow Christians
down in their spirits; to paralyze us in despair and despondency; in fear and
in uncertainty; in diminishing of our faith; and in a working to move us steadfastly
into the place of prayerlessness and powerlessness; to remove our focus from
our purpose and Kingdom assignments. This is the strategy of the enemy, but God…
God
reminded me as He reminds you today sis that the devil is a defeated foe. He reminds
us that all power belongs to Him. He reminds us that He has the victory in
every situation, even in those circumstances that our human minds cannot
recognize as victorious. He reminds us
that we are not among the hopeless who have nothing to look forward to on the
other side of eternity. He reminds us that we walk in His authority alone and
that His power is available unto us. He reminds us that in our troubles He is
with us, through the fires and through the floods. He reminds us that as long
as we keep our eyes on Him, it will be well with us.
reminded me as He reminds you today sis that the devil is a defeated foe. He reminds
us that all power belongs to Him. He reminds us that He has the victory in
every situation, even in those circumstances that our human minds cannot
recognize as victorious. He reminds us
that we are not among the hopeless who have nothing to look forward to on the
other side of eternity. He reminds us that we walk in His authority alone and
that His power is available unto us. He reminds us that in our troubles He is
with us, through the fires and through the floods. He reminds us that as long
as we keep our eyes on Him, it will be well with us.
And
this is what it is today sis… that call to keep our eyes steadily fixed on Him
Who is higher than high. We cannot see God if our eyes are looking down on the
earth and things of the world. We need to look up. To look up, we need to lift
our heads, sis. We need to straighten our backs, square our shoulders, stretch
our necks and lift our heads, so that our eyes (physical and spiritual) are literally
and spiritually facing the Lord. Lifting up our heads is our taking a stance
that says ‘I am His, and He is working all things out for my good.’ It is our
saying ‘In His strength alone, I am victorious’. It is our declaration to the
camp of the enemy that he cannot and will not kill our spirit, and he will certainly
not gain any victory in our lives because God, and God alone, is our Anchor,
our Helper, our Ally, our Provider, our Protector, and our Victory. Looking up
is our bold declaration to God that we are casting all our cares on Him, in full
confidence that it is well with the righteous. And we are the righteousness of
God in Christ Jesus sis! We surely are!
this is what it is today sis… that call to keep our eyes steadily fixed on Him
Who is higher than high. We cannot see God if our eyes are looking down on the
earth and things of the world. We need to look up. To look up, we need to lift
our heads, sis. We need to straighten our backs, square our shoulders, stretch
our necks and lift our heads, so that our eyes (physical and spiritual) are literally
and spiritually facing the Lord. Lifting up our heads is our taking a stance
that says ‘I am His, and He is working all things out for my good.’ It is our
saying ‘In His strength alone, I am victorious’. It is our declaration to the
camp of the enemy that he cannot and will not kill our spirit, and he will certainly
not gain any victory in our lives because God, and God alone, is our Anchor,
our Helper, our Ally, our Provider, our Protector, and our Victory. Looking up
is our bold declaration to God that we are casting all our cares on Him, in full
confidence that it is well with the righteous. And we are the righteousness of
God in Christ Jesus sis! We surely are!
I
wish I could share with you the many scriptures that came forth from the pulpit
as God assured us continually through His servant that He is still and will
always be in control, but that would make for another 1000 words at least. So let
me leave you with this sis… if like me, life has tried or is trying to cause
you to bow your head, anchor yourself even more firmly in God. In Him alone
will your soul find rest. In Him alone is your peace. In Him alone is your
place of quiet trust and confident assurance of victory. Find it in yourself always
to lift up your head sis. It doesn’t matter if you are so hard pressed that you
can’t even find the words to pray. Just lift up your head in the physical, and
the Lord Who knows all things will hear your spirit and do the rest. These are tough
times for the world sis. And newsflash… it will only get worse! These are the
end times, remember? We cannot allow the enemy put us in the camp of those who
are unable to discern the times and seasons sis. In the name of Jesus Christ, I
refuse to be bent, and I refuse to be broken. Let this be your confession this
day also, sis and the Lord will honor this for His name’s sake.
wish I could share with you the many scriptures that came forth from the pulpit
as God assured us continually through His servant that He is still and will
always be in control, but that would make for another 1000 words at least. So let
me leave you with this sis… if like me, life has tried or is trying to cause
you to bow your head, anchor yourself even more firmly in God. In Him alone
will your soul find rest. In Him alone is your peace. In Him alone is your
place of quiet trust and confident assurance of victory. Find it in yourself always
to lift up your head sis. It doesn’t matter if you are so hard pressed that you
can’t even find the words to pray. Just lift up your head in the physical, and
the Lord Who knows all things will hear your spirit and do the rest. These are tough
times for the world sis. And newsflash… it will only get worse! These are the
end times, remember? We cannot allow the enemy put us in the camp of those who
are unable to discern the times and seasons sis. In the name of Jesus Christ, I
refuse to be bent, and I refuse to be broken. Let this be your confession this
day also, sis and the Lord will honor this for His name’s sake.
TodayI make a fresh commitment to lift my head, regardless of how much my heart
hurts. I make a fresh commitment to fully walk my assignment. I come back to
the place of being relentless in the things that the Lord has purposed to do
through me. Can you do this with me sis? No matter what life is or will throw
at us sis, we will make it. Not in our strength sis, but in the strength of He
Who is the source of all our power; the One Who is our Rock of strength and
Wall of impenetrable hardness; the One Who alone is our Rest. Yes, sis. we will
make it – heads held
high, giving glory to the Lord all the days of our lives. The
Lord will continually help you sis. He will help me.
Be
blessed sis…. for you surely are!
blessed sis…. for you surely are!
Glad you found the strength to carry on. Writing. Keep it up. Nice piece as usual
He who began the good work in you, will complete it….
You are indeed a blessing to the women of this generation. thank you for sharing.
Hmmmmm! Words fail to express how lifted i am by reading this, its like the Lord opened the pages of my heart to you too. May God give you the grace to not only keep the good work up, but to finish strong.