A 45 minute-trafficky drive used for God's glory. Who would'a thought!?
The long drive back home from the tiny White Rhino Coffee Shop caused me to replay the conversations that were had. God certainly does use every situation/circumstance/moment for His glory. I left the quaint little coffee shop incredibly encouraged and uplifted by completely new friends!
"You are Able, higher is our God
Than anything that comes our way
Come what may
You alone forever stay,
You’re able, higher is our God"
-Christy Nockels
Do we believe that? That God is able, that He is higher than our circumstances? I certainly do not! I find myslf asking for Him to show me how to trust that He is in control AND that He is able… This song is playing right now:
"I'm counting on Your Name,
I'm counting on Your Name,
Counting on Your Name to save me.
I'm trusting You're the Way,
My Saviour."
I don't know who sings that, but… Do I count on His Name? Do I believe in who He says He is? I don't, not enough at least. I get stressed out too easily, I don't trust in God to take care of me completely, & I certainly have not been praying like I believe He is who He says He is!
Abba, help me to believe You are who You say You are! Help me to trust You! Help me with my unbelief!
God refers to Himself as "I Am Who I Am" in Exodus 3 to Moses when he asks what to say to the Israelites. "I Am Who I Am" in Hebrew is written as , in English we write it as YHWH. There is so much meaning in those 4 letters and so much about the language that I do not understand, like, for example, how the name consists of only vowels and therefore cannot be pronounced! They could not even speak His Name! The reverence that the Israelite people had for the Lord is remarkable.
So God refers to Himeslf as YHWH, and in Genesis 22 we see Abraham referring to God as YAHWEH-Yireh. "So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide." Lately I have been praying for God to reveal Himself to me as YAHWEH-Yireh, as the God who provides.
If God is able, if He is above anything that comes my way, then He is YAHWEH-Yireh! Ephesians 3:20 says, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us", God is able. He already provided for my greatest need (rescue from death) in Jesus, so why do I not trust Him to provide for everything else? The Word tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We have to constantly remind ourselves that we have been bought/adopted/rescued by Jesus and that knowledge should make us trust our Rescuer all the more!
But we don't. I know I don't. I get caught up in the world. In deadlines, circumstances, projects, taxes, whatever. But, if we look to Jesus, we see that God is who He says He is. We have freedom from those worldly things. He already provided for our greatest need in the most amazing way by crushing Christ! Isaiah 53 says that it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer. We're so greatly loved! God gave Himself to us, why do we worry about everything else?
2 Corinthians 5:21 says "God made him who had no sin to be sin [offering] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." He will give us all things in His providence -Romans 8:32. Get what I'm trying to say, God is YAHWEH-Yireh, He is Provider! How captivating!! So, that frees me up to get on my knees and thank Him. To open my hands and rejoice because He is in control. To not be muddled with doubts and fears- His perfect love casts out fear! To walk in power, to walk in the light because He is the Light!
"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." -Romans 8:15
Preach that to yourself today! Soak it up, read it aloud, sing it out! Abba, Father. We are His children, He is our good Dad. He is our Provider. YAHWEH-Yireh will take care of all my needs. I need only to praise His holy Name.
I think once we understand all that YAHWEH-Yireh entails, we will be a people that are marked by peace. Because then, what good is worry- or rather- what would I worry about if I truly know that my God will provide and will be seen and will take care of me?
I will be praying this for us: That God would teach us how to trust Him as YAHWEH-Yireh, as our good Dad. That we would know that His presence and approval are all we need for everlasting joy. That He would captivate our hearts with Jesus all over again to the point that we simply cannot stop praising Him or talking about Him. Jeremiah 20:9, "If I say I will not mention Him or speak any more in His Name, there is in my heart as it were a burning fire, shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot."
"Your love amazes me.
I sing because You are good,
And I dance because You are good,
And I shout because You are good,
You are good to me."
Thank you to my current and future supporters! God is using you to bless me so that I can go and bless those He is sending me to. So thank you for providing!! If you are not yet a supporter, I ask you to pray about coming alongside me in this ministry and blessing me with your provision. God can and will use any amount, so do not think anything is too little!
Spread the word… 6 months.
