I have found that God speaks to me through worship songs. The words hit me like a ton of bricks and I am blown away by God in just a moment. It may also be because Grace, one of my teammates, is a worship guru and has THE BEST playlist ever! Haha
So the idea for this blog came from the songs below:
Extravagant by: Bethel (Steffany Gretzinger)
The Chorus says:
“It’s extravagant, it doesn’t make sense
We’ll never comprehend, the way You love us
It’s unthinkable, only Heaven knows
Just how far You’d go, to say You love us
To say You love us”
The other song that inspired me was this one:
Overwhelm Me: Riley Erin
My favorite part of this songs says:
“Lead me further into the unknown
That’s where I wanna go
I abandon all as deep calls out to deep
I wanna be Lost
I wanna be lost in you
Overwhelm me!
Take me higher, take me deeper
Seeing your glory, hearing your whisper.”
All of that to say, I want to be lost in you Jesus, but in order to do this I have to give up control.
One of the biggest things I have learned thus far on the World Race is that you have NO control of your circumstances. One of the famous Race mottos is: “Hurry up and wait.” A lot of times we are asked to get ready and then wait for a plan. Our first test was when our flight was cancelled. We hurried ourselves to get ready and then waited for hours. I’ve found that ministries can be the same. When you are in another culture, a different time zone, and speak a different language, things are out of your control.
Control is comfortable. I’m comfortable when I’m in control. I like to know my surroundings and circumstances and be able to change them if need be. I like to make all decisions that pertain to me. It is a flaw in my character. I fully admit that I like control, maybe even love it. But, that isn’t what God calls us to do. God calls us to be servants (Colossians 1: 25 “I have become a servant by the commission God gave me…”). He calls us to rejoice in our surrender and trust that He has got it.
In these moments when I have no control over time, other people, the weather, or anything else for that matter, I have to surrender. I have to surrender to the perfect God. He knows the plan, He knows the timing, and He is in control. He has a plan that is so much better than anything we could ever imagine. (Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “ Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”)
His timing is perfect. (Ecclesiastes 3: 1 “There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens.”) He knows the people that we will meet and encounter and love on. He prepares their hearts and opens their eyes to see His love through me. He is a good, good father. He sees my heart and knows me (Psalm 139: “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.”) He knows my love for babies and plans for me to meet and name precious baby boys in a slum, in the dark in India. He took that moment to make sure I knew how much He loves me.
What kind of God does that?!?
His love for us amazes me in SO many ways and I have nowhere near the full understanding of it. I love that I serve a living God that sees us and knows us. I love that I can get lost in love with my Jesus. The most amazing part about it is that He promises that the more we seek Him, the more we find Him. As we earnestly desire to understand Him more, He pours out more and more grace and peace (2 Peter 1:2 “Grace and Peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.”)
He gives us the power to seek and find him and He seeks us. It is never a one-way relationship. Even when we don’t think God is near or even when we aren’t seeking Him, He is relentlessly pursuing us. He knocks down obstacles that stand in our way. He fights our battles for us (Exodus 14:14). He heals us. He meets us wherever we are and loves us endlessly.
My one desire in this life, is that God be my ONE THING. I want to behold him every day of forever. (Psalm 27: One thing that I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.) I want to get lost in love with him. I want to live with pure abandon and a constant yes in my spirit! I want to be overwhelmed by your love. I want to have such a big understanding of your love that I am fully secure, fully known, fully accepted, and fully who you created me to be. I want Jesus to be my firm foundation. I want him to be my comfort. I want him to be my home.
For his love is like an ocean…
Let’s get lost!
Thank you all SO much for reading!! Thank you for your continued love, encouragement, and support. We are headed to Nepal in a few short days for debrief and then we will be headed to our ministries. Nepal is all squad month, so I will be with the whole Wonder Church during September.
Please keep my team, my squad, our hosts, and all of the people that we have encountered and have yet to encounter in your prayers!!
Love,
Gabbie
