-Day 87-
“I bow before Your cross, a broken life made new. Amazed at all You are and who I am in You. Adopted, healed and lifted. Forgiven, found and rescued. I am not the same, I am a new creation. I am not the same anymore. I am not ashamed, I will not be shaken.” I Am Not the Same, Aaron Keyes
God is constantly making us new. Transformation isn’t something that just happens only once, but it is a lifetime of continual renovation. While being in Vietnam this month I have had the privilege of witnessing how the Lord pursues his children. There is nothing better than to be in the middle of a conversation talking about the Lord and seeing people’s eye widen as they begin understanding the goodness of our Father. I can imagine a light bulb beginning to radiate the light that is beginning to lit up within them. But just like a lightbulb, there are times when we switch off the light and begin getting lost in the darkness that exist around us.
This month has been my favorite thus far, but it has also been the hardest one yet. My lightbulb began fading as doubt and fear began creeping into my life. Being away from my family and friends for the holidays was very difficult for me. I found myself wishing I was home, instead of thanking the Lord for placing me in a beautiful country filled with beautiful people. I felt broken. As I was being consumed and dwelling in my brokenness, the Lord was quick to remind me of how much he loves us and how he chases after us despite our sin.
I had the pleasure of meeting several wonderful people this month. Jessica was one of those people. One evening while we were sitting in the food court of a shopping center, Jessica began asking questions about God’s character. As a someone beginning to dip her feet in the realm of Christianity, Jessica was very curious about how God communicated with us and questioned if the Lord heard us even if it was just one person calling out to him in prayer. She has been uncertain of whether the Lord has heard her prayers and feels like God has ignored her. She then opened up about a dream she had where the Lord was by her side helping her get up from the ground. Is that God communicating or what! What a beautiful image of our sweet Father looking after his daughter. God is chasing after Jessica! I think his response was a bit different from what Jessica was looking for and made her feel like maybe God was too busy to answer her prayers, but he did in her dream! How often do we dismiss God’s response of what we ask for because it looks different from what we were hoping to hear? There is no doubt that God is chasing after Jessica and is helping her come up off the ground. She may not know it quite yet, but she is on the verge of a beautiful revelation.
It was amazing to hear Jessica’s story and be reminded about the unfailing Love God has for us. As I was dealing with my own mess this month, Jessica wasn’t the only one to experience a revelation. I am not an exception of that unfailing love! It was easy for me to think that what Jessica was experiencing was amazing, but she was feeling that because she was at the beginning stages of her walk with the Lord. I often reminisce over the time when I was just discovering Jesus and the exciting rush that came along with that. But what a lie that is! I have access to that feeling every single day. God is chasing after us every second of every day! That is the kind of Father we serve! Let’s not be followers that lose the thirst and craving to be more intimate with our Lord, or to hear from him, or to feel his love. Intimacy with God is a choice and price that is worth taking, but it begins with a response to his divine appointment for us. Acting and taking ownership of that choice is equally as important as making the choice in the first place. We must never stop chasing after our Father in the same way he chases after us no matter where we are in our walk with him.
Please continue to pray for our squad as we travel to Cambodia tomorrow! There will be some changes as they have asked me to become a team leader of a group of all girls for the month! Please pray that the Lord’s will be done above all. That he will equip me and my teammates with the tools to continue delivering his message in Cambodia, as well as my guy teammates that will join all the other men for a Manistry month. Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!
Much Love,
Ashley
“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” – Jeremiah 17:7-8
VIDEOS
Thanksgiving in Nepal – Sherese Miller
Traveling to Vietnam – Sherese Miller
The Christmas Piñata – Donovan Mccloskey
