Each year, I like to start the new year off by asking God to reveal to me from the Bible a special word of truth, or “rhema” as it is called in Greek, for the following twelve months.

Through the years, God has been so faithful to give me a first glimpse at some of the lessons He plans to teach me in the months and days ahead. Over the years, God has given me some very precious passages including Revelation 2:1-7 and Hebrews 12:1.

This year, though, I was beginning to wonder if God was going to continue this pattern. By the second week of the year, I was still waiting. But on Friday, God once again delivered a gem and one that I’m looking forward to having instilled in my heart!

The truth for this year that I believe God wants to plant deep inside my heart is Psalm 116:7—-and this truth couldn’t be more timely.

“Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.”

Have you ever felt like your soul has lost sight of God? You feel as if you’re communing with God intimately and are filled to the overflowing by the nearness of His presence, but all of a sudden, an attack from Satan strikes and rocks your mind, will, or emotions.

For me, I can tell often tell when my world is being rocked because I can actually feel it physically. The connection between my heart and my mind is so sensitive that the moment I hear or see something that triggers a deep-rooted insecurity, I sometimes feel a quick pain as my breath catches or my heart skips a beat. Despite the inconvenience, I’m very grateful for this physical reminder as it is a tangible sign to me that my soul has lost sight of God and placed its attention on the cares of the world.

On Friday morning, it was during one of these moments that God revealed this year’s rhema. I was going along my merry way, when all of a sudden, something triggered an insecurity. Like many times, it was on the surface a very trivial and inconsequential matter that upset me, but I’ve long since realized that logic and rationalization are totally useless against insecurities. The tiniest thing can set you off and leave you in a pool of tears or a fit of worry.

Anyway, as I was trying to pray through this latest episode, I begged God to change my heart and mind, and give me His peace once again. All of a sudden, He flashed the words of Psalm 116:7 through my mind. Immediately, I began to pray these words back to Him and praise Him for speaking healing truth to my soul.

As I pondered the words, I was struck by the second part of the verse—”…for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.” God merely hasn’t just dealt with me and provided for my needs. Instead He has blessed me abundantly—above and beyond what I could dream of—-so that I can rest securely in Him.

What a precious reminder and one I’m looking forward to learning more about in 2012.

You never know what—or WHO—God might use to show you His love in the midst of a difficult time. And when He does show Himself strong on your behalf, often all you can do is stand back in awe.

One morning last week, my day got off to a particularly rough start. After getting my wits and emotions put back together, I headed to the store for my weekly grocery shopping. Ordinarily, I like to get out the door at just after sunrise, but thanks to the morning’s drama, I was later than usual.

As I drove, I begged God to do a mighty work—and hold me close to His heart.

By the time I got to Wal-Mart, the tears had dried, but my heart was so heavy. I desperately needed to be reminded that God was right there with me, holding me in His arms, wiping away my tears.

“If you can’t see His way past the tears, trust His heart.” D.L. Moody

As I shopped, I passed a lady with a sweater that had been inscribed on the back in craft paint with the words of Psalm 16:8—“I have set the Lord always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved”—along with the words “Jesus Loves You.” Now ordinarily, I’m not the type to walk up to random strangers and start talking about their clothes, but I felt God prompting me to speak to her. So, as I walked by, I casually remarked that I loved her sweater.

Well, before I knew what was happening, this dear angel from God stopped her shopping, walked over to me and said, “For THAT, you get a hug!” And promptly proceeded to envelope me in her arms.

I must say, this was probably the first time I’ve been hugged by a random stranger in Wal-Mart, but this wasn’t a mere coincidence. This was a divine appointment—-a special delivery of a gift from God sent to comfort my soul. She had no idea what I was going through at that exact moment or how badly I needed even that small dose of reassurance.

I don’t know who that lady was, or if I will ever see her on earth again, but I can’t wait to see her on the other side of eternity. I want to have her over to my mansion for a cup of tea so I can thank her for becoming God’s loving arms on earth.

Because her hug was not just a simple hug; it was a powerfully real reminder of how much God loves me—-and how He will always faithfully see me through.

Image credit: screenpunk

Recently, I have been reading through The Life and Diary of David Brainerd, compiled by the great preacher Jonathan Edwards. The book is a challenging yet extremely rewarding read. I have been blessed . . . and I have been convicted. I have no notion of longing for Christ as deeply as Brainerd, but please God, I want to learn!

About three-fifths through the diary, Brainerd wrote something that struck a chord in my heart. He writes, “[I] was afraid I should forsake the fountain of living waters, and attempt to derive satisfaction from broken cisterns.”

How often have I been guilty of this same sin? How many times have I tried to fill a void in my heart or life with something besides Christ. French scientist Blaise Pascal said, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person, and it can never be filled by any created thing. It can only be filled by God.” How many times do we try to fill this vacuum or quench our thirst with something other than God. It is so easy to turn to the temptations of money, power, fame, work, and relationships to find fulfillment.

Drinking from these broken water jars will always leave us thirsting for more . . . and more . . . and more.

But praise God, there is a way to find fulfillment—-lasting, unquenchable fulfillment. No one can sum this up better than Jesus in His conversation with another thirsty woman, the Samaritan lady at the well. “Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:13-14

Take your thirsting heart to Christ, my friend. Once you have tasted the water from the Fountain of Life, the broken jars of the world will never again be appetizing.

“There are things that only you can do, and you are alive to do them. In the great orchestra we call life, you have an instrument and a song, and you owe it to God to play them both sublimely.” Max Lucado

A couple of weeks ago, I had a chance to enjoy a relaxing evening at the Symphony. Although I love many things about seeing an orchestra play live, there is one particular part that is my favorite.

Only moments before a concert begins and after the rest of the orchestra is seated, the first violinist will traditionally walk out onto the stage. After taking a bow, he or she will proceed to play a single A note—-and then in unison, the rest of the orchestra will join in for a last minute tuning.

Words cannot effectively describe the experience of hearing the winds, brass, strings, and the rest of the orchestra playing a single note in perfect harmony. And it is only after this special ritual will the conductor arrive on stage and proceed to lead his orchestra in its musical journey.

Recently, as I was pondering how this relates to our spiritual walk with the Lord, I thought of the hymn Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. I love this dear old hymn, but often when I think of it, one short phrase comes to my mind first . . . Tune my heart to sing thy praise.

Your own personal symphony has already been orchestrated, but it won’t be a masterpiece until your heart is in tune with the Conductor. Sure, you can start playing without seeking Him for guidance and direction, though instead of a melodious concerto, you’ll find yourself bobbling along through life, striking a lot of sour notes.

But when your heart is in perfect harmony with the magnificent score God has personally written for you, the music God plays through your life will positively take your breath away.

Tune my heart, Lord . . .

It’s no secret that I love to plan. But as I’ve discovered many times, God usually has completely different ideas than I do.

For a type-A person with the spiritual gift of organization, planning is essential. Without a plan, I usually have a hard time getting my thoughts detailed, my thoughts then turned into actions, and also if I’m working with others, our team organized and on the move.

Thankfully, there’s nothing wrong with preparing diligently—God’s Word is very clear on that score—but there’s something that always has to be factored into any plan…..God’s will. And I’m convinced that God has a sense of humor, because more times than not, my Plan A has to turn into Plan B.

Michael Hyatt, one of my favorite bloggers, had some very wise thoughts on the subject this morning:

Over the years, I have learned that my Plan B is often God’s Plan A. Nothing happens by accident. To quote Richard Rohr, “everything belongs.”

I think Plan B is God’s way of reminding me that He’s in charge. And, frankly, it’s better that way. I don’t care how hard I plan, I can’t anticipate everything. Nor do I always know what’s best. But He does.

In God’s economy there is no Plan B. He is sovereign. As difficult as things get—as chaotic as they may appear—He only has Plan A. And, quite frankly, I’m content to rest in that. I may not understand all the reasons, but I am content to rest in His Providence and enjoy the adventure.

Have a fantastic week resting in the peace of having God in control of your plans!

Are you a wimp? I don’t know about you, but I sure have my moments—-and I’m wholeheartedly grateful that God still uses wimps.

Case in point: Joshua, one of the most acclaimed generals and leaders of all time.

Ordinarily, when you think of Joshua, a wimp is probably not what comes to mind. The story of Joshua might make you think of a host of descriptive terms, such as courageous, wise, faithful, brave, and a mighty leader of men. But he sure wasn’t born that way. Joshua, just like the rest of us, started out as a wimp. And not just a little old wimp—-he was such a big wimp, that not only did God have to tell him to have courage, but the people of Israel had to help remind him too.

Lately, I’ve been meditating on the book of Joshua—and what it means to have the heart of a leader. One of the first truths that God has shown me is that the heart of a leader is courageous.

Ironically, though, Joshua didn’t start off as being courageous. In fact, quite the contrary.

In the opening words of the book, barely past the introduction, God has to help remind Joshua to be strong and not give up. Moses was barely cold in the grave before Joshua got a bad case of knocking knees and wimpitis. The task before him was unbelievably overwhelming and surely he must have wondered how he was going to finish the mission of leading Israel into the Promised Land.

Fortunately, God was there to comfort his trembling servant:

“There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.

Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.” Joshua 1:5-7

Then, just mere verses after God settled Joshua down, the people provided a little positive reinforcement. You see, they were willing to submit to Joshua’s leadership, but they had a caveat of their own. . . he had to get over being a wimp.

“And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go. According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only the LORD thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses.

Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy commandment, and will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong and of a good courage.” Joshua 1:16-18 (emphasis mine)

So what changed Joshua? How did he go from being a wimp to being a warrior? What transformed him from a helpless follower into a hero of faith?

It’s simple — and the same exact thing that changes us. He met with God. And once he saw Him, his life was never the same.

In chapter 5, the story is recounted about how Joshua encountered the Captain of the Host of the Lord….Christ appearing in bodily form in the Old Testament. It was here in the preceding days before Jericho, Joshua’s first big test, that his life was changed. As he worshiped on holy ground, he realized that God was the source of his strength.

Did this experience instantly make Joshua perfect? Absolutely not. The rest of the book tells us his exploits and his failures, his high moments and his low spots. One of the greatest generals of all time was duped by a bunch of bums with moldy bread. But that’s not what he’s remembered for. He’s remembered for his courage and for his place among the Heroes of Faith in Hebrews 11.

By the end of his life, Joshua had learned the lesson of having a courageous heart. When we first met this motley hero, God had to tell him to be strong and even the people he was responsible to lead had to tell him to be courageous. But by the time Joshua’s story was complete, he was finally able to tell someone else to be courageous, because he had learned it himself.

In Joshua’s farewell speech to the people, it was his turn to do the reminding: “And the LORD your God, he shall expel them from before you, and drive them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as the LORD your God hath promised unto you. Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left;” Joshua 23:5-6

After encountering firsthand the source of his strength, the wimp became a warrior. Now how about you?

“I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.” Proverbs 8:12

Recently, I’ve been thinking about how God teaches and inspires mankind according to Proverbs 8:12. Have you ever wondered about how man learned to start a fire? Or who taught him how to build a boat? How did someone know to pluck and grind wheat, and then bake it into a loaf of bread? How? How? How?

The answer is God. God’s spirit inspired man with knowledge and the skills to invent amazing things.

But imagine this . . . if God could teach man how to do these things, think about what miraculous things He’ll show us if we but ask!

During a recent reading of the book of James, I stumbled onto an interesting tidbit in the first verse.

“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.” James 1:1

What an intro.

In the opinion of our power-hungry culture, James could have done a whole lot better. After all, he had friends in high places. He could have said, “James, the beloved, exalted, and best-loved brother of Christ.” Or, “James, the one hand-picked by God to receive an exclusive revelation.”

But, no, he didn’t.

Instead of exalting himself, he humbled himself. Instead of finding his self-worth in his popularity rating, he chose to identify himself with meekness.

James knew what mattered most in God’s eyes. And that’s something I need to keep in mind, too.

I’ve recently discovered that one of the “worst” things you could ever pray for is for God to teach you patience. God promises that He will always answer prayers made in accordance with His will, and as He desires patience in the life of every one of His children, this is one prayer that will never fail to be answered.

However, the million dollar question is, am I willing to endure the things God brings along my path in the process of teaching me patience?

God has been teaching me in the School of Patience over the past several weeks and months. Just when I think I might have finally scored a C+ and graduated out of the class, I blow it and have to start all over again. Fortunately, even though I don’t have patience yet, I serve an all-loving Father who has infinite patience with me!

As I’ve been in this rather interesting school of life, I’ve been reading about patience in the Bible. The other day as I was reading one of my favorite books in the Bible, Hebrews, the words of Hebrews 12:1 jumped off the page.

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”

As I pondered this passage, I thought about the phrase “cloud of witnesses”. Who are these eyewitnesses of our struggles, these people who are looking from afar as we journey on the road of life?

After a few moments, it struck me. The “cloud of witnesses” are the heroes of faith mentioned in the preceding chapter. At first, the thought of these giants of faith constantly watching our struggles from heaven might seem rather intimidating. But then as I thought back over their lives, I realized that these heroes of faith, men and women whom God decided to particularly honor, might have something more in common with me than I ever realized. Let’s take a look at just a few of their stories.

By faith Rahab . . .
Funny thing is, if you or I were God, we probably wouldn’t include Rahab in our roster of heroes of faith. A prostitute, she’d committed just about every sin in the book, and she knew exactly what it was like to battle the lusts of the flesh that plague us all. Like each of us, Rahab had many moments of failure, but once she patiently trusted God with her future, He proved Himself faithful by sparing her life—and gave her something that her soul surely must have longed for, a marriage and a family of her own.

By faith Gideon. . .
Ahhh, yes, Gideon. Another motley hero. Another saint with a list of sins. Unbelief and distrust of God were so great in his life that God had to work special miracles just to help poor Gideon take the hint. God showed Gideon—and us—that He could use anyone or anything to accomplish His will on earth, even a few cracked pots.

By faith Joseph . . .
Talk about having to learn patience the HARD WAY. Joseph knew when he was just a young boy that he was destined for greatness, but it would take years of suffering, betrayal, and his worst nightmares becoming true before reaching the height of his destiny. What went through his head during all those years in Pharaoh’s prison? Did he doubt whether God really did have a plan for his life? Was he ever tempted to just throw in the towel?

By faith Isaac. . .
Isaac had a huge weight on his shoulders. Though he was next in line to carry out God’s promise of birthing a great nation out of Abraham’s family, Isaac had one small problem. He didn’t have a wife. His proverbial body clock was ticking along, yet God still took His time before sending Isaac his Princess Charming.

I wonder what went through his mind all those years while he was waiting for God to bring along just the right spouse for him? Did his soul long for someone he’d never even met? Was he ever tempted to settle for Ms. Second-Best?

Any of these scenarios sound familiar? I saw myself in many of the behind-the-scenes stories of the heroes of faith. And that’s exactly what God intended.

God’s heroes of faith, the cloud of witnesses watching us from Heaven, aren’t just disinterested spectators. The men and women standing at the finish line have run the same race, too.

They are standing at the tape, waiting for you to cross it, cheering you on and saying, “Don’t give up. I’ve run this race, too. I know what you’re going through, but keep fighting. Keep running. I reached the finished line . . . and so can you.”

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of returning to one of my favorite tennis tournaments, the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. Nestled in the heart of a sleepy, sophisticated desert community, the ambiance and atmosphere is what makes the tournament so special, and ironically, not the tennis.

Granted, Indian Wells attracts the best players in the world, but at the end of the day, it’s not tennis that the players, fans, and media are talking about. It’s the beauty of the mountains, the relaxing pace, the refreshing coolness of the night desert air, and the lovely little personable towns of Palm Desert, La Quinta, and Indian Wells.

Out of the three communities I’ve grown to know and love, La Quinta rates as my favorite. For this southern gal, when I first heard the name, I immediately equated it to the hotel chain. Not quite.

La Quinta is home to several magnificent resorts, golf courses, Hollywood celebrity hideouts and hangouts, and restaurants that just make you say “wow” with raised eyebrows as you look at the wealth and money greeting you at every turn.

It was also in La Quinta that God chose to teach me a valuable lesson. Ordinarily, I’m not impressed by money. For me, a person matters so much more than how many zeros are posted in their bank account balance. But, I confess, it’s nearly impossible for me to not be influenced and regaled by the wealth and opulence of this desert community.

Or to covet and wonder what my life would be like if I lived there.

My drive to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden each morning is one of my favorite parts of the day, as it’s only about a ten minute jaunt with palm trees, desert fauna, and snow-capped mountains greeting me at every turn. It was during this time of day that God decided to send me a personal message.

I was sitting at a stoplight, waiting for the light to turn green, and staring into the gates of a beautiful golf resort as my mind began to drift. Thoughts of contentment, feelings of how this was the life I was meant to live overshadowed my brain. In those few moments of quiet, instead of paying attention to the scripture playing on my car’s stereo, I was daydreaming about my future status as a resident of a town such as this one. Needless to say, it was a rather pleasant day dream.

Then suddenly, out of nowhere, I was snapped back to reality. As I glanced at the car next to mine, I noticed a bumper sticker with four little words.

Not. Of. This. World.

Ouch.

It’s so easy to be entranced and enraptured by the things around us. And you know what, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with nice things. God is a God of beauty and he delights in seeing his children happy. But that happiness should stem from something much deeper—and from remembering that this is all just a mere glimpse of what’s to come.

To borrow from the words of the old hymn, this world is not my home. I really am just’a passin’ through. Instead of focusing on the temporary things, I need to focus on the eternal, the things that will stand the test of time . . . the Word of God and the souls of men.

It’s funny what God will use to teach his children powerful object lessons . . . . even a little bumper sticker.