This entry was posted on Sunday, September 24th, 2006 at 2:53 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
What is Good?
Jonathan and I bought an RV from another missionary member on Friday night. This will be our new ‘Home Sweet Home’ for our time of preparation for the field. We’ll be spending the next week or so getting the house ready and putting it on the market then we’ll set up the RV and move in. As I went to bed Friday I felt good about our decision and was excited.
I woke up the next morning, walked into the kitchen to make coffee and that’s when it hit me. I realized I wouldn’t be here enjoying this house much longer. Living in an RV has certain challenges as well so a few aspects of life will be a little harder. My heart was so heavy and the tears came when I told Jonathan about my feelings.
So I got my cup of coffee, sat on the couch to have my quiet time and just couldn’t seem to quit crying. I started thinking about how the disciples left everything and followed Jesus and about Abraham and how he was told to simply go to a land God would show him. My plan was to read one of those stories to encourage me to press on but my Bible opened to the Psalms so I thought praising God would be more appropriate. Recently I’ve been going through the Psalms slowly one at a time and sometimes lingering on one to let it sink in. I picked up where I left off and read through Psalm 33 and 34. These Psalms were wonderful for where I was that morning and the longer I praised God the more my spirit was lifted.
Almost every verse spoke to my situation but the one that really struck me was Psalm 34:10b, “Those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.“ What I had lost sight of is what constitutes a “good thing”. Having a washer, dryer, and dishwasher aren’t the good things God promises me when I seek Him. HE is the good thing and is sufficient to meet all my needs. What I really want out of life is peace, joy, love, and fulfillment, which only come from God…….not ease, comfort, and luxury, which are temporary and never really satisfying.
At church today I was so filled with joy, I was giddy. God has transformed my heart from the heaviness I felt yesterday morning to the gleefulness I feel today. Nothing at all in my situation has changed – only my focus and where I’m placing my trust and my hope. He is so good. I exhalt Him, magnify Him, and praise Him at all times, in all circumstances. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul boasts in the Lord! He has delivered me from my fears, saved me from my troubles, and answered my cry.
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. ~Ephesians 3:20
