Still Mercy

Psalm 23:6
⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

2018 began with some trials;  I came down with a respiratory infection, was t-boned in a car accident, had the flu, discovered I have herniated discs in my neck from my car wreck, lost my voice to pharyngitis, came down with a bad stomach bug, work insecurity stress, and a possible biopsy on the horizon all before spring break. A friend made a joke that 2018 is not my year. At first I thought, well 2016 and 2017 weren’t my years either. But later I correctly thought, God carried me through those years and will carry me through this one too. My car wreck could have been worse; I could not be here writing this blog about it. I am because God is not finished with what He wants to accomplish through my time here on this earth. Philippians 1:6 says, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” God’s grace and mercies are new each day; each day He keeps working as I am a work in progress to be more like Jesus. Because He’s still working, I can be encouraged as I face each trial. Because He hasn’t left or forsaken me, I can follow after Him even when I can’t tell where I’m headed. In Exodus, the Israelites followed God by a cloud by day, and a pillar of fire at night in the wilderness. They struggled when they could only see their struggles and not the way God provided in those 40 years they felt lost. 2018 started with struggles, and could possibly have more along the way. Instead of focusing on the struggles, I’m going to focus on God’s goodness and mercy following me. I love the confidence of the psalmist to start the measure, “surely….” Yes, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me. I picture God leading, me following Him and His goodness and mercy following me, hemming me in safely. Not just some days and on some good years, but all the days of my life.

“And Moses said to the people, ‘Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today….. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be still.” ~ Exodus 14:13-14

Have you ever tried to defend yourself to no avail? Either you put your foot in your mouth, or you just aren’t believed even when you are right. While there are times to speak up in the name of truth and justice, there are also times to wait on the Lord and allow Him to work. I struggled this past year with wanting my side of the story heard in several situations. And each time Exodus 14 reminded me that I don’t always have to be vocally heard. I can stand firm for Psalm 118:6 says “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” The promise of the Lord fighting for me doesn’t mean that He performs like a genie my every command. But it does mean that my salvation is secure and nothing on this Earth can destroy me.  Negative opinions from coworkers, broken heart, none of that changes the reality of what defines me. Similar to the Israelites, we are sometimes taken on a journey through our difficulties, but He never leaves us without a way to safety. After many years of enslavement and harsh treatment the Israelites fled the Egyptians only to be confronted with fear of death from the raging waters of the Red Sea or the Egyptians pursuing not far behind. But God’s perfect love overtook those fears by parting the Red Sea and thus taking them through what they thought would lead to their death, but actually led to their safety.  Do you feel stuck with your past haunting you and an impossible journey in front? Do you trust that God can lead you to safety?  Can you be still and let Him fight for you? I’m learning to be still; still in His value and love for me. Still for He is God and covers me in His eternal protection.

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”~ Psalm 46:10

I don’t take time to be still as often as I should. And sometimes those moments have to be forced on me in times of injury and illness. But taking time to be still is rewarding, necessary and instructed.

Rewarding: A good night’s sleep does a world of good! You’re energized, refreshed and calm when you wake up.

Necessary: Even the best machines have to be turned off or rebooted from time to time.

Instructed: God gave us the sabbath to honor Him. On the 7th day He rested; not because He was tired, God is infinite energy, but to model for us a pattern that sets us apart from others.

I recently took a weekend to be still before the Lord. I gave myself permission to do things I enjoy and take a nap in the middle of the afternoon. It was very refreshing and recharged me to do the things God called me to later the following week. Take time to rest and enjoy stillness in his mercy.

“What strength do I have, that I should still hope?
What prospects, that I should be patient?” ~ Job 6:11

One definition of hope is to desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment. It takes a huge amount of faith and as Job notes, a huge amount of strength. As we increase our years of faith we sometimes forget to increase our actual faith. Sure, we don’t know all of God’s plans or how He wants to act in our situations. And as we wait with that expectation He may deem it good to say no for reasons beyond our comprehension. But faith comes in to play by opening our hearts to hope, because while hoping FOR something we trust IN Someone.

Many of us are deceived by the enemy when it comes to hope and fall into 2 categories; we either hope God is our genie and grants at least most of our wishes or we think He’s not going to bother with our requests so why should we hope. Last year God challenged me to pray unrestricted. I laid out my heart and didn’t hold back 10% under the guise of, “well, if it’s your will.” I realized I was holding back part of me just in case God didn’t answer how I wanted. I wasn’t having faith and held on to the illusion I had some control. When the prayer wasn’t answered my hope turned to heartache for I had forgotten something key in trusting in God. I have to trust God to be God. Trust that He does work all things together for His glory and my good and is sovereignly ruling what I cannot see. I had to draw on His strength and lean not on my own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6).

“What strength do I have, that I should still hope?” (Job 6:11a) For awhile I had none because I was drawing on my own empty well. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” I wanted to not feel the hurt of my disappointment, dust the dirt off my sandals and move on. But in my weakness God gave me grace. Each day He had new grace and clothed me in His strength.

“What prospects, that I should be patient?” (Job 6:11b) Luke 12:32 says, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” God created everything in the Heavens and on Earth; He has unlimited resources, many that we haven’t even seen. I can be patient in hope for I know greater things await me.

I still hope with expectation because I know God has already given the greatest blessing, my salvation. I can hope FOR other things because I know He’s capable of still more smaller blessings. I can trust IN Him to discern what I can’t see or know.

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” ~ Lamentations 3:22-23

When I read an old journal entry I am reminded of the feelings I had in that moment. I remember the tears, the smiles and at times the fear. Something else I remember in reading those old entries is the mercy God extended. He time and again listened to repetitive prayers, saw the selfishness in my heart and felt the lack of trust when I couldn’t understand His plan. Yet, He didn’t lose patience or love for me.  He had mercies for me still, new every morning.

Everyday is a gift, and when I’m still in that mercy I can open my eyes brighter to the grace that abounds on top of it. The grace to answer one of those prayers, and a glimpse of His plans are visible when I’m not rushing past on my own agenda. So, take time and be in His presence and enjoy being still in His new mercies; great is His faithfulness!