Thursday, October 1, 2009

I'm Safe

"Whatever the particular call is, the particular sacrifice God asks you
to make, the particular cross He wishes you to embrace, whatever the
particular path He wants you to tread, will you rise up, and say in your
heart, 'Yes, Lord, I accept it; I submit, I yield, I pledge myself to
walk in that path, and to follow that Voice, and to trust Thee with the
consequences'? Oh! but you say, 'I don't know what He will want next.'
No, we none of us know that, but we know we shall be safe in His hands."

~Catherine Booth

A quote received in my inbox this morning. A sorely needed word.

I'm reminded of all "the particular calls" God has given me in my life, and almost every one of them has left me scratching my head at the time. I seem to pull a Gideon more often than not: "What? Me? I think you have the wrong person, God. She's more talented. Such-n-So is more qualified. I'm a mess, a big bag of emotional crazy. You know me...c'mon, now!"

The Holy Spirit then speaks into my heart, mind and soul, reminding me who I am in Christ, and that none of it's about me anyway. I've become quicker to answer His calls as I've grown in my faith walk, but it is still a challenge, depending on how out of my comfort zone the request seems to be.

Then there's the whole "cross to embrace" and "path to tread" thing. Most Christ-followers would agree this is a bit more difficult to live out authentically, because it involves pain & sacrifice & surrender & longing for relief.

The path can be so lonely. During the rocky part of the trail, we listen to others around us talking about being on top of the mountain and rejoicing, about serving the Lord--how He'll make our paths straight--and even though we've spoken those same words before, in those moments, it seems as though they're speaking a foreign language or even "Wah-wahing" like the grown-ups in Charlie Brown.

That doesn't mean their words aren't true...it simply means that we aren't experiencing them at that moment. Sometimes it seems like it's been a whole other life since we've done so. In our deepest heart of hearts, we long to "count it all joy" and "rejoice in suffering," but we acknowledge that we're not there yet and God still has more work to do in and through us.

I mean no disrespect, but does anyone know what I'm talking about here?

So what's the answer?

In times of doubt, discouragement, depression, wondering, wandering, wrestling, restlessness, suffering, persecution and temptation--big, medium or small--I believe the answer is the same:

Dependence.

The Bible says we can fully trust Him; thus, we can fully depend on Him. When we choose to depend on God's sovereignty, we are willingly surrendering our own spirit to be consumed with His.

That's what Jesus did in the midst of His worst moments. "Into Your hands, I commit my Spirit," he groaned. My elaboration..."Into YOUR hands...even if that means more pain. Even if it means humiliation. Even death, Father, I'm committed to Your way."

Jesus was safe in His hands, and so are we. Say this out loud with me:

"I'm safe in His hands."

Then, fully surrendered, completely dependent, let's say this to God:

'Yes, Lord, I accept it; I submit, I yield, I pledge myself to
walk in that path, and to follow that Voice, and to trust Thee with the
consequences."

Yes, Lord, I'm depending on You.
"He alone is my rock and my salvation;
He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God;
He is my mighty rock, my refuge.

Trust in Him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to Him,
for God is our refuge.
~Selah"

Psalm 63:6-8, NIV



***By the way, I receive quotes like this one, something to challenge me every day from "I Lift My Eyes Web Ministries." If you'd like to sign up to have a daily quote too, click HERE.

9 friends shared a comment:

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

I imagine that my ramblings does sound a bit like the "wah-wahing" of Charlie Brown day. I can hear it now in my head, as I type!

When we're not where others are in our spiritual journeys, we tend to think there is something wrong with us, and that is does, indeed, seem to be a season long ago when we were standing at the same place.

I understand. I'm impressed by one of my favorite Chamber's reflections (can't find it at the moment) where he talks about our valleys--the place where God "hammers out" his will into us, shapes it, refines it, implants it and in doing so, helps us make peace with the chasm that exists between it and the mountaintop above. Make sense?

Anyway, I've been where you are so many times, and in many ways, have experienced the valley this week. You will emerge from this precious friend; just keep looking up and walking forward.

peace~elaine

Dana said...

Right there with you! Praying for you! Loving you all the way.

Denise said...

I love you, always praying for you sweetie.

HisFireFly said...

You have inspired me yet again. You're so right.. it's not about us, not about us at all, but all about His glory.

Thank you for your obedience to His calls, even when you can't quite understand them.

letha "darlene" said...

Press forward LauraLee He is worth every trial, every storm in life. Glory given to our King of Glory, our Creator for His mercy within each event in our lives. KSG letha darlene

Unknown said...

Dependence... I really believe it's the Hardest thing. I have the discipline (most of the time), but daily dependence is tough. Starting the day out in prayer where I'm not just rushing through it makes a huge difference. Thanks for bringing me closer to His Spirit this morning.

Betsy Markman said...

Oh Amen, sister! You have hit it on the head!
I know I don't take the time to comment often these days, but I do enjoy your posts!

Lori Laws said...

"I'm safe in His hands" Amen to that! I am totally, totally on board with what you just posted! And thanks for pointing me to receive a daily quote. I just subscribed:)

God bless you!

Connie Arnold said...

Yes, LauraLee, that's what it's all about, dependence on God, no matter what comes to submit and trust, knowing we are safe in His hands! Thank you for sharing your beautiful post.