Friday, January 25, 2008

The Goodness of the Lord in the land of the LIVING!

My mind is racing about all that the Lord could possibly have before us on our upcoming adventure to America. There are things that my mind goes to on what to pack, or what are we going to do in freezing temperatures with "flip flops" on our feet?!?! But then there are things I am excited as I think of seeing my parents faces, my brothers & their kids faces – hugging them! To see in person, laugh & worship the Lord with our friends! Wow! It is going to be such a beautiful time! Then there is another part of me that is thinking about all that the Lord has done in our lives. What would it be that He would have us return with. I could give testimonies of healings, provision & the surrendered lives – and we will! But, as I was with the Lord this morning I was taken back to a verse:

Psalms: 27:13 – I had fainted, UNLESS, I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

That was a Scripture that a friend of mine gave me prior to coming to Thailand. I was really struggling with seeing my family in pain over our call to Thailand. I remember this verse was given to me just after a personal word I was clinging to. That being that through my greatest struggles, will be my greatest victories in Christ! That was something I believed for my parents and family as well - as they would draw near to the Lord. Anyway, it brought me great hope & great expectations of all that the Lord would do in our lives if we would call to Him.

So this morning I was reading Psalm 116:13, "I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord." Man have I done this! I have done this & God does hear & God does answer!!!! He is so faithful! He is so caring and good! He is all that the Word says He is & personally that can become something He desires to reveal intimately. Something that to look back you KNOW you can TRUST the Lord! Thank you Jesus for your faithfulness!

The next Scripture I went to was Matthew 26:17: "And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them saying, "Drink ye all of it." ALL OF IT. There is no halfsies. You have to go all the way with the Lord! The true message of the Bible is not a prosperity message, but a reality in Christ. Yes He has good things for you & yes He wants you to prosper, but He always has an eternal mindset with that.

There are difficulties I have gone through that I know that I know I went through to draw me closer to the Father! The tears I have cried out in my walk have never returned void! I have truly seen the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!

Another Psalms says, "though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever! Amen to that! I am quoting a line from a movie, I think it was Love comes Softly, anyway, the guy says to the lady, "The Lord never promises that you will not walk through valleys, but that He walks through them with you."

Ok, well that was on my heart & I thought I would share. I hope to stay regularly connected through our travels! Pray for us and that the Lord would direct our every step! May God bless you!

3 comments:

The Herd said...

It's so good to read your blog and know partly what you are going through. I can't wait to hear what the Lord does in your parents along the way--I pray that they are open to Him as He changes them.
I also pray His comfort and peace for them, as I know my own parents struggle with sad feeling with the thought of us leaving.
God be with all of you and I hope to be able to see you sometime during your state stay:). If you ever need a meal, just give us a call--Tami Kenney has our number and we are also in the phone book. I won't leave it on your blog as this is open to everyone(even those we don't know :) )

Bilotta said...

Amy,

Thank you for speaking at the United Methodist Men's breakfast on Saturday. I hope Trent is feeling better. You and your family are truly doing the lord's work. My wife and I have prayed and decided to make monthly donations to you. You and your family will be in our prayers.

Peace & Grace++
Frank & Sherry Bilotta
FUMC, Plano

Unknown said...

Hi! was doing a google search for this verse this morning and chanced upon you blog.

Was so blessed by the simplicity and intensity of your faith and love for our Saviour and His kingdom.

Amazing how this connection with HIm enables us to connect with each other.

Praying for the beauty of His love and the power of His message to shine like a light in all that you do in His name.

In Him,
Cynthia