Trust in the Lord with All your Heart!

...and lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will smooth your paths.
- Proverbs 3:5-7

HOLD tight to His hand with an ungiving grip, mercilessly tight; LOCK your grip, NEVER let it go!
GAZE deep into His love, a love that will NEVER let you have less than the best. And He knows best!
REST sweetly in His arms, knowing that NOTHING will overtake you against His choice when He looks after your way. ALL His power protects you from evil's dominion.
STEP forward at God's command, with faith that He - with all these promises - has not and will not EVER leave you. He loves you - He CANNOT leave you!

Has He not earned infinitely more than you've ever wanted in a lover, a protector, a guide?
Has He not proved His love more purely and more completely than you've ever asked for or deserved?

"Is your life hard? Is it turning against you? Is there a weight on your shoulders?
My beloved, please, oh please, trust me!
It hurts me to see you so hesitant to travel my path. I said it's the best for you - don't you trust me?
I made it best for you because I love you. All the other paths can't nearly match this one - it's so superior. Just you go and see!

"What? The thorns are too many? The waves are too big? The path is too steep?
Don't you remember - I put your thorns on my own head, I walk you over the water, and I carry you up the hills. Have you forgotten?

"I know that what you see in this path is so different from what you've always known as good, what you've hoped for in life.
But I soar above, I see the end - I chose the end. It's better than you can ever imagine, because I love you more than you can ever understand!
If you love me, take this path and see how much I love you! Trust me."

A Delaying Hope

With finals here and upon me, I am knowing the feeling that I want to be done.
Even if I skip the final, I'll pass the class.
Why can't I go home now?
Then I listen to 'Homesick' by MercyMe, and realize the bigger desire: How long must I be here on this earth?
I'm already saved and secure.
Why can't I go home now?

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

How long must I be on this earth
to serve mankind?
to bear the pain of life?
to bear the pain of others?

Give me Your love strongly enough
to love the world with Your love;
Lord, please let me love others enough
to live for them.

Oh, that I can feel Your hand even now,
while in betrothal,
before You complete Your vows.

The 3 Secrets of Consistently Happy People

Happiness. We all want it. Our country claims to give us the right to pursue it. What is it?
This question popped into my head during the sunday sermon at my home church. Why I don't know. But it did, and the answer seemed to follow right along. I knew it had to do with hope for the future, but then I realized it had something to do with the past too. Anyway this is my final observation:
Happiness is...

• Peace with the Past
• Contentment in the Present
• Hope for the Future

Peace with the Past

[Matthew 5:23, 2 Corinthians 5:18, Ephesians 2:14-17]
In order to be truly happy, we need to have peace with the past. This means, perhaps most importantly, Reconciliation -- with yourself, with others, and with God, about who you are, who you've been, what you've done, what others have done to you. This means forgiving others their wrongdoings, asking forgiveness, and accepting things that can't be changed (who you are, the way you were raised, your environment, etc). Thank lots of people for things they've done for you. Giving thanks is another aspect of boosting your peace with the past -- it keeps reminding you that there are things in your past that were good. Sometimes really good. I have found that when I'm reconciling things of the past I simultaneously thank people for things left and right, and it's extremely freeing.
Note this is a biblical principle, and I don't believe a non-Christian can ever fully have true peace with the past.
Hmm, I could write a book on this. Kinda like The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (who ever reads that anymore? - it's a pity and a shame). I just now changed the title to parallel that book!

Contentment in the Present

[Philippians 4:11-12, Romans 8:28]
In order to be truly happy, we need to have contentment in the present. This is more self-explanatory, but really it perhaps should be the last of the three. You can't be content in the present until you have both peace with the past and hope for the future. With both of these, what can go wrong in the present? A solid hope pulls anyone through anything. As a Christian, contentment in the present is based on God's promises to keep us, that He is in full control of what's going on, and that everything happens for the good of those who love Him.
Note that this is also a biblical principle, and I don't believe a non-Christian can ever fully have true contentment in the present.

Hope for the Future

[Job 8:13]
In order to be truly happy, we need to have hope for the future. Without it there is no happiness that doesn't seem empty and meaningless. It's like a last date every time. On a medical website I read, "1. Hope is essential for the adaptation to illness and to transcend the limitations of aging. 2. Hope generates energy that enables individuals to cope with numerous problems and losses, overcome obstacles in life, and continue functioning during chronic illness. 3. Hope thrives in the context of a caring relationship." I'd like to expound on #3: Hope is directly related to a relationship. In this way Loneliness is also tied with hope, or lack of it. But the relationship -- is there really true hope in relationships with people? Humans, who change directions so often in the maze of life? No. The only relationship that can give true hope is a relationship with God, who doesn't change, and who loves us and with His power has a future - a good future - already set up for us. Basically, hope in God!
In Job 15, Job's friend says he doesn't believe God, and in chapters 16 and 17 Job rebuts by saying (climaxing at 17:15) "Where then is my hope?" Later he explains how God has effectively pulled up his last hope, but still he stands firm: "Oh that my words were written! Oh that they were inscribed in a book! Oh that with an iron pen and lead they were engraved in the rock forever! For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth!" Biblically, this is something worth standing on in any situation -- don't ever let your brain play this down!
Note that this is also a biblical principle, and I don't believe a non-Christian can ever fully have true hope for the future.

Summary

See Job 11:13-20: I found these three principles narrated there, and a follow-up about those who refuse to reconcile with God (also in 27:8). And really, if you read through Job, often called the book of suffering, you'll see eventually that Job has the answers to happiness and that it is tied to these things.

Humility & Nothingness

This last weekend I participated in a student experience called Squatter Camp -- about 25 of us lived "homeless" from Friday evening until Sunday evening. We slept in the plaza here at Moody, and could only eat what we somehow get for ourselves off campus without money, or else if food is given to us, the person who brought the food had to go with us and feed a homeless person and we would eat with them. A lot of the purpose was to identify with them and know at least in part some of the things they go through. I went with just what I wore and a sleeping bag. Near the end I wasn't sure yet what I had gotten out of it, but when we were done, I felt like I didn't want to go back to having a place where I belonged -- where I "own" things and have a space set aside for me. It was a little because it seemed unfair, but more because the experience just seemed to pull me closer to the core of who I am in Christ and I just didn't want to own things for myself anymore. I didn't feel like I wanted to step back up to the name that I had for myself before -- a college student who had a job, possessions, and a family to care for me. I only now realize that since I've always shared a room, I've always wanted to have my own room. I know it's a healthy desire to have my own personal space, to own land or a house, but.... I know I don't have anything of my own, but I mustn't want anything for myself either. A dorm room, even if it is the smallest one I've ever seen, is more than I need. My laptop is more than I need. Music at my fingertips is such a commodity that I've spent so much money on. The music as well as the money for it is so much more than I need. Rip me down to the core, and just give me breath and let me learn the Bible! May I never covet the riches of this world again!

Sufficiently Insufficient

God's been impressing to me in the past year or so how insufficient I am. Despite the talents, despite the track record, despite my own optimism, I am insufficient. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, in fact I'm still optimistic about it. But it's amazing that God would bring that realization to me because it wouldn't be natural to dwell on that fact otherwise! He's making me more and more insufficient every day!

Really, the main thing God wants from us is to realize that we are insufficient (we can't save ourselves from impending doom) and that He IS sufficient, and to give up and turn to Him.

Here's how I'm insufficient:

• I couldn't come to God on my own. I'm thankful that He placed me in a Christian family who raised me in a Christian environment. He could have just as easily made me Muslim or a fierce secular atheist. Remember those people are in His plan too, so I'm increasingly thankful that He didn't make me one of those. (Not like the pharisee, who thanked God that he didn't act like the tax-collector.) God pulled me to Himself, and I don't know why I preferred "right-ness" over pleasure.


• My psychological make-up seems to be all the tools with no hand -- insufficient to accomplishing "successful things" without God's direction. I seem to have talent but don't know how to use it, or don't want to. Why? I don't know. It's just that way, but God's direction gives me what I lack. I can be a competitive person.


• I can't do good on my own. Jesus paid for my sin, but even though I'm on the right path, I can't stay on the right path by myself. If I could lose my salvation, I would have long ago! But thanks be to God, who loves me so much He can't let me go!


• I can't give anyone but God credit that I know Him and that I believe what actually is the truth. There is no way I could have deducted that God loved me, and no way I would have looked for that to be the case -- but God saw fit to give me this, nothing else.


• If it wasn't for God's restraining power, I would have run away as a kid and probably not come back home -- putting me on my own and probably ending up either putting me in jail or making me into a hardened worker who hated life and God and everything else, while trying to survive and be better than anyone else.


• If it wasn't for God, I'd be a Nihilist. In other words I'd be believing that nothing has value or worth, I'd be mocking morals, and living without a purpose in life. I'd have to create my own purpose for life so I wasn't better off dead, and it'd probably include something to do with achieving with a high slant toward ego-building. All the while it would feel like living a lie; accomplishment in life for myself being the ultimate goal, the prospect of death would be ever on my mind. If it wasn't for God, who gives meaning and purpose and direction, and HOPE for the future.


• My understanding fails me. The only way I can make it through this life is with God's understanding. I can never trust my senses when I try to understand people -- all I can do is trust God to lead me. I can never trust my senses when I try to understand circumstances -- I can only trust God to lead me. Even in just normal conversations my understanding can fail me and I can be left with wrong impressions and wrong messages -- only God can ensure that I understand even communication properly. And when I observe something in the world, only God can give me the gift of a right understanding of it. Yes, Proverbs 3:6 says to lean not on my own understanding. The reason it says that is because my own understanding is so lacking!


• Besides all these things, I come up with small things every day that just prove to me even further how insufficient and incapable I am. Even in things I can do, I find that God has given it to me, and sometimes those things can become a stumbling block to me if I don't realize my dependence on God for those abilities.

Those things might all seem like rather small things, but to me they're huge! Several of them are life-critical to my values, pursuits and desires. I really want to strive for God but He alone is able to give me what it takes to do that. All I can do is ask and try, and whatever He gives me, He gives me -- though He's glad to do it!

Along these lines on a negative tone: Two kinds of people disgust me: those who blame God that they don't seem to have much (talent, money, friends, etc), and those who use what they have as if it's their own. Notice how the two are exact opposites -- if you are in one of those boats, the least you can do is be thankful that you are not in the other boat, but in either boat, start thinking more about your dependence on God. Literally all you have and ever will have are straight from God Himself. When you hear how anything you earn is from God because He enabled you to earn it, don't think that argument is lame. It's true. And think about this: For your sake and in some way for His own glory, God has allowed you to see the truth of His glorious way, and you cannot claim that knowledge as gained on your own merit.

Why do we honor God without Acknowledging Him?

We pray for revival. We pray for many to be saved, on our campuses, in our cities. God, we pray this fervently, while we at Moody have been so lazy. We haven't been getting out into the community and sharing Your Truth with the people. We think our assigned ministry experience (PCM) covers our responsibility of service to You. God, please give us more grace, give us motivation, desire and drive, to take the next steps in our walk with You. We Moody students are sheltered in the Moody bubble, and we don't see the weight of the need to be stepping up in our devotion and commitment to Him. We pray so often for Christians in our school, in our church, and in our city, to rise up and bring a revival, but we don't pray for ourselves to do it. Until we give ourselves to God to be that one person that makes the difference even when my plans were different, revival will not come! O God please help us! We want so much for your holy name to be revered and honored, but we don't lift more than a finger when it comes to being that person.

God, we are so lost, so hopeless. We as Christians are failures so much! God, we ask for grace, for mercy, for power and strength; and when you give it to us, we squander it. Oh God, how dare we squander your gifts, your good and perfect gifts! But we do! God, we realize our utter dependence on you, even as Christians, to do anything that pleases You. But God, we seem to be content to ask for your power and then use it for “our” outreaches or in “our” lives. God, we are so wrong. You give us these things for your glory, and we still see the perfection of ourselves as the object of our pursuit. God I know that as long as we focus on ourselves, we will never worship You. God I have experienced the difference when I work so hard to be a good Christian, and when I go into Your sanctuary it doesn't matter. It only matters if I worship You! And God there are so many times when I don't worship You.

So what are we to do then, if we are utterly dependent on You to pour out Your grace on us to do good, yet when you do, we still squander it? Father, we confess our utter depravity. Father, we are still bent to do evil, by doing good things without giving You honor. What then, do we do? [And God says, “Acknowledge Me in all your ways.”] Yes, Lord, for when we acknowledge You, You will direct and smooth our paths. When we acknowledge You, You alone get the glory, and we work not for ourselves. And when we acknowledge You in all our ways, You will lead us to righteousness, for Your name's sake!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This all makes so much more sense now, that as we live our lives for God, we honor Him by acknowledging Him in all our ways; we obey Him by acknowledging Him in everything we do. Acknowledging God in everything is a really good way to make sure you do everything with pure motives, and God said if you do, He will direct your paths. So acknowledge God in all your ways, and you'll find it much harder to go wrong! In doing that, don't lean on your own understanding – follow God's, even when (especially when) it conflicts with yours; but instead, trust God's understanding and obey it, even if your plans were different. And how do we seek it? Acknowledge God in all your ways, and He has no other choice but to come through with directing (smoothing) your paths.

In acknowledging God in all your ways, you are Tieing your life more completely to God's, and your way becomes clearer, straighter, stronger.

Around God but not With God

God's taught me a lesson in the past few days. I'm coming back to Him today, and things are better now. Here I write my journey. Enjoy reading, and I challenge you to challenge yourself while you're reading. Try to identify with me - where I was, and where I'm going.

Background:

For a few weeks now I've been so busy with school that I neglected my “quiet time” just about every day. A couple times in there I had some “really good Bible reading times” but I haven't really talked to God as a relationship for quite some time. I really need to because I really need to, but to add to that I'm looking for a job and I haven't really handed it over to God yet. I thought I had a job, and I might, but they haven't called me to schedule work for me yet, and it seems as though God is just holding them off until I return to Him. I do need the money for next semester, and it looks rather feasible, IF God puts me into a decent job. Furthermore, since I came back to Moody, I've been somewhat disoriented as to what my aim within a Moody education should be – Bible or Youth Ministry major – and besides this specific unsurity, there is a disorientation just about my path in life, about future plans, goals, desires. I'm beginning to realize that I haven't had the light on. Without God's direction active in my life through my constant seeking Him, I'm lost. When I don't have alone time with God, to talk and trust, the light grows dim, and I don't know where to go. With God, I just feel rather distant. Like the idea of Him is here, but He is not. Like He's just outside my door, still accessible, but I haven't had him in my room to visit for a while. Classes, chapels, and conversations are all about God, but seldom with God. That has been my problem. I've learned about God, but haven't been with Him, haven't known Him intimately for a long time, haven't experienced the relationship that I should be having with Him. No I'm not an “experiential” Christian, but I believe that relationships are experiential more than anything else (the experience based on correct and intimate knowledge of the other), and this is exactly what God intended when He created us, when He came down to us, and when He died for us.

Prayer:

God, Why have I forsaken You? Why have I neglected You? I've gotten so caught up in school, in learning about You, that I've lost track of actually knowing You. Father, I really want to know You. I want to intimately know You. God, give me Your love, show me your lovingkindness. I want to be with You again. Lord, help me find my way. I am lost, and Your light has grown dim in my life. God, please come near to me, so I can feel Your presence, so I can know You care, so I know You're here. Thank you God, I feel You are near now, and not far away where I had placed You before.
God, please give me vision, to see ahead, to see where to go, where to set my bearings. Or if you want me to stay with the current moment, without knowledge of Your plans for my future, then help me to understand that that's where You want me. I don't know right now. God, I've been one of Your children who “doesn't know,” who “doesn't understand” (Isaiah 1). Father, I believe where I went wrong is when I trusted you a little, but when the going got harder, I didn't trust you more. I took more responsibility and put it on my own plate, not sharing it equally with you like I should. When I have more responsibility, I need to talk to You even more, God. I am only a man, and You know my limits. You can work the rest when I am lacking.

Father, my heart needs changed. In order to have You, to want You, to need You, in every moment of my life, my heart needs changed. Lord, I don't want to live this life without You. I don't want to live one second without You, because to do so would be estranging You, sinning. God, keep my heart and flesh and mind. They are Yours now, but they may not be Yours tomorrow. I want them to be Your always! Perhaps it's because I never give them completely over to You, because You would never give them back if I had.

Take my life, I lay it down, to You who's crowned. I give all my pride, I give all of me. Lord take my flesh, take my mind. Take it all, and keep it all. Father I don't want it back. It should never have been mine. Why I've held on to it I don't know. Give me wisdom, give me Christ – give me You. Only You, Lord, only You. I will worship only You. I will work for only You. Lord, every second is only for You. If you wanted me to lay on my side for 390 days, yea for the rest of my life, I would be pleased to serve You. Only make me sure of my calling so I will know how to please You best, God. Oh, why did I ever leave? But now, lead me on and I will run after You!

I've run the other direction so many times, so far I've gone without knowing it. But while I flee, You sang to me over and over and over again. So I lay my head back down, and I lift my hands and pray to be only Yours, I pray to be only Yours – I know now You're my only Hope. Sing to me the song of the stars, of your galaxy dancing and laughing and laughing again. When it feels like my dreams are so far, sing for me of the plans that you have for me over again. So I lay my head back down, and I lift my hands and pray to be only Yours – I pray to be only Yours – I know now You're my only hope. I give you my destiny; I'm giving you all of me. I want your symphony – singing in all that I am to Your glory. And at the top of my lungs, I'll give it back. So I lay my head back down, and I lift my hands and pray to be only Yours – I pray to be only Yours – I know now You're my only hope left to glorify You.

Solution:

How often do we talk about God and talk with God in our conversations with our friends? How much do we really engage God in chapels? Our classes are either learning human things that are useful for learning and teaching about God, or learning about God directly, even being amazed at God at times, but how much do we engage God in our classes? Proverbs 3:7 says, “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.” I think this is exactly the verse for me at this time. I've mused about it for years, how we dampen the importance of that first phrase, “acknowledge Him in all your ways.” What does it mean?! Really, what implications does that have? What should we do? “Acknowledge Him in all your ways” -- give Him credit for things as we talk about it – not only that, but thank Him on the spot for good things! We sometimes do it privately, why not do it publicly? If someone mentions the weather is nice, say “Thank-you God!” You might want to say “Praise God” or “Thank God,” but my emphasis is actually talk to God! When you're in a conversation, if you have a God-centered mindset, you will think about everything as it relates to God. If someone complains about the food in the SDR, you will think about it with God in mind. God as the Source, God as the Giver of good things, God as our Provider, God as the one who oversees everything that comes into our lives. Do you want to complain about the food now? And with this mindset, every conversation will have the good and the bad. I believe we must learn to talk to God in our conversations with our friends. I should literally treat every one-on-one conversation as a 3-person conversation, with God standing there with us. Because I believe He Is.