A Cry for Help

Spurgeon is BACK! It's been a few months since I've looked at Charles Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening Daily Readings", but I picked it back up the other day and I've been so blessed by it. Here's one from yesterday morning that I loved and I hope the Lord speaks to you through it as well!

Psalm 12:1

Help, Lord.

The prayer itself is remarkable, for it is short, but seasonable, sententious, and suggestive. David mourned the fewness of faithful men, and therefore lifted up his heart in supplication-when the creature failed, he flew to the Creator. He evidently felt his own weakness, or he would not have cried for help; but at the same time he intended honestly to exert himself for the cause of truth, for the word "help" is inapplicable where we ourselves do nothing. There is much of directness, clearness of perception, and distinctness of utterance in this petition of two words; much more, indeed, than in the long rambling outpourings of certain professors. The Psalmist runs straight-forward to his God, with a well-considered prayer; he knows what he is seeking, and where to seek it. Lord, teach us to pray in the same blessed manner.

The occasions for the use of this prayer are frequent. In providential afflictions how suitable it is for tried believers who find all helpers failing them. Students, in doctrinal difficulties, may often obtain aid by lifting up this cry of "Help, Lord," to the Holy Spirit, the great Teacher. Spiritual warriors in inward conflicts may send to the throne for reinforcements, and this will be a model for their request. Workers in heavenly labour may thus obtain grace in time of need. Seeking sinners, in doubts and alarms, may offer up the same weighty supplication; in fact, in all these cases, times, and places, this will serve the turn of needy souls. "Help, Lord," will suit us living and dying, suffering or labouring, rejoicing or sorrowing. In Him our help is found, let us not beslack to cry to Him.

The answer to the prayer is certain, if it be sincerely offered through Jesus. The Lord's character assures us that He will not leave His people; His relationship as Father and Husband guarantee us His aid; His gift of Jesus is a pledge of every good thing; and His sure promise stands, "Fear not, I WILL HELP THEE."
 

Reflection: Guatemala and Graduation

I’m back! From my mission trip to Guatemala, studying, fighting Senioritis, and now preparing for my graduation at the end of the week, it’s been a crazy past few months. But they have been some of the best months of my life, I think. Lots of laughter, lots of tears, and overall just a lot of awesome memories. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude with what God has been doing in my life, using people I love from church and school to have one last impact on me before I head off to college. This post is to do some reflecting over two big events – Guatemala, which has already happened; and Graduation, which is yet to come.

Yesterday morning in church, we sang “Beautiful Things” by Grungor, and God used the song to really touch my heart. Not only is it a perfect connection for the experiences I had and the people I met in Guatemala, but also is a connection for what God has done with me and the Class of 2013. Here are the lyrics:

All this pain
I wonder if I’ll ever find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all
All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found
Could a garden come up from this ground at all

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

All around
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in You

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

You make me new, You are making me new
You make me new, You are making me new
You are making me new

The first and second verses are perfect application for Guatemala. Our job in going down there was to help with an organization that gives hope to the children of Guatemala. Gangs are everywhere, and this organization gives the kids a different option rather than being forced into that lifestyle. The organization gives them two meals a day - which the kids may not get otherwise - and teaches them all about the Gospel and the Word of God. My team and I got to spend a week with these amazing, hilarious, sweet, smelly, enthusiastic, grateful, wonderful children. We had heard from previous teams who went to Guatemala that the children would have an impact on your heart that was unexplainable. They were right.

As we walked through the dirt streets of Guatemala, seeing the children’s faces, we knew there was hope. We saw it in their eyes. We saw it in their smiles. Kids that were caught up in the gang-lifestyle probably thought something to the Grungor lyrics, “I wonder if my life could really change at all…could all that is lost ever be found.” These kids once were lost, hopeless. Until Jesus found them. Until Jesus brought them out of the dark alley ways of Guatemala and brought them into the light where they would find peace and security again. That’s what my team and I witnessed. We watched “hope springing up from this old ground”, and we saw God do a work in that city unlike we had seen anywhere else. The trip was indescribable, and everyone on my team could probably agree with me. No matter how hard we try, we can never explain to others what God did in our hearts that week. He scarred us in Zone 18 – the place said to have no hope in Guatemala. The place where gangs run rampant, children go hungry, and where lives are destroyed. But we dwelled among those people – the outcast and the hurting. We saw that God was doing a work there beyond all human understanding. "Out of chaos, life was being found in You."  He was making all things new.

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

But Guatemala wasn’t the only place where I was seeing amazing things happen. God was working within the very hearts of my classmates, and it was incredible. Watching my senior class grow over these past eighteen years has been such a rewarding experience. It’s been awesome watching their perspectives change as the years go by – as the selfish become selfless, the proud become humble, and the served become servants. I’m grateful for a God who doesn’t leave us as the elementary whiners or the middle school gossipers. He takes us beyond. Even just these past four years of high school, God has done magnificent things in our hearts. He gave us a passion for His Word and a yearning to serve those around us so that we might be role models for the next generations.

Week by week, another “last” comes along. The last song from senior singers. The last homerun from the senior baseball players. The last bow from the senior actors (me being one of them). The last goal from the senior soccer girls. The last AP Lit class where our teacher predicted what each of us is going to do in life. The last yearbook signing. While each “last” comes and goes, I am reminded how blessed I am. How blessed I have been to have teachers who genuinely yearn for our success, love us, and pray for us. How blessed I have been to grow up with a class full of all kinds of people – athletes, braniacs, artists, future engineers, doctors, lawyers, nurses, presidents, pharmacists, writers, missionaries, counselors, and teachers. There are endless possibilities and opportunities that await my 76 loves, and I can’t wait to see how God uses them in the future.

I think the hardest part about graduation for me is leaving the teachers. The kids…I’ll see who I want to see. My family…they’re not too far away, and I can always give them a call when I’m homesick (which I’m sure will be more often than I think). But the teachers…ah man. They have seen our best and worst moments, and yet, they still root for us. They yell our names at football games. They give us hugs after musicals. They fellowship with us, play monopoly with us, watch movies with us. They go beyond the boundaries of textbooks and help us live and experience the subject. They could choose to just sit at their desk and look upon us as nothing more than their hour-and-a-half students and when the bell rings the relationship ends. But they don’t. The teachers seek fellowship with us beyond the walls of their classroom. They seek a relationship with us just as the Lord does. They have been proof of His mercy time and time again.

They give us pats on the back when we do something right and discipline us when we do something wrong. We have “therapy” sessions several times throughout the year in French, where our teacher lends us her shoulder to cry on when we’re having a rough day. My Economics teacher weeps with us when we have suffered a loss, and laughs with us when we have a funny story to tell. My Lit teacher incorporates the Gospel into any story, even one as obscure and random as The Awakening, just because her heart is so knitted to His. My freshmen/sophomore year Bible teacher prays with us when we need guidance, but also plays ultimate frisbee with us after school. My teachers are a hodge-podge of creative geniuses, and each one is unique in their own way. God has used them in radical ways, ways that none of us could even attempt to understand.

At this point I’m just babbling, but it’s been good babbling. When I walk across that stage this weekend, take the diploma , shake my headmaster’s hand, and move my tassel to left, I’m sure that all these memories will flash before my eyes in a quick whirlwind….or I’ll just be too freakin’ excited to even be able to think coherently. All that to say, the past thirteen years with my school have been magical, whether it was spent exploring the history of D.C. in eighth grade, playing tag with the children in Guatemala senior year, or just in the traditional classroom setting. Hearts have been scarred, talents have come to fruition, perspectives have been shifted, lives have been changed, and God has decided to make “beautiful things out of us”. Thank you, Class of 2013, for everything.

 

Growing Up

Ever wish you were like this guy? Not only had the awesome power of flying but also didn’t have to worry about growing up?

This is a shout-out to the seniors who are -like me- super excited to move on to another stage of life but who are also terrified of growing up. I think most seniors go back and forth on this topic every day – or at least I do: “I’m so excited to get out of here! But I’m gonna miss my family so much…But I’m SO ready to meet new people! But I’m gonna miss my old friends back home…But I’m so pumped to explore my options about what I want to do with my life! Oh my gosh…I have to decide what I’m going to do with the REST OF MY LIFE!!!” It’s a battle for sure. I’m personally preparing myself for what has the potential to be a very emotional week, considering that my last musical is this weekend – another “last”. Today I had a two-minute meltdown –for a variety of reasons, the last musical being one of them – but the overarching theme of the meltdown was growing up. This post won’t have any hardcore theology in it or anything, but it’s just a note from my heart to a group of people I care deeply about. Fellow seniors, I hope you are encouraged by this.

Some of my most precious times with the Lord have been in the car. It may sound silly, but if you like to drive as much as I do, I highly recommend that you have a convo with God in the car…it’s the best. I had one today during my mini-meltdown, and really just poured out my heart. As I was venting to God about how afraid I am of growing up, I heard a still, small voice in my spirit say, “But the reason you must grow up is because I don’t let you settle.” Boom.

When I heard Him say that, something my youth pastor said came to mind, “God loves us as we are, but He loves us too much to just leave us there.” It’s the same principle. Growing up isn’t just part of the Circle of Life; God making us grow up is an act of His love for us. As terrifying as becoming an adult sounds, it’s another step to us becoming more dependent on God and less on ourselves and those around us. Growing up is the process of God gradually removing our security blankets of the world and tightening our grip with Him.

Even though that probably wasn’t earth-shattering for you, I hope that realizing this gives you peace. Keep praying seniors; keep giving your plans and your future over to God’s control. He’s got your back, and helping you grow up is His way of doing that. We weren’t called to be Peter Pan’s, folks. We were called to be so much more than that.

Growing up: “All it takes is faith and trust, and just a little bit of pixie dust.”

*Motivation for last 3 months of high school: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7). I hope we are all able to say that when we walk across that stage in May!*

God Delights in You

Lately I’ve been reflecting on the verses I’ve stumbled upon that talk about how God delights in His children. The Almighty Creator of the universe delights in our poor, broken, wretched little souls...that blows my mind! We serve a beautiful God, folks.  Listen to this while you’re reading the Scriptures; it’s a beautiful song that's from God's perspective in how we are His beloved. Here are the lyrics also. I hope these verses are an encouragement to you as they were to me. Never forget that you are loved and delighted in.

·         Isaiah 62:4-5. It will no longer be said to you, “Forsaken,” Nor to your land will it any longer be said, “Desolate”; but you will be called, “My delight is in her,” and your land, “Married”; for the Lord delights in you…And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so your God will rejoice over you. Definitely one of my favorite passages in the Bible.

·         Zephaniah 3:17. The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.

·         Psalm 145:9. The Lord is good to all, and His mercy is over all that He has made.

·         Isaiah 43:1,4. But now, thus says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! Since you are precious in My sight, since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life.’

·         Deuteronomy 30:9-10. Then the Lord your God will prosper you abundantly in all the work of your hand, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your cattle and in the produce of your ground, for the Lord will again rejoice over you for good, just as He rejoiced over your fathers; if you obey the Lord your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.

·         Psalm 147:11. The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His steadfast love.

·         1 Peter 5:6-7. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

·         John 17:13 (Jesus praying for us…gets me every time). “But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves.” Jesus knows that the ultimate Joy is Himself, and so He wishes that we would have that Joy. It's beautiful how much He loves us.

If y’all know other verses that talk about God delighting in us, please feel free to share them in the comments. Happy Wednesday!

Taking a Breather

What I love about Sarah Young’s devotion “Jesus Calling” is that for those of us who are constantly on the go, it’s a chance to take a breather and be reminded of what’s truly important. Praying for more days full of stillness so I can treasure my God’s goodness. Here’s the February 10 entry:

Trust me enough to spend ample time with Me, pushing back the demands of the day. Refuse to feel guilty about something that is so pleasing to Me, the King of the universe. Because I am omnipotent, I am able to bend time and events in your favor. You will find that you can accomplish more in less time after you have given yourself to Me in rich communion. Also, as you align yourself with My perspective, you can sort out what is important and what is not.

Don’t fall into the trap of being constantly on the go. Many, many things people do in My Name have no value in My kingdom. To avoid doing meaningless works, stay in continual communication with Me. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.

Luke 10:41-42 But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.

*bold added by me for the things that stood out to me*

Look For Christ Where You Lost Him

This blessed me so much this morning; I hope it blesses you, too. Happy Saturday!

Morning, January 19
“I sought him, but I found him not.” –Song of Solomon 3:1

“Tell me where you lost the company of Christ, and I will tell you the most likely place to find him. Have you lost Christ in the closet by restraining prayer? Then it is there yo must seek and find Him. Did you lose Christ by sin? You will find Christ in no other way but by the giving up of the sin, and seeking by the Holy Spirit to mortify the member in which the lust doth dwell. Did you lose Christ by neglecting the Scriptures? You must find Christ in the Scriptures. It is a true proverb, “Look for a thin where you dropped it, it is there.” So look for Christ where you lost Him, for He has not gone away…

 

Take care, then, when you find your Master, to cling close to Him. But how is it you have lost Him? One would have thought you would never have parted with such a precious friend, whose presence is so sweet whose words are so comforting, and whose company is so dear to you! How is ti that you did not watch him every moment for fear of losing sight of Him? Yet, since you have let Him go, what a mercy that you are seeking Him, even though you mournfully groan, “O that I knew where I might find Him!” Go on seeking, for it is dangerous to be without thy Lord. Without Christ you are like a sheep without its shepherd; like a tree without water at it's roots; like a sere leaf in the tempest – not bound to the tree of life. With thine whole heart seek Him, and He will be found of thee: only give thyself thoroughly up to the search, and verily, thou shalt yet discover Him to thy joy and gladness.”

- Charles Spurgeon

Stepping In

Then Esther spoke again to the king, fell this feet, wept and implored him to avert the evil scheme of Haman the Agagite and his plot which he had devised against the Jews… ‘For how can I endure to see the calamity which will befall my people, and how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?’–Esther 8:6

This is the attitude that I think believers should have about non-Christians. Those who are not children of God are living as prisoners of the world, and Jesus has sent us to liberate them, just as Esther sought to set her people free from the death grip of Haman.

When I read this verse, it reminded me of another passage we talked about in Apologetics class the other day. I’ve breezed through this passage many times, never realizing its inspiring message. Paul shares his deep love for his people in Romans 9:1-3:

I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow an unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh…”

How crazy is that?! Paul loved his people so much, that he would rather spend eternity in hell if it meant that his people would have salvation. Maybe one day, God will grant me a deep love like this, but I for sure don’t have that right now. I think Paul and Esther are very much alike in that they would go through any adversity or trial in order to see their people saved. This kind of love can only come from God, but we should pray for this love constantly. My youth pastor is very passionate about the idea of being “broken for the lost”, and this is what I desire to have. Just as Esther knelt before her king, begging for the salvation of her people, so should we kneel before our Heavenly King praying for the salvation of those around us.

God and I had a lot of fun this morning as I read Esther, because then He showed me Romans 9:1-3, and then He reminded me of a passage that has stayed with me since I heard it for the first time freshmen year:

It came about, however, when the congregation had assembled against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tent of meeting, and behold, the cloud covered it and the glory of the Lord appeared. Then Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting, and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them instantly.’ Then they fell on their faces. Moses said to Aaron, ‘Take your censer and put in it fire from the altar, and lay incense on it; then bring it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone forth from the Lord, the plague has begun!’ Then Aaron took it as Moses had spoken, and ran into the midst of the assembly, for behold, the plague had begun among the people. So he put on the incense and made atonement for the people. He took his stand between the dead and the living, so that the plague was checked. –Numbers 16:42-48

 

 

This passage convicts me every time I read it. God was about to pour out His wrath on those who were assembling against Moses and Aaron. But Moses, who loved his people so much, sent Aaron to make atonement for the people, and stopped the plague. There are millions of people in the world today who are under the “plague” of sin, and God has given us the power to do the job of stepping in and stopping the plague. We as Christians claim that we love everyone, including non-Christians, but do we live that love out? Do we love unbelievers so much that we would be willing to do anything in order to see God rescue them from their imprisonment?