Wrecked and Restored - thoughts during holy week!

The Lord has been teaching me about humility these days! As my pastor says: "I wanna learn to walk with my face to the carpet..."

It's never an easy lesson....in fact it's messy and involves much self-reflection, evaluation, severe struggle, and always repentence. But it carries with it freedom, grace, mercy, and extreme love and is coupled with trust, obedience, and surrender.

The moment I realized I was acting within my own strength and outside of God's will (which I'll admit, took a while for me to see clearly - scary!), I was filled with an urgency to "get right" with God like never before! Conviction came when I decided that I didn't want to settle for being "in the middle" of darkness and light, of wrong and right, or of who I was and who He's making me. I don't want to be "in the middle" of the altar and the door, the safety of the boat and the crashing waves, His will and my plans, my faith and my hands......I only want to be in the middle of His PRESENCE!

I've tasted and seen that the LORD IS GOOD! I've been to the mountaintop! I've feasted at the table! I've seen the land of milk and honey! I know that there is abundant life! I will not compromise or settle for the middle, for less than His best, for anything other than His dreams for my life! I trust that they are better than ANYTHING I can ever think of or imagine!

The road here was not easy and I am not proud of things I've done in straying from my Savior. It is so true of the ancient hymn that we are "prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love..."

Praise God that we can come to Him and beg: "Here's my heart Lord, take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above!"

So, during this holy week of reflection on the cross, the crucifixion, the death of our Savior for our wretchedness......He has shown me things that He wants me to "die" to.....to put to death in me....to crucify in my old nature....

But He doesn't ask me to STAY there.....in the death of things.....He offers LIFE.....a resurrected life of abundance! We can identify with the crucifixion so that we can live in amazement of the resurrection! What a mighty God we serve!

In the past 10 days, the Lord has wrecked and restored me.....and the process is ongoing! It's a daily wrecking sometimes.....but I have to suffer through it so that He may receive the glory on the other side! So that I may boast in His restoration of my brokenness. So that in humilty I can know the strength and POWER of His unfailing and everlasting LOVE!

Be willing to let God do ANYTHING that He needs to do in you so that He can do EVERYTHING He wants to do through you! I guarantee it's always worth it! There's a harvest to be gathered.....the workers are few! Prepare yourself for MORE of God this week before Easter. Be ready for His wrecking and restoring....to God be the glory!

Here is a song that has resonated in me today....it's called "Have Your Way" by Andrew Peterson. It's off his latest album called "Resurrection Letters Vol. II"!
The lyrics are such a beautiful prayer of surrender and humilty!

Have Your Way

Father, hear me now when I am humbled
I fear that I will soon forget
Now I have no stength to stand and stumble
I have no wish to leave You yet
Oh Holy Father, hear me now
When flesh is strong and spirit weak
Please break my back when I won't bow
Won't You have Your way with me

Father, hear me now when I am humbled
When I am bent with holy shame
All the lies that I believed have crumbled
The blood of Christ my only plea
I cannot trust my own designs
My heart is prone to disobey
So listen Lord while there is time
Chain me fast if I won't stay
Take my life and have Your way

Please hear me Lord this blessed hour
When sin has loosed it's hold on me
Thy mercy is a mighty tower
So why should I not trust in Thee
Father have Your way with me