Yes and Amen

We sing this song in church. It is a simple song, which at first I admit I didn't fully understand its connotation. You can listen to it here.  I woke up this morning around 4 am, as I am apt to do lately, and this song was on my mind. Not softly, but blaring in my eardrums.

...faithful, you are...faithful forever you will be...

I had to force myself back to sleep - it was much too early. I woke up less than two hours later and the song was still playing in my head.

...faithful, you are...all your promises are yes and amen...

I know I have written several times about God's faithfulness and how I know, without a shadow of a doubt, He is who He says He is. But something struck me this morning. I don't think I have really, truly, looked at how His promises have been answered in my life.

To be honest, in some regards, I equate his promises to answered prayers. I know! How completely selfish of me.  His promises have nothing to do with my prayers; rather they have everything to do with His glory and goodness. Let's look at a few.

I'm going to start with my personal favorite, and likely the one I take for granted most times.

Deuteronomy 31:6 says, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." - He will never leave me!  YES! - The Lord, my God goes with me! AMEN!

I cannot even tell you how many times I have felt alone and afraid in this world, in my daily goings-on, in my walk with Him. Yet, this verse tells me otherwise.

Exodus 14:14 says, "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." - He will fight for me! YES!  I need to be still. AMEN!

I learned the truth of this verse the hard way over the past year and a half. I shared some of our fight on this blog. However, there was much I didn't share. I'm a fighter.  It's in my blood. I'm an even bigger fighter when my family and those I love are threatened. Yet, in all of that fighting, God had to wear me out. He had to get me to the complete end of myself - that point where I had no choice but to rest. I admit it was difficult, but sometimes giving the fight over to the right person is all it takes. He wins mighty battles that are fought on the ground we have no strength to walk. He conquers where we fall. He truly does fight for us.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - He has plans for me! YES! Plans to prosper, not to harm and plans to give hope and a future. AMEN!

I will admit, this verse is a wee bit harder to see the yes and amen. After all, as a human, I tend to equate rough times, bad situations, unfortunate news, etc., with well, everything BUT what the verse we just read says.  And that there is why God is God and I am not. As a dear friend and I were discussing this morning; yes, things happen for a reason, but not everything that happens is because of God's reason.  Work with me.  Think of Job. God didn't cause a single thing in his life. Not a one.  Yet, in God's goodness, he allowed all those things to happen. The heartache, the pain, the sadness, the catastrophe, all. of. it!  God did allow Job to prosper, and never once did God harm him. God gave Job hope and in that hope, he never wavered in his love for God. That gave Job a future.

I beg you to use that perspective. I know, it is a bit ridiculous isn't it?!  Trust me, it was hard for me to do too. But in the last couple of months, I've begun to really focus on that perspective alone. We live in a broken world. And God has told us we are not home yet!  Which means all that we experience this side of eternity is merely one more lesson and opportunity to become who he designed us to be.

I don't know about you, but that sounds like an amazing yes and amen!

In His name, 
- M

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