Betrothed to You and You to I

Lately, I have been reminded of God's ever-so-gracious love...a love so beautiful, so genuine.  A love so freely given, yet rarely taken.  My eyes have been open to God's grace in a whole new way lately.  He has removed the old "understanding" of grace and replaced it with a new one. Pastor Don's words blessed my heart last night at church..."God does not love us because of what we do, have done, or have not done. God simply loves us because we are His children; His sons and His daughters." God loves me because I am His daughter, not because of what I've done! O, how great You are Lord! How grateful I am for Your gracious love! Eternally grateful... I can never thank You enough. I am so undeserving, but yet You choose to bless me daily with Your loving presence.

I was taken back to this poem I wrote a few years ago.  You have called me by name and I am forever Yours, Lord.  I only wish to be closer to You. You are beautiful. I love You.

Betrothed to You and You to I

This is the day every girl has waited for,

The day that You will call me Yours;

With the look on Your face when I walk in the room,

Everyone will know that You are the Groom.

Betrothed to You and You to I,

Your love holds me up so high.

My white gown so beautiful and pure,

Since the day we've met, You've been so sure;

That I am precious in Your sight,

Your love for me shines so bright.

Betrothed to You and You to I,

Not a day without You passes by.

You slowly lift the veil from my face,

The love in your eyes leaves my heart embraced;

Unveiling my beauty for all to see,

That You are mine and I am Thees.

Betrothed to You and You to I,

Your love for me is never shy.

Romance me with Your love and hold me close,

You tell me that I'm Your beautiful rose;

The touch of Your hands are so soft and warm,

The sweet love in Your voice leaves me transformed.

Betrothed to You and You to I,

I can see the love in Your eyes.

You are the one who holds my heart,

No one or any thing can bring us a part;

Not bits and pieces, but my heart as a whole,

You are the Lover of my soul.

Betrothed to You and You to I,

Without Your love I would die.

Let It Rain

A little something I wrote a few months ago. Be blessed.

Waiting in expectation
As I look up to the sky
I pray for Your holy rain to fall
"Let it rain," I cry

Pour it out upon me
Send a fire with the rain
I live for all that You are
Your voice thunders like a train

Rise up all the children
And call them all by name
Send a rushing wind of love
And take away their shame

Rush in like a river
And soak my seeds with love
The harvest of life is drawing near
And You're coming from above

Come in like an eagle
And soar into my heart
Set me on fire to spread Your word
And never let it part

Your will is all I long for
And I trust upon Your way
I obey You with a humble heart
Surrendered every day

Fill me with Your peace and joy
And help me hope in You
Calm the storm within my soul
And strengthen me on through

God is good! His will, His way!

Trust God's Ways

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9 

What a perfect verse to describe the not so perfect life of mine.

We live in a world where we get what we want, when we want, and how we want. In a world where people do it all on their own by their own strength. No one dares tells anyone they are wrong because everyone is always right.  The mindset of this world, is if you ever want to go anywhere or do anything, you have to do it yourself. In a world where you plan the life ahead of you and you do everything in your own power to make sure it happens just the way you have planned. No one or anything will stop you because you are invincible. Basically, a world where no one depends on anyone but themselves and their own thoughts, plans, and ways to make it through.

Annnnnnd then came Jesus.

Right when I thought everything was going to work out the way I had planned, God decided to shake things up 'a little.' Here I thought, 'Sarah, you have to plan plan plan or else you'll fail fail fail. Organize your life, set the path ahead, make the plans, Oh, and be sure to do it all on your own. If plan A fails, be sure to have a plan B, and if plan B fails be sure to have a plan C, and if plan C fails... and so on.' Where is God in that? Here I thought I was doing the right thing by setting everything up and planning it all out and I didn't see anything wrong in that. But apparently, I wasn't seeing anything at all because the center of my plans was I and not HIM. A wake up call is what I needed and definitely what I got.

God is full of surprises and sometimes we aren't always too fond of them. We think, 'Oh but things were going so well and I had it all under control and I'm going to take this job, and I'm going  to move to this place, and I'm going to marry this person, and I'm going to have this life, and and and and I I I I....' and here God sees such a divine opportunity to move into our lives and 'mess it all up' - so we would say. But truly, God is just saving us from ourselves. Sometimes the plans and dreams that we have in our hearts aren't always God's plan for us. Is that hard to swallow? Yes. Have I had to swallow it? A thousand times. Does it taste any better the thousandth time? Not-at-all. BUT in order to move forward with our lives and the plans that God has for us, we have to LET GO of our lives and selfish desires and TRUST Him.

This isn't a one time commitment to God. This is an every day-a thousand times a day, kind of commitment. We must surrender our most precious desires and dreams to God every single day. In other words, we must die to ourselves daily in order to truly live in Him. And through living in Him we will obtain the promises He has for us. 'For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.' Matthew 16:25

 Isaiah 55:8-9 says it all.... God's thoughts and ways are SO much bigger than ours. His plans are greater than anything we could ever even imagine. It has been hard to let go and to surrender my heart and deepest desires to God, but let me tell you, it is worth it! Have I fallen at times and been tempted to take my heart, my dreams, and my ways back from God? Sure. But the truth, love, strength, peace, and joy that I have received by surrendering and trusting in Him has outweighed any thoughts of doubt. So don't become discouraged!! When the going gets tough, PRESS ON! Surrender even more, give even more, love even more, trust even more... BE MORE FOR HIM and He will NEVER leave you disappointed.

My devotional last night summarized:: Remember that God does not do bad things. But sometimes you may fail to realize that everything that feels bad to you is not necessarily bad for you. Remind yourself that His ways are not your ways and it will help you trust Him even when your circumstances are hard to understand. As each day comes to a close, put yourself in the hands of the almighty God... and rest in the knowledge that He is good and knows whats best. ~ Joyce Meyer

Trust trust trust TRUST. I can't say it enough. Stop worrying about what the future holds and trust in Him for His ways are always best. He is holding you in the palms of His hands.

When you finally decide to let go and let God, you will truly begin to live.

Be blessed and remember...

His will, His way.

The One Who Lives... Forever!

Greatest man in history, named Jesus, had no servants, yet they called him Master. Had no degree, yet they called him Teacher. Had no medicine, yet they called him Healer. He had no army, yet kings feared Him. He won no military battles, yet he conquered the world. He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him. He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today. Amen. Amen. AMEN!

My God's not dead, He's surely alive He's living on the inside, roaring like a Lion! A link to the song from IHOP called He's Alive. Such a perfect song for this weekend. He's ALIVE! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcvbLbD3X_Q

 A song I wrote last April I happened to stumble over this morning. Be blessed and remember that on the 3rd day the stone was rolled away and surely HE LIVES! :) 

 I Wait

I wait with trust and patience

Upon the very One,

Who shed His blood and died for me

Who gave His only Son.

I wait so very eager

To see and touch Your face,

To kiss and hold Your holy hands

For where the nails were placed.

I wait with a whole and faithful heart

On the promises You’ve made,

That You will fulfill my hearts desires

And not one of them will fade.

I wait and know that You are true

And faithful to Your word,

That You will come return to us

For You will once be heard.

I wait with so much love and joy

Overflowing my heart and soul,

Sin has lost its grip on me

And now through You I’m whole.

I wait with one eye open

Praying today’s the day,

That You will bring them home to us

That they have found Your way.

In Our Waiting.. He is Faithful.

I was blessed by the uplifting words in my devotional the other night and I am hoping it blesses you just as much as it did me. 

The verse was 1 Corinthians 1:9, "God is faithful (reliable, trustworthy, and therefore ever true to His promise, and He can be depended on); by Him you were called into companionship and participation with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." 

--There are times you just can't see through the darkness that seems to be closing in around you. It is in those times of endurance and patience that your faith is stretched and you learn to trust God even when you can't hear His voice. You can grow in your confidence level to the point where "knowing" is even better than "hearing." You may not know what to do, but it is sufficient to know the one who does know. Everyone likes specific direction; however, when you don't have it, knowing God is faithful and ever true to His promise, and that He has promised to be with us always, is comforting and keeps us stable until His timing comes to illuminate the situation.--

What an encouragement and reminder to know that God is faithful and ever true to His promises! Even when we are struggling and in our lowest and weakest points... that is when God can be at His highest and strongest point for us! I am blessed beyond words when I'm at my weakest because that is when I can truly begin to see God move in my life. If we are always strong, where does that leave God? Ahhh, such a good devotional. :) Anyway, it brought me to a poem I wrote back in January of this year called Waiting, and I wanted to share it with you all. Be blessed and remember...in our weakness, He is strong!

Waiting

Are you in a waiting room right now?

Waiting for someone or something to happen in your life?

Maybe it’s a phone call

Or a guy to glance in your direction;

A mirror to hide the ugly and

Reveal only the beauty;

A guy to tell you you’re beautiful

Or maybe even say “I love you” back;

To look like the “pretty girl”

Instead of the person you try to hide behind;

Or maybe you’re waiting for your dad to look you in the eyes

And tell you he loves you and that you are his princess;

Or for a guy to tell you you’re worth it

And pursue your heart and not your body;

For a prince to sweep you off your feet

And treat you like a princess;

To be respected for whom you are on the inside

And not what you look like on the outside;

Or for your dignity to be restored

And your heart to be renewed;

For your brokenness to be no more

And all voids to be filled.

Whatever or whomever it may be,

Wait on God--the true Lover of our soul.

For He is calling

And looking in your direction;

He is your mirror

Revealing to you the true beauty you hold;

He tells you you’re beautiful

And “I love you” even when you don’t feel loved;

He is your Father, looking into your eyes

Calling you His princess and how much He loves you;

He says you’re worth far more than rubies or diamonds

And is chasing after your heart every day;

He looks into your heart

And gives you His love;

He is preparing you a prince

Who will treat you like the true princess you are;

He will restore your dignity

And renew your tattered heart;

He will take your brokenness

And consume your heart with His everlasting love.

The King of Kings is calling you by name saying,

“You’re beautiful, wonderful, and precious in My sight;

You are worth it all My darling, My princess.”

He will take your brokenness

Your shame

Your pain

Your anger

Your emptiness

Your bitterness…

And He will give you life,

Give you peace

Give you love

Give you happiness

Give you fullness

Give you JOY.

Promises

This is a poem I wrote last summer and it is called, Promises. God has promised to never leave us nor forsake us and over the past few years that is one promise I have held close to my heart. Psalm 31:14-15 says, "But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, "You are my God." My times are in Your hand." This has been a verse that has been spoken into my heart many many times. When I wrote this poem, I was (& still am) learning to trust in God with ALL things and to wait on His ever so perfect timing in my life. His will, His way. :) Be blessed.

Promises

Day after day I’m reminded…
Reminded of Your beauty, Your love, Your promises

Reminded of the blood You selflessly shed
For me, a debtor
Your salvation You promised,
All for the sake of my sins

A promise to carry my burdens,
To love me, to keep me
Forever in Your arms,
There You promise to be

As the sun rises with beauty each morning
And sets with love each night,
You remind me that You’re always there,
Rising and setting in my heart

Tattered and torn,
Broken and forgotten,
You promise me You’ll never let go
Reminding me of the true beauty I hold

In this dark world You remind me
Of Your never-ending light,
You promise to return
With judgment You will come

Time after time You continue to provide,
Reminding me of Your faithfulness
Showing me Your love,
Revealing to me the promises of Your heart

Trusting in You, I wait…
The desires of my heart,
You promise to fulfill
I continue to seek You with all that I am

Promises never broken,
Always fulfilled and never forgotten
Promises of love, life, joy...
These are forever Your promises