Home Sweet Home

Oh how good it feels to be home! To cuddle up in a blanket, watch a Christmas movie, drink a hot cup of tea, and do NO HOMEWORK! What a blessing to be in such a wonderful home. Tomorrow, a wonderful day of shopping with my Mom! I love Christmas break. Free, from the distractions that school brings and the ability to laugh with my family, devote time to Studying Scripture, and preparing for South Asia. I can't wait for this break!

Psalm 116:5-7

The LORD is gracious and righteous;

our God is full of compassion

The LORD protects the simplehearted;

when I was in great need, he saved me.

Be at rest once more, O my soul,

for the LORD has been good to you

Praises with joyful lips

Psalm 63 has been one of my favorite psalms for a very long time. On many occasions this song of intimacy has been the cry of my heart that my mouth can't seem to express. It is a psalm of pure thanks. One that cries of desperate longing for the Lord. It is a psalm that exuberates the groanings of the soul as it waits to be before the throne of its creator; declaring Holy Holy is the Lord God almighty!

It is this psalm that I find myself at today; not because of the mountain top but because of the weariness of my soul. However, this psalm reminded me of the joy of the Lord. Tomorrow night I am speaking to a group of girls on the Joy of the Lord. I found myself asking God how I could speak of the Joy of the Lord when I simply felt so weary. The Lord brought me back to Psalm 63. He reminded me of what I had learned as a child in Sunday School. "Is Joy the same as being happy all the time? No. It is the contentment of our Soul, the outcome of our worship to the King." And I suppose that was the reminder I needed of the deep contentment within my soul, brought on by peace with my maker through my relationship with Jesus Christ.

"And in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me." In the shadow of the wings of our God we can sing for JOY! The clinging of my soul to the Lord and knowing that his right hand upholds for me, I sing for JOY! Praise our Lord and God for he upholds us in our weakness and in our strength! As I was reading I felt the prompting of my heart. The Lord reminding me to trust Him! Proverbs 3:5,6 has also been on of my favorites over the years. "Trust in the Lord with ALL of your heart! Lean not on YOUR OWN understanding but IN ALL your ways acknowledge HIM and HE will direct your paths." How can we have the Joy of the Lord? By trusting in Him. Sounds easy enough... but in order to trust I have to give over everything to the Lord... everything I am still holding on to (or keep taking back!) When I trust in the sovereignty of my Lord the Joy of the Lord overflows within my heart. The circumstances of Today are of no worry because the circumstances of eternity are secured. In the Lord I find Joy!

"Thus I have seen you in the sanctuary, to see your power and your glory. Because your loving-kindness is better than life, My lips will praise you. So I will bless your name as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in your name. My soul is satisfied as with the richest foods, and my mouth offers praiseswith joyful lips."