picturesfromheaven

TRUST ME!

God is good. My daughter is getting married to a man from Uganda, in less than a month. Without going into detail about the miracle visa that he received so that she could have a US wedding for family, church and friends as well as a Ugandan wedding...let me just say that we have six weeks to pull off her dream wedding. I'm so thankful for the miracle, I'm thankful that Jen will have her US wedding before moving to Uganda to start her marriage and ministry with the man God prepared for her. But six weeks? Of course there is still the responsibilities of a multi-site church that go on, sermons to plan, meetings to attend, ministries to kick off. I've been running 16 - 18 hours a day and still running farther and farther behind. Have you ever heard the addage, "The faster I run, the behinder, I get"? Have you ever lived it? Well, if you have, then this picture is for you as well as for me.

Picture a little boy walking barefoot by a dam on his way to fish. He sees a leak in the wall, he looks around for someone to fix it, finding himself utterly alone, he puts his finger into the hole to block the leak. He's very please with himself until another leaks starts. It's within reach of his other hand so he drops his fishing pole and plugs that leak with a finger with that hand. Soon another leak springs and he manages to use a toe to stop that leak. No sooner was the leak stopped than another leak starts to trickle water. No longer pleased with himself, the boy is sweating, straining every muscle to keep the holes plugged. Somehow he manages to stop the leak with a toe from his other foot. Frustrated afraid he cries out to God when another leak starts. "God, I tried to fix things. I've tried to plug every hole, but I just can't do anymore. I don't have any more limbs. I can't reach it. I can't fix it. And I'm getting so tired trying to control all of the other leaks. I don't know how long I can keep this up."

Hear the voice of the Lord. "Who said it was your job?"

STOP here...pause...selah...think about it. Sometimes you and think that we're responsible to fix everything, or at the very least fix "this thing." But God wan't you to know that it's HIS job. It's time for us to take our hands off. It's time for you to take your hands off. Let God be God. Let God do what only He can do. Take your hands off the situation, so that He can do HIS will. It maybe that somethings need to be destroyed before they can be rebuilt, remade and renewed into God's purposes. It's painful. But in the end it will be so much better than anything you or I could do or even think of doing. In the end it will be for your good and for His glory. You've got to trust HIM! You've got to take your hands off.

Picture a woman pulling a loose thread at the shoulder of a garment. Her intent was to make it better. What happened was it cause the whole shoulder seam to unravel and the sleeve fall off. Not only can God fix what you can't...you have to realize your involvement might even make it worse.

Picture a boy sitting in the back of a closet, crying. The mother hearing the muffled sobs and goes to investigate. When she opens the closet door, her son cries out..."Mom, close the door. you don't want to see me. I've been bad. You won't love me anymore." The mother, bends down to pull the little boy out of the closet and into her arms. She says, "Son, don't you know that there is nothing that you can do that will cause me to stop loving you. You're my son. I love you. There may be some consequences to your actions, but it will not be the loss of my love. Here, let me just hold you for a while. Let me love you for a while. Then we'll see about what needs to be done. Trust me, there's nothing you can do that will ever cause me to stop loving you."

Picture a dog, at a pound, waiting for adoption. It's frightened of adults. It is obvious, that it has been abused by someone in the past. When prospective adoptive families come into the pound, they don't consider him a viable option. The dog is just not friendly. It's not what their looking for. But then a man comes in. He stands by the door waiting. Holding his hand out to the dog waiting for it to smell him.

Hear God say, "I'm waiting patiently for you. I'm standing here, longing to put my arms of love around you. I know you've been hurt in the past. Some of it has been through my children. But you must understand that I will never allow anything into your life that will destroy you. I love you. I want to help you get through this victoriously. Trust me. Smell me. Taste and see that I am good. That I love you. That I'm always going to love you. Do not cower away from me. I'm standing here waiting with arms wide open. I love you. But it's your choice. I'm not going to force you. But I'm asking you to trust me enough to walk into my arms and allow me to love you, heal you and give you new hope and direction. A new home."

All of these pictures came the same day. Even though some do not have words from God, I thinkyou can hear His intent in them. I urge you to trust God today. Trust Him with your difficult situations. Trust Him with all those things that are overwhelming you. Trust His love. Trust that HE will work all these things out for your good and His glory if you will but trust Him. Take your hands off and give it into HIS Hands. TRUST HIM!!!

posted by pastorc @ 7:50 AM