He Could Have ....

He could have made the snow just white, but no, He made it sparkle like thousands of diamonds in the sunlight.

He could have made the sun and moon just move to different positions but no, He painted the sky with splendid colors.

He could have made water tame, but no, He made it wild and beautiful.

He could have made mountains all the same but no, He made them different heights, some with jagged edges and some with snow.

He could have made all land like a desert, but no, He created green grass to cover plains.

He could have made the world colorless, but no, He added delightful colors to cover the earth.

He could have just created green grass or trees, but no, He made them bloom with gorgeous flowers.

He could have made all woods just trees, but no, He added plants, animals, and life to them.

He could have created the sky an endless void but no, He made it blue with white clouds to cover it.

He could have made each person the exact same way, but no, He gave us each unique personalities.

He created the world with detail and thought.

He is an amazing and creative God.

Psalm 104:1-4, "My soul, praise Yahweh! Lord my God, You are very great; You are clothed with majesty and splendor. He wraps Himself in light as if it were a robe, spreading out the sky like a canopy, laying the beams of His palace on the waters above, making the clouds His chariot, walking on the wings of the wind, and making the winds His messengers, flames of fire His servants."

Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heavens and earth."

King of the World

When it comes to prayer then often it's easy for me to just say the "usual requests". When did this start to happen? I'm not sure. God is the King of the World, King of the Universe, so why do we just call out our requests to Him? I feel like at times I've treated Him more like a genie then like God. Try to make my three wishes, thinking that if I pray for something it's like a good luck charm. That's so wrong.

Praying to God then yes, we pray for friends, selves, the world and other things. There isn't anything wrong with requests. But prayer is so much more than that. It's talking to GOD. Our prayers don't have to be perfect, they don't have to be as eloquent as the next person. Praying is simply talking to God.

You wouldn't talk to your friend just when you need something from them.... if you did then that would be an unhealthy relationship. Same way with God. We can talk to God about anything. He knows what we're thinking, what we're feeling, what we want or need... but He wants us to talk to Him anyway.  We can tell Him our fears, desires, dreams. With God we don't need to hold back. He's already seen our messy thoughts, sinful wants, temptations we haven't fled from. But He still loves us.

We don't see the big picture. All of history is woven together, past, present, and future. Only God can see how it all fits together. When we pray God always answers. Either He says yes, no, or later. Sometimes we don't understand or like His answer. But He's the One who created the world. He's the King of the World. He sees everything and knows everything. He sees the big picture. We don't always understand His answer, but He knows what's best.

When we pray then we pray from our limited perspectives. And at times we forget that He's the King of the World. We try to limit God, put Him into the perfect image we have of God. But no, we should pray that He go beyond our expectations.



There's a song I love called King of the World by Natalie Grant. Here are some of the lyrics...

"I tried to fit you in the walls inside my mind
I try to keep you safely in between the lines
I try to put you in the box that I've designed
I try to pull you down so we are eye to eye
When did I forget that you've always been the king of the world?
I try to take life back right out of the hands of the king of the world
How could I make you so small
When you're the one who holds it all
When did I forget that you've always been the king of the world"


We don't always understand, sometimes we have questions or doubts. That's okay.
Let's try to let go of our limited view of God. He's the King of the World. We may not always understand, but we need to try to trust Him because He knows what is best. He is good. Always. No matter what. When we pray let's let go and let God.

Psalm 24:9-10, "Then the King of glory will come in. Who is He, this King of glory? The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of glory"

Psalm 47:2, "For Yahweh, the Most High, is awe-inspiring, a great King over all the earth."

Questions

Questions... we all have them. I've a very curious person and I think of tons of questions, though most I don't ask.

We live in a world where it seems that darkness reigns. We hear about people being murdered, raped, or sold into slavery. We know about people starving and needing medical care. Some of us are closer to those things than others. Even things that we know are wrong according to the Bible they are accepted and allowed. And sometimes loved ones die, and friends move apart. I think one question I usually have lingering in my mind is why. I want to know why people do these cruel things. But I also want to ask God why He allows those things to happen.

It all started in the Garden of Eden. God gave man one rule: do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Satan tempted Eve and she ate the fruit and then gave it to her husband and he also ate. Sin had entered the world. God provided a way for us through His Son when Jesus died on a cross and raised to life again. But not everyone accepts His free gift of love.

Sin seems to rule. It comes at us from all sides, in all forms, even in ways that don't seem wrong. We ask why, and ask God how He can let this injustice stand. I don't understand God. No one can. I can't even pretend I do. I question Him at times. Whenever I hear more about all the evil in the world I want to scream out to the heavens why? Why aren't You doing anything?
I don't have the answers. But here are some truths I've learned.

One, God doesn't shut His eyes to what's going on. He sees the pain, suffering, evil, and sorrow. And it breaks His heart. It breaks my heart hearing about these things yet God loves us more then we could ever imagine.
Luke 19:41, "As He approached and saw the city, He wept over it," 
That verse is when Jesus is about to enter Jerusalem. He knew what was about to happen. And He knew the people would turn against Him. He saw their hearts. And He wept. He cares.

Two, God is GOD. He doesn't have to answer us. He could snapped His fingers and all of us and our sin would be gone. But He doesn't because He loves us and gives us grace and compassion. He is beyond understanding.
Isaiah 55:8, "“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways.”This is the Lord’s declaration."

Third, it's not wrong to ask questions. In fact it's great to. I ask them all the time. But what we have to understand is that God doesn't owe us an explanation. Yet in His grace He has given us His Word for us to catch a glimpse of Him.

Job had it all. He was wealthy, had a family, a great reputation, and he feared God. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, disaster strikes. He loses his wealth, children, and he sits and scraps the terrible boils on his skin. He doesn't curse God. He questions Him. Job didn't understand.
Job 38:4-5 says, "Where were you when I established the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who fixed its dimensions? Certainly you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?"
What God is saying here and in the other verses surrounding it in chapter 38-39 is that He is God. He created the world. God has authority. Job couldn't question God's authority. We don't understand but we need to remember that God is looking over us.


Sometimes God doesn't feel near, but like the stars in the night sky He's always there. We just don't always see Him.I don't have the answers, but I know that God does. He doesn't always explain to us what's going on. But we just need to trust Him through it all. His thoughts aren't our thoughts. And our ways aren't His ways. Thank goodness for that or else we'd be in big trouble.

I'm not writing this to say I have the answers. I don't. I question, I cry, and I don't understand. But I'm writing this to encourage you. To say that God still holds this world in His hands. He cares about us and loves us. God is good. And He always was, always is, and always will be good.

Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 

Renew

I already had a post written for today. I actually posted it for a few minutes before after some debating with myself I reverted it back to a draft. I feel like God has something else for me to write today.

Have you ever felt like you're just going through life? Not growing in your faith? Maybe God feels farther away then usually? As if you're in a "spiritual desert" so to speak?
Yep, been there, done that. Or should I say that I'm there right now, or making my way out of that
"spiritual desert". I'm always hesitate to use phrases like that, but honestly I think in this case it fits. I read a few verses in the Psalms the other day and I want to share them with you.

Psalm 63:1-8 says,
"God, You are my God; I eagerly seek You.
I thirst for You;
my body faints for You
in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water.
So I gaze on You in the sanctuary
to see Your strength and Your glory.
My lips will glorify You
because Your faithful love is better than life.
So I will praise You as long as I live;
at Your name, I will lift up my hands.
You satisfy me as with rich food;
my mouth will praise You with joyful lips.
When I think of You as I lie on my bed,
I meditate on You during the night watches
because You are my helper;
I will rejoice in the shadow of Your wings.
I follow close to You;
Your right hand holds on to me."

Those verses, to me, show a intimacy with God. And those verses have been my prayer the past few days. I've been telling God that I'm not there yet, but I want to be.

I've always wondered how to live for Jesus. I don't want to just get through life, or stay comfortably in the place I am now in my faith. I long to grow. I talked to one of my sisters about this and she said to try to live for Him through the small things I do throughout the day. Live for Him in the simple and mundane. Doesn't sound that hard... or does it? I would love to have Jesus be my every waking thought, the One I long for and the One who satisfies my soul. I'm not there yet, but I'm praying for God to get me there.

Here's part of the poem/prayer I wrote in my journal to Jesus.

"Oh God I long to long for You.
Help me to trust You when You aren't in view.
Help me out of this dry place I feel I'm in.
Help me to flee from the enticing temptations of sin.

This is my cry out to You Lord.
I desire to long for You more.
Help my life to reflect Your love,
to live for what is unseen and above.
Let my words shine through of You,
and for my thoughts to be pure and true.
This is my prayer God, my song.
Help me to remember it's here in Your presence I belong.

In my life I don't want to just get by,
don't want to feel worn and dry.
Oh God I want to thirst for You!
I pray that my spirit would be renewed!

This is my cry out to You Lord.
To You I long to run toward.
Turn this broken person I am into something beautiful.
Of You I want to be full.
Turn this cry into a song that glorifies You,
one that tells of Your love as true.
Mold me as a potter molds clay,
help me to grow in You each and everyday.
Refine me as gold is refined through fire.
You never wear out or tire.
To You I lift my hands in praise,
to glorify Your name."


Let's strive to live for Jesus. Let's pray and tell Him how we feel and where we want to be. Let's live to glorify Him.

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Here's a link to a beautiful song called Broken Prayers by Riley Clemmons. You should listen to it, it really has a powerful message.

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What's been going on with you? What's God been teaching you recently? Any Bible verses that have stuck out to you recently?
Feel free to drop me a comment below, I'd love to hear from you. :)