Lamentations

"Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and bitterness.
Surely my soul remembers
And is bowed down within me.
This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
"The Lord is my portion," say my soul,
"Therefore I have hope in Him."
The Lord is good to those who for Him,
To the person who seeks Him.
It is good that he waits silently
For the salvation of the Lord.
It is good for a man that he should bear
The yoke in his youth.
Let him sit alone and be silent
Since He has laid it on him."
-Lamentations 3:19-28

Susan Whitley sent me this passage. It seems sometimes that rejection and loneliness are great and evil shadows that come into our lives and darken our understanding of God's sovereignty. This passage is such an amazing reminder that God is always working with a purpose. Loneliness does not mean that one is forgotten, nor does rejection mean that one no longer has acceptance in anything. God has a purpose for making us poor and empty, too, making us long with greater intensity for the hope that is sure to come. Salvation continues. Hope continues. A greater dependency on God is experienced. And this dependency is not displaced, for great is his faithfulness! Great is His power to sustain! So I am able to sit alone and be silent, since the Lord has given me emptiness in all except Him. My good is only found in His nearness, my peace and power.

To His glory,

Ashley

Struggles and Prayer

I just spent an hour replying to Susan about trust and prayer and God's faithfulness and struggles. I am so grateful for our correspondence. Her honesty challenges me. God is so great. He is awesome and breath-taking and beautiful and perfect. He is my all in all...and all I have to give is myself--a living sacrifice. My life is Yours, Lord. I have been bought with a price. I am so valuable to You, and yet I am nothing in myself. Build in us skyscrapers of truth. Make us spiritual beacons. Take these ruins and this destruction and build Your own City of Glory. We confess that we need you and that our one purpose is to proclaim Your name. Your testimony is ours. Your story is on our lips and with our mouth we cry out for more understanding of Your plan. We seek wisdom in You and You alone. You alone are our good and your nearness is our joy. Thank you seems so shallow a phrase to express my deepening gratitude for Your eternal gift of salvation. Your love leaves me breathless, yet tears also have their place in my ever-failing flesh. We are encouraged that even when we are faithless, You remain faithful. This You have done that we might proclaim Your glory and not our possessions, nor talents, nor anything else given us by You. Your glory is all we desire to see. Your righteousness is mighty and unwaivering. Your love is unfailingly sustaining. Your justice, great and steadfast, deepens Your love; and Your love affirms Your justice. We love You. We praise You. It is You. It is You who brings beauty to the darkened corners which would otherwise ever hold ashes. It is You who renews our strength. It is You who fortifies, who rebuilds, who claims, who accepts, who affirms, who calls, who adopts, who sustains. Your nearness is our good. You, O Lord, are our refuge. You, O Lord, are our everlasting Help in trouble. To You, O Lord, be the glory for Your work. Your glory demands our praise, and your sacrifice demands our all. And we give, for we are so in love with You. We yearn for Your kingdom to reign in our hearts and in our friends' hearts and in the nations. We stand in awe of Your greatness. Give us hearts that are pure in a desire for Your will. Give us Your love, Your mercy, Your kindness, Your patience and grace.

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."--Ephesians 3:20-21

Treasure

So this morning I went to breakfast with my mom, my sister, and my grandma. My mom gave my sister and me an early Christmas present--nativity scenes! ^_^

Naturally, when I got back home, I couldn't wait to set it up. As I was unwrapping all of the figures, I noticed that the only one that had extra wrapping was the little Jesus. My heart swelled as I thought what a great treasure my Jesus is. I thought of the importance of the gospel and how this special treasure is given to us, that we might advance it....and also protect its truth.

2 Timothy 2:2 says, "These things which you have heard in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."

We have been entrusted with a treasure, the treasure of the Kingdom of Heaven. Let us cherish and keep it, proclaiming truth from a heart that treasures truth.

To His glory,

Ashley