I'll be honest. The day after I started this thankful heart series, I started feeling incredibly unthankful. In fact, it was by God's grace that I was able to write anything for 4 of the past 7 days! The thing is, I press through it. I didn't give up. I didn't give up because I believe this is a mandate from God for me to press through the hard times and continue to give him praise and thanks for the things He IS doing in my life. One word from someone here on earth can make or break your day, but one word from the Lord is life-affirming and life-giving.
God's word can breathe new life into dead dreams. One word from Him can change the direction of your life.
Think on that a bit. I've had lots of dreams in my lifetime. I have dreamed of becoming a photographer, being a missionary, running an orphanage, traveling the world, and so on and so on. I look at my journal from my teen years and I'm amazed God could keep up with my mind. I changed it so much. None of MY dreams were bad, they just weren't God's dream for me. I believe I'm just at the beginning of His dream for me.
I am clinging to His word for me today: Isaiah 43:18-19 "Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."
I can tell you without doubt that I have lived in the desert for too long. His promise to me is that He is making rivers in the desert. He is bringing living waters to me, right where I am. He is doing a new thing in me and through me. He is changing and molding my heart as I press in to Him through the hard days.
Let me be an encouragement to you. You can lean on Him on the hard days because He is always faithful and true. If you find yourself in the desert, drink from the fountain of life. Lysa TerKeurst recently posted this and it resonated so deep in my heart because it is wisdom and truth: When God seems silent -
- Press in to God when you want to pull away.
- Praise God out loud when you want to get lost in complaints.
- Put yourself in the company of truth.
This is spiritual exercise. Physical exercise is a practice in forming good habits. Do it daily and it becomes second nature. Getting to the point of it becoming second nature is one of the most difficult things to do. Getting started always seems easier when we start "tomorrow". So it is the same with spiritual exercise. When you've not made it a practice to spend time in His word, to fellowship with Him, getting started in pressing in to God, praising Him and surrounding yourself with other believers seems like an impossible task. In the words of Nike "Just Do It". This is the wisdom that will get you through the hard days.
Press in today. Do what you need to do to break through the drought, through the dead dreams, through the hard days when everything seems to be falling apart. Press in. Give it all to Him, and then give Him glory and praise for the new thing He is doing in you! Because He IS doing a new thing!
Father, you see our broken hearts, our hurts, our hard days, our bad news days. You know all of our thoughts, and you love us anyway. Thank you for your everlasting love, for your new mercies every morning. Thank you for healing our pain, our brokenness and drawing us closer to you in the process. Our hearts desire you first and we love you and honor you for the new things you are doing in our lives. I love you Lord, and I will praise you today with all of my being. I choose to praise you through the hard days, when my flesh wants to give up. I ask that you fill me with your strength, with a resolve to press in and continue on in what you've called me to do. In Jesus Name, Amen!
