Treasure Verse!

Every now and then you find that verse that just pops at you and answers one of your deepest soul questions. For me, it has been the question: Does God really want to hear from me? I don't mean, does he want me to pray; but does he want me to ask over and over and over again. When my kids won't quit begging for something, I get annoyed. Do I annoy God? It has been a struggle for me because I know that God hears me the first time and doesn't forget what I asked for. My trust in God says He knows what I need. He remembers what I asked for. He doesn't need to be reminded. He's not human like me and forgets what His kids ask about. So when I hear others saying, "Keep praying about it," I always wonder if I should.

SO, when I found this verse this week, I had a whole new outlook on life....and that is what it is all about: Finding the truth about Who God is and replacing the lies in our heads that tell us Who we think God is. When we really know Who He is, there is confidence in Who we are, and in approaching Him.

Isaiah 62:6b-7 "You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give HIM NO REST till He establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth."

I looked up some of the words.
call on - remember, recollect, reflect upon, to mention, declare, proclaim, to commemorate
rest- quiet, cutting off, rest, silence
establishes- to be established, be steadfast, be firm, be prepared, set in place, make secure, to be made firm, provide, to be made ready.

My prayer: "O GOD! I want to reflect upon what you've told us and make mention of it to you - PROCLAIM IT! I will bet at peace about not giving you rest or being quiet about your promise until you establish, provide, make firm and set in place the things you've promised. THANK YOU for your Word! Thank you for your freedom! Thank you for wanting to hear from me. I love you, too!

In other news, it seems like the moment you give birth to your precious babies, you have to begin to let go of them. They need fed less and less often. They need fewer hugs and snuggles. They begin to put themselves to sleep. They learn to go potty on their own. Before you know it, they can pack their own lunch, bike to school, take care of forgotten homework with their teacher, and stay home by themselves while you run an errand. I'm learning so much about giving my children over to God. This week I was thinking about something Clayton was facing, and telling myself, "Angela, you have to give Him to the Lord." Then I thought, "Wait! I did that when He was born." But, oh, do I take them back. Over and over I have to give them back to the Lord and remember that He loves them more than I do. He wants to fulfill His destiny for them in their lives. I have been transitioning from caretaker to coach since the day they were born. Some days, I just want to swoop in like a good helicopter parent and save them from themselves. Sometimes the lies in my head shout, "Good parents dictate good instructions and require compliance!"...and then God reminds me of His order of creation. The ultimate parent created us with a a free will. He speaks His desire. He coaches us through, always hoping for the best, and doesn't pound us when we choose the wrong path. He redirects. He loves. He forgives. He lovingly disciplines - but never manipulates and forces our compliance. Wow! I have a lot to learn from my Ultimate Parent.

All of that has been prompting a lot of thought in my mind about the Holy Spirit. It seems to me that the average Christian community is afraid of Him. We work so hard at controlling the atmosphere of our worship, our programs, our services. We want order, flow, polish. We want wise decisions. We have a fear of part of the Trinity. What if the Holy Spirit, Who is to be inside of each of us, Who is our helper, really wanted to to help us?! Well, He does! What if He wanted to take over in our worship? We don't often let Him help us worship. How often we quench the Spirit. I often think of that phrase in regards to sin. But when He wants to help us approach the throne with all we are, with absolute protrate humility, with joyful dancing, with tears or uplifted hands or total abandon. Do we pay more attention to what is going on around us? Do we worry about the people who might see us? Better yet....how do we react when someone else does that around us. Do we criticize their worship? HOW DARE US! It isn't about us! It is worship of the Holy, Almighty, Creator of the Universe and has NOTHING to do with us or our comfort.

So what do you do when your church just doesn't get it? Well, let's pray about that together. :D