Deuteronomy 31:8 - "And the LORD, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed."
Psalm 139:9,10 - If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.
Isaiah 41:10 - Fear no, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
What are your favorite verses when you feel alone? I would love to hear them.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Rocks in the Heart
Read: 1 Samuel 16:7; 2 Samuel 22:2-3; Psalm 84:2; Psalm 139; and Ezekiel 11
In May of 2004 I had the privilege to spend a weekend at Forest Home Conference Center for a Mother-Daughter retreat. In my mind I was doing this for Katelynn, yet I honestly believe I am the one who received the greatest blessing. There is something about devoting a time “away from it all” for prayer, worship, and fellowship. Sadly, we live in such a society that it is difficult to have some true “quiet” time. Not just time with God, but that time when it is only about God. The weekend was of course about a deeper mother-daughter relationship, but God pierced my heart in a new way. During the weekend as the speaker was sharing I thought, “Oh, I’ll have to share this with others some day.” It’s a simple thought, but for me it was very powerful. I hope it will also minister to you.
As we entered our meeting room on Saturday morning we were given a small, rough rock. This weekend was based on two verses. 1 Samuel 16:7 – “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” And Psalm 139:23, 24 – “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any harmful way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.” We all know that God really knows what’s in our hearts and I know for me I have asked, if not daily, but weekly for Him to search my heart because I desire to be right before Him. I learned this weekend that is takes “really getting away” to hear what He sees in my heart. It took a simple illustration to finally realize what was in my heart.
Simply speaking we all have “rocks” in our hearts. These are the rough circumstances, rough thoughts (worry, anger, and disappointment), rough pains, and even the rocks from wrong choices (disobedience). These rocks become a blockage in our hearts to prevent what God wants to do in our lives. These rocks can become spiritual heart attacks. We all have rough rocks of heartache. God desires to heal us but we must first decide to give these rough rocks to the Lord. Everyone is carrying at least one rock around, and it is time to throw this rough rock away.
I instantly knew the two “rocks” that I needed to deal with right away. The first one was a deep disappointment. It was a small rough rock that I had to give to God because if I held on to it much longer, it was only going to continue tearing up my heart. The scars might continue to be noticeable, but God can use them to show others the power of His love. The second rock felt more like a boulder because it was very painful and personal. It was a rock I did not choose to pick up, did not deserve to get, but it was given to me. I honestly thought I was OK that it came, but during this weekend I realized I was angry for the damage this rock did in my life. Most importantly God said, “You have to give me this. Not only does it give you pain to carry it in your heart, it’s a sin to continue with this in your heart.”
What should you do with the rocks in your heart? You need to physically get a rock, take the rock, get on your knees before God and give it to Him. Maybe, you’ll have more than one rock like I did. God knows about this rock, yet He can’t completely remove it until you ask Him to. I think the following verses give us a little insight into the heart of God and what He desires and shows us we must do something before He can work in us.
Ezekiel 11:19-21 – “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God. But as for those whose hearts are devoted to their vile images and detestable idols, I will bring down on their own heads what they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD." (NIV)
I encourage you to lay your rough rock (or rocks) into the hands of your loving Father and that there would be nothing blocking the work He wants to do in your life. Trust me, it’s not easy, but it is so worth it! The only rock we want left in our hearts is Jesus.
Psalm 31:3 – For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore for Your name’s sake, lead me and guide me.
In May of 2004 I had the privilege to spend a weekend at Forest Home Conference Center for a Mother-Daughter retreat. In my mind I was doing this for Katelynn, yet I honestly believe I am the one who received the greatest blessing. There is something about devoting a time “away from it all” for prayer, worship, and fellowship. Sadly, we live in such a society that it is difficult to have some true “quiet” time. Not just time with God, but that time when it is only about God. The weekend was of course about a deeper mother-daughter relationship, but God pierced my heart in a new way. During the weekend as the speaker was sharing I thought, “Oh, I’ll have to share this with others some day.” It’s a simple thought, but for me it was very powerful. I hope it will also minister to you.
As we entered our meeting room on Saturday morning we were given a small, rough rock. This weekend was based on two verses. 1 Samuel 16:7 – “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” And Psalm 139:23, 24 – “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any harmful way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.” We all know that God really knows what’s in our hearts and I know for me I have asked, if not daily, but weekly for Him to search my heart because I desire to be right before Him. I learned this weekend that is takes “really getting away” to hear what He sees in my heart. It took a simple illustration to finally realize what was in my heart.
Simply speaking we all have “rocks” in our hearts. These are the rough circumstances, rough thoughts (worry, anger, and disappointment), rough pains, and even the rocks from wrong choices (disobedience). These rocks become a blockage in our hearts to prevent what God wants to do in our lives. These rocks can become spiritual heart attacks. We all have rough rocks of heartache. God desires to heal us but we must first decide to give these rough rocks to the Lord. Everyone is carrying at least one rock around, and it is time to throw this rough rock away.
I instantly knew the two “rocks” that I needed to deal with right away. The first one was a deep disappointment. It was a small rough rock that I had to give to God because if I held on to it much longer, it was only going to continue tearing up my heart. The scars might continue to be noticeable, but God can use them to show others the power of His love. The second rock felt more like a boulder because it was very painful and personal. It was a rock I did not choose to pick up, did not deserve to get, but it was given to me. I honestly thought I was OK that it came, but during this weekend I realized I was angry for the damage this rock did in my life. Most importantly God said, “You have to give me this. Not only does it give you pain to carry it in your heart, it’s a sin to continue with this in your heart.”
What should you do with the rocks in your heart? You need to physically get a rock, take the rock, get on your knees before God and give it to Him. Maybe, you’ll have more than one rock like I did. God knows about this rock, yet He can’t completely remove it until you ask Him to. I think the following verses give us a little insight into the heart of God and what He desires and shows us we must do something before He can work in us.
Ezekiel 11:19-21 – “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God. But as for those whose hearts are devoted to their vile images and detestable idols, I will bring down on their own heads what they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD." (NIV)
I encourage you to lay your rough rock (or rocks) into the hands of your loving Father and that there would be nothing blocking the work He wants to do in your life. Trust me, it’s not easy, but it is so worth it! The only rock we want left in our hearts is Jesus.
Psalm 31:3 – For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore for Your name’s sake, lead me and guide me.
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