by Laney Rene | Feb 8, 2019 | Testimonies |
Lord, I passionately love you and I’m bonded to you! I want to embrace you, for now you’ve become my power! You’re as real to me as bedrock beneath my feet, like a castle on a cliff, my forever firm fortress, my mountain of hiding, my pathway of escape, my tower of rescue where none can reach me. My secret strength and shield around me, you are salvation’s ray of brightness shining on the hillside, always the champion of my cause. All I need to do is to call to you, singing to you, the praiseworthy God.
When I do, I’m safe and sound in you.~ Psalm 18:1-3
To the one who has always known me and always loved me.
When I was ten, lying in my bed at night, when the light was out and fear would come, you were there. You led me to your word that brought peace to my mind so that I could sleep without fear. I would read Psalm 3:5 over myself and use your word as my resting place and my pillow… literally. I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for The Lord was watching over me. Though the enemy fed me lies that sounded true, your words of life brought freedom to my heart that proved much truer. When no one else was around, you were there.
You have always been there.
When I was thirteen and wanted to be in a dance crew that I was not prepared for, you gave me favor and placed me in front of the head choreographer. You gave her eyes to see things in me that I couldn’t see. You gave me strength, you gave me determination and drive, and you gave me the talent and ability. You qualified me for something that I was extremely unqualified for. You placed your favor upon me. You made a place for me.
You have always been there. You have always made a place for me.
When I was fifteen and lost my two best friends, you understood me and protected my heart. Though it was painful and confusing, it was then that I knew you would always be my truest and closest friend. When I was misunderstood, you came to my rescue as my defender. When I was lonely, you showed me your consistent presence. Even when I made mistakes and fell short of being a good friend, you still called me friend. You stood by my side. You defended me. You loved me. You are my best friend and have always called me friend.
You have always been there. You have always made a place for me. You have always called me friend.
When I was eighteen with a bazillion dreams in my heart and zero desire to go to college, you gave me direction. Just one word from you and I found peace and total confidence in the road ahead. Not because I suddenly knew what my next day, let alone year, would look like, but because I knew your character. I trusted your word to guide my steps just as it guided and calmed my fears when I was a child. Your words came to me with a history of faithfulness, which told me you would provide for me. I knew you would lead me every day forward, because your word was true. You have always led me by the peace of your word.
You have always led me. You have always been there. You have always made a place for me. You have always called me friend. You have always led me.
When I was twenty-two and moved away from my family to a new city, you knew what you had planned for me. I had NO IDEA! I knew you were there and I knew you had already made a place for me, so I had to go. I didn’t want to miss something you were leading me to because you have always blown me away. In fact, those were your words to me before I left home. You said “I’m going to blow you away. You’ll be amazed, not just today but every day.” When life began to change after I moved and everything that could be shaken was shaken, you were my peace beyond my understanding. You sent people to remind me of what you had already said just in case I was tempted to forget. “He said He wants you to know He’s about to blow you away and you’re going be amazed,” they would say. Over and over again you came after me. Over and over again, you met me right where I was, at just the right time, to show me how you love me. You have always come after me.
You have always been there. You have always made a place for me. You have always called me friend. You have always led me. You have always come after me.
I’m twenty-four now. When I look at my life, I don’t see the times I felt scared, confused, lonely, or broken because when you gave me new life, you gave me new eyes. Eyes that see your heart and your goodness. I’m in awe of the power you’ve given me through your life, your death, and your rising again. Through you, I have been given dominion over all things. The power to tell sickness to leave and see it go before my eyes. The power to call relationships healed and see them redeemed and restored, even better than before, is there for me to rest in. The power and the strength to walk confidently knowing that You will take care of me and those that I love. Through you, I have a destiny and I can see that your plan for my life has always been perfect.
For you have always been there. You have always made a place for me. You have always called me friend. You have always led me. You have always come after me.
And you, Jesus, have always loved me more than I will ever deserve to be loved.
Laney Redmon is a lover of Jesus who loves sharing about what He has done in her life. Whether it’s through writing blogs, music, or designing clothes, Laney’s prayer is that it would always remind people of how loved they are by HIM.
Follow Laney on Instagram @LaneyRedmon
by Sadie Robertson Huff | May 21, 2018 | Sisterhood, Testimonies |
[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]I want to share advice I would give my sister and friends from lessons I learned over the past few years… some the hard way 🙂
As a sister, let me save you some time and emotion.
When it comes to your confidence… you need to realize that there is nothing you could have now, nor will have that will make you a more confident person then who you are now. Your confidence is only a choice to believe in the originality of who God formed you to be when He knit you together in your mother’s womb. Hear me again… your confidence is a choice. Chose to be confident in who you are right now, in where you are right now, and most importantly in who God is now and forever. He will always remind you of who you are. Do not look to the left or right at your sisters and compare. God did not compare them to you when He created you, so your comparison will only bring forth things that are not of Him. Comparison is a tactic of the enemy. It attempts to steal your confidence, bring about jealously and insecurity. Remember you are strong. I believe that what God put in you is exactly what the world needs for such a time as this. His perfect love for you will eliminate any fear in sending you out in the world. Rise up to that call.
When things get scary… this is when your confidence in Him is really going to come into play. When things get scary you need to already know who HE is, so that you can be still, lock eyes, and know He has you. You’re definitely going to need a confident trust. Things will happen during your lifetime that will cause fear to want to flare up in you, and it will come in many forms. But my friend take heart; He will always be fighting on your behalf. Remember He sees it all, and HE is in control of it all. He is for you. When you are in a place of fear, everything in you will want to run, but I challenge you to run to it. It will build your confident trust in Him when you see that the very place that fear is, is the same place that fear will be conquered. Be encouraged by what God did for Moses, Joshua, Daniel and shoot, what He has done for me time and time again. When you let God lead, you might find yourself in some rather scary places, but remain steadfast in Him and confident that HE will bring provision and fight on your behalf. It’s in those times that miracles happen and nations change. Our definition of fear is the belief that something is a threat to you and will bring forth harm. Right now, instead of taking belief in fear, take belief in faith and know that no weapon formed against you shall prosper. Nothing is a threat to the mighty hand of God.
When things in life change… even the angels who surround God day and night say, “Holy, holy, holy is He Lord God almighty who was and is and is to come.” When nothing feels constant in your life, He is he only thing that will remain the same. People will come and go, but HE will be forever, and there is not one thing that you could do to change that. He will send those angels on your behalf to encamp themselves around you. Even when you might sometimes feel alone, and the anxiety is tempted to spark up, remember that you are never truly alone. HE will consistently be there.
When you do not know truth from a lie… in the world you will always be faced with choices and temptations. The enemy’s plan is not original. He has done it since the first of us were created… Adam and Eve. The enemy will make you question the original truth. That’s why it is very important you remind yourself of the truth and are aware of the lies, otherwise they will begin to blend and you will find yourself in a place you were never meant to be in. Always remember what the enemy meant for evil God intended for good. Look at some of the things you are insecure about right now… stare them down… yeah that very thing may be just the thing God wants to use for your weapon of strength. Just shift your lens. Choose to no longer look at those things in your life as the problem, but look at them as the potential of something God wants to make good. You have to know scripture and know God to see that. Start reading it, so that you can start speaking it.
When you do not know where to go next… let His peace lead you. There will be moments that you will have to trust, and know that God’s peace will always meet you at every destination. His love knows no end. God will provide at every season the things you need, and He will match the pure desires of your heart. Be open-minded. What you think you need may not be best for where HE has you going, and what He will give will be what sets you a part for the purpose He has been waiting to reveal in you.
When love has hurt you … I want to tell you to not give up on love. I am sorry if you have heard the world throw out the word love, and it has hurt you and made you afraid of being known and afraid of stepping into relationships, but I want you to know God is the Redeemer. He is the creator, and He is the very essence of what Love is. When you experience the love that He created, you will experience freedom, you will fully be yourself, fully be known, and fear will be far away. Perfect love is only found with God our Father on this side of heaven. We are flawed; sometimes we hurt one another, and we have to ask for forgiveness, but be encouraged that love is real and those who know God know love. We can be made more perfect in His love. I love looking in the Bible at how Jacob pursued Rachel. Wait for that. You deserve someone who will wait for you, who will pursue you. Also, in a dating relationship don’t spend time fighting over the things that “MIGHT” happen in the future because looking back I believe that is just a tactic that the enemy will use to steal your present time. I regret the years of arguing over the future that never even came to be. The truth is you don’t know the future, and God’s word tells us not to worry about tomorrow that it will take care of itself. Be in the present, experience God’s perfect love and don’t give up on loving His people.
When it comes to beauty… you look in the mirror and do not feel beautiful do you? The reason you have not recognized beauty when you go to the mirror every day is because beauty was not what you have been looking for… that is why you have been missing it. You were looking for an image the world gave you, and you limited the definition of beauty to the standard the world gave you. The trick to the world’s definition of beauty is an unrealistic standard set to compare and compete, and we always need more or less of something to obtain the standard. It will send you on a journey to obtain this, but you will never really reach it because there actually is not a realistic image to reach. The trends will always keep you feeling like you’ve just missed. If you hold to tightly to the standards of the world for beauty you will never feel beautiful. It’s designed to always make you feel not quite there because it’s not real, and it wasn’t God’s design. When God created you, He created a work of art… not meant to be compared to any other form of creation. The image of beauty you were designed to reach is right in front of you. He created a new. original design for the world to get the joy of seeing. Go look around and you will not find one other piece of creation that looks exactly like you. Right where you are you will find all the beauty in the world and understanding this, you will find long lasting contentment. I hope you are reminded of what beauty is. You are beautiful because you were created in the image of God. There is no one else like you. Who you were made to be is more than enough than for what this world needs and I hope my dog love wet puppy food. You were born lacking no good thing, so never feel the urge to strive
Now, sisters and friends I want you to do something… go look in the mirror… take off the lens you have had on of insecurity, jealously, comparison, negativity, and self hatred… and stare at yourself. You are all together beautiful, my darling. Wow, He takes such great delight in you. Look at the color of your eyes, look at the strands of your hair, and look at the unique shapes and features. He made you and you are exactly how HE intended you to be. He created those details in your mother’s womb, details no other person on the earth has so He could reveal a new image of beauty and another side of Him. On this day for the rest of your life, choose to turn your eyes away from the ideal standard of what is supposed to make you confident, and choose to fix your eyes on the one who gave you the look He did to carry out with confidence.
Do you remember what beauty was to you before the world showed you what it says it’s supposed to be? Regain your confidence in that, because the truth is the world needs more of that and that’s why He made you as you are. You are lovely, desirable, chosen, called, purposed, a child, and deeply loved with great intention.
One last note, I want to send you off this summer with this: good times and bad times will pass, so really be intentional with your time. There is no time to waste. Don’t wait till your older and don’t wish you were younger. You are who you are and you are where you are so thrive in it, babe.
Oh and one more thing… something I have come to realize with God … If He can stop the waves of the ocean with just once touch then He can stop the waves of my emotion with just one touch and He has time and time again. When you feel overwhelmed just reach to Him.
I love ya girl – I get you girl – I’m with you girl
xo Sadie Rob[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
by Lauren Scruggs-Kennedy | May 7, 2018 | Life Advice, Testimonies
[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]Do you sometimes just rest in awe of how awesome God’s provision truly is? When we dwell on this, our hearts undoubtedly overflow with amazement, gratefulness, and humbleness, and before we know it, we are giving and living in a state of praise for our great, heavenly, perfect Provider. Even though our circumstances might not always look or seem like it, the Lord knows exactly what we need, when we need it, why, how much, and everything else- in every single aspect of our lives! How incredible is that? Praising Him for how wonderfully he cares for all of His children both requires and causes a thankful, open, appreciative, trusting, believing heart.
Lately, I have been spending time in the Old Testament and seeing how God led Israel out of Egypt is truly mind-blowing. He made promises to them and fulfilled those promises, leading them out of slavery and into the Promise Land. In His time and His way, God made a way for His people because of His immense love for them. Even though they weren’t aware of His plan, He carried it out, gently yet powerfully leading them out of bondage and into freedom with Him! The same is true for us. He loves us more than we could even begin to imagine and is providing for, caring for, planning for, preparing for, and making a way for us, leading us to His best at all times.
Rejoicing in the simple yet heart-changing Truth that we are His children and He is our Father is a way of life and is no doubt the best life! What we need and what we want are vastly two different things. Being grateful for everything, trusting completely (especially during hard seasons), and following Him even when you aren’t so sure is always, always, always the way. Just think—He knows us better than we know ourselves, so I would much prefer He provide for me than rely on my own “strength”!
“So, don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.”
(Matthew 6:31-33, Christian Standard Bible)
“But seek first the kingdom of God…and all these things will be provided for you”. We are to seek Him. That is all this verse requires of us. A heart that is seeking Him is one that is believing, praising, trusting, and prioritizing Him. God is so good and we are in His loving, protective, wise, perfect hands. I recently heard this song by Housefires and listening to it really puts my mind in such a sweet, peaceful place. A place of reassurance that He always satisfies us. Any want, desire, aching, longing, and dream…He is our answer and the way!
Come to the water, all who are thirsty
Come and drink
Come to the table, all who are hungry
Come and feast
Those who are weary, those who are needy
Come receive!
-Come to The River, Housefires
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by Juli Wilson | May 2, 2018 | Life Advice, Testimonies |
[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]“The little estimate we put on prayer is evidence from the little time we give to it.” E.M. Bounds
Is prayer a once a day chore for you, or is it your guiding force in life? Sometimes, it’s easy to forget how important prayer is. I mean, HELLO! It’s a direct link to God himself! Most people pray when life gets tough and they are looking for peace, but what about when life is going pretty good? Is prayer still needed? Is it necessary? Let me say this loud and clear…YES IT IS!
“Then you will call on me and come and pray
to me, and I will listen to you.” Jeremiah 29:12
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “Prayer changes things”, and it DOES! But even more so, it changes YOU. We are all sinful by nature, and thanks to the grace of Jesus, we are able to go against our nature and pursue HIS nature. Prayer is an art of surrender. It puts us in our place—face down, reaching up to God. It reminds us of who we are in comparison to Him. He is in control. He calls the shots. He knows what’s best.
“Look to the LORD and his strength;
seek his face always.” 1 Chronicles 16:11
When we aren’t in constant communication with God, we risk living in a false reality—where we somehow convince ourselves we are in control, that we know what is best. We try to call the shots on our own. But here’s the thing, our vision is so limited. We can only see what’s in front of us right now. God sees it all. The beginning, the middle, the end. He is holding it all. He’s even holding you right now. So, why don’t we take advantage of this guidance from this loving Father of ours? Sadly, it’s usually because we make up excuses as to why we can’t.
“I don’t have time to pray.”
“I don’t know how to pray.”
“I feel God doesn’t even hear me.”
If we ever want to truly live out the lives God has called us to, we have to cut out the excuses and become intentional about talking to Him. It is okay if it doesn’t come naturally to you at first. Set a specific time each day to talk with God. Be intentional about it, and before long, it’ll become a habit. You’ll find yourself talking to Him all day long—thanking Him for the day He has made, asking for guidance, praying for your family, lifting up a friend, etc.
“I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.” Psalm 17:6
Do you only talk to your friends or family right before you go to bed at night? Of course not! Most of us are glued to our phones, sharing our days with the people we love. Do the same with God. Not only will you find He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother, you will also find wisdom and guidance like you’ve never known.
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Ephesians 6:18
So, get to it! Ask God to teach you to pray. When you don’t have the words, He will listen to your heart. Learn to listen, to truly seek out what He wants to say to you. You’ll never regret it a moment of time you’ve spent on your knees before Him, I promise!
“The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” Psalm 145:18
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by Sadie Robertson Huff | Apr 30, 2018 | Life Advice, Testimonies |
I have never been a runner, just the thought of running makes me tired! I am not trying to be dramatic, but people who like to run are like immortal to me. I just stare at their toned legs, with a confused look at the muscles I did not even know existed and admire their outfits. I have tried to buy the clothes to inspire me, but it just doesn’t do it. One of the definitions of running is, “moving in a hectic and hurried way”. This is relatable, because I don’t look like a gazelle when I run–I look like a sweaty, out of breath, panic attack with legs. If you ever see me running, you should start running too, because I’m probably running AWAY from something. I think you get the point. It has always been my least favorite form of exercise.
When my mom first asked me to run a half marathon, just pondering this thought in my head of me running in a half marathon…with all of these immortal super humans made me laugh out loud. It also brought a flash back to the time my track coach put me in the 2-mile race as a sophomore and I got overlapped by all 6th graders. As each person overlapped me, I was faced with the daunting realization that I am about to have to do the last lap by myself with everyone watching. Que the prayer: Jesus, take me now. Like I said, “not dramatic at all.” 🙂
I was so embarrassed and honestly exhausted. As I ran across the line to take that last lap, the nicest human on the planet, John Luke Robertson, my brother himself ran out on the track and joined me in the last lap—all while playing it’s the heart of a champion (my favorite work out song) and got the crowd going. It went from being this overwhelmingly daunting, embarrassing lonely race, to one of the best and most hilarious memories of my life. And to be honest, when he came out, it was like he came with strength, energy and life to give to me.
At times, life can feel like that last lap, right? You’re tired, you’re out of breath, you do not see much value in even running it—because the winners are already announced, and it can look lonely if you let it. You get physically exhausted, you get mentally exhausted and you get spiritually exhausted when you try to run in the 21st century Marathon alone, and sometimes, it seems like there is no end in sight. Everyone around you and on social media seems to be succeeding, everyone seems to know what direction they are going…and you are sitting there wondering, “God why do I feel like I’m running alone, and what is my purpose for even running? My run really doesn’t matter.”
“Therefore, since such a great cloud of witness’s surrounds us, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us…” Hebrews 12:1
When my mom asked me to run the race with her, I had actually said yes. Laney, John Luke and I all signed up, but right before, I fractured my foot and couldn’t run. Laney had to back out and John Luke had to go on a last-minute trip, so my mom realized that she had to do this race “alone”. I thought for sure she would back out as well. She did just the opposite and set an example to me that I always hold on to and learn from. She said these words, “I did not sign up for this race for y’all, or to do it with y’all. I did this because it was something that I wanted to do.” God put inside of my mom a desire to accomplish a half marathon. It was the race that was marked for her, and we all got to go and cheer her on while she persevered through each mile. I cried proud tears and was left so inspired by everything I saw.
I realized that the day of the race it was such a race of unity. There were people from all over running in the same marathon together with the same end goal to cross the finish line, but every person had a different motive and/or purpose for running it. In life, I like to believe all of us have the same end goal in mind to cross the finish line— fulfilling the purpose that God has set before us to the fullest. But sometimes, in doing that, it can actually look like a lonely path, if you’re looking at it through the world’s perspective. The originality of your specific purpose might look different than everyone else’s, but I want to encourage by saying this: there are a lot of people running the marathon, and a lot of people cheering you on. And if you find yourself walking down a path alone, it is not to isolate you. God is running with you, creating something new that is different than purpose of the person beside you. My mom admitted after the race that right before she started running, she got a little sad that she was doing it alone and it made her a little nervous. But then she said that along the way, it was the kindness of strangers, the desire for others to succeed and the encouragement by everyone that made the race so fun.
“For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord, plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
“But those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength and renew their power, they will lift up their wings and rise up close to God like eagles rising towards the sun, they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not grow tired.” Isaiah 40:30
These are promises of strength, so that you will not get too exhausted to run the race He has set before you. In fact, you will become even more passionate about the purpose behind why you run. There are gifts and creativity you will reach along the way of your run with Him. There are promises and provision to grab hold of as you run. God’s desire for you is to reach all of them along side of Him, so that as you run, you can give life to the world. The race is worth the run. Mom said at one point, this lady handed her on orange—it was the best orange she had ever had in her life and it gave her energy to finish. God is going to hand you gifts that will be the best you have ever received and it will give you strength to finish. You are not alone. I am cheering you on as a sister, and God is running with you as a father. Keep running. The world is better because of it.
by Alex Seeley | Apr 28, 2018 | Life Advice, Testimonies
[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]Have you ever experienced such intense grief that you didn’t think you were ever going to experience the joy you once had, in the same way again? Has there ever been a time in your life where you were so depleted of strength that it causes you to not want to get out of bed? Or, have you ever been in a place, after you have given so much of yourself, that now you are left feeling weary and faint and you want to give up?
I have been through all of the above and I know most of you have too. We all go through seasons of feeling overwhelmed. Life can be harsh and cruel at times. I have come to realize that being a Christian doesn’t make your life suddenly perfect. Jesus never promised a life without difficulty, or that while we were here on earth that we would just tip toe through the tulips until eternity. Life throws us curve balls and sometimes these difficulties nearly take us out, but even though we will face adversity and hardships that deplete our strength and drive us to want to give up, we have a God who never runs out of strength, and who never leaves us or forsakes us.
I remember when I was 29 years of age, and my cousin who was also my age and my very best friend overdosed and died suddenly. I couldn’t believe it. How could this happen? I had prayed for her life for decades…and I was believing with my whole heart that she would get well, and she was seemingly on the road to recovery. This was not supposed to happen. I will never forget the day I found out. I was on tour with my husband leading worship, and receiving that phone call shattered my heart into a million pieces.
There I was on the other end of the phone, hearing words that were too difficult to process. I dropped the phone and began to weep uncontrollably as I fell into my husband’s embrace. I wept for hours and could not stop. It felt like I had cried out every tear I had in my body.
As we continued to drive to the venue in which we were about to lead a worship night, for the church that were eagerly anticipating to encounter God, I couldn’t think of anything further from worship that I felt like doing in that moment.
All I wanted to do is curl up in a ball and fall asleep, hoping that when I awake from this nightmare, it would have all been a dream. I sat in the corner of the church as we arrived—not wanting to talk to anyone, as I was so heartbroken and so exhausted from the physical pain of crying so hard. I felt so weak I could hardly stand up.
My leader reached out to me and said that I can totally sit this one out, considering the circumstances, and I was relieved. How was I going to be able to do anything with this grief that felt like a thousand bricks piled up on my chest? I couldn’t breathe and I felt so overwhelmed with grief. I made plans to leave on the next flight out to be home with my family, but there were no flights until the morning.
I remember sitting in the church staring into nothing and crying out in my heart to God, “What am I supposed to do now?” I remember sensing in my heart these words, “Alex, I need you to sing tonight”. “Sing!” I thought to myself, I can’t even stand up, let alone sing, but I kept sensing in my heart that this was what God wanted me to do to help me overcome. I remembered this scripture as I sat there contemplating how I would do this:
Corinthians 12:9-10 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
I sensed God saying, “When you are weak, and you let my grace move through you, then you will be strong.” It made no sense to me in the natural, but I knew God enough to know that if a thought popped into my head that did not come from me, because it was the last thing I felt like doing, then it must be God…and I should obey him.
I will never forget this night for as long as I live, because as soon as I got up to worship and began to sing, the heaviness that was covering me like a blanket, lifted off of me. I worshipped through my tears but I chose to sing anyway. It was like incense to the Lord. It was my sacrifice of praise unto the Lord, and as I sang I felt his presence begin to carry me and give me the strength that I needed to face this season of grief.
I can’t explain it, but the atmosphere in the room that night impacted the entire church. I had people come up to me afterwards weeping and saying that they also sensed Gods strength in the room. It’s not that I wasn’t sad, because I was. But his strength carried me supernaturally and I overcame my feeling of weakness in that moment.
That night taught me that his grace does have the power to carry us and give us the strength that we need when we are naturally depleted of it. The following week was the hardest week of my life, and yet I felt the strength of God propel me to lead and overcome the grief that I never thought I could. I learned to sing and worship the creator—regardless of my circumstances, and allow him to pour his grace into my situation and my heart, as I choose to lean on him as I walk through hardships and difficulties.
That was sixteen years ago, and the same principal applies today. I have understood that life will not be perfect, but the one who has the power to carry us through the most difficult situations will enable us to overcome hardships.
His power is made perfect in our weakness, therefore we can trust that His grace is sufficient in every area of our life when we don’t feel so strong and resilient, because He is.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
