Amazed. Always. At the many ways the Lord speaks.
My prayers lately have centered around asking for and listening for the Lord’s voice concerning the next steps in answering His call to ministry on our lives. This was my devotion on Saturday night:
“…help me stay focused…remain determined…keep pushing ahead…never let go…”
Ok, Lord. I will.
And then yesterday my dad, daughter and I made a whirlwind trip to Indy to visit my friend Jenny and we visited a newer church in the area. They played a song I hadn’t yet heard. And in the lyrics I heard the Lord again.
“Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)”
You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand
And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine
Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You’ve never failed and You won’t start now
So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever you would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior
[x6]
I will call upon Your Name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine
(Italics Mine)
As we sang the bridge (italicized), I leaned over to Jenny and said, “appropriate.”
I just can’t get those words out of my head, particularly the idea “lead me where my trust is without borders.” I hadn’t really thought in those terms before, but it is true, we trust God when it fits into what we have decided this neat little box is that we want to live in, but outside of that, it is hard to trust because it is the unknown.
So this is the song on repeat in my office today, as well as the prayer on repeat in my mind today.
Where do you need to “open up” the borders of your trust in the Lord today?
Chrisy, this has been the theme song of the last 9 months or so. It isn’t so much that I have ventured out onto the waters, but that I find myself washed overboard, trying desperately to tread water. I’d like to believe that the words of the song are true – everything I’ve read and everything I’ve lived until until about 3 years ago would tell me it is. Lately, though, I am discouraged and giving up hope that I will ever learn to swim in waters deeper than my feet could wander. For you, though, I hope you find otherwise.
I ache for you in your discouragement. I have been there, and some days I still am there. But what I keep learning is that there is always hope. The biblical use of hope is more along the lines of trust. It isn’t a whimsical hope that everything is going to be ok, but rather a deep trust that even in the worst, God is present and is at work. It’s that trust that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had in the presence of the king just before they were put in the furnace, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Those words – “but even if he does not” have sustained me more times than I care to count. They represent a choice to believe and to serve even when things don’t look like we want (or feel like we need) them to.I speak encouragement and hope to you today, because even he does not do what you feel you need him to do, He is there and He is good.