Faith my eyes

"Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading." --Oswald Chambers

the story of love

If you could show me the story of love
I would write it again and again

I was listening to Caedmon's Call's 40 Acres CD the other day as I was madly wrapping presents at the store, and these lyrics grabbed at my attention. They have come to mind a lot recently as I have been wrestling with some of the ways that God is working in my life. Why on earth would God do that?, I wonder. That's not normal! He hasn't worked in this way in my friends' lives! I question whether or not things really are from God when they don't fit "the pattern" that I see in books or in the lives of those around me.

Despite my questioning, every time I quiet my heart and listen for God's voice, he gives me confirmation.

"Is what I'm telling you contrary to scripture?" he prods.

"No," I grudgingly admit.

"Have trusted friends who love Me balked when you've sought their advice?"

"No, they've been supportive."

"Then basically, you're just squirming because you're in unfamiliar territory and you don't know what the future holds or where I'll lead you, right?"

"I guess, yeah. Okay. You're right." I mumble.

"Then give me a little credit here! I created you for a purpose. I love you and will never leave you or forsake you. I know you better than you know yourself: I am acquainted with all your ways, and I know your words before they ever reach your tongue. I have known what each day of your life will hold before even one of them came to be. Just trust in me with all of your heart, and don't try to lean on your own understanding. Acknowledge me in everything you do, and I will make your paths straight. Don't be wise in your own eyes: just fear me, and turn away from evil. If you seek my kingdom above all else, I will provide you with everything you need. I made you unique, with unique gifts, a unique personality, and a unique story: why do you feel like you have to compare your life to the lives around you? Don't judge yourself against them. It is before your own master that you stand or fall. And you will be upheld, because I am able to make you stand." (Joshua 1:1-9 / Psalm 139 / Proverbs 3:5-7 / Matthew 6:31-34 / 1 Corinthians 12:14-20 / Romans 14:4)

That's what is so beautiful about Jesus. His is the story of Love. And then God writes that story again and again, differently in each of our lives. It never gets old, boring, or worn-out; each of us have been created uniquely with different personalities and circumstances, so the story is different every time. But it's still the same story: the story of Love. The story of God loving us so much that he became one of us, suffered death, and rose again - all in order to restore our relationship with him. If my Savior loves me that much, whom have I to fear?