Saturday, February 17, 2007

Our Hearts Leap with Joy!

I was doing some reading and writing today and I really wanted to share this with you guys...I know it's probably more for me than for you...but once again, He doesn't say if you go through waters or if you go through fire. Instead he says, when ...so maybe when one of those times comes for you this will be something you will have stored in your heart. For those of you who know us well- we have used the phrase "Our hearts leap for Joy" many times. We've used this phrase on our wedding day, for our marriage, for the birth of John David, for all kinds of great joyous gifts with which the Lord has blessed us. We even use it at the top our blog page. You may have noticed I recently used it in my blog entry about the loss of our little one. As I was writing today, I used that phrase again. It had been a while since I had read that verse in its context in Psalm 28. So I begin to read. This whole chapter- it's not about times of great accomplishments or grand "success"...a typical joyous occasion. Psalm 28 is all about the waters and the fire, the “when”…it’s about trials, hard times, crying out to the Lord for help and mercy! As I continued to read all I could think about was the Lord's greatness! You'll have to read the whole chapter...for my hands might fall off if I do that much more typing today...but I would like to type the preceding phrases. "Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song." I have this underlined in my Bible and notes out by the side that I had written probably several years ago when I first came across this verse. This is a bit confusing to type...I hope I can make it come across the right way: We were able to face this trial and time of loss with His grace because we had accepted His grace on a daily basis to help us get through the little things. We knew He wouldn't let us down. We knew He DID hear our cries and prayers for our little one- just as he had heard our hearts on the behalf of other things. Just because He didn't answer in the way we "wanted" He still answered and He still was faithful with the pouring out of His love and grace. Another way of putting it...a bit more of a Max Lucado way: I didn't feel short-pedaled in this time of loss because the Lord had hand delivered a bouquet of flowers to my door daily in the days, weeks, and months before. When He knocks at our door with those bouquets of the most beautiful of flowers...flowers never seen on this earth...flowers from Heaven...we must not tell Him we don't need them today or that we're too busy to put them in our vase today. Instead we must, I must, open the door and allow him to plant them in my life....Let's just take the bouquets and let Him love on us...let Him do the planting and the work. All we have to do is open the door and say "Thank you, Father! The flowers are beautiful! I love you." I'm sure that would get us on our feet! It may even empower us to show up at our neighbors' door with our own bouquet to give. Yes, an earthly bouquet...but, hey, there are some beautiful flowers out there ready to be picked! Our God is an all knowing and all powerful, perfect lover of His children!

My prayer is that David and I would take that bouquet daily, for I know there are more waters and fires in our future! But, I thank God that we already know the outcome! He's already won the battle.

I don't say any of this to belittle the hurt that this world causes to us. I know there are many who have gone through much more severe waters and fire than what I have gone through this week. I say all this as a testimony to what the Lord is teaching me!

Thanks for letting me spill out to you guys! I just couldn't keep it in much longer:-) Maybe a couple of you will read it and get some encouragement!

Thanks so much for all the prayers and encouragement on our behalf! David and I have such amazing friends and family! Thanks for delivering your bouquets to our door during this time! We love each of you.


1 comment:

Mrs. Laura Aquila, the teacher said...

What an encouragement! We've been thru the waters and fire so many times ourselves....so to have this outlook. WOW! Thanks for sharing how God is working in your lives.

The Aquilas