A time for everything.

Ecclesiastes 3:1,7b "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven...a time to keep silence, and a time to speak."
There is a time to speak, but there is also a time to keep our mouths shut. Speaking prematurely not only affects the one doing the speaking, it also affects others around them, particularly those to whom they speak.


Proverbs 17:28 says, "Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent."
There is such a thing as speaking prematurely. I've seen people (myself included) speak too early about things the Lord has revealed to them. This can can misdirect people from the Lord's purposes. Sometimes the Lord wants us to keep things to ourselves for a while until it is the right time to share what He has told us. How do we know if something is the "right time"? We seek God and determine whether He would have us keep it to ourselves for now or share it with others. This does not mean that what we have to say is bad, but there is a specific time for it to be spoken. Sometimes we just need to wait until it is the appropriate time. 


Proverbs 18:4 "The words of a man's mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brooke." 
Matthew Henry states in his commentary: "The well-spring of wisdom is as deep waters. An intelligent knowing man has in him a good treasure of useful things, which furnishes him with something to say upon all occasions that is pertinent and profitable. This is as deep waters, which make no noise, but never run dry."


Deuteronomy 18:20-22 
Even if God gives us words of wisdom, we need to discern whether His purpose was for our ears alone, or for someone else to know (now or in the future.) 

contentment.

"The key to contentment...is actually to know who you are in Christ and to trust God with every aspect of your life, future, and ministry." [Christine Cain]

I needed to hear this today. I think we all do. Especially for those of us who are in college and are unsure about what the next step will be. So many times I find myself planning everything in my life, hoping that all of these wonderful ideas will be fulfilled immediately. This is so far from how God works. When has He ever told us to have free reign and to plan out all the details of our lives? Never. And yet we continue to make our little plans, as if they will all become a reality. I believe that the Lord places passions and desires on our hearts for a reason. Many times, He will put burdens on our hearts so that we will desire the things that He has called us to do. I know that He has done that in my life. There are things I would have never imagined I'd ever enjoy doing, but the Lord gave me these passions and I know that He will provide a way for them to be accomplished...in HIS time.

That's the key to all of this. It's all about timing. His time never seems to be the timeframe I had in mind. Many times He wants us to wait. I know I always want to rush things in my life, but the Lord has had to remind me multiple times to just.............wait. Isaiah 40:13 says, "but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint" (ESV.) 


While in the waiting season, He wants us to be content. Christine Caine makes this clear in her statement. Once we finally become content with where we are and who we are in Christ, it shows that we trust Him with all of the details. Why would He tell us "I know the plans I have for you..." if He didn't mean it? He has every detail planned out and He knows what we need, even more than we ourselves do. We just have to let go, surrender to Him, trust that He will do what He says He will, and find out what our identity is in Him. 

Come Burn In Me

This morning, I woke up to find our street filled with fire trucks and police cars. Come to find out, our neighbors' house was on fire. The foundation of the house is still intact, but mostly everything in the house is gone. The firemen spent hours putting the fire out. I was unable to leave the neighborhood, so I stayed home until later in the afternoon. When I finally headed up to Cleveland, God began to speak to me about the events earlier. There are several things I have been praying and seeking the Lord about lately (direction, answers to specific questions, the next step after graduation, etc.) I was praying, once again, about all of these things on my drive. Then, all of the sudden, it hit me... Like the house fire that I witnessed today, the Lord is burning things on the inside of me. The foundation will not be shaken-- who I am will not be altered or affected-- but there are things He wants to consume and get rid of. In order for me to receive new things, there are some old things that need to be taken care of. 

This made so much sense to me! There are areas of my life that I feel are in flames. This semester, for example, there are many things that are different: 

1. I've only been back from Cambodia since July 18th, so I'm still having to adjust to things here. Sometimes I just break down because I miss Cambodia so much and want to be there more than anything.

2. Several things have come up lately and I am unsure as to whether they are a part of the Lord's will or if they are just things to distract me from His will. 

3. I am no longer in the ministry that forever changed me. Campus Choir was my entire life for 3 years, but the Lord spoke to me and I knew that I was not supposed to return this semester. I am now getting involved in other ministries and have been placed in new situations and surroundings. 

4. School is overwhelming. I have a really bad case of Senioritis and I have no motivation to do any school work. Graduation is May 4, but it seems too far away! 

In saying all of this, I realize that God is doing new things in my life. It's not that God removed bad things from my life; He just changed things. He had to uproot me from all I have known for the past several years in order for Him to do new things in and through me. The word uproot means: "to displace, as from a home or country; tear away, as from customs or a way of life." This is exactly how I have been feeling-- like everything I've known has been stripped from me. Don't get me wrong. Some of the changes have been great and I see the Lord's hand in all of it. It's just hard to adapt to so many new things. 

I started reading In His Face by Bob Sorge last week. It’s an incredible book and is perfect for what I’ve been going through recently. There was one section of the book where he talked about the valley seasons. He said that "between every two mountains is a valley." That's a good statement! Most of the time we think of "going from glory glory" as being on a constant spiritual high. The truth is that there are almost always valley seasons between those. I thought about some of the most awesome times in my life that I have had with God and I can honestly say that before and after each of these times was a low time where I felt dry and empty. Sometimes the Lord has to take us through these times to teach us, strengthen us, or keep us humble. This is where I believe I am right now. 


I was reading my book again tonight and it was crazy how applicable everything was. One line says, "As the fire burns away...we desire to gold of our hearts to become so pure...He is able to see His own reflection in us." As I was reading this section of the book, Kim Walker's Spontaneous Song 4 was playing. This song talks about God being an all consuming fire burning in us. I do not believe that it was by chance that all of this came up tonight. I think God was speaking to me. He's got a purpose in this season of my life. He wants to burn away the things that have kept my attention and He wants me to refocus and fix my gaze on Him. I also believe that He wants to burn away and remove things so He can fill me up through renewal and refreshing. 


It's sometimes painful and lonely to go through these times, but once we get through them, it's incredible how the Lord proves Himself! Sometimes we can't see what He's doing and it seems like He's left us...then BAM. He shows up and reveals all of the things that have taken place behind the scenes. I am so thankful for this reminder today. He is so good. He says, "I will not leave you nor forsake you" (Joshua 1:5.) He's always present...always working on our hearts and in our lives, even when it seems like we're alone and nothing is working out. 


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Matthew 6:31 "Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while." This is what He is saying to those who are weary. He telling us: "Come away- alone with Me- to rest. I'll speak to you. I'll answer you. You just have to seek Me and trust Me."