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Make it concise, so I can get on with more important things.

Make it simple, so I won’t have to dust off my dictionary to look up big words.

Make it an inch deep so I can skate over the challenging doctrines.

Make it superficial so I won’t need to address my real motives.

Make it entertain and please my aesthetics so I won’t be tempted to vote with my feet.

Make it pretty so I won’t flinch at the truly ugliness of sin.

Make it all about how I feel today so I won’t have to acknowledge God’s desire to meddle in my self-consumed life.

Lord, help us!

God, forgive us.

Do what is convenient for You, O Lord, to sanctify your church and transform us into the image of Your Beloved Son.

Redeem us from our wicked ways.
 “My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to You; And my soul, which You have redeemed.” Psalm 71:23 (NASB)

Revive our hearts to live unreservedly for You.
“The humble have seen {it and} are glad; You who seek God, let your heart revive.” Psalm 69:32 (NASB)

Renew our minds with Your life-giving Word.
“And have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—“ Colossians 3:10 (NASB)

Restore our lives where we are broken and damaged and wounded.
 “He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake.” Psalm 23:3 (NASB)
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O, Lord, create in us the will to be vessels for Your purpose -
ministers of Your Grace, for Your glory and praise! 

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This post brought to you from my brain set to write for five minutes on today's word prompt, Convenient. Read more at Five Minute Friday.

Are you one of those people who like to know what’s around the next bend or do you enjoy surprises? Do you read a story page by page or jump to the end of the book first so you will already have in mind how it turns out? In life we’d love to have every plot line figured out, but we don’t often get an advance picture of the story we’re in. So how can we be prepared for any contingency? Maybe the life of Daniel can give us some insight in this.

Daniel’s single mindedness to trust the One True God never wavered, from his first days as a captive in Babylon to his last as a governing official. In verse 8 of the first chapter we read that as a youth Daniel had made up his mind not to defile himself. His decision to respond this way to the king’s edicts as to what to eat and who and how to worship had been written on his heart before the beginning of his captivity: he would place and keep himself under the Lord’s authority regardless of the circumstances or possible outcome. The objective of his life’s purpose had already been written. Daniel had a heart and mind set apart for the Lord. He would hold fast to God, no matter what.

Daniel encountered numerous fearful scenarios during his tenure under numerous ungodly kings. Times of testing came.  Faced with dire consequences for speaking against popular thought, Daniel never forgot that God keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments. “So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek {Him by} prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes.  I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed and said, "Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,” (Daniel 9:3-4 NASB)
His fearless response during those times was anchored in God’s faithfulness. Daniel was in the Babylon world, but he was not of it.

When a terrifying message and vision came to him, Daniel didn’t argue with God or scramble to devise a solution for the situation. Instead, he set his heart on gaining understanding from the Lord and humbly place himself under the Lord’s authority. An endurance test of faith ensued and Daniel held fast. He knew the God to whom he prayed was worthy of his devotion and trust.

He prayerfully and contritely submitted himself to God’s holy authority before he ever received an answer. No arguments, no prideful problem solving, no seeking other “protection.” He was not super human. He simply served a Supreme God. Here is God's answer to Daniel, "Then he said to me, "Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding {this} and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words." (Daniel 10:12, NASB)

When we set our hearts on gaining understanding and humbling ourselves before the Lord RIGHT NOW we abide in a place of fearless security.

Dwelling on what is true and placing ourselves under the authority and protection of God anchors our hearts and minds to the Rock that is higher than ourselves or ANY other thing.

The best time to make preparations for a storm is before it hits.

Days will come when sudden squalls and tempests in the culture will confront us when we least expect them. Challengers will denounce our foundational beliefs.

Now is the time to prepare our hearts and minds to instinctively call upon God in prayer.
Now is the time to study God’s Word to know what you believe and why it is trustworthy. 
Then we will be like the wise man in Luke 6:48 that Jesus talks about saying, “he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.”

God’s faithfulness anchors our fearlessness.

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It is just days before the March for Life takes place in our nation's capital when many thousands will march and stand united in the truth that all life is sacred from womb to tomb. This post is a personal story from my life when God walked me through my own journey to receive His Grace  when life throws you a curve ball.

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Motherhood had always been a part of my story. I’m the girl who read Cheaper by the Dozen and promptly wrote out twelve first and middle names for my future children.

Time and circumstance tend to make matters clearer and after 12 years of marriage I felt that I had done my part to keep the Johnson name alive and well by giving birth to four sons and one daughter. My romantic ideals of raising a large family were overshadowed by the day to day realities of life with kiddos.

We soon began full time ministry and I hoped to start some new chapters in my life.

But what happens when life throws a surprise party and you wish you hadn’t been invited?

I found myself unexpectedly expecting. Before long my life would be consumed with: doctor’s visits, weight gain, physical adjustments in my womb for a growing baby. Quiet times and sleep times would not be my own for who knows how long.

Sigh. *…groan*

My hubby was excited to welcome another player to the team and seemed unaffected by the alterations this little addition would make. When we’d pass the newborn department in Wal-Mart, he would grin and point at cute baby clothes. But I couldn’t look at them or share his happiness. That jolt of reality stirred up bitter feelings I quickly tried to hide.

Day after day, I grew to resent the fact that God, who is the one who opens and closes wombs, had allowed this to happen to me. Especially since I had developed an issue with blood pressure and residual weight gain from my previous pregnancies.

Truth be told, I didn’t want to be pregnant. I was ready to move on.

But I certainly couldn’t tell my pastor/hubby that, though I think he sensed it.

Near the end of my second month I noticed the faintest pink on the toilet paper. My stomach lurched at the thought that something could be wrong with me or the baby. I nervously prayed, “Lord, please keep the baby safe. Help me to know what to do.” I didn’t see it again for a few days. And then it reappeared. The doctor did some tests to see if the pregnancy was progressing properly.

Each day I prayed for God to help me and the baby as I struggled with the waves of conflicting emotions that threatened to sink me.

Each day I reminded God that He got me into this mess in the first place.

 I would not have chosen to get pregnant now.

 I would have done things differently.

The miscarriage happened at the worst possible time when my husband and our two oldest planned to be an hour and a half away for a monthly regional youth gathering. The bleeding intensified as did the contractions, but I tried to be strong and self-sufficient when it came time to say good-bye to them. My husband asked me twice if I wanted him to stay. At first I said no. Then fear got the better of me and I finally said that I needed him with me. This was new and frightening territory for me.

I had labored five times before this and delivered healthy babies, and everything had been fine. This time, my laboring resulted in loss. My womb became empty but my arms would never embrace this child.

Death makes life real. 

In Ecclesiastes 7:2 we read, “It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to heart.” I lost a child that day. One for whom I hadn’t even prepared its first receiving blanket or newborn sleeper to wear because it was too hard to embrace the impact this life would bring. One whose days, even in utero, had been designated by a gracious and loving Creator God.

God ushered me through a necessary grief for a life ended. In mourning that tiny babe, I began to mourn the demise of my own conceptions of what my life should look like.

I was challenged as to how far was I willing to trust God? He who opens and closes the womb also knows my blood pressure at this very moment. He knows my sitting down and my rising up; my struggles and my hopes and my dreams. He holds it all in His hands.

A year later I lived in a different state reliving the same circumstance. But this time, with the help of God’s Grace, I received the developing life within me joyfully. Joy for the child and joy for what God would birth in me.

I could look at baby clothes in the store and muse about the little one who might wear them, wondering who this child would turn out to be. Hopeful anticipation had made its home in my heart. I had even pulled out my collection of receiving blankets and newborn clothing and started preparing them for the baby.

But it was not to be. My seventh and last pregnancy ended at 11 weeks gestation. It was just as messy and terrifying as the first miscarriage. But this time I had a greater appreciation for life’s preciousness and the One who created it, resulting in a deeper sense of mourning and loss for the life I would never mother here on earth.

“Blessed {and} enviably happy [with a happiness produced by the experience of God's favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His matchless grace] are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted!” (Matthew 5:4 - Amplified Version)

Even in mourning there is a receiving that is done, wrapped in the matchless, varicolored Grace of God. 

,Noise.

The world is filled with it.

White noise is the best kind for sleeping. Wheel squeaks are rewarded with the most attention. New house bumps and thumps make the heart jump.
But, where is the quiet?

Hiding.

Mysterious.

Elusive.

Worth finding.

How can I hush the noise?

Psalm 46:10 "Cease {striving} and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

Striving? Against what? With what am I contending; against what am I devoting serious effort that needs to stop?

Energy focused on the wrong thing depletes the energy needed for the right thing. Exalting Almighty God, I AM, in my life is the right thing.

To know… to realize, recognize, grasp, appreciate that God is God. There is none other than Him in that high exalted place, and He will be exalted among the nations, in the earth. What does that have to do with me?  Plenty!

My striving is the evidence that I still think I have the solution to all my problems. I still believe in my heart that the plans I devise will serve me best. I am amazing! My voice should not be silenced, even in my head.

How foolish am I?

God speaks and I brush Him aside like a pesky, annoying fly. My own noise silences The Voice that speaks only Truth and Life.

I don’t want the Lord to be silent. I need Him to speak healing and grace to my spirit.

Consider this picture of peace found in Psalm 131:1-3 “O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; Nor do I involve myself in great matters, Or in things too difficult for me. 2 Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; Like a weaned child {rests} against his mother, My soul is like a weaned child within me. 3 O Israel, hope in the LORD From this time forth and forever.” (NASB)

Deep down I desperately want to know that I am not the beginning and end of all things in my life. Until I am quiet I can never hear Almighty God whisper to my heart. I will never know the blessed peace of one unburdened from the weight of the world.

Here are three ways to help you seek and find the holy hush in your life:

1. Noises off, ears on. In verse one the psalmist backs away from pride and self-sufficiency. These will always produce noisy, empty chatter. He rejoices in humility and releasing himself from engaging in worldly discourse in trying to take on matters too great or difficult to solve. Leave the hard stuff for God. Quietness is a sign of trust in The One who knows all. Willingly do the next obvious step. Train your ears to hear God’s voice. God is with you.

2.  Don’t wonder what will happen. Seek the Presence of the God of Wonders. We can get all upset about life’s situations and the troubles that come. We’ll get ourselves all worked up like a small child who comes unglued because their perception of the world is spoiled. God’s Presence alone quiets the soul.

Pursue God; there, peace will be found.

Hebrews 10:22-23 “Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled {clean} from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;”

3. Hope’s focus is always on God. Hope is that fixed point that keeps us on track. Hope grounds us and guides us to the glorious fulfillment of God promise.  Hebrews 6:19 ‘This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a {hope} both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,”

It may sound like I’m encouraging an escapist mentality for living. I am not.
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We have been called to live in this world but not to be of this world. God calls us to minister His grace in this world through our lives, in many different ways and for many different situations. We must engage in order to effect change. The trick is to not allow anything to obstruct our vital need for connection and peace with God. If that happens we end up striving in our own strength, drawing from our own wisdom, and promoting our own agendas.

Rejoice in God’s whisper to your soul. Let God be God.

As we go into the future with Jesus, let’s encourage each other to seek the holy hush in our lives.