Around Christmas time, I remember opening my Bible to Matthew 1, wanting to read the Christmas story and let those words sink in! And one verse became very special to me, it has become a lesson & a theme I am learning. (God is so loving, so gracious to keep teaching my heart.)
"Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His Name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." (Matthew 1:23)
This year, my senior year of highschool, has been hard. My life focus has been so easily distracted. It is so easy for me to set my eyes on everything I do not know (what should I do after I graduate?) I forget God's love, God's grace, God's faithfulness to me, so much. It is so hard for me to just trust that GOD IS WITH ME.
On the back to the book ~ "Maybe you share the author's need for a greater sense of "God with you." Or perhaps Jesus seems distant without you knowing why. Or maybe you have wandered farther from Him than you ever imagined you would. Here is a year's worth of daily reading from Young's journals to bring you closer to Christ and move your time with Him from a monologue to a dialogue."
And through these first weeks of 2013, I have found challenges & precious promises, that God is with us, that because of the Blood of Jesus, we can walk in fellowship with God, we can rest in His Presence! (Oh, to know this deeply in my heart, and not just in my head.)
Promises from my Heavenly Father ~
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." (Matthew 28:19-20)
"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." (Hebrews 13:5-6)
"Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy Presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me....How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God: how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with Thee." (Psalm 139:7-10, 17-18)
"Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:5-7).
Dear Father, help me to rest in knowing that You are with me, and you want to me just rest in you, to trust, to wait, to praise.
I must remind myself of this every hour - God is with me, and that is enough for me!
"And therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgement: blessed are all they that wait for Him. For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem:thou shalt weep no more: He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when He shall hear it, He will answer thee." (Isaiah 30:18-19)
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(photos from Christmas Eve - dancing out in our front yard, soaking up the fog!)
(Ice skating on New Year's eve, while visiting family & friends in Indiana. It was snowing, and so beautiful!)
---So thankful that He is with me! ~
In His grace,
n
