Mondays Are G.R.E.A.T.!

G.R.E.A.T. = Glad Rejoicing Encouraged And Thankful!)

This old brain and emotional heart were overwhelmed this week. Decisions and planning, concerns for the future and thoughts of the past collided.  The week before Mother's Day, thinking about my mom and about being a mom brought many thoughts of the past. Concern for the future came from contemplating my mom's age of 89 years, and worrying over the future work and marriage dreams of my children.  Shopping for carpet and hardwood flooring for the main level of our house and entertaining guests for dinner, overnight, and here for Home Church, all in one week, required innumerable decisions and thoughtful planning.

It all seems silly now. The Lord gave peace. The Lord will work it all out. But here is what I thought we were going to have to do in the space of the next 3 weeks: unload all the dressers, bookshelves, china and computer hutches, paint the living room, family room and one bedroom and completely empty out the rooms on our main floor (3 bedrooms, LR, FR, kitchen and eating area), take up the old carpet, prep for, pick out, buy and have installed new carpet and wood flooring. And then put everything back again.

I've looked forward to replacing our now-25-year-old carpeting and linoleum for years, yet when I thought about accomplishing it in 3 weeks time, and the major upheaval it would be to our home and family, it was easy to become overwhelmed. In light of the really serious problems which people face, it is truly nothing.   But, God knows me and is wondrously able to encourage and strengthen His children.  He knows just what we need.  He is gentle when we feel near our breaking point.

A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench. Isaiah 43:3

He is always there to lean on, guide and hold us up.
The help is there.
Everything we need.
We just have to go to Him.
Help is often found, for me, in prayer.  It's amazing, isn't it, that God allows us to speak to Him as though He were a human being. With our finite minds we are unable to think in any other way! Yet, He is not a human being.

He already knows everything that will happen in our lives. He is completely, absolutely in control of every circumstance and situation. He is so big that He can hold the whole galaxy in the palm of his Hand.

Yet, in Exodus 33:23 He is so gentle that He sees Moses' need and lovingly states that He's going to put Moses in a special place and cover his eyes with His hand and pass by and then tells Moses he will see "all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy...

And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts:  but my face shall not be seen."

Because no one can see the face of God and live. It is completely incomprehensible that the God of all the Universe has "back parts," a "face" and "hands."  He's too big.  I stand in awe that a God this big condescends to talk to me. That He allows me to talk to Him.

In the middle of my overwhelmedness this past week I listened to a message by Elisabeth Elliot entitled, "A Quiet Heart Means Confidence in God." (You can listen to this message by going to the bottom of my blog, where you'll see the title Moving Messages. Then click Elisabeth Elliot, and when you get to the BlueLetterBible site, scroll down to "A Quiet Heart Means Confidence in God" and click to either stream or download. There are many messages to be found there.)

In this message, she quoted a prayer:

Lord, give to me a quiet heart
That does not ask to understand
But confident steps forward in the darkness
Guided by Thy Hand.

I often ask to understand. I don't like stepping forward in darkness. I don't like not knowing what's going to happen. God says, "Trust Me."

Elisabeth Elliot went on to state that in this world, physical quietness is impossible, but "it's always possible to keep a quiet heart. Quietness begins with a long, steady, earnest, sustained gaze at God Himself, at the life of Jesus."

I'm realizing the great need for us to keep a quiet heart.  I'm learning to keep my eyes on Him, and to trust. I'm learning to step forward in the darkness guided by His hand.

Mondays are G.R.E.A.T.!
(Glad Rejoicing Encouraged And Thankful!)

How did God encourage and strengthen you this week? Write a post (or comment) including a link back here to "Mondays Are G.R.E.A.T.!" Tell all your readers to link up, too, and then don't forget to link up your post below. Post a word, a Bible verse, or about anything the Lord did to strengthen and encourage you. No blog? No problem! Just post a comment!