Did the Harvest Come?

Wow! This year is just a few hours from ending. It's always hard to believe how quickly it came and went...

I've been reading some past posts reminiscing about the theme the Lord gave for this year. And I've asked myself the question...over the last 12 months, did God do what He said He would do? Was there any reaping from past seeds sown? Did the harvest come in my life?

I have to testify to the faithfulness of the Lord! There's really not enough time nor space here to tell how great our God is. As the songwriter once penned:

"Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song."

In so many ways....YES, YES, YES...this was a year of harvest for me! I know, some of you are thinking...you've got to be joking. This year, if anything, was a year of famine, crunching numbers, skimping, downsizing, shrinking back and cutting corners. Well, yes, it was that for much of the world in which we live. And those adjectives truthfully describe our situation as a nation that did affect me and my family to some degree in 2009. Nationally, many salaries were cut, jobs were lost, and for many industries, businesses and ministries, drastic financial changes had to be made in order to get through this year. Interesting, isn't it? That we would have such a year realistically when the Lord so surely spoke a year of harvest over my life (and all who would believe) at the beginning of this year.

But...God is an expert at supernaturally producing abundance out of our lack (Psalm 23:1).

Hebrews 12 opens with a charge to throw off everything that hinders our race and to fix our eyes of Jesus who endured...therefore, we can endure. We learn from this passage that as sons and daughters of the King, we are being instructed (chastened, nurtured) by our Father as we grow up in Him. And this nurturing (otherwise referred to in the NIV as the dreaded word "discipline") is painful. But, God only instructs in order to work good in my life and yours, and according to verse 10 - it is designed to bring about holiness. In verse 11, we're told that instruction "produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

From the day we're born until the day we die we are being nurtured by God if we are His sons and daughters. Because of His GREAT love He desires to teach us His ways that are so much higher and greater and holier than ours. And sometimes His teachings are tough. But listen again to what God is trying to accomplish..."it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace..." For all? Unfortunately, not for all. Then for whom? "...for those who have been trained by it." And, verse 12 and 13 show us that the result of that training or yielding to Him is strength and healing. "Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed." I love that! And I believe that when we yield to the discipline of the Lord and are trained by it (or learn from it), God will not only heal us but He'll use us to bring healing to others.

Yes, the harvest has been plentiful this year! The goodness of the Lord has been overflowing. The Spirit of the Lord has been evidenced so often and in so many ways. But being an eyewitness to the power of the Lord in a life only makes you want MORE! I want to see more of Him in 2010; I want to walk closer to Him than ever before; I want to know Him more and be ready for whatever lies ahead! Don't you?

Listen to Psalm 67,

"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, that Your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations...

I've prayed for many years that the Lord would give me a love and hunger to see the nations worship Him. I want to be mission minded (even though I've never been outside the US). God has moved in my heart to pray for the nations that the good news of salvation would be spread abroad so that lives would be changed and healing would come to the broken, poor and oppressed. Since Tyler left for the Middle East, every time I read the word "nations" or sing about the "nations" immediately I think of where he is and God pricks my heart for that nation that they would turn to Him. (Read on in Psalm 67...)

May the peoples praise You, O God; may all the peoples praise You. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. May the peoples praise You, O God; may all the peoples praise You. Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him."

Praise has much to do with reaping the harvest! As we begin a New Year let's make living a life of worship, that is, worship of the One true and living God, the Most High God and His Son, Jesus Christ our number one priority! Then...the land will yield its harvest!

Another God Stop

I meant to have already written before now to share another sweet God Stop! (i.e. a moment when you "stop" and say...THAT was God!) The day we learned that Tyler was flying out of the states, we all rushed to get a care package ready to send. I had no idea how long it would take to get there, nor how long it would take for him to get it once it reached its destination. So, I knew we were cutting it close trying to get something to him by Christmas. I called Drew, his cousin, who just got out of the Marines and asked what he appreciated and enjoyed the most while he was in Iraq and he shared some great ideas. We went shopping, got everything packed up, we all wrote notes or signed our own personal cards to him and I rushed to the post office the day after Tyler left.

When we talked to him along the way, he said it could be a while before he got to the place the mail would be delivered. I let him know we had sent something and to be on the lookout!

We got a call on Christmas Eve night and Tyler said they dropped off his first pieces of mail the night before (which would have been December 24th for him). And guess what he got? Our box!!! Can you believe it? On Christmas Eve!! He may have been many miles away from us but that night we were as close as we could get...

How Great Is Our God!

Here's a video I made of some special times since Tyler's left home. Somehow it helps to do something for him. We miss him so much but we know the Angel of the LORD is encamped around him (Psalm 34:7). Therefore, we will not fear!

A Phone Call

"O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below - You who keep Your covenant of love with Your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way." (I Kings 8:23)

Praise God from whom all blessings flow! We've heard from Tyler! Thank you for your continued prayers. They mean so much! Such a peace has daily swept over me and I know it is not my own. Jesus said in John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." It's clear at the beginning of this verse that peace is a gift. It belongs to the Lord. "My peace I give you..." It is His, but He is always willing to give it away! I'm so blessed to experience that kind of peace.

Tyler has been very busy since he left the states. He's moved around quite a bit and is not yet at his final destination. It "may" even be several more weeks before that happens. The big news this week is...he's had to get his license to drive an MRAP. I'd heard of those but didn't know they were already using them. Pretty exciting! They're saving lives!

And what other God besides our God would know long before now that I would go to church with a precious girl who's husband was deployed just last month. The Lord has brought us together over the past couple of weeks and come to find out...he's in the same place Tyler is right now. Or, at least the same vicinity. And his occupation has him surrounded by Army colonels and generals obviously making him privy to information that may not otherwise be available. She is able to talk to him every day and she has let me know if she hears anything she will call me. She is also in the Army and has served two terms in Iraq herself. And most importantly...she knows how to pray!!!! God is so gracious to allow me to know her and to show us how we need to encourage each other and pray for each other. How I praise Him tonight for His lovingkindness.

Another sweet friend shared this verse with me that she found while praying for Tyler.

"But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion's mouth." (2 Timothy 4:17)

Thank you for your encouragement and prayers. We don't know all the reasons why but God chooses to act on behalf of our prayers. All of heaven stands ready when we pray in Jesus' Name!

Facing the Unknown

The LORD has been so gracious this past seven days or so. I cannot get over His indescribable love for us, His people. Even the tiniest detail of our lives is priority to Him.

On Steven’s birthday evening, we received the call from Tyler that his battalion would be deploying to the Middle East probably right away. We all packed our bags and left the next morning at 5 AM to spend our last weekend with him before leaving the states. He traveled back to the base after our visit and the next morning his flight was booked. Shortly thereafter, he left letting us know it could be 30 days before we hear from him again.

Graciously, we heard his voice not even 24 hours later with detail of the countries he had already visited. In fact, we were able to get a call from him every day until this week, and every time we heard his voice another wave of peace swept over me. Blizzard conditions with sub-zero temperatures delayed entrance into their designated command post!

Now…no word. I’m reminded of the apostle Thomas who was the only disciple after Jesus’ resurrection who wasn’t present to see with his physical eyes that Jesus was alive. He told his friends (the other apostles) that he wouldn’t believe it until he saw it. Jesus graciously returned to them later proving to “doubting Thomas” that what he had heard was true. Jesus’ response? “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” This is the call for those of you, like me, who are in that place of the unknown. I have to believe Tyler is okay IF I want the blessing of peace and rest and hope. And I do. So, I will. Even if it’s day by day, hour by hour, or minute by minute.

We’ve known for quite some time that deployment was probable so many thoughts have run through my mind about what it would feel like when this time came. Several weeks ago, I ran across these verses that have become so special to me recently:

This is what the LORD says: "A voice is heard in Ramah (raw-maw meaning hill; a place north of Jerusalem on the road to Bethel), mourning and great weeping, Rachel (name that comes from the root meaning ewe or sheep) weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children are no more."

This is what the LORD says: "Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded," declares the LORD. "They will return from the land of the enemy. So there is hope for your future," declares the LORD. "Your children will return to their own land.

Jeremiah 31:15-17

It was really cool when I learned these verses are actually a part of the Christmas story! They are referenced in Matthew, chapter 2, verse 18 and depict another time of great suffering when momma’s all across “Bethlehem and its vicinity (vs. 16)” lost their sons. But, Jesus’ life was spared so that we would have power over our enemies and so that we could experience that “hope for our future” that Jeremiah spoke about.

"We walk by faith, not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7

I'm so glad Jesus came that night long ago in Bethlehem. What a celebration! Where would I be had He decided not to? Where would you be?

It's our turn

There really are no words to describe the way this feels. I join the millions who have gone before me releasing sons and daughters to war. As humanity would have it, we never truly relate until we've been there. So I step onto this path with hope that experience will be our teacher (2 Corinthians 1). I truly do not face this night embittered; only broken. May the God who gave us life, keep us and revive us along the way until we get to the other side.

"The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:15-18