Mikki's Blog - Living in the Grace and Love of God » faith

Finding Faith to Go On

Mikki — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:34:13 +0000

When you find yourself with your hopes and dreams lying in a million pieces around your feet, can you find the faith to go on? I found myself in that place about three and a half years ago. Every time I reference the story, I count the years, months, and days since the dam broke and my life was flooded with the violent waters of trouble. There seems to be some kind of solace in making that time further and further away from today. But in another way, my life will always be referenced from that point.

I don’t say that to be overly dramatic. In a short time period, I found my marriage on the rocks, I lost my job, seemed to lose my ministry, lost many friends who found themselves taking sides, caught in a whirlwind of gossip, and I found myself scrambling to survive emotionally and spiritually.

And yet I did. I survived. And really more than that. I thrived. Eventually. My marriage is healthier than ever. I’ve found a new job and a deeply meaningful ministry. I have wonderful friends and much healing and restoration have happened.

It certainly didn’t happen on day one or two or three or thirty or one-hundred but it did happen. And while the bottom line is that God sustained me, there were choices I had to make along the way. Hard choices. Difficult choices.

The first few months seemed to be a free fall. I identified with Job who lamented about his feelings about God:

12 I was at ease, but He has shattered me;

He also has taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces;

He has set me up for His target,

13 His archers surround me.

He pierces my heart and does not pity;

He pours out my gall on the ground.

14 He breaks me with wound upon wound;

He runs at me like a warrior. Job 16:12-14.

When the dust finally settled, I was left to face my reality. With the writer of Hebrews (12:27), I faced what remained. “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.

And I dared to believe. Again. Not every day, but some days I began to hope. Somehow God could make something out of the rubble. Purpose could be born in adversity. Eventually, I began to radiate with the quest. I put one foot in front of the other. Again and again. I began to see what God was getting at in me. And it’s always about that. No matter what comes our way, God is there to birth insight and wholeness and purpose in us individually.

The violent shaking of my life opened me in such deep ways that suddenly I could see things I couldn’t see before. I was faced with my own deep brokenness. And I could choose. Would I miss the opportunity to face truth and use all my energy pointing my fingers at others? There were many days I did just that.

Yet I found myself in a dance with God. He invited me to dance with Him. I joined His hands. Then I moved away. Then I took His hands. Then I released them. Over and over, this ambivalent dance continued. At times, I still resist His leading and yet I’ve found the most outrageous truth, one I’ve long taught and believed but I began to experience the living reality of it in a deeper way. God can make something good out of something bad.

And perhaps, is that the essence of faith? God is on the throne. He is good. He is involved. He does care even when we can’t see His handiwork. Even when we can’t feel His presence, He is there.

As I write these words, I am keenly aware that some of you are in those difficult places. You are struggling to survive. You feel abandoned by God and by others. While I wish I could rescue you from that place, I know that it is a place where your foundations can be strengthened. Your life purpose can become clearer. You can find healing and wholeness. I have prayed for you at this moment.

Will you dare to look inside your own heart? What’s there that needs healing? What needs throwing out? What needs changing?

Jesus told us that we would have trouble in this world but then he assured us that we could have hope and courage because he had overcome the world. This promise means that even when life is tough, we can access the power to overcome. It may be three steps forward and two steps back, but it is our ordained journey. It is the way we change from glory to glory into his image.

Although your faith may be being tested, I believe in you and the God in you. Although you may be being shaken, there will be a foundation that remains and God will build something true and good on that foundation.

Perhaps you could pray, “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.” The God who hears and answers prayers is listening and is actively involved on your behalf. "Times New Roman";color:black;background:white">

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Finding Faith to Go On

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Is God Involved in Your Daily Life?

Mikki — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 10:43:38 +0000

Do you feel that God hears your prayers? Can you see evidence that He is working in your life? Is He really involved?

Does one part of your heart struggle to believe when you pray that God is listening?

My son, Nathan, turned sixteen this week. He is the baby in our family of four children and my child whom I often described during his toddler years as one you could not hang on a hook and leave, meaning he could not be ignored for more than a moment. He has been such a delight to our family, so full of life and an insatiable desire to learn.

Nathan has long been planning to purchase a truck for his 16th birthday. He’s been saving his money for a couple of years. As his birthday approached, he searched high, low, near and far for the perfect vehicle. Not too high mileage. Reliable. A couple of name brands high on the list of desirable trucks. And of utmost importance, the right price.

Let’s just say he was becoming a little frustrated in his search efforts.

One morning recently, Eddie, my husband, was trying to encourage Nathan and he asked Nathan to join him in praying about this search. This was not the first prayer uttered in this matter, but this day they prayed specifically. They asked God for a good truck with reasonable mileage, a price Nathan could afford, and one that was located near our home since some of Nathan’s searches had landed him several hours away.

A couple of hours later, Nathan called Eddie to say he might have found something of interest. Later that day, Nathan had purchased a wonderful truck with lots of extras that he had not expected to get.

The icing on the cake was the owner’s testimony. Seems he is a local preacher who had been beseeching (if you’ve ever done this, you know what it is!) the Lord to sell his truck before he left for Africa on a mission trip. He was leaving the next morning!

Nathan had no doubt, and neither did we, that God had moved on his behalf (and the pastor’s behalf!) because he had invited God into the process.

I’ve seen this happen in all my children’s lives at different times. This kind of praying builds our faith.

I love Joyce Meyer’s testimony which says that when she first started praying specifically, she only had faith to ask for dishtowels but as God answered her prayers again and again, her faith level increased.

And while prayer is certainly not just about asking for things, we are to bring all of our requests to God.

There are many principles about prayer that I don’t have time to address here today such as why God delays some answers, why His answer is sometimes no, the importance praying together, and much more. But today I wanted to encourage you that God is truly involved in your life, your everyday life.

Specific prayers are important.

Specific prayers are risky, too. What if God says no? Well, another blog for another day!

But for today, could you begin to ask God for the desires of your heart, knowing that you are embarking on a journey. A journey to know God more intimately and a journey to know your own heart.

I encourage you to journal your requests and answers to prayers. God’s Word contains more than one command for us to remember, to memorialize, and to share our journey with others and the next generation, particularly our own family.

I’d love to hear about the many ways God has answered your prayers. Feel free to use the comment box to thank Him for answered prayer and to encourage others.

Is God Involved in Your Daily Life?

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How Can You Keep On Keeping On When Life is Difficult?

Mikki — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:50:49 +0000

John Eldredge captured the feeling we all have at times when he said that sometimes life feels like a long, brutal assault against one’s heart. Try as we might to explain it away, perhaps the best summary is that life is not what God originally intended. The Fall of Man continues to have rippling effects on all of humanity, and we find ourselves in a less than perfect world with less than perfect people, including ourselves!

The present result of living in a fallen world is often pain, discouragement, and difficulty. We know that God has come to us, offering redemption in our daily lives through Christ and setting in place the ultimate redemption of all when Christ returns. Yet in the meantime, we often find ourselves hurt and misunderstood and having hurt others.

How can we care for others and our own hearts in the midst of pain and suffering?

Jesus gave keys to his disciples in John 14 as he prepared their hearts for the difficult days ahead.

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled.” You have a part in guarding your own heart from discouragement. Note that I didn’t say you could necessarily guard your heart from difficulty. Jesus was not offering an exemption from the difficult days which lay ahead of the disciples; he was offering an anchor for the storm.

Proverbs 4:23 tells us to guard our heart above all else because from it, all of our life flows.

This is not an easy true or false test. The disciples all failed the initial test of this truth Jesus shared. Yet they learned through their trials. They became more equipped to handle difficulty. They became wiser to the devices of Satan.

We can guard our hearts by following the instructions of Jesus in John 14.

1. Believe. “You believe in God, believe in Me.” Faith in God and Jesus are necessary to enduring the trials of life. It was simpler for the disciples to believe during the days of glory and miracles, but Jesus knew that their emotions, minds, and faith were about to be challenged beyond anything they had previously experienced.

2. Look for the bigger picture. Jesus reminded his followers that there was something beyond this realm and that his purposes included making that available for them to share with him. Their difficulties were very real and yet temporary.

3. Stay focused on helping others. “The works that I do, you will do also, and even greater works.” There is a life-giving flow which happens when we reach beyond ourselves.

4. Know that you are not alone. Jesus taught his followers that they would have a Helper, the Holy Spirit, who would be with them forever.

5. Access the peace that Jesus assured his disciples that he was leaving with them. There is a place of peace found in Jesus that transcends our earthly circumstances. God’s peace is beyond reason and is available even when life is challenging. The peace of God indicates our trust that this life is not all there is and that God is still on the throne even when we don’t have a clue what He is doing or is going to do.

I hope this list encourages you. It is not intended to be an easy bandage. I don’t pretend that I am able to consistently do all of the above, but it seems that if Jesus felt these guidelines would help his followers during their tough times, they can also help us.

You can do it! Guard your heart. Believe. Trust. Look for God’s bigger picture. Help others. Lean on the Holy Spirit who is always with you.

God has promised to walk with us through difficult days and is always at work in our lives, redeeming, restoring, and breathing new life into our hearts. Keep on keeping on because God has an amazing purpose for your life. He has plans to give you future and hope. His plans are good and not evil. His plans include abundant life, both in this world and the world to come.

I believe in you and the God in you, who is able to do more than you can ask or think because of the power of Christ who lives in you.

Keep on keeping on! Christ is in you and he himself is our hope. You can do all things through him!

How Can You Keep On Keeping On When Life is Difficult?

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