9-27-10

"It's funny how,
All of my half hearted prayers
Were heard so loud.
And hearing truth
Makes my heart rebound.
Oh God,
Your love astounds, Me,
I'll rejoice in suffering and sing:

Jehovah,
Holy God.
We never were,
But you are
Father, you are.

My eyes are open now,
And every breath I take
Is handed down, from you
As my face meets the ground
You make me new
You make me more like you.

Jehovah,
Holy God.
We never were,
But you are.
Father, you are."

This keeps making me laugh

So I spent about 13 hours up at Western last week and before I left I got to hang out with Nicole. A very tiny part of our convo keeps making me laugh every time I think about it so I'd like to share it with you...

Me: "Riley (my puppy) is such a fun dog but he is such a diva and feels entitled to have attention all the time."
Nicole: "Don't dogs act like their owners?"
Me: ::speechless::

Hahahaha...I've laughed at this like 5 different times!!! Oh how I love that girl!!! Thanks for keeping me humble! :)

How come I never knew this?!?

So I started listening to an Andy Stanley series called "Character Under Construction". I've only listened to 2 out of 6 but what I heard today caused me to think so differently about my walk with the Lord. He talked about having character like Christ and referenced John 15:5-"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing". Now I grew up going to church and had always heard and believed that Christian's are to imitate Christ, so his next statement blew my mind...

He said, "God doesn't ask us to imitate His son; He simply asks us to abide". "The character of Christ is not something that you can manufacture (imitate) it is something that is produced through you".

It makes so much sense, the branch can't imitate the vine, it's unable to; rather, it depends on the vine as it's life source!!! What the crap?! How come I never knew this?!? I mean, I had heard this verse and other verses that talk about putting Christ first but I still had a mindset that I was suppose to do something, like imitate Christ. When in actuality the only thing I have to do is abide (remain; stay close to) in Christ. God is committed to us producing fruit, we just have to stay close to Him and He will handle the rest! For me to think that I can imitate Christ is prideful, that's a sin so I actually failed before I even started!!! God knew I would never be able to imitate Christ, that's why God sent him here in the first place! It's funny how God keeps allowing me to understand things about Him and concepts that I thought I already knew. What a great guy!

Fallen

"Fallen"-Sarah Mclachlan
Heaven bent to take my hand
And lead me through the fire
Be the long awaited answer
To a long and painful fight

Truth be told I've tried my best
But somewhere along the way
I got caught up in all there was to offer
And the cost was so much more than I could bear

Though I've tried, I've fallen...
I have sunk so low
I have messed up
Better I should know
So don't come round here
And tell me I told you so...

We all begin with good intent
Love was raw and young
We believed that we could change ourselves
The past could be undone
But we carry on our backs the burden
Time always reveals
The lonely light of morning
The wound that would not heal
It's the bitter taste of losing everything
That I have held so dear.

I've fallen...
I have sunk so low
I have messed up
Better I should know
So don't come round here
And tell me I told you so...

Heaven bent to take my hand
Nowhere left to turn
I'm lost to those I thought were friends
To everyone I know
Oh they turned their heads embarassed
Pretend that they don't see
But it's one missed step
You'll slip before you know it
And there doesn't seem a way to be redeemed

Though I've tried, I've fallen...
I have sunk so low
I have messed up
Better I should know
So don't come round here
And tell me I told you so...

The Darkness

"The Darkness"-S.t.L.

What goes on in the darkness, in the spot-light your an artist/ in day light at the job workin' your hardest/ when the lights on spread seed for the harvest/ but when the lights off spill seed on the carpet// righteousness like a light switch/ flip it on and off when you wish, livin' life as a hypocrite/ a great actor a fake wit a mask/ your ashamed of the fact your a slave to you master// it was subtle how you lust crept in/ started in your head, spreadin' through your bread like leaven/ age eleven exposure/ spark somethin' dark in your heart burned 'til you got older// you were born again, it was smolderin'/ zealous young buck, throwin' out stuff, you were bolder then/ the church criticized, said “you’re too holy” then/ you began to compromise, heads started noticin'// things changed but, heart didn't change much/ fan to the flame, lust ran through your brain much/ you messed up on occasion/ makin' sure, it's at least a week before, you were on stage again/ you leave time for repentance/ sometimes you might even mean it 'cause your sins ain't consistent/ but, you can't lie it's the Most High you rebel against/ sinnin' wisely, hidin' all your evidence//

You can't hide in the darkness/ God sees all actions and intents of the heart it's/ gonna come to the light/ so repent, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might//x2

I know another cat like you, you might know him too/ matter of fact yo, his stories in the bible/ ever read about Samson/ Nazarite since birth, crushed anything he laid hands on// He had an issue with sin too/ it crept in slowly, most didn't notice what he went through/ they get the story all twisted/ compromise started way before Delilah, most of y'all missed it// it begins in the vineyard/ rule number one for the Nazarite: no wine or vinegar/ even the grapes are off limits/ eatin' anything from the vine was a breach in the commitment// he never should've got close but/ now he's put to the test when a young lion approaches/ the Spirit of the Lord fell on him like an adrenaline rush/ literally rippin' the lion up// later on he returned to the scene/ rule number three, all dead bodies are unclean/ can't touch 'em, I don't care how much you loved them/ if it's carcass you must regard it disgusting// but it's not so with Samson/ he found bees and honey in the dead lion and stuck his hands in/ then he shared with his parents/ sin seems sweet when it's secret so please be aware men//

You got a lot in common with Samson/ hope it ends there though, his story has a bad end/ though God did much with him, he was still lust driven/ had a thing for revenge plus women// After about a thousand and thirty dead Philistines/ he finds the woman of his dreams/ but she was schemin'/ bribed by her Philistine people, offerin' a whole lot of cream and// before I get to the point it should've hit you when I was going through the rules earlier I skipped [#] two/ here it is though, never bring a razor to your head bro/ Nazarites gotta let their hair grow// she enticed him, he told her/ she sent for the lords of the Philistines so they came over/ while he slept she shaved him/ no longer Nazarite, Lord's gone, no one to save him// they put his eyes out blindin' him/ fetters of brass binding him, and now he's grindin' in prison/ the pagans want to play wit' 'em/ so they sent him to the house of Dagon, but Samson is prayin'// the Lord avenges him, pushes out the pillars in the buildin'/ three thousand dead men and women/ but he went with them, like I said it's a bad endin'/ so how you gonna finish yours, Christian//

If you don't think this is funny, then you don't have a sense of humor!!!

1. COPY THIS--->> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TL3oaHKCko
2. PASTE IT IN YOUR ADDRESS BOX
3. LAUGH A LOT

One of those things

I always get this strange feeling when I can see the moon and the sun at the same time during the day. I feel like the moon is upset because he thinks the sun gets more attention than he does. I mean, it would make sense; more people are outside during the day time and everything can be seen clearly when the sun is shining. Honestly, I think the real problem is that the moon might be tired of his emo rep...for the most part people are more likely to be scared at night time because it's dark, you can't see a whole lot and it's really easy for objects to hide. For example-how many people would walk alone on a trail at night and how many people would walk alone during the day time? I might be wrong but I think more people would feel better about walking along the trail during the day. See, what the moon doesn't realize is that the sun doesn't always have the best rep either...hello; heat exhaustion, sun burn, skin cancer, dehydration, premature wrinkling, cataracts, liver spots, the list goes on and on! These are things that I don't think the sun likes being associated with but he doesn't complain. The moon is forgetting about the amazing things associated with the night. It's always cooler at night and on scorching hot summer days it's makes for a wonderful change. He also forgets about the fact that lots of people go on dates at night time and most girls I've met think that moonlit walks are the most romantic thing ever. The last huge thing that the moon forgets about are his boys, the stars. They are magnificent with all their different shapes and clusters. I LOVE LOOKING AT STARS!!! At Western there is a place where I would go lay sometimes to look at the sky because I could see tons of stars and it always made my heart so happy when I would go there! I hope the moon realizes that, even though the grass looks greener on the other side, it isn't and although it seems like his bad qualities have shadowed all of the good ones, he still has plenty of amazing qualities that people love about him and that he is extremely important. His job, no matter how he might feel, is very important, because the world just wouldn't be the same without him!

A Grief Observed

These are some of my favorite parts from the book "A Grief Observed" by C.S.Lewis:

-"If I had really cared, as I thought I did, about the sorrows of the world, I should not have been so overwhelmed when my own sorrow came."(p.37)
-"He has to be knocked silly before he comes to his senses. Only torture will bring out the truth. Only under torture does he discover himself." (p.38)
-"He always knew that my temple was a house of cards. His only way of making me realize the fact was to knock it down." (p.52)
-This was probably my favorite thing I read: "The more we believe that God hurts only to heal, the less we can believe there is any use in begging for tenderness. A cruel man might be bribed, might grow tired of his vile sport, might have a temporary fit of mercy, as alcoholics have fits of sobriety. But suppose that what you are up against is a surgeon whose intentions are wholly good. The kinder and more conscientious he is, the more inexorably he will go on cutting. If he yielded to your entreaties, if he stopped before the operation was complete, all the pain up to that point would have been useless. But is it credible that such extremities of torture should be necessary for us? Well, take your choice. The tortures occur. If they are unnecessary, then there is no God, or a bad one. If there is a good God, then these tortures are necessary. For no even moderately good Being could possibly inflict or permit them if they weren’t." (p.43)
-"I need Christ, not something that resembles Him." (p.65)

In Good Company

"In Good Company-The Desperate"

I'd watch my hands if I had your sense of urgency
Cause every bit of the problem started with you and me
putting myself in situations, that only ended in frustration
and i'm not sure how much i was built to stand, no

I'm not giving up
(I'm not giving up)
You lost your touch
(you lost your touch)
It's come down to this

This is an anchor for you to realize,
that you gave your best
and the mess you're left with
was no surprise
Packing up and leaving
will only get you so far
you need to let go, let go
you need to let go, let go

It's gone from your fingertips to the palm of your hands
but the grip that you've got going for you, has moved you far away from land.
The ocean that you have been swimming in,
is filling up those lungs
But breathing was only necessary
when the words were on his tongue

I'm not giving up
(I'm not giving up)
You lost your touch
(you lost your touch)
It's come down to this

This is an anchor for you to realize,
that you gave your best
and the mess you're left with
was no surprise
Packing up and leaving
will only get you so far
you need to let go, let go
you need to let go, let go

There's a fire lit inside of me, a secret far too great to keep,
and though it's not your place to burden me, i could use the company.
I feel as though the world would see, what was never meant for beckoning.
But my eyes have begged a difference with my hands.

The End of Progression

Conditions – The End Of Progression

So they say that the end is coming
I’m saying that they don’t know nothing
It’s been right here the whole time
Disguised as a straight line

If we already knew how to be
Time is something that we would’t need

One by one
You will lose yourself as you keep on following
Following footsteps that lead the wrong direction
One by one
You are fading out
It’s just slowly settling
Settling for the same
You’re playing safe
You end progression

Retreating to the same old places
Breeding all the same old faces
You’re wasting on the young
Life is wasted on the living ones

If we already knew who to be
Time is something that we would’t need

One by one
You will lose yourself as you keep on following
Following footsteps that lead the wrong direction
One by one
You are fading out
It’s just slowly settling
Settling for the same
You’re playing safe
You end progression

I’ve been cheated up and broken
And it made me a better man
Something you will never say
And you will end before beginning
The same as you ever were
Quietly you’ll slip away

One by one
You will lose yourself as you keep on following
Following footsteps that lead the wrong direction
One by one
You are fading out
It’s just slowly settling
Settling for the same
You’re playing safe
You end progression

You’re playing safe
You end progression

Found Wanted

God doesn't need us. God wants us.-I've thought about that a lot lately and so this post will pretty much be all of my random thoughts written down (or typed out :)).

God is all-knowing, almighty, all-powerful and all loving, compared to those qualities, we are lame and ignorant. So I started wondering what if God did need something from someone, even if it was just one time, what would happen...would God still be all of the other 3 qualities? Would God still be considered almighty? Would God still be God?

If God were to ever need us for anything then he wouldn't be any of the things that the bible says he is and this is why...First, if God needed me then he obviously wouldn't be almighty or all-powerful because he wouldn't be able to handle every situation on his own. Second, for God to need me would mean that he wasn't all-knowing because whenever people need help it's because they can't control the situation or handle the situation on their own which, most of the time, means that they don't fully understand the situation or were not aware of how the situation would play out. Third, if God needed me then the concept of real love would be lost. Most of the time we need someone before we like or want to be around them. For example: We need other people, we were created for community so we instinctively make friends. If you think about your friends, you probably like them now and want to be around them (if you don't you might need to look up the definition of friendship) but your need for friendship was felt way before you wanted the specific friends that you now have. Another example would be food. We need food to survive but there are certain foods that we really like and really want but even if we eat foods that we don't want we can still survive but if we don't eat at all there is a 100% chance that we will die (proven statistic). So for God to need me would mean that he didn't love me first and it wouldn't take long for me, or other people for that matter, to start thinking things like "God just uses people, he doesn't really love them."

The last thing that I thought shocked me at first but if God were to need us in any way, even if he was still really powerful and really smart, he would be on the same level as Satan. That would mean that this life is the best we have because everything written in the Bible would be false and Christianity would be false. We would be hopeless, miserable people.

Praise God that he never and will never need me or anyone else. I need him and because I need him, I love him (1 John 4:19). My need for him comes from him so that I am able to love him. To know that you are wanted means so much more than to be needed! I have to stop getting it twisted, it's not the supremacy of man, it's the supremacy of God because God is the only one worthy of it!

"The last breath I took, I borrowed from God."-V.B.

Lord, forgive me for thinking that I can do anything apart from you. I pray that I never forget your mercy and I that you, and you alone, are the only reason that my heart is still beating. Father, I ask for the grace to understand that truth more and more.

John 3:30

Recently, the pride that other people thrive off of has really upset me. Because I've been around my parents a lot lately I've been irritated by their pride, they are Christians but have different ideas about the world and most of the conversations we have about these different views end up in a heated discussion. Last night my mom came to talk to me, even though I've barely given her the time of day when it comes to any spiritual conversation. I expected this one to end up just like the others-with someone getting frustrated and us still having different opinions. After we talked she left to go to bed and a couple thoughts filled my mind. One of the things she talked about was being so afraid that she would mess someone up by speaking her words and not God's words. She said she has to pray. She has to pray because she wants to do God's will and she trusts that if she asks him to help, he will. She said she was okay with not understanding everything because what she understands is enough. She wan't a jerk about it at all, she was real and honest.

How arrogant of me to call someone who pleads for Christ prideful! She knows the Lord in such a deeper way than I do but because I know more about the Lord I assumed that I was better, I assumed that I was right and everything she said that conflicted with me was wrong. The things that made me so mad about other people were the same things they were showing me grace for. I don't know when I became a Pharisee...

"Lord, I'm in no way, shape or form a humble person, nothing in my life reflects humility. I want to live life using the abilities and gifts that you've given me without giving you glory. I'm so sorry. I should know that trying to live life on my own has never led to good but I'm so ignorant and so small minded that I forget that I can't even walk without you holding my hand. God, help me understand more of who you are so I can see what I'm not. I need you to teach me what it means to be humble!"

This made me laugh a lot!

I saw this video posted on a friends facebook wall and it made me laugh a lot!!! You should watch it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBXQlGNAx_Q&feature=related

Wanna know what it's like to be famous?!?

Since Danny is probably going to be famous soon I figured I'd let everyone read his blog and see what it's like to be fighting fans and paparazzi... haha
He's way more poetic then I am so his blogs are pretty interesting!

Blog: http://danieljross.tumblr.com/

This is a little picture tribute to Danny...haha

The Breakers Commission

This is a song called The Breakers Commission, it's by a band called For Today. They are normally a screamo band but this song is more chilled out...the end gets a tad cray cray but the words are amazing!!! This song makes me want to jump around my room praising God!!! I couldn't find the words online so I had to listen to the song and write down the words as I heard them. I'm pretty sure these are right, if they arnt, they are really close.

"Life, love, forgiveness, acceptance,
Stripping demons right off my back trying to leach life off of me,
Get off of me, you feel my father’s fury oppressor.
One day you’ll feel the full blast of his vengeance.
Bells above but for now ill love cause I got strength.
He blew courage in my backbone now ill stand straight and militant
Lining up in Jehovah battalion
Knowing you can’t challenge him so we march forward,
Swift as eagle, set like talons
Ready to grip souls from your grasp,
Slick snake in the grass my Lord sees you and vengeance is HIS.
But for now ill retaliate, propelled by a Holy mandate
To heal cause I know how bad it hurts.
Full of madness at first,
But now gladness bursts out of the seems of our beings
Because we overflow with the oil of joy.
The ointment of the anointed,
Mending any torn soul,
Healing any broken bone,
HE IS HERE.
HE WAS THERE.
HE IS PEACE.
HE IS FAITHFUL."

This is AMAZING!!!

So I learn best through illustrations or watching things get lived out...this is a story that I read today, it's from a book called The Common Made Holy-It's great!!!

"Slavery in the United States was abolished by the Thirteenth Amendment on December 18, 1865. How many slaves were there on December 19? In reality, none, but many still lived like slaves. They did because they never learned the truth. Others knew and even believed that they were free, but chose to continue living as they had always been taught.

Many plantation owners were devastated by this proclamation of emancipation. "We're ruined! Slavery has been abolished. We've lost the battle to keep our slaves." But their chief spokesman slyly responded, "Not necessarily. As long as these people think they're still slaves, the proclamation of emancipation will have no practical effect. You don't have a legal right over them anymore, but many of them don't know it. Keep your slaves from learning the truth, and your control over them will not even be challenged."

"But what if the news spreads?"

"Don't panic. We have another barrel on our gun. We may not be able to keep them from hearing the news, but we can still keep them from understanding it. They don't call me the father of lies for nothing. We still have the potential to deceive the whole world. Just tell them that they misunderstood the Thirteenth Amendment. Tell them that they are going to be free, not that they are free already. The truth they heard is just positional truth, not actual truth. Someday they may receive the benefits, but not now."

"But, they'll expect me to say that. They won't believe me."

"Then pick out a few persuasive ones who are convinced that they're still slaves and let them do the talking for you. Remember, most of these newly freed people were born as slaves and have lived like slaves all their lives. All we have to do is to deceive them so that they still think like slaves. As long as they continue to do what slaves do, it will not be hard to convince them that they must still be slaves. They will maintain their slave identity because of the things they do. The moment they try to profess that they are no longer slaves, just whisper in their ear, `How can you even think you are no longer a slave when you are still doing things that slaves do?' After all, we have the capacity to accuse the brethren day and night."

Years later, many slaves have still not heard the wonderful news that they have been freed, so naturally they continue to live the way they have always lived. Some slaves have heard the good news, but they evaluate it by what they are presently doing and feeling. They reason, "I'm still living in bondage, doing the same things I have always done. My experience tells me that I must not be free. I'm feeling the same way I was before the proclamation, so it must not be true. After all, your feelings always tell the truth." So they continue to live according to how they feel, not wanting to be hypocrites!

One former slave, however, hears the good news, and receives it with great joy. He checks out the validity of the proclamation, and finds out that the highest of all authorities originated the decree. Not only that, but it personally cost that authority a tremendous price, which he willingly paid so that the slave could be free. As a result, the slave's life is transformed. He correctly reasons that it would be hypocritical to believe his feelings and not the truth. Determined to live by what he knows to be true, his experiences began to change rather dramatically. He realizes that his old master has no authority over him and does not need to be obeyed. He gladly serves the one who set him free.

--PTL FOR REAL!!!---

Mountains

I really miss the mountains...

I was riding in the car a couple days ago and I looked out the side window and I saw nothing but flat land that was jam packed with commercial property. For five years I took living in Cullowhee for granted, you could look in any direction and see mountains and they were nothing short of amazing.
One day I was talking to a great friend of mine, we were talking about how we meet with the Lord best, I remember her saying that she could be outside with just her and her dogs and that's how she meets with the Lord. I've thought about that today and each time it makes me smile, that just fits her so well. She knows who she is in Christ and she loves it, she is also able to see God as being so much bigger then I ever have. She is a great picture of what it means to have a child-like faith and I'm thankful that God could teach me so much about how to love him through her!
These are some pictures of the Blue Ridge Mountains!!!

Random

Over the past couple weeks, there are a few things that I have found out that I really love and I wanted to share them with you:
1. Hymns-I have never really liked hymns, or at least I never thought I liked them but recently I have loved them.
2. Nature-I really love being outside, I miss the mountains like crazy. I told my dad that I wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail, I've never been hiking so I'm not sure if I really want to do it or if I just miss the mountains real bad.
3. Pictures- I LOVE black and white pictures! I also really like pictures that are kind-of weird and pictures that capture a mood or feeling.
Since I really enjoy these things they will probably be on my blog a lot, even though these things have been posted some already. These are some of my favorite pictures that I've found lately...enjoy:

It Is Well

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
when sorrows like sea billows roll;
whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

It is well, (it is well)
with my soul (with my soul)
it is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
let this blest assurance control,
that Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
and hath shed his own blood for my soul.

It is well, (it is well)
with my soul (with my soul)
it is well, it is well with my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

It is well, (it is well)
with my soul (with my soul)
it is well, it is well with my soul.

And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
the clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
the trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
even so, it is well with my soul.

It is well, (it is well)
with my soul (with my soul)
it is well, it is well with my soul.

Oh Riley

Riley is the new addition to the Ross household he is a 13 week old Morkie and he is super cute. He is also a Diva, if he doesn't get attention 24-7 he whines and for some reason he loves Cheerios! He loves to take naps with me so that's pretty fun...overall he's great! Hope you think he's fun too!

Burn the Plow

Luke 9:61-62-"Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family." Jesus replied, 'No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.'"

No one can plow a straight line while looking back!

Jehoshaphat

2 Chronicles 20:2-12-
Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, "A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar" (that is, Engedi). Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the LORD; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD. And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, and said, "O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, 'If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you--for your name is in this house--and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.' And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy-- behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you."

A few reasons why this is so freaking awesome...
1. Jehoshaphat is just a great name. I had to go to a website to figure out how to say it correctly...in my mind it seemed really hard because "Biblical Names Pronunciation"said that you pronounce his name like this-->-dzhee-HAHSH-uh-fat. Well once the dude from the website actually said the name it wasn't as cool as I originally anticipated but at first glance it's pretty interesting.
2.Now I'm going to be serious..."Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the LORD". The VERY FIRST thing he did when he got scared was SEEK THE LORD! It seems like it's instinct for him, it was his initial reaction after getting scared. It doesn't say that he got scared and hid or asked his boys what he should do, he immediately went to seek the Lord! I don't do this, when I get scared I want to run to things or people that are comfortable for me. God is a jealous God (Hosea 2:19, Ezekiel 39:25), he knows that we are better off with him. I know that I'm better off with him but my actions often show that I believe the opposite.
3. Jehoshaphat was a king of the Kingdom of Judah. He could have very easily acted like he wasn't afraid and told his people the first idea that popped into his head and they would have followed and not questioned a thing. The really awesome thing is that he did immediately give an order. Go back and read it again, seriously. Right after he seeks the Lord he "proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah", so not only did he seek the Lord but people from all over Judah did as well (Phil.2:10-11).
So recap-Jehoshaphat, who was a king, was real with his people (he let them know he was afraid and didn't have all the answers) and his first instinct was to seek God and have his people do the same. Again, I'm pretty sure I've never done all of those things at the same time. I have such a hard time being real with people that I'm close to and this guy, a King was totally fine with allowing anyone and everyone to see his weaknesses.
4. This is my last point and also my favorite thing about this passage. So Jehoshaphat prays this raw and bold plea to God and ends the prayer with this sentence: "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you." This is exactly how I feel right now! It is terrifying for me to realize and admit that so I can't even imagine how a king would feel saying that. It was amazing to see the faith and trust that Jehoshaphat and his people had.

I want to be bold and raw when I talk to God, I want to be real with people, I want to boast in my weaknesses but above all I want to seek the Lord first. For the next few weeks the theme for my life is going to be "God, I don't know what to do, but my eyes are on you." Because God, I have no clue what I'm doing and I desperately need you to help me.

Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah

Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,
Pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but Thou art mighty;
Hold me with Thy powerful hand.
Bread of heaven,
Feed me now and evermore;
Bread of heaven,
Feed me now and evermore.

Open now the crystal fountain,
Whence the healing stream doth flow;
Let the fire and cloudy pillar
Lead me all my journey through.
Strong Deliverer,
Be Thou still my Strength and Shield.
Strong Deliverer,
Be Thou still my Strength and Shield.

When I tread the verge of Jordan,
Bid my anxious fears subside;
Death of deaths, and hell's destruction,
Land me safe on Canaan's side.
Songs of praises, I will ever give to Thee;
Songs of praises, I will ever give to Thee.

Land me safe on Canaan's side
Bid my anxious fears, bid my anxious fear
Land me safe on Canaan's side
Bid my anxious fears, bid my anxious fears, goodbye

Indelible Grace
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