day 30 - undone

I’ve come undone, and not a moment too soon. He’s revealed Himself to me in a way that I’ve never experienced before, and in doing so, He’s yanked me back onto His path for my life.

He is holy. He is majestic. He is sovereign. He is YHWH.

I am not.

Enter Philippians 3:7-11 - 7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

These past few weeks have been about faith. I was writing a blog in my head titled, “Artifice,” because I was going through a period of cynicism and self doubt about the depth and authenticity of my faith. Before I could even get the thoughts down, He was provoking me, protecting me, proving me wrong. I am His vessel. I am His child. His Word says that He disciplines those He loves. I would add that He can discipline us anytime He chooses, even when it seems inappropriate – if you can apply appropriateness to Him and anything He does – which we cannot.

He loves us enough to reach into our hurt, into our deepest fears, into our brokenness and boldly loves us through it all. Amazing – and humbling, to be sure.

Has He ever put you in your place? I ran smack dab into the God of the Old Testament last week. I realize that He is from everlasting to everlasting, but He definitely displays parts of Himself at different times – that’s how relationships grow. I have a much healthier fear – reverential (mostly) of Him now, that I’ve never experienced before. I’m still processing a lot of it, so if this post doesn’t make any sense, I claim exhaustion, spiritual bruising and heartache.

As the women in my Bible study will attest to, I am always behind in our studies, and I always – without fail – do the material at the exact right time. We’re doing a study on Genesis and I’m back in week 2… He prompted me to pick it back up last night. Typical, typical, typical…

The title? “Anything too hard” When did the group do it? The Monday after Katrina hit. When did I do it? After watching my cousin die and encountering Him in a way I have never known Him. I’d like to quote it – it’s written by Beth Moore and is entitled, “The Patriarchs – Encountering the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

Being God means that He gets to do what He wants…try not to think of God’s perfection as His confinement. Rather, God is free from the confinement of all imperfections. In other words, His perfection does not limit Him. It frees Him… He can choose to reveal Himself any way He wants. His revelation doesn’t have to make sense to us…God can reveal Himself through flames of fire from within a bush, through a water-gushing rock, through a commander of an army, or through a voice out of a storm. If I may be so bold, I think He rather likes the variety.

The text is Genesis 18:14 – Is anything too hard for the LORD?  May I refer you back to Philippians 3:7-11? FAITH – righteousness through faith in Jesus. It’s the only Way. He’s the only Way.