What is Your Isaac?

It's funny, when I ask the Lord to challenge me to trust Him in obedience, I usually have a situation in mind that I think He's going to challenge me in.  He usually then ends up challenging me in a completely different and unexpected way.  This is what I'm currently wrestling with.  The Lord has challenged me to obedience in an area of my life that is extremely difficult to surrender.  He has asked me to trust Him with something that I hold so closely to my heart.  I believe that He is taking me aside and putting me to the test, questioning what I value most in life.  Just as God took Abraham on a walk and asked him to surrender his one and only son, the thing he valued most to him, God is asking me what my Isaac is.  He is questioning whether I value this over my relationship with Him and if I'm willing to act in obedience, to "Trust Him with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding, but in all my ways, acknowledge Him and He will be faithful to direct my path" (Proverbs 3:5-6).

I am learning that obedience to the Lord sometimes doesn't make sense to our human minds.  When God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only promised son on the altar, it didn't make logical sense to him.  When God asked Noah to build an ark over the course of 100 years when there was no sign of rain, it sounded like a crazy idea.  When God told Mary that she was going to bear Jesus Christ, the Son of the Most High God as a virgin, I'm sure she initially questioned the angel Gabriel of his illogical statement.  When Joshua was told to take his troops and march around the city of Jericho, trusting that  God would somehow make the walls of the city crumble and fall, I'm sure he thought at some point that God's request didn't make any sense. 

In each of these well known stories, the righteous men and women of God walked by FAITH and not by sight.  God asked each one of them to do something that was either illogical, impossible or simply didn't make sense.  He asked them to TRUST HIM, but not because the situation at hand made sense, rather because God was calling them to lean not on their own understanding, but instead step out in faith and obedience, trusting that His ways and thoughts were so much greater than their own.  

God is calling me and so many of us to this same place of faith, trust and obedience. What or who is my Isaac? What is my most valuable possession or something that has distracted me from my most intimate and personal relationship with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? Am I willing to walk in faith, knowing that obedience to the King of kings and the Lord of lords is better than sacrifice.  Am I willing to surrender and lean not on my own understanding, acknowledging Him in every action and trusting the God who holds the universe in His hands to direct my path, even if what He's asking of me doesn't make sense?   

He is trustworthy.  He is faithful.  His ways are greater than my ways.  His thoughts are higher than my thoughts.  His plans are to prosper and not to harm me, to give me a hope and a future.  He promises that those who seek Him will find Him, and those who cry out to Him for wisdom, will receive what they ask for in His name.  He promises to direct the path of His faithful children and to guide them as He takes their hand and walks alongside them.  He promises courage and strength.

Be strong and courageous. Be strong and courageous. Be strong and courageous (Joshua 1).

Trust He who is faithful.

Step out in faith. Act in obedience. Trust the One who holds your past, present and future in His hands.

You are still Holy

Kari Jobe

Room Sweet Room

SO. New semester. New growth. AND a New roommate...who I'm so incredibly blessed by and grateful for :)

Here's our cozy little room. Thankful for a whole lot of laughs and life shared with my precious friend and roommate Tracey. This year is gonna be fantastic.

New Semester, New Growth

This semester has already been filled with a lot of challenges, joy, laughter, change, wonderful friendships and growth.  

The Lord is good to have blessed me with yet another year at Moody.  It's hard to believe that I'm already back here in Chicago and getting into the swing of things.  Classes have been incredible.  I have never been so excited to go to class!  This semester I get to take my first inter-cultural class...which has encouraged me in so many ways and reminded me of the passions that the Lord has placed in my heart.  My 3 hour class is called "Inter-cultural Communication and is only once a week, but it is by far my favorite class and prof.  Dr. Park is full of life and wisdom.  She's Korean and has been all around the world; she therefore has a ton of experience with culture, and a whole lot of wisdom to pour into us, her students. We've discussed culture, worldview, behavioral patterns and so many other applicable topics.  

This past week we had to read a short book by Mabel Williamson called Have We No Rights.  The book was one of the best I've ever read having to do with culture, expectations, rights and what God has to say about entering into a new culture. Solid solid book...I would recommend it to anyone.  In her book, Williamson based her thoughts and ideas off of 1 Corinthians 9, especially vs 22-23.  This is where Paul states, "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.  I do all this for the sake of the Gospel, that I may share in its blessings."  Paul was right when he stated that we must lay aside our rights in order to further the Gospel to the nations and make every effort to "save some" of the lost. Laying aside one's rights might be one of the most difficult things to do, but will prove the most effective when entering a new culture.  Williamson stated that it is only when we truly understand “how they eat, how they sleep, how they work, how they play, what they like, what they dislike, what they hope, what they fear, how they think, how they feel—when we really understand them, then, and only then, will we be able to present the Gospel to them in an adequate way.”  As missionaries we are to literally deny ourselves so that we can understand the people, culture and present the Gospel adequately.  Again Williamson states, 

"On the mission field it is not the enduring of hardships, the lack of comforts, and the roughness of the life that make the missionary cringe and falter. It is something far less romantic and far more real. It is something that will hit you right down where you live. The missionary has to give up having his own way. He has to give up having any rights. He has, in words of Jesus, to "deny himself." He just has to give himself up."

There is so much truth in this statement.  Entering into inter-cultural missions means counting the cost.   

There is huge sacrifice that takes place when you give up everything that you were ever familiar with and open yourself up to a completely unfamiliar way of life. It takes humility and patience; two things that the Lord is constantly working on in my life.  I am also continually learning that walking into missions means closing our earthly eyes and asking the Lord to open our spiritual eyes in order to see potential and transformation in lives that have yet to be touched.  

"It does not matter how low, how ignorant, how degraded the person is, Christ is able to transform him into someone far superior to me; and it may be that that is just what He is going to do. Who am I, a poor redeemed sinner, to look down upon anyone else? Who am I to challenge Christ's power, and refuse to believe that anyone can be made new?"

The power of Christ goes beyond our understanding.  May we trust Him and praise Him for the work that he is doing in the lives of those he's called us to in this time and place! HE IS WORTHY! Christ has given me full right to Himself; as I walk on any mission field, my desire and prayer is that He have full right to me! 

So to conclude...this is just the beginning of what is looking to be a very exciting and challenging semester.  I am so eager to see how God will grow, refine and deepen my relationship with Him and others.  God have your way in my life! 

"Show me your ways, O Lord,

teach me your paths; 

guide me in your truth and teach me, 

for you are God my Savior

and my hope is in you ALL DAY LONG!"

Psalm 25: 4-5

Renewed

I've been praying through a lot of things recently and I so desire to be close to my loving Lord and Savior.   When things get busy and crazy, it's easy to lose sight of who God is and all that He's done for me.  His grace is sufficient, His power is made perfect in my weakness, and for that I am incredibly thankful.  I'm thankful that His mercies are new every single morning, that after a night of tears, He wakes me up to a new day, with new mercies.  He renews me day by day and gives me a new joy.

Today I was reading through the Valley of Vision - a Puritan prayer book that I got a couple of years ago.  The prayers speak so much truth, and are usually able to say the things that are on my heart, but I can't quite get out in words.

The one that I read this morning was perfect, it's called A Disciple's Renewal.  I want to share it because I think many people feel this way and don't know how to express it.  It put some things in perspective for me and reminded me of my fallen state, but of God's grace, which is sufficient for me.

O my Savior, 

Help me.

I am so slow to learn,

so prone to forget,

so weak to climb; 

I am in the foothills when I should be on the heights;

I am pained by my graceless heart, 

my prayerless days,

my poverty of love,

my sloth in the heavenly race,

my sullied conscience, 

my wasted hours,

my unspent opportunities.

I am blind while light shines around me:

take the scales from my eyes,

grind to dust the evil heart of unbelief.

Make it my chifest joy to study thee, 

meditate on thee,

gaze on thee, 

sit like Mary at thy feet,

lean like John on thy breast,

apeal like Peter to thy love,

count like Paul all things rubbish.

Give me increase and progress in grace

so that there may be

more decision in my character,

more vigour in my purposes,

more elevation in my life, 

more fervour in my devotion,

more constancy in my zeal.

As I have a position in the world,

keep me from making the world my position; 

May I never seek in the creature 

what can be found only in the Creator;

Let not faith cease from seeking thee

until it vanishes into sight. 

Ride forth in me, thou King of kings

and Lord of lords,

that I may live victoriously, 

and in victory attain my end.

Everything.

I want to be God's and no one elses. I want to be completely devoted to Him.  

He's done so much for me. He deserves my everything!

Psalm 19

It's just been another one of those beautiful days.

 Thank you Lord!

Blessed

Man, I'm missing this sweet, little, baby face today.  I've just been sitting here on the couch at my Nana and Papaw's house and looking through all my pictures.  As I was looking through my pictures from my summer in Peru and remembering all that the Lord has done and continues to do there, I was reminded how blessed I am.

God is at work all around me.  It doesn't matter if I'm thousands of miles away in Peru, going to school in the Windy City, or sitting at my grandparent's house in Kentucky, God is always at work, faithfully orchestrating my life.  I am blessed beyond measure.  The Lord has really revealed that to me in these past several days as I've gotten to slow down and just talk with my grandparents.  Yesterday as we were sitting at the counter, Nana shared her testimony and then Papaw shared his.  I've heard both of their testimonies before, but never consecutively.  It was beautiful to see how God had his hand in every little thing that happened in order to lead them to each other when their testimonies began to weave together.  It's amazing how when God gets ahold of someone's heart, He never lets it go.  He protected and kept both my Nana and Papaw all of their lives as He faithfully directed and guided them along somewhat curvy paths.  To hear what God brought them through in their pasts and how He has abundantly blessed them and all of us kids and grandkids through them, just blows my mind.  It's a story of God's faithfulness.  I couldn't attribute it to anything or anyone else.  God alone.  His love and faithfulness is what kept them and has continued to bless them and bless me as I've gotten to see their example of love, marriage, service and a relationship with our Father in Heaven.  Ahh I am just so thankful for them!

Sometimes it makes me wonder why I was born into this family.  Why did God choose to place me in America, to grow up in a Christian home with a Christian education and with parents who love each other and love God even more.  To be blessed with grandparents who have set an incredible example for not only their children, but their grandchildren and everyone who they have loved and served.  To be blessed with brothers who love God and want to serve Him with their lives, and cousins, aunts and uncles who have all given their lives to our Father, God.

I don't think I thank the Lord enough for all of this.

On top of all of that, right now: I'm writing this post on my laptop.  Underneath a roof.  In a house.  With a fan blowing on me. Laying in a bed. With clothes on my back, and a full tummy. Knowing that my family is in the next room over.  If I need anything I can walk down the hall.  I have running water in the bathroom directly across the hall.  The fridge is overflowing with food and even more is in the fridge outside. There's a car - make that two - in the garage, and two more that my family and cousins drove over. . . and the list goes on and on. . .

This isn't to boast in what I have, but to remind myself that I have more than enough.  The Lord has blessed me abundantly and I have nothing to complain about - ever.  Instead, my heart must cry out with thankfulness to God for all that He has entrusted me with.  It is a privilege and huge responsibility.  How can I use this for His glory and give back to Him?

Sometimes all of this makes me wonder why I was born here, with all of these blessings from God and why my precious, baby Aymar was born in a dump in Trujillo, Peru with barely enough food for the day.  It doesn't seem fair and I oftentimes find myself thinking about this and feeling guilty for all that I have. Why me? Why not Aymar and her family? I'm pretty sure if I tried to number the things that the Lord has entrusted me with I wouldn't be able to, whereas Aymar and her family can probably count on their fingers the number of things that they have.  

I don't think that God wants us to compare our circumstances, because ultimately He is sovereign and knows exactly why we were placed where we are.  He has reason and purpose for all that He does.  But I do think that through considering these things, I am reminded of the responsibility that I have to take care of those who have less than me.  As a believer and follower of Christ, I believe that we have the responsibility and the joy of sharing our food with the hungry, of providing the poor wanderer with shelter - when we see the naked to clothe them and not turn away from anyone in need (Isaiah 58).  God promises that when we do this - when we reach out to these precious children of His - our lights will break forth like the dawn, healing will quickly appear, righteousness will go before us, and the glory of the Lord will be our rear guard.  When we call on the Lord, He promises to answer our cries for the people that He has placed on our hearts! This amazes me.  

Our God is faithful.  He has blessed us so that we can bless others and shine with a radiance that points directly to His goodness and grace.  

I Am Still With You

I was looking through an old journal from 2009, and found this poem that God laid on my heart one morning while watching the sun rise:

I wait anxiously as the sky 

Begins to fill with brilliant colors 

And the majesty of the sun

Peaks over the distant horizon. 

Blown away I sit and watch. 

Thoughts begin to flood my mind. 

Overwhelmed by the beauty of Creation, 

I sit silent. 

Slowly the sun glistens 

Through the branches 

Of the Oak tree, 

Each branch full of colorful fall leaves, 

Ready to break free 

And fall to the ground 

In anticipation of winter. 

The sky is now splashed with colors of blue, 

Deep blue and white, 

And the day is just beginning. 

As I sit silently on the damp steps, 

Covered with a thin layer of morning dew, 

I am reminded Who made all these things. 

From the outstanding orange and yellow 

That each tree seems to boast, 

To the rays of sunlight 

Bursting through the thick 

Smoke of the chimney. 

The awakening of each and every bird 

With its unique call and sound, and 

The dew on each leaf, that 

Gives each one the look 

Of existence and splendor. 

Even as a small bird flutters across the sky, 

I ask myself: 

“Who gave the bird the ability to fly? 

Who feeds the Raven? 

Who clothes the lily of the field

And makes it grow? 

Who watches over the wild animals 

And gives them a place to stay?

Who paints the sky with a 

Unique, new, pattern every morning, 

Never ceasing to amaze me?” 

…In my silence, I found the answer, 

As a still small voice whispered into my ear:


 "I did – 

I created all this for you, 

So that you would run back to Me. 

A long time ago I walked you through 

My perfect garden, 

But you ran from Me. 

I called out to you, 

But you did not answer… 

You were scared and ashamed 

Because you had abandoned My instruction. 

So I waited - patiently, anxiously - 

Just as you wait for that 

Beautiful sunrise every morning. 

I called out to you through 

Those early morning sights: 

Through the birds. 

Through the painted skies. 

Through the colors splashed in the trees, and 

Through the rays of sunlight 

Piercing those puffy white clouds. 

I silently called to you as you 

Passed by those moss-covered rocks 

Cloaked in white rapids – 

You never stopped to take it all in. 

I called, you did not answer. 

Oh, how I long to be with the 

Creature I have created. 

Because you are my daughter. 

I am your Father, and I love you.” 

In my silence, I close my eyes, 

And picture the face of my Father. 

With a power and might so immense, 

I am left unable to look into his eyes. 

It’s as if the sun were reflecting on a sheet of ice, 

Blinding me from all that surrounds me. 

My Father is gentle, and loving, 

His warmth is bound around me, 

But I can sense His justice and authority 

As I am enveloped in His arms of love. 

It is then that I realize that there is 

Nowhere to flee from His Spirit. 

His presence is everywhere I look. 

As I look into the sky, 

I see His warm smile. 

When I feel unloved, and 

As if no one in this world cares, 

My Father in heaven does. 

As I run my race, 

Day by day, 

And feel weak and weary, 

He is there to lift me up. 

Through the brilliance of Creation 

I see His face. 

He knows everything about me: 

My anxious thoughts, 

When I rise, 

When I fall, 

My actions and my words. 

As I sit, chills run up and down my back – 

My God is ever-present. 

He is near because I’ve called on Him in truth. 

He fulfills my desires, 

For I fear Him. 

Hearing my cry, He saves me, 

And lifts me up out of the pit. 

As I sleep, He watches over me. 

And when I awake 

To start my day once more – 

HE IS STILL WITH ME.