Technology and Teachings...

So... I have to show you the coolest toys that I got last weekend... If you don't already know, I am MOVING! Yes! Tomorrow, Hannah and I will go sign our one year lease at Court 17 apartments downtown Tacoma! Woohoo! (: We are thrilled. I can't wait to show you more pictures. Anyway, one of my latest purchases for our apartment is an iPod and it's partner, JBL on Time. It's sweet! It's actually an alarm clock but may be placed in our kitchen for music for the time being...



Isn't it cute? I like to say, "Beautiful and Functional." Hehe... Love it.

Now on to the teachings... Wow, I have been learning so much. I'm not sure why but it seems like the Lord has given me so many revelations lately. He seems to speak to me a lot about His heart, but I am often left with greater questions without any answers... I wonder if that's his secret plan. (: That once we get to know a little piece of who He is, he prompts us with greater questions, wonderings - so that we never get tired of pursuing Him. Anyway, I have been reading through Job in the One Year Chronological Bible, which I LOVEE by the way... Along with it I picked up, "What the Bible is All About" by Henrietta Mears off my shelf... I am just a few chapters away from finishing Job, but decided to dig into what her revelation of it is... Wow... I have been blown away, and like I said the Lord has revealed so many roads to travel on this journey...

Let me begin with this song that I absolutely love... It's called "If You Say Go," and is sung by Rita Springer (amazing woman), on the "Sweetly Broken" cd.

If you say go we will go
If you say wait we will wait
If you say step out on the water and they say it can’t be done
We’ll fix our eyes on you and we will come

Your ways (Your ways, Your ways) are higher than our ways
And the plans that You have laid are good and true
If You call us to the fire You will not withdraw Your hand
We’ll gaze into the flames and look for You

We’ll gaze into the flames and look for You

So, I'm sure like most of the rest of the world you have wondered why bad things happen to good people... There are probably too many books and philosophies to count... As I read through Job, the subject didn't necessarily jump out at me, but as I pressed into Henrietta's revelations I was blown away by the Lord's heart.

It is easy to become confused about the problem of suffering. Remember, the disciples of Christ thought that suffering was the result of sin in a life. (John 9:2). The book of Job gives an entirely different reason for the suffering of Job. In this case, Job was being honored by God. It was the truth that God could trust Job to remain faithful to God in spite of everything...

God trusted Job; therefore He assigned to him this great problem of suffering. Because He loved Job He allowed him to be chastened, for "because the Lord disciplines those he loves". When Job was in the midst of his anguish, he realized it is only the gold that is worth putting into the fire. Anything else would be consumed...

Stop there. "...he realized that it is only gold that is worth putting into the fire." Whoa. I LOVE that... God doesn't just put a flimsy bail of hay or straw into the fire. He sees it's frailty, it's immediate consumption. Look at the Lord's heart here! He allowed the most righteous man to be put through the fire. Look at how much he loves His children. You my friend who have seen trial after trial are gold... It makes me think of this quote John Eldredge refers to in "The Sacred Romance." He is talking about our "inner life" the true, eternal part of our hearts.

The inner life, the story of our heart, is the life of the deep places within us, our passions and dreams, our fears and our deepest wounds. It is the unseen life, the mystery within - what Buechner calls our "shimmering self."

I LOVE that. Shimmering self... and how does that gleam remain shiny and keep from becoming clouded by sin, the world... The fire... Don't you see?

Only pure gold can stand the fire. All dross is burned up. God the great metallurgist of heaven, puts us in the fire and watches and tries us Himself. He trusts no other. When the fire has burned long enough to destroy the imnpurities. He pulls us out.

Did you hear that? He doesn't turn us over to the enemy for us to be consumed. He TRUSTS no one else to burn away the impurities in our lives. But because of His TRUST and ultimately His TENDER love does He use US - the righteous, the good hearted - to be tested... Ultimately to reveal His character to everyone - as the Sovereign God who loves His people with abandon... And yet I know there's more. As I type these words, I sense that there are words left that cannot describe His heart toward us during our trials. It's more than just "feeling bad for us" or "wanting us to suffer" there is a pride to call us His own, a sense of honor to witness our courage, faith and trust in Him...

If You call us to the fire You will not withdraw Your hand
We’ll gaze into the flames and look for You

We’ll gaze into the flames and look for You

So as the Lord may call you into fire, or you unknowingly discover that you're amidst the flames, my prayer is that you will see His face. And it will not be a face of anger or satisfaction, but one of honor and pride. And I promise You WILL see Him. He is there. And ultimately when He pulls you out, your "shimmering self" will glisten more and your spirit will be more alive than you could ever imagine...

*smile* Isn't he so tender and yet so sovereign?