The air was crisp.
It was a late September night and we were traveling to our
new location for our worship night.
The sky was clear. The
stars were glimmering.
As I walked, I was already an emotional train wreck waiting
to happen. The burdens and
responsibilities of the day…of the week…and of the semester were weighing in, feeling
very overwhelmed, over worked, and tired.
Assignments were piled high, meetings were ruling my
schedule, and there didn’t seem to be enough hours in the day.
I was overwhelmed and up until the first song was trying to
strategize when I was going to do what homework assignment, set up the next
appointment with this person, and decide how in the world was I going to get it
all done.
The service was to be held outside and as we were just about
ready to start singing, when the worship leader asked us to turn the other
direction, to not face them, and sing so that our focus was solely on the Lord
and not the crowd around us or the people leading in front.
That was the moment I saw the stars for what they were,
sparkling, declaring the name of the Lord.
The coolness of the night made it so that you could see your breath when
you sang, signifying that fall was quickly approaching. As I looked up at glorious stars, Psalm 33:6
ran through my mind, “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their
starry host by the breath of his mouth”.
Even as life had seemed to be so quickly unraveling at the
seams, my focus and attention was drawn to my Heavenly Father.
…I thought the world couldn’t hit me any harder…the Lord hit
me harder still…
As the music played, tears started rolling down my
cheeks. The Father that breathed out the
stars, that deserves the most praise…that is our God.
How often in life do we view the size, power, and
faithfulness of our God by our circumstances?
We are so quick to explain our case, to share our chaotic
busy schedules that we have no idea how we are going to get done.
As I worshiped and reflected, the thought came of “how many
times do I approach the Lord with telling Him about the world?”
In looking at the ratio, I discovered I very rarely told the
world who my God is.
Busyness of the week ahead. The trials that scream for
answers. The potential road bumps that are never on my radar. I must choose to center
my thoughts on the Lord. Who He is. Who is was. And who He always will be.
In the quiet whispers of the night the Lord said, “Tell me
who I am…” I began listing all of who my God was.
You are a God who
never stops loving, a God who always wins, a God who rescues, who goes to
battle, who is in control, who is always faithful, who was the power in David’s
swing, the calm in Daniel, and fortress for Ruth, you are the God that led the
Israelites, who is constant in a world made of chaos, who is my best friend
always willing to listen, who always understands, who gives purpose, who always
knows what I need even when I don’t, who is holy, who is the King of Kings, who
is the master artist painting each sunrise and sunset with uniqueness and an
array of brilliant color…that God is my Daddy.
Next thing I knew, the tears that were falling had turned
into tears of thankfulness. Tears of Thank
you…
Thank you for being powerful,
for your new mercies every morning, for being sovereign, for standing in the
front lines, for covering me with love, for being my rock and place of refuge,
for extending grace, for holding me close, for knowing my heart, for speaking
to me, for being the well-spring of life, for defending me, for reaching out
your hand, for being enough and all I need, for being the perfect guide, for
being BIGGER than my circumstances.
When you shift your perspective, you shift the control. When I started reciting who my God was and
remembering all that He has done, my world, my seemingly crazy life, was not so
crazy anymore…it was surrendered. Surrendered to the character of my God.
And the character of my God…
Is never failing.
Is always the same.
And structured on His promises.
Instead of seeing Jesus in the box with my circumstances, I
saw Jesus carrying them. Saying, “I got this my child. Just follow me.”
What freedom there is in Jesus. What freedom there is in
remembering the God we serve. In not letting our circumstances define our God,
but letting our God define our circumstances.
It is in those moments, where God takes us on an adventure.
As I walked back, I felt like I had just realized more of
who my Father is. The Father that stands
in the front lines of battle with me, protecting me, saving me, and covering me
with a love that is endless…and relentless.
Who is He to you? Do you spend your time telling Him about
your circumstances more than stating who He is?
You count every single blessing, moment of grace, and
characteristic of who God is because your God…your God, is a God filled with I
AM. And sometimes, when you recognize who your God is, you realize that your
crazy schedule, burdens, and unknowns aren’t nearly as big as your Heavenly Father.
