Sunday, January 3, 2010

Reflecting on 2009

Today......as the sun is shining and I'm sitting here enjoying a quiet afternoon with the monkies tucked in bed for their naps.......Jase is playing his beloved Civilization game on the computer.....and my Dunkin' Donuts coffee warming my tummy....
I'm so thankful we finally were able to be back in church this morning. After the sickies in our house and missing Sunday morning services......I start gettin' this ache to just be back worshipping with our church family and hearin' Pastor's teachings.

This first week of every new year I like to journal everything I'm thankful for in the past year.
And just sit and reflect on God's goodness. And His love. And when I read Living Proof's blog today, I just had to share it with you. Cuz it's exactly what I'm thinking as I reflect on 2009.
Take a minute and read this from Beth Moore:

"I often think back on Exodus 33 when an overwrought Moses asked God to show him His glory. Moses didn't understand that he wouldn't have survived the kind of revelation he'd requested. Instead of giving His servant what he asked, the Lord said to him,

There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. (V.22)

The next part is so wild:

"Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.

Metaphorically speaking, the same thing can happen to us. When a shadow overtakes our lives and the light dims nearly beyond recognition, we may not see a single evidence of His arrival in our crisis. Sometimes we're in such blackness, we may go weeks or months that we don't sense God right by our side or feel the presence of His abiding Spirit within us. Those are the seasons when we make the choice whether we'll go by what we see and feel, or walk by what we know to be true. These are the places we learn what it really means to walk by faith and not by sight. To sow the seed of Scripture in our tears. It's often not until the crisis begins to dissipate that we look back upon the outstretched horizon and see God's hand prints all over it. No, we do not see His face, because, as Scripture says, our mortal bodies are not equipped to bear the sight. But, in a beautiful sense, we do indeed see His "back.' As the season draws to a close, we see that He took every single step we did.

We are quick to assume that all darkness is demonic but sometimes maybe the shadow over us is the hand of God covering us while His glory passes by. I wonder if any of you can glance back over 2009 and see the "back" of God. Maybe you didn't see His face. Maybe you weren't even positive at times He was there. But now, as you look over your shoulder at the months behind you, the fog clears and you get a glimpse of His back, leading the way to your exodus."


"You crown the year with Your good blessings, and You leave abundance in Your wake." Psalm 65:11

For more, go here: http://livingproofministries.blogspot.com/

1 comment:

Slightly crooked halo =) said...

wow... just what I needed... thank you girl =0)