Rejoice and trials

"God never moves without purpose or plan

When trying His servant and molding a man.

Give thanks to the LORD though your testing seems long;

In darkness He giveth a song.

I could not see through the shadows ahead;

So I looked at the cross of my Savior instead.

I bowed to the will of the Master that day;

Then peace came and tears fled away.

Now I can see testing comes from above;

God strengthens His children and purges in love.

My Father knows best, and I trust in His care;

Through purging more fruit I will bear.

Chorus: 

O Rejoice in the LORD

He makes no mistake,

He knoweth the end of each path that I take,

For when I am tried

And purified,

I shall come forth as gold."

Rejoice in the Lord by Ron Hamilton

So today in chapel we had a singspiration, something know to the rest of the world as a song service. For you who still have no idea what I talking about: today in chapel we did not have someone preach but we spent the whole time singing praises and hymns. This was one of the songs that we sang. As I am sitting there singing this song my mind starts to wander and think about what is it that I am saying, so I thought I would share those thoughts with you.      

                                               "God never moves without purpose or plan

When trying His servant and molding a man.

Give thanks to the LORD though your testing seems long;

In darkness He giveth a song.

O Rejoice in the LORD

He makes no mistake,

He knoweth the end of each path that I take,

For when I am tried

And purified,

I shall come forth as gold."

Jeremiah 29:11 tells us "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. " When people we know are going through hard times or a test of faith it is easy for us to tell them this. It is easy to stand on the outside and encourage people to trust in God and that he knows what He is doing. 

 "I could not see through the shadows ahead;

So I looked at the cross of my Savior instead.

I bowed to the will of the Master that day;

Then peace came and tears fled away.

O Rejoice in the LORD

He makes no mistake,

He knoweth the end of each path that I take,

For when I am tried

And purified,

I shall come forth as gold."

Over the last few years as different things happened to my family I would use words or phrases similar to those in this verse and chorus to encourage myself to hold on to God that he is not done with my family and He knows what he has in store for us and why those things happened to us and when they happened. This verse also reminds me that when I am in a test of faith or the circumstances around me case the way to be unclear that I need to look to the cross and to Jesus like we are commanded to do in Hebrews 12:2 "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. "  When I look unto Jesus it helps me to rejoice in the fact that God makes no mistakes and He is still in control. 

"Now I can see testing comes from above;

God strengthens His children and purges in love.

My Father knows best, and I trust in His care;

Through purging more fruit I will bear. 

O Rejoice in the LORD

He makes no mistake,

He knoweth the end of each path that I take,

For when I am tried

And purified,

I shall come forth as gold."

 

Now we get to where I am (ish). After the trial is over we are able to look back and praise God for all that He taught us as we went though the trial. We are able to see how God has grown us and changed us to more like His son. Now is stead of using the words of the chorus remind and encourage me, I can sing them with conviction and knowing that they are true and a deeper understanding for that they are saying.   

In closing the last 2-3 years have been hard on my family with deaths of people we hold dear and those we wish we could have met, but now we are looking forward to some happy times and we know that God is good through it all the good and the bad. 

Well I should go do homework now but I would like to leave you with this thought "God is good even on a Monday" to quote a friend of mine Mary Davis (aka "Munchie") .  

cross roads

Cross roads, a fork in the road, a change in plans, or redirection. What ever you call it, that is were I am sitting. Most people get here their last year of school, so I guess it is fitting that I am sitting here now at a fourth of the way through my last year at Bob Jones University. God uses people we meet, troubles we go through, speeches we hear, reading His word and other books to direct us in the way we are to go. Some times the path is not clear like a sidewalk, but more like a overgrown tail through the woods. So here I sit a a fork in the path, unsure if I am acutely at a fork or  if I just think there is a path and there is not one. Anyone who knows me really well knows that I really like plans and I really do not like uncertainty.
   In Children's Church on Sundays the kids are working on memorizing Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for them that love God who are called according to His purpose." The way we and teaching the kids this through the stories of the nation of Israel that are found in the Old Testament. Especially through the lives of Joesph and Moses, both of these man went through a lot of ups and downs in their lives and yet they were faithful to God and the loved him no matter what happened to them. I am sure that at times they were uncertain about the way God was taking them to their calling, just like I am right now.
   We are told in Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." and then the rest of the chapter is filled with stories of men and woman that had faith and trusted God. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sara, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rehab, Gideon, Samson, David, Samuel and the list could go on and on. Then when we get to chapter 12:1-2 we read "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of  our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."
   So even though I do not know which is the right way to go I will set my focus on my Lord and savior Jesus Christ, I will take courage in the fact that all these great people of faith have gone before me and have fought the good fight and have won the prize. With these reminders and this sight to set my focus on I will not let uncertainty get me down. I  will trust God and his plan, because I know that ALL THINGS (this means the good, bad, easy and hard things) aid in the good God has in store for me and He is preparing me to do His work... where ever that might be.                

Samantha

Dear Samantha,
       Happy Birthday!!!! You made it to 13 years old! Not sure how you did it, but you did. Life will get harder, but I will be there to help you. I draw the line at anything that will get me in trouble. You have grown so much in the last year! Trust in the Lord, Pray without stopping, do not burn the house down, and listen to Mom and Dad. Now click here to open your present!
                                                                          Happy Birthday! with love,
                                                                                                Nathalie

Mom!

No it is not the one day we set a side to honor our mothers, but rather it is my mom's birthday. Since I am miles away and am a poor college student, I mean we are always told it is the thought that counts right? So mom, instead of getting you something you may not use or need, or giving you food, I am giving you this: Mom click here to open your gift! Happy Birthday!!!!

Lessons and Reasons

       Through out life we learn lessons and we we give reasons. This year I learned a lot, and as I sit here at what marks the halfway point in my summer I look back at the lessons I learned and the reasons I gave. So far this summer alone I learned not to be the person nobody wants to work with, smile, reach out to co workers and try not to sound like a know-it-all. I learned never be afraid to ask for help, specially went removing hot heave pans from the oven, hurt pride is better than a burned arm. I learned to love those around me, let them get in and steal my heart then to pour my self out for them no matter how hard it is. I learned how to butcher salmon fillets, how to remove the skin without ripping the fish to shreds. I learned that you can make three kids really happy by showing them how to draw a sidewalk chalk house and give each of them their own room to decorate the way they want and not to be concerned with a bit of chalk dust on the clothes. I learned that I need to be loader in the kitchen and not to worry about messing up so much. I learned that as a guest you it is okay to impose on your host and hostess, a bit. I learned how to make pretzel bites and a bunch of different pastries. The ultimate reason I give when people ask why I am doing all this is I want to open my own bakery. The immediate reason I have for doing all this is so that I can fill a requirement for the Culinary Arts degree I am working towards.
    Through all this God was teaching me again and again to trust Him. He orchestrated my paths and  my days to make sure I was safe when it seemed like I might not be. He would put a verse or a song  in my head, to encourage me when I was down. As Sovereign over the Universe He worked it so that when I needed a word of an encouragement from a friend, either the friend would be there to give it or it would pop up on my Facebook feed. I know for a fact that if I was not leaning on His everlasting arms this summer would have been a whole lot harder. The reason God did all this for me, the reason He dose anything for anyone is the same reason He sent His only son to die on the cross for my sins, He loves me. John 3:16 tells us "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." I look forward to how God will continue to show his love for me!

Daddy,

Daddy,

       Today is Fathers day, but you already know that. What you may not know is how much you how much of an impact on my life. You taught me how to do work right, even if it took me a while to learn that lesson. You taught me how to take care of my self when I get hurt, how to fix a shelf and work with wood. You showed me how to love others even when it is hard. My whole life you showed me love, from spending time with me when you were busy to driving 6 hours to visit meat school. Thank you Dad for all that you have done for me and me sisters working long hours so that way we could eat and have a home. All young girls want to marry a man just like their Dads and I am no different. I wish to marry a man that is a lot like you.
                                                           Love,
                                                                 Nathalie
http://skitguys.com/videos/item/dad-taught-us 

Thank you Mom

Dear Mom,
       Thank you, I do not say it enough. Something else I do not say enough is I love you. Mom, you have given so much to me. You gave your time to me and your love. Some how no matter how down I am feeling you can always cheerer me up. You know when I need encouragement, or the hard cold facts. You taught to love God, care for others, to put the needs of others before my own, how to silently witness to those how are not open to the gospel. You taught me how to work hard at my school work, the importance of keeping my word no matter how hard, to put school work before fun. You taught me that it is okay to cry, laugh, love and fail sometimes, how to dress appropriately, how to stand firm in what I believe and to hold true to my standers. You taught me that importance of family, friends, and kids.
    You gave up so much for me. You gave up getting a big back deck so that I could follow God's will. You gave up the vacation you plan so that I could go to college. You gave up many nights of sleep to care for me and to make sure I was safe. You gave up evenings and sat in the cold so that I could learn how to train my dog.
     You instilled in me the value of honesty, modesty, hard work, and a good book. You constantly remind me to love God above anything else, and to trust him. You showed me how to honor others peoples time with being on time. You ingrained in me the the necessity of family, trust and responsibility. Happy Mothers day!!
                                                                                           with love your daughter
                                                                                                              Nathalie