The Lord has been stretching me lately. Not in those rewarding ways, where you are afraid to do something He has told you to do, so you step out in faith and afterward you feel satisfied, obedient and fulfilled.
No, lately I've been traipsing through some unfamiliar territory. I'm talking the uneven grounds of going against things you were taught as a child, the rocky paths of stirring the waters and even the jagged road called "this might ruffle someone's feathers."
If you know me, you understand that I am more of a keep-the-peace kind of girl. I love to teach, support, and encourage. The gift of godly admonishment or confronting wrongs is not in my bag of tricks.
But it has been a call I cannot ignore. The voice of the Lord asking me to go deeper, further than I've been before. I need to grow up in Him, do the right things even when they aren't easy. And then there is God's written word, confirming how a righteous man or woman behaves.
The problem is sometimes after I've obeyed, everything seems to blow up. It appears to be worse than before. And I begin to doubt if I even heard Him right to begin with.
I admit that I've worked hard throughout my life to establish an authentic grace-filled relationship with God, as opposed to one that is based on following all the rules and performing with perfection, because I so desire Him to be pleased with me.
So when I read this verse, you could almost see the relief wash over me.
Psalm 37:23-24
"Our steps are made firm by the Lord,
when he delights in our way;
though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong,
for the Lord holds us by the hand."
In my attempts to hear God correctly, and be obedient to what I think He has asked me to do, I very well may stumble. I may not get it exactly right at first. But He is not going to let me fall headlong down a flight of stairs. I might miss my step, but thankfully He is holding my hand and has promised not to drop me. I feel just like a child who is not so steady yet, but who has a loving parent saying: Trust me. Follow Me. I have planned for you to walk this way.
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12 comments:
I love this scripture, Rebecca! It is so beautiful and so full of promise. You wrote a great post and spoke some of the words that I am feeling, too, right now.
Happy WFW!
I can so relate to this post, Rebecca. I went through something similar years back and feel at times I have to go through the journey again. It is difficult and sometimes uneasy but the verse is a perfect comfort. Blessings to you and you have a beautiful blog!
This post was wonderful! I've been meditating on the book of Ephesians lately... full of the message of God's loving GRACE toward sinners. This verse fits in perfectly, thanks.
Happy WFW!
Amen, love it.
wow... great pic for the scripture!
Blessings Rebecca...Hope that you are doing well. I will go catch up and read other posts for updates!
How beautiful is the Voice of Truth and the Word of God in Psalm 37! Such an encouragement! You have beautifully stretched these WORDS across this photo of the staircase and subtly let us know that His Hand is there, holding, guiding, and keeping us from stumbling.
May the Lord make your steps firm as He delights in you and your family! May you grab hold of His Hand & trust Him!
Thank you for coming and visiting me again or I might have not caught this excellent message that you shared. AMEN!!! Washing & stretching...ouch...ahhhhh! Peace!
Your blog is so pretty. And the picture and testimony are wonderful. Thank you for sharing, for putting yourself out there for God to use to bless others.
Your girls are beautiful.
Jennifer
Rebecca,
Wow...so much of what you've written here resonates with me. So glad you've chosen to step out of what is comfortable for you to do the hard things. I am encouraged, inspired and challenged by your example. What a powerful scripture! I don't ever remember reading this one before. So glad you shared it! May the Lord bless you as you continue to step out.
Your blog is so very beautiful!
Blessings,
Tracy
What a wonderful post...thank you for sharing this precious promise and the beautiful picture you've chosen!
Seems stretching is painful at the time but so rewarding in the end...He's doing some stretching in me as well...
Wow...this is so beautiful and I loved your words...I am so thankful we can follow Him...even if we forget sometimes that His plan is best...
Blessings.
wow! I think this is my fav. wfw you've done! thanks for such a heartfelt post!
I can very much relate and it's great to know that God walks through it WITH us...He doesn't tell us to do it and abandon us. It's truly a life fulfilled when we obey even though it's difficult.
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