From Cages, to Marvelous Light, to Rest

I am the Samaritan woman at the well who had 5 husbands. (John 4) When my heart's desire to be filled with anything other than Christ and I run, filling it and I am not satisfied, I despair. 

Then I wonder if I am not saved. 

But, salvation is not the concern, but satisfaction. 

I am saved, but I am not filled with the contentment of the love of the One who made me for Himself, not sparing His Own Beloved Son to make me His. 
Instead, this terrifies me and overwhelms me and pretty soon, everything else does. 
And, it's as though I have become a seductive, but rabid creature- starving and mad, consuming whatever I desire, but it is not enough. It is never enough. Hungry. Always, hungry. Hungering. 

Cages by NeedToBreathe

Because. 
Only Jesus Christ is enough. 

Only He can satisfy. He is the Living Water. (John 4) 
Yes, He saves me from my sins, but He forgives them and fills me with Himself, restoring and redeeming and healing me- making me more than a conqueror. (Romans 8:28-30) Killing my pride. 
It's Him. It's always been Him. 

So, when I seek out my shelters and my comforts and they don't satisfy me anymore... 

It's God's mercy. 
He's uprooting me so that He can root me back in Himself. 

Help My Unbelief by Red Mountain Music


He's prying up the rotting layers of hardwoods and subflooring of my heart to fill up that dank, dark hole filled with grime. 
He's going to dig out the disease, like a surgeon, cutting to drain the infection, cutting and making a wound to heal the body. 

To make me whole. 
To fill me with Him. 
To plant Himself in the story of my heart. 
To water it with His Son and Spirit, revealing His love to me, like sunshine in the darkness, filling me with joy, like the warmth of sunbeams and with peace, like a cool breeze. 

And I will rest. 
I don't need to know anymore or control anymore. 

He's got me. 
And it's enough. 
It's the beginning of something new. 
Restoration. 
Redemption. 

Marvelous Light by Ellie Holcomb 

"Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in Thee." -Augustine of Hippo 

What great mercy this is, O God! 
All I have is Christ is the great and thankful cry of our hearts for otherwise we would settle for mud pies instead of the wedding feast. 
We would succumb to our enemies or fall into temptation, remaining slaves to sin, if not for Your gracious mercy on us. 
Thank You for saving us. 

"We rest on Thee, our Shield and our Defender, 
Thine is the battle, Thine shall be the praise.
When passing through, the gates of pearly splendor, 
Victors, we rest with Thee, through endless days." 
(4th verse of the hymn We Rest on Thee)

We were made for relationship in Him; to rest in Him and receive the free gift of Jesus Christ. 

He DID IT. 

It had nothing to do with my surrendering or striving. 

It had everything to do with the blood of Jesus. 

Nothing but the Blood of Jesus  

We aren't too late, too gone, too sinful, too stiff-necked, too doubting, too fearful to know that Jesus Christ saves and loves us. 
That doesn't mean we won't still struggle, but His love is greater!!!! (James 1; Romans 8; Hebrews 12)

Brighter Days by Eddie Kirkland

It saves us and transforms us more and more after Jesus Christ, the image of God, the Father, the Most HIGH God! 

That is AWESOME NEWS! 
Praise the Lord! 

May the Lord give you peace and comfort in the love of Jesus Christ. 

Ubi Caritas arr. by Maurice Durufle 

The Song of my Heart!

I am a fragile woman. One who has carried her brokenness just beneath the surface, waiting for it to be filled. I nursed my wounds with self-pity and pride, in secret and in quiet. A woman pharisee. The older brother in the story of the prodigal. And yet... inside, I was the woman at the well from Samaria, the woman who was impure from bleeding for twelve years. 

I was so desperate for attention, but when anyone got close, I held them at a distance unless I thought it was safe, then drowning them in the pain that I had nursed for years, building silently inside of me. 

You can be free. 

You can be SET free. 

He can do it. 

HE can make you WHOLE. 

Not the way you were. 

BETTER. 

HIGHER. 

GREATER. 

No longer fragile. Not bouncing back. 

MORE than a conqueror! (Romans 8:28-39)

This is the song that has been in my heart tonight as He reminds me of Who He is and who I am. This is the song that can be true for you, too because of Who He is! 

Broken pieces; broken hearts

Broken mind, with broken parts

Heart that tears itself apart

Heart that with sin won't part 

Mess it up and fall again 

Can't get out; don't know when, 

When I'll break out of this pen- 

I'm penned up with all the doubt again 

I fear the fear will burn right through 

Burn through this heart, tear it in two 

Into two pieces of stone, dark blue 

Will it ever be made new? 

But...

You saved me. 

You made me. 

You said that You love me and will not let me go. 

You sent Him. 

We killed Him. 

The One Who was the Son of Man

The One Who killed death and sin

The One for Whom we will go! 

Kill the old, feed the new 

For we were dead- now, live with You! 

You gave us hearts made brand new: 

Healed and healing though broken, too

We are Yours, made for Your cause: 

Be still, there's peace: rest and pause 

Glory, honor and applause 

to the One Who saved us from sin's jaws 

He will reign forevermore 

We will glory and adore 

Worship and bow down before 

The One Who rose up from death's door 

I will praise You 

Adore You 

My God and my Master, Creator and Redeemer! 

Jesus Christ IS 

My Forever Bliss 

The One Who atoned and loved, bled and died

Who Was, Who Is, Who Will Be! 

Forever and ever Steadfast Love is HE! 

The Son of Man: 

Our Savior, our God! 

The amazing part of all this 

of all this Forever Bliss 

is before I even knew I'm His

He decided and foreknew, 

before He created 

He knew who He made His 

and wrote it on the page of my heart

from before the beginning, before the start

Our Purpose; our existence: Worship; His Glory

There is so much pain that so many are going through. 2017 was full of destruction: natural disasters, shootings, vicious protests, mass murder/slaughter from terrorist attacks throughout the world, suicides/homicides, people dying of cancer and disease whether from a long drawn out process or suddenly with a shock, miscarriage that leaves single mothers or couples and their families with gaping, broken hearts, families broken from arguments, drugs, infidelity, or any number of painful struggle, division- whether socially, politically, physically, emotionally, spiritually, familial or relational. It is international, national, church-wide, city-wide, in our families and with us each personally. I could not begin to scratch the surface of the things that people are going through.

 We are weary. 2018 came and we were thankful. But, it doesn't erase the pain of yesterday. How do we deal with the heartbreak we have just endured? 

It is so easy to become distracted and discouraged; from the weight of sin, struggle, persecution, pain, hurt, disappointment, loneliness, etc. But, we do not have One who is unable to sympathize with us, but He has endured all things and delights in comforting us- not with an earthly comfort, but comfort, peace and joy that goes beyond all understanding, strengthening our inner being. We cannot do it. But, He can. This will show His power and glory; His great mercy and love for us, causing us to endure till the end. Until He returns. 

Praise and glory be to God! 

"O church, arise, and put your armor on; 
Hear the call of Christ our captain. 
For now the weak can say that they are strong 
In the strength that God has given. 
With shield of faith and belt of truth, 
We'll stand against the devil's lies. 
An army bold, whose battle cry is love, 
Reaching out to those in darkness.

Our call to war, to love the captive soul, 
But to rage against the captor; 
And with the sword that makes the wounded whole. 
We will fight with faith and valor. 
When faced with trials on every side. 
We know the outcome is secure. 
And Christ will have the prize for which He died; 
An inheritance of nations! 

Chorus: 
Arise, shine for your light has come! 
Arise, shine for the Risen Son! 
Lift your eyes, we are His radiant bride! 
Arise, o church arise!

Come, see the cross, where love and mercy meet, 
As the Son of God is stricken; 
Then see His foes lie crushed beneath His feet, 
For the Conqueror has risen! 
And as the stone is rolled away, 
And Christ emerges from the grave, 
This victory march continues till the day 
Ev'ry eye and heart shall see Him. 

So Spirit, come put strength in every stride; 
Give grace for every hurdle.
That we may run with faith to win the prize 
Of a servant good and faithful. 
As saints of old, still line the way, 
Retelling triumphs of His grace, 
We hear their calls, and hunger for the day
When with Christ we stand in Glory!

CHORUS"

— © COPYRIGHT 2016 GETTY MUSIC PUBLISHING (BMI) (ADMIN. BY MUSIC SERVICES, WWW.MUSICSERVICES.ORG)/ THANKYOU MUSIC (PRS)/WORSHIP TOGETHER MUSIC (BMI)/SIXSTEPS SONGS (BMI)/S.D.G. PUBLISHING (BMI) (ADMIN. AT CAPITOICMGPUBLISHING.COM

SONG CAN BE HEARD HERE 

One day, all this pain will be far behind us. And the glory to come is incomprehensible. It is unimaginable. We will look back and think, "Oh, that pain, as great as it was, and it was, is nothing compared with this glory of the Lord that we live in now and forever!" That is HOW powerful this glory will be!!! Paul, who endured most things, said it is not WORTH comparing!!! 2 Cor. 4:7-18. See 2 Cor. 4:7-18 here. This is Paul, who went through and does not minimize pain and suffering! 

Here is a song for encouragement to keep going, inspired by Heb. 12:1-17. 

And here is a message to encourage you in the love of God through your suffering. 

And when we get there, we will see what John was talking about: there are 4 magnificent creatures that exist for the purpose of worshiping God from the beginning of their existence for all of eternity. 

"And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
    who was and is and is to come!”

And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they existed and were created.” 

-Revelation 4:6b-11

That's how glorious our God is. How amazing our God is. How magnificent His glory is. 

And His love will not let us go. It's rich and free because of Christ. 

Here's one more song to encourage you!