Monday, May 26, 2008

Feels like home


This week was one of the first times that I felt like I really belonged at our new church. It is so difficult going from a large church where you know so many people to a place where not one person even looks familiar. Most are friendly, but that does not substitute for real relationships. Another journey of believing God for the things that He has promised just occurred to me this Sunday. Carlos was leading worship (something I was desperately missing). As I sang the words, my heart melted. "You give and take away... but my heart will still say, Blessed Be The Lord." How those words penetrated my heart. The tears are already welling in my eyes just thinking about it. For some reason this is the season of things taken away, but He is never far. We have never been hungry, we have never slept in the rain, but we have been alone and I have had to depend on something other than what is familiar. I run to my God for comfort and it hit me:

I am not alone.
He is not taking away.
He wants the best for me.
He always comes through. (not in my time, but in His own)
So I wait.... and cry (which the hormones aren't helping)
For my graceful God to show me where to go and how to grow.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing your spiritual thoughts, God has used you to speak to me with every story you tell...keep them coming! We love you guys!

Anonymous said...

Alyssa, I love that you are "glass half full" person rather than "glass half empty" not that you may not feel empty sometimes, but you don't stay there. I look forward to your posts. Give Sohaila, Seanna and Losiah a kiss from me their "Lita" (grandma).

rk said...

Ohhh you are such a dear. So fun to check in on our new blogger friends. Hope the pregnancy is going well.

Peace,
R

Anonymous said...

It has been a year since I have put my entire life into the hands of God.

All the promises that He has made in His Word, I have held Him to it.

Even the ones that were not targeting me per se. Like the ones for the Levitical priests where their inheritance and portion were of God and God alone.

I thought to myself, "Why can't I have that? Why can't I be fully utterly dependent on God."

I look back on the last year and realized that God was absolutely perfect in everything.

Last Sunday, we sung this song "Alabaster Jar" which is reference to the woman who poured oil on Jesus' feet.

But it was this part of the song:

Here I am
Take me
As an offering
Here I am
Giving
Every heartbeat for Your glory
Take me

This reminded me of Isaiah 6 where the angel of the Lord used a live coal to touched the lips of Isaiah and made this prophet worthy.

What truly blew my mind away is that, right in the presence of Isaiah, God sought counsel with Himself (obviously) and asked,

"“Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?”

I stood up and with tears running down my eyes, I replied:

"Lord, how can I not respond to your query when I was just made worthy to be in Your very presence? Then You ask that question in the open for all to hear? Most of all, You asked that question with me around.

Lord, I beg of you. See my hands raised high into the air?

Here I am!

Take me!

Send me!

Let me be worthy enough to used to build Your kingdom and to do Your will.

I love you Lord."

I love how our worship to the only One worthy enough to be worshiped will still change our hearts and lives.

Aaron said...

It's so easy to concentrate on what we haven't got or what's been taken from us when some of our greatest gifts are right under our nose (literally).

http://alyssaculin.blogspot.com/2008/05/i-guess-this-means-we-are_11.html