Sentence Tuesday

It takes pride to be anxious, 

I am not wise enough to know how my life should go.

-Tim Keller

beach in Haiti, 2012

Lyrical Friday - I Will Exalt

[photo credit]

Happy Friday amigos. 

I'm actually writing this post Thursday night because early this morning my Mother, Bruny, will be having eye surgery. Please keep her in prayer as well as the medical staff (specially Dr. Abbey) of Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. I am confident that the good work God began in her, He will complete. He who created her will bring order to the chaos. He holds her in His hands and I will not fear. I will praise Him for His faithfulness to my Mother, to my family and me. 

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Today's lyrical Friday song is 'I Will Exalt' by Hillsong. This Wednesday the worship team sang this one and for the first time, in a long time, I broke down in tears. Since this fiery trial with my Mother, the peace of God (which surpasses ALL understanding) has guarded my heart and mind. His peace has sustained me. And as I sang the first verse, I exalted Him, I praised Him, worshiped Him for being my God. And then the chorus began... my hiding place. That was all I needed for the tears to burst through my tightly sealed eyes. All these days He has been my peace. But at night, when silence and stillness invite thoughts of doubt, fear and anxiety, He has been my hiding place. As His children, we can enter His presence with our doubts, questions, fears, anxiety, brokenness, mourning, loneliness, depression and failure... and hide (from everything and everyone) in Him. There He comforts us, holds us and reassures us that He himself will fight for us. If you need a hiding place, find a safe refuge in the Lord. Start by meditating on the lyrics and making them your song of praise. Prayer will lead you to His glorious hiding place. 

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For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. Psalm 32:7

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You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word. Psalm 119:114

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But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress. Psalm 59:6

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The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence. I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies. 2 Samuel 22:2-4

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Those who live in the shelter of the Most High 
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 
This I declare about the Lord: 
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; 
He is my God, and I trust him. 
For He will rescue you from every trap 
and protect you from deadly disease. 
He will cover you with His feathers. 
He will shelter you with His wings. 
His faithful promises are your armor and protection. 
Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, 
nor the arrow that flies in the day. 
Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, 
nor the disaster that strikes at midday. 
Psalm 91:1-6 
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For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3

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I Will Exalt, Brooke Fraser  

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I will exalt You

I will exalt YouI will exalt YouYou are my God-Chorus:My hiding place My safe refugeMy treasure Lord You areMy friend and King Anointed OneMost Holy.-Because You’re with meBecause You’re with meBecause You’re with meI will not fear

The LORD is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Psalm 9:9

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. Psalm 46:1

More than a haircut

One thing I absolutely fear is getting a haircut. The thought alone of a bad haircut makes me nervous. Thank God I have a wonderful "hair lady" named Gina that I trust with my life... well, the life of my hair that is. Besides her, I have no one to trust, not even myself. I must confess though, I did cheat on Gina, but only once and believe me my hair paid the price.

This week I stopped by the hair salon and placed my beloved locks in the hands of the master, the big kajuna, the great Gina. I came in and without a word she knew why I was there and what she would do. Without any hesitation from my part I sat at the hot seat and surrendered over my life to her... that is, the life of my hair. For the next 15 minutes I without shame, eavesdropped on a few conversations around the salon. I then proceeded to watched a little bit of the tv program they had on, replied to a few text messages and then it hit me: this is more than a haircut, it's a picture of me and my God!

So, the question came to me, "Do I trust God, my Creator, my Savior, my friend with my life like I trust Gina with my hair? Think about it, I walked in to her presence with ease. I then sat at her seat. I trust no one but her. When she began working on me I didn't hesitate, worry or become anxious with what she was doing... I simply let her do her thing. Have I given God that much control of my life? Can I walk into His presence with great confidence? Do I sit with Him and spend time chatting with God like I do with Gina? Do I trust Him and Him alone with my life? How is it then that I worry, when He who holds my precious life, will only do good for me all the days of my life?

Another question came to mind, "Am I allowing God to chisle away those areas in my life that are dead, wasting away and/or dishonoring Him? Geez, if I allow Gina to cut away all the dead ends and even more how can I not let the God who created me and knows what's best for me prune away those areas that He sees need to be cut off? The more of Me He removes,the more I begin to look like Him.

Jesus should be our Master, our Big Kajuna, our Great God- at ALL times. Living as a Lily among thorns is a challange that requires pruning every so often, more often than anything. Allow the Lord to be that hair dresser that transforms you from dull to radiant. Trust that He knows what He is doing. And if you don't understand what He is doing trust that the end product will be worth the wait. Surrender total control to Him, today!

Going back to my haircut. Gina did what she has always done successfully, she gave me a fanta-bulous haircut. Needless to say, she is a keeper!

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Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Abide in Me [God], and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. -John 15:2,4
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She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. -Proverbs 31:25
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Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. -Hebrews 12:11
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But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. *2 Corinthians 3:18