Singing through December~ Song #2

How is everyone doing this beautiful Monday morning? 

Thank you to everyone who participated in the first Singing through December post. It's been so encouraging to hear all of the songs you've shared. Thank you so much!

So, are you ready for the second Christmas song?

We're all "used" to the story of Christ's birth.We're so familiar with it that it can easily grow old. The following song beautifully describes the unfathomable awe of the incarnation. The great, majestic King of the Universe laid aside His glory and humbled Himself to the lowest place...to save us from our sin. Hallelujah!

Disclaimer: Clips in this video are taken from The Nativity Story. I know that it is biblically incorrect for the wise men to appear at the stable. So, please...just look past that, if you could. I was thinking about choosing a different video, but decided that the clips were a beautiful addition to the song. I hope you think so too.

Here With Us- Joy Williams

It's still a mystery to me,

That the hands of God could be so small,

How tiny fingers reaching in the night,

Were the very hands that measured the sky

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Heaven's love reaching down to save the world,

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Son of God, Servant King, Here with us,

You're here with us

Still a mystery to me,

How His infant eyes had seen the dawn of time,

How His ears had heard an angels' symphony,

But still Mary had to rock her Savior to sleep

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Heaven's love reaching down to save the world,

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Son of God, Servant King, Here with us,

You're here with us

Jesus the Christ, born in Bethlehem,

A baby born to save, to save the souls of man

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Heaven's love reaching down to save the world,

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Son of God, Servant King, Here with us,

You're here with us

What did you think of "Here With Us"? What's another of your favorite Christmas songs?

Faithful

Today marks the one week time limit before we have to be out of our current rental. One week.....and we don't know where we're going.

Depending on how well you know my family and our story, you are either thinking, "Oh my goodness! What are they thinking?!" or "Oh ya. That's always how it is with their family."

Many of our past moves have been trials of faith. It seems like the Lord loves to bring us right to the last hour and then show us the next step. Or in this case, the week before. Times like these bring up to the surface our true attitude toward the Lord.

Yes, it is confusing at times, it is hard. During these times, I often feel like David when he said, "To You, O Lord, I call; my rock, do not be deaf to me...Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You for help, when I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary." (Psalm 28:1-2)

Each move, each test of faith, is an opportunity to learn to trust Him more. And yet, so often when it gets down to "crunch time", we start to worry or grow anxious about the Lord showing us where to go. In those times, we're reminded why the Lord continues to bring us through this same thing over and over again...we are so quick to forget the lesson He just taught us.

This morning, I was reflecting on the Lord's faithfulness during times when it seems like He is absent, and was reminded of these precious verses from Isaiah 43:

"But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you."

What a blessed promise to know that our God is with us, bringing us through the trial every step of the way.

"But Makenna, why doesn't the Lord just show you? Why is the Lord not listening to your prayers?"

Those are questions I can't answer, except that by not showing us until the last minute, He is receiving more glory, somehow. At the end of each move, I'm reminded of the song Praise You In This Storm by Casting Crowns. Here are some of the lyrics.

I was sure by now
God You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

[Chorus:]
And I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm


Over the past couple weeks, I have been convicted of wanting the Lord's will in my timing. By His grace, my prayer has changed from "Lord, please show us a house now" to "Lord, show us a house in your perfect time". Yes, we still desire to know soon and we are still looking at houses, but God's timing is perfect and He is faithful, no matter the circumstance.

"But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord. I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in Your hand." (Psalm 31:14-15a)

"You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. 'I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.'"(Psalm 32:7-8)

"'Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'" (Isaiah 41:10)

The Lord will provide for us, even if it's not how we would think or hope. He will strengthen us, as He upholds us with His hand. We do need your prayers though. Please pray for us, that the Lord would give us the faith to trust Him and the strength to praise Him. Thank you so much!

The Virtue of Contentment Part 2

Now, you might have thought that Part 1 was the end of my story. Well, unfortunately, it's not. My life had taken a major turn in the past 45 days. I decided I wasn't going to college or pursuing ASL for money. But, now I had a new passion: India. I was reading books on India's culture and human trafficking, looking at saris for sale online, learning Indian Sign Language, and dreaming about the day I would finally be there. To put it bluntly, I was a little obsessed. :)

And although being extremely excited about where God was calling me wasn't an altogether bad thing, I had put my family on hold to pursue this "higher calling" that I had received from God.
At a recent homeschool conference, I was convicted that my relationship with my younger sisters weren't as strong as they should be. As I continued to think about this, I realized that I wasn't displaying contentment, but instead viewing my family and home as a place that I had to be for the moment, until I could go to India. That view is very wrong. The Lord has blessed me so tremendously with the family He has given me, so to waste the time I have here dreaming about the time when I won't be, is not God's will for me, but a sin.

After I asked forgiveness for my wrong attitude, the Lord began working in my heart and giving me a love for my family like I haven't had in a long time. There is so much to be learned, especially as a young lady, in the family God has placed you in. Patience, future homemaking skills, love for children, submission to your husband can all be learned in the day-to-day life of a stay-at-home daughter.

I have learned so much in the past two months. While I am still trying to learn Indian Sign Language and I still have a passion for India and/or Bangladesh, I am also viewing my family in a completely new way. Instead of seeing my family as a temporary place to live, while I work at my end goal, I now see it as a leaping pad, which will help me in all areas of life.

I am continuing to pray for the Lord's guidance, that He would make everything known to me in His perfect time. I would also highly appreciate your prayers as well for me. I have so much to learn!

"Does it make sense to pray for guidance about the future if we are not obeying in the thing that lies before us today? How many momentous events in Scripture depended on one person's seemingly small act of obedience?! Rest assured: Do what God tells you to do now, and depend upon it, you will be shown what to do next." (Elisabeth Elliot)