Blessed Be Your Name

Acts 8: 1-4 tells of God’s unusual method of spreading the gospel. Saul embarked on a project to persecute the followers of Jesus and to bring them in chains to Jerusalem. I can’t wait for you to read a fitting quote out of a book that’s over a century old. In The Two St. Johns of the NT, James Stalker wrote, “Not infrequently it was by persecution that the new faith was driven out of one place into another, where, but for this reason, it might never have been heard of; so that the opposition which threatened to extinguish the fire of the Gospel only scattered in embers far and wide; and wherever they fell a new fire was kindled.”

What amazing providence! When Christ told His disciples that they would receive power and become witnesses not only in Jerusalem but to the uttermost parts of the earth, they never expected His means! No, His ways are not our ways. Our ways would always be comfortable. Convenient. Certainly without hurt or harm. We would always ask that God use the favor of man to increase our harvests. Not the fervor of opposition.

If you’ve walked with God very long, I have little doubt He has used what you perceived as a very negative means to achieve a positive result. I suspect that God has allowed you to experience a fence pushed down painfully in your life to expand His horizon for you. God is faithful, isn’t He? Even when He turns the ignition on a holy bulldozer to plow down a confining fence.

Quoted from The Beloved Disciple: Following John to the Heart of Jesus, by Beth Moore

I love reading Beth Moore- I always end up seeing God and my relationship with Jesus in an entirely different light. This is part of the section I read last night, and it struck me. It struck me hard this time. I do not understand why God has allowed this change to happen in our lives- Our year without a home church has been so hard on our little family- I've been so lonely, had no creative outlet, or place to participate in ministry, no worship, no group Bible study. The girls haven't been in regular contact with a Bible teacher or other kids their age... I know they NEED this- this time is so important for them. We still talk about Jesus and exhibit lives made new, but they've had only spotty reinforcement from good teachers. We've visited about three or four church so they've gotten that, but it's not the same as a long term relationship with a regular teacher like they had at Shannon Park.

What is He doing in our lives during this time? Making our relationship to him strong WITHOUT ministry? Making the relationship I have with Jake revolve around Himself instead of what we do together? We met in church, and have worked together in churches since then doing music... I really don't know and we probably won't know for years. We are physically where God wants us right now, but I'm not sure we are where He wants us spiritually.

One of the Bible verses I have up on my mirror is Habbakuk 3:17- "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior." I want to be faithful to this promise. I'm not always. There are times during this last year that I have been so angry at God over losing our church. There are times during this last year that I have been so angry at this pastor and his wife! I know that this anger is destructive to me, not them. And angry at some of the church body who knew what was going on and still chose to stay there... These feelings damage my relationship to Christ. I have forgiven them- and the message I keep getting from God is that we were ALL wrong. No one was entirely in the right here...

I so want to be doing what GOD wants me to do... I so want to be where God wants me to be...

So, the worship song I keep singing is Matt Redman's Blessed Be Your Name:

Blessed be your name
In the land that is plentiful
Where the streams of abundance flow
Blessed be your name

Blessed be your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be your name

Every blessing you pour out,
I turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say...

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your glorious name

Blessed be your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's all as it should be
Blessed be your name

Blessed be your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be your name

Every blessing you pour out,
I turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say...

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say Lord, Blessed be your name