Reading Ezra 7:6 this morning, I’m reminded that we must trust in God for His purposes to be fulfilled in our lives. He is pleased when we yearn for His good pleasure to be fleshed out through us, His children. Don’t you feel carried along by God at times?
When we celebrate His good intentions for us as His people, we find ourselves more at rest with the circumstances we find ourselves in each day. We are able to endure our poor health or our imperfect relationships or our less than ideal accomplishments. Why? We are satisfied in God’s good pleasure and His good intentions. I made it back out to Lyon’s Damn Lake yesterday but this time it was with my parents, brother, a friend of his, and my wife and son. Jackson, our son, was in the little bike trailer behind me as we made our way out to the lake, talking most of the way, or singing songs, bouncing along behind me. Being a child definitely has its up sides, and one of them is this aspect of being carried along.
My drive to my office three days a week includes seeing this no-name lake on Hyw J-59. If it’s just the right time of evening, I get to see it like this.
So beautiful, right? What a picture of calm and rest. Today, I pray my soul will be at rest in the grace God has provided for this day. I pray the same for you, my friends, that you would experience rest in God’s provision and purposes for your lives. We, together as God’s children, are carried along not far ahead of God, and not far behind Him, but right safely in tow. He is drawing us along and giving us sights of His glory along the way.
Let’s be aware of God’s worth today, amazed that we have His hand on our lives to magnify His name and celebrate His worth.
Calmed to serve and celebrate our Lord with you,
– Torrey
Grounded Gospel 
I remember one of the last all there meetings, Grant was giving away these CD’s. I don’t know who else took it or listens to it. I enjoy it, listening every morning on my way to work. Every time I see a picture or a post on Facebook, I am reminded of one of the songs on the CD… How Great Thou Art. I posted the third verse on your FB wall that your pictures most remind me of: When through the woods
And forest glades I wander
I hear the birds
Sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down
From lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook
And feel the gentle breeze…. then sings my soul, my savior God to thee.
How great thou art. How great thou art.
This message, though, reminds me much more of the these lyrics:
So if I stand let me stand on the promise
That you will pull me through
And if I can’t, let me fall on the grace
That first brought me to You
And if I sing let me sing for the joy
That has born in me these songs
And if I weep let it be as a man
Who is longing for his home
I was really pondering this refrain when I came into work this morning:
If there is strength in me, it is Your strength. If I am weak, let me fall back on Your strength. The joy I have is from You, and the pain I feel is not.
I find it amazing how this post (better states, but) mirrors that thought. I find it amazing how God uses so many different things to remind us of Him and His work. Something such as a view of a lake, a few plucks of a guitar, or a child’s voice.
When I was younger I felt I was doing everything I could to no avail. I did NOT feel like Ezra 7:6. But in the past few years, I feel as if when I do not deserve what God has blessed me with. Every time I think “what more could God give me?” and another blessing pops in my lap. Your words express that so well… being carried along by God.
Tim, this is so encouraging. Definitely agree regarding feeling undeserving… especially since we are undeserving. What a refreshment to have God’s comfort and presence to nourish and provide for us, equipping us to be His workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, shaping us to be His tools for the good of others and for His glory. Keep up the encouraging words, and I hope this is helpful. I hope to have more stories on here of more than just what I see in my life. God is so much at work in Tuolumne County, Merced County, our region, and the state. I’d love for honoring of siblings in Christ through blogs and media like this to multiply efforts of those highlighted, encouraging more of us to do the same as those in these stories, to do well with what we’re given in response to our amazing Savior.
Grateful for your friendship, brother!
– Torrey