Oh to Dwell and Never Leave!

A blog entry I started while waiting to leave the airport and finished today. So if my grammar 'tenses' change, that is why.

Well, here I am sitting in the airport waiting for my flight to leave to go back home. I have many mixed feelings, none of which are regrets. Just sad at times and excited at others. These last four days have shown me many things. Things I need to work on and things that for so long I've doubted. Some of which are personal but mostly spiritually.

The underlying theme of the last several weeks, well about a month, has been how amazing my God is. To say He cares, is great! To say He provides for His children is a great thing as well. But, to ask of Him things that only He can do, and have those things answered, was just mind blowing to me. Matthew 7:7 says “Ask, and it shall be given to you...”, now I've known this verse for years, almost my entire life, but to ask and have it given to you time after time was so encouraging this week; so humbling.

My plans for coming up to Wisconsin came together extremely quickly – within a matter of a few days. Funds weren't in big amounts but it happened that I received a large amount back from taxes. Rooms that were needed for staying up here, were available. A rental car was very affordable and time to spend together with people up here, opened up. The weather was beautiful as were the people I visited. All the little things seemed to fit together.

God is a big God. He can do all things yet for some reason I never trusted Him for the little things. “How foolish am I for not trusting Him for the little things!”... was my thought on the drive to the airport this morning. He wants to provide; He wants my heart to ask Him. I've called Jesus, Father, as I'm sure many of you have, but I think I had yet to claim Him as such. The word Father has several meanings, one of which reached out to me: Father – one who adopts a child. Yup that is me. A forsaken child in need of a guide and Jesus adopted me. I'm just being honest here. Now before you think I'm going all wonky here let me explain.

Jesus knows that in life He is what I need. I have begun to accept that this week and allowed that to change my life. The week came full circle, in a sense, this morning on my drive when a song came across my iPhone called At Your Feet by Casting Crowns:

Here at Your feet I lay this day down
Not in my strength but in Yours I've found
All I need, You're all I need

Jesus, Jesus, at Your feet
Oh, to dwell and never leave
Jesus, Jesus, at Your feet
There is nowhere else for me

The song hit me hard in the car but nearly as hard as it hit while on the plane. I was reading Humility, during the flight, while listening to this song. I came across the part of the book about Spiritual Disciplines. Things that we can do to overcome pride and “grow” humility. Little did I know that the next passage would have such an impact on me. Mahaney writes:

“Cast your cares upon Him. The apostle Peter clearly and practically describes for us how we can humble ourselves daily in 1 Peter 5:6-7. First he writes, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God.” Then he (Peter) shows us how: “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” When we humble ourselves each morning by casting all our cares on the Lord, we will start the day free of care. The humble are genuinely care free.”

That paragraph broke my heart. The practice of me “casting my cares upon the Lord” is not necessarily so He can bare them for me, but so I realize where my strength and guidance is truly coming from. If we cast our cares on the Lord, out of a hope that He will bare them for us, we immediately put ourselves above Him in a manner of thought. We say “We should not have to bear this, but He should. Hey He's God, right?” Sure, that's a blunt statement. But I would imagine that most of us have thought that at some point. I know I have.

So, with that thought in mind I go back to the song lyrics that I posted above. The daily discipline of laying down our day, our hopes for the day, our future dreams, at the feet of Jesus, we don't lose things. We gain peace! I've never understood why someone would want to fret about the day – yet Jesus knows that anxiety is very prevalent. Anxiety, writes Mahaney, the root issue is that one is trying to be self-sufficient; acting independent of God. That pretty well sums it up if you ask me. When we rely on anything, or anyone, but Jesus, we experience anxiousness. My hearts cry is to dwell at the feet of Jesus and never leave. I've tried dealing with things on my own and it has failed. I've relied on other people and they have failed. But Jesus has yet to fail me.

This weekend has taught me so much. God asks for all of me. That includes my faith in Him that He will control the little things. Why would I trust God for the big things in life, such as college, a wife, a home, and career, but not for a peaceful day of work and classes. Why do I ask him to heal sick people but not the money to fix my window in my car? Why do I ask Him to save a friend but not help me with my pride.

God wants to provide for me!

I just need to humble myself and with a heart of faith, ask. The girl that I visited while up in Wisconsin had a saying in her kitchen that read: “Faith is not believing that God can but that He will.” What an interesting view on faith. It changes our perspective for sure when we put that saying into practice.

So to sum all of this up I say this, ask God for the little things. Not only will it breed a humble heart but it will be an encouragement to you to see Him working in every area of your life. Also, be in constant communication with Him. Feel yourself becoming burdened at work or class, or just in daily life? Humble yourself and cast it upon the Lord out of faith that He will provide what is best. Because He is good; because He loves you.