So I'm thinking, depending on whether or not people will like this.... that just like I am trying to do a "Worship Wednesday" that maybe I will do a "Sunday Sermon Summary" or something less cheesy and painful to write. An easy way to track and share what I am learning during the week/at church with ya'll. Maybe I will, maybe I won't but for today- I will. It seemed important.
Today Kevin and I decided we were going to go to church in the evening because he had some stuff he wanted to do that cut too close to when we usually go to church [a glorious 10:45 service]. And since we have been wanting to start looking for a church to go to [besides John Knox where I work- which we do like, but it a bit more focused on young families or older] that we can get more connected with, so we figured that would happen tonight.
The morning started off well, I got to sleep in which was glorious since I have been battling a NASTY head cold [I have literally gone through an entire box of tissues myself this week]. I met up with my Aunt and two cousins at the also glorious 50 acre dog park not too far away for some fun. [I've become one of them. I've become a dog person.] Came home, relaxed, and stumbled upon a blog post about "Counting the hours" that a friend posted about. I wanted to check it out, and although it turned out to be a post about the very real and daunting task of motherhood, it was a really important message about how God can and wants to meet us exactly where we are at, and provide exactly what we need. It may not be what we think is enough, it may not be how or when we want, but it will always be enough. HE is enough for us.
So as we went on our first "church hunt" [even though the term annoys me], I was wondering what God was going to teach me about today. There were many things that were distracting us before the sermon even started, and I knew the enemy wanted all these little things to bother us and keep us from hearing the message. Kevin and I have a little bit of opposite taste in what we personally look for in a church. Kevin is entirely anti mega-church and tends to feel most comfortable in a traditional Presbyterian church, while I am more open to large churches with different worship styles or what not as long as there is strong Biblical teaching and theology. Immediately we felt a little out of place, since it was filled with entirely too many hipsters [or SPU students] and lots of trendy stuff [which makes Kevin want to leave/crack 1000 jokes], so we were not sure what we were in for. However, it was recommended by our friend who said it could be a good fit for both of us so we wanted to really give it a shot. And then they told us the pastor wouldn't be there, and we would be watching the recording from earlier since he had flew in really late the night before. We looked at each other, and I think both were thinking "this is going to be so lame, and this isn't a good fit anyways, so lets just go"- but we didn't. And I am so glad.
To keep it to the point [since I've already written so much without getting anywhere!] the sermon was on Psalm 107- in the desert- and the point the Psalmist was trying to get across: Bad things happen and is God still good even when this happens? The obvious answer to believers is "Yes, of course!" But he wanted us to think about why? And what the Psalmist was trying to point out, through the various happenings within the Psalm [please go read it] was that God is good, even when bad things happen, because although he can fix any and all bad things that come our way in life, because they will for various reasons, he listed three [1. we live in a fallen world so bad things happen 2. we act out our and turn from God choosing our own ways 3. other peoples do bad things against us intentionally] and even though he may not fix everything that is not the point, the point is that His goal is to fix us. Fix our hearts to turn and cry out to Him instead of trying to do it all on our own.
"Life" is going to happen, guaranteed, but the Psalmist encourages us, in whatever of the three reasons, to TURN TO GOD and CRY OUT TO HIM because HE is ENOUGH. He is good, and he wants to change our hearts into new people. He cares most about the quality and state of our hearts than our immediate comfort. Will he provide what we need? Yes. He says even the birds of the air have enough, so why do we worry?! Will it be how much we think we may need? Probably not. But the more we are in relationship with Him, the Living Water, the Bread of Life, we will have enough.
He is enough.
I needed that reminder today. Do you? God wants relationship with us. He wants us to seek Him above all else. He wants to change our hearts and mold us closer to His image. Isn't that amazing? So please know, whether you are a mother who doesn't get enough sleep, or a father who doesn't get enough recognition for your work, or a teenager who feels misunderstood, or a single man or woman who feels alone, or anyone who feels like what they have is not enough, you are right. On our own we do not. We cannot do it alone. But God, He loves you. He wants to provide for you. Seek Him. Read the Bible. Pray to Him and ask Him for new strength, new joy, new words, new meaning and see how you grow and change, and simply, have ENOUGH to get through today.
