"May the God of Hope fill you with all Joy & Peace as you trust in Him so that you may overflow with
HOPE by the power of the Holy Spirit" Romans 15:13





Sunday, November 4, 2012

Amazed!

When was the last time you were amazed by God?  I have seen God do amazing things and I often wonder, how often do I miss the amazing things that God does.  I would have to say that I know every day God is doing amazing things and I want to stay amazed by God.  I should stay in constant awe of Him and I don’t ever want to get used to the things He does for his people! 
Over the past month, I have been to a funeral for a 13 year old boy who was full of life and loved the Lord.  It was amazing to watch how over the last 6 weeks of his life, his parents held steadfast to God’s strength and continued to serve God.  A week ago, my cousins little boy went to his eternal home after fighting a life of sickness.  These are not things that amaze me, but instead bring heartbreak, but what it is amazing is that even in death God’s glory shines and changes lives. 
I am reading a book right now called, A Kingdom Called Desire: Confronted by the Love of a Risen King (for those of you who know me well know I don’t like to read, but I am loving this book) and it poses the question of fear and why we allow that to keep us from the greatest desires of our heart.  Why don’t we go for our desires 100%??  We become captured by fear.  In the book the author Rick McKinley says: “But the author of this story (referring to God) is writing something beautiful, and one day I will stand in awe as the credits roll and I see what it all means.  When I can let him write the story, the first thing I find is that it really is not about me being honest with God.  He knows what is going on in my heart much better than I do.  This is about me getting honest with me.  What do I fear, and why does that fear keep me from the depths of what I most deeply want?”   
This is a question that I wrestle with and wonder, what have I missed because I have let fear keep me from the desires that God has put deeply inside of me.  I have to step over that fear and go for whatever it is that God is calling me to.  Through pushing through that fear, I know that God will continue to amaze me!  Church this morning was a beautiful picture of how God continues to amaze His people!  During worship we sang this song:
Amazed 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x0nxysFlPE&feature=fvwrel
You dance over me
While I am unaware
You sing all around
But I never hear the sound

Lord, I'm amazed by You
Lord, I'm amazed by You
Lord, I'm amazed by You
How You love me
You paint the morning sky
With miracles in mind
My hope will always stand
For You hold me in Your hand

Lord, I'm amazed by You
Lord, I'm amazed by You
Lord, I'm amazed by You
How You love me

Lord, I'm amazed by You
Lord, I'm amazed by You
Lord, I'm amazed by You
How You love me

How wide, how deep
How great is Your love for me
How wide, how deep
How great is Your love for me
Lord, I'm amazed by You
Lord, I'm amazed by You
Lord, I'm amazed by You
How You love me
Lord, You love me, oh
I'm amazed by You
Lord, I'm amazed everyday
So amazed
How You love me, Lord

God, you do amaze me!  Thank you for your love, compassion, and mercy for your children.  God calls us to Him and my hearts cry is that I would run to him with my arms open wide!  Today was the fall baptism service and as the people were coming up to be baptized, tears were filling my eyes.  I love to hear how God completely captures and amazes the hearts of people.  The overwhelming love of God was seen as they gave their testimony and it there was a common thread in every testimony: Friends.  Everyone talked about how a friend brought them to church or was there for them when they were at their lowest point and were desperate.  I love how God uses people to bring people to His heart!!  Again, this has challenged me to look inward to what people see in me.  Are they amazed by God through my life?  Do I display joy and hope that can only come from God?  Do people want what I have: hope in Jesus? I know that I don’t always do my best at portraying this, but my prayer is that I would have my eyes so fixed on Jesus that my heart would pour out His love. 
“Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.”  Habakkuk 1:5
“He has given me a new song to sing,  a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see what he has done and be amazed.  They will put their trust in the Lord.”   Psalm 40:3