A Better Plan Than Mine

God said no to something last week, and somehow He still gave me the Grace and Strength to write this on that day. God is good. God has a plan. A better one than mine.

"This is not the end,
Though there's not much more than can make this heart bend.
Hope is now taken away,
And this pain may just always stay.
But it's been my reality for two years
I've already laid down my fears.
I used to want a shoulder to lean on, someone to love
But now I understand I've always had God above.
For He understands and comforts me in sorrow,
He gives me peace for tomorrow.
Behind every no, He has a right reason.
And with His Grace I'll survive this hard season.
What worry should I have, when I've got a God who loves me?
I know that one day, from this pain I'll be set free.
For my God has a purpose, a plan, He knows what is best.
One day I'll be given such sweet rest.
Somehow He'll use this for His glory.
This is just one part of my story.
It's not the answer that's brought me to tears,
It's the fact that I have a Sovereign God who still holds me so dear.
But what more I have to look forward to
The hope of heaven rings so true!
For one day I'll be free from this pain, and have rest.
But for today, let me bask in the peace that my God knows best."

Soli Deo Gloria!

God Bless,
  A.W.

Never Forget

Never forget that God is Sovereign.

God Bless,
  A.W.

Just a Thought

I know it's been a while since I have posted, I've been writing a lot. But now I am going to try and get back into blogging more consistently.
Almost posted something yesterday, but I wasn't sure how exactly it would go. So I decided to just try and write it today.
I was thinking yesterday about faith. It always seems like everyone struggles with that forward step. The step that one must take into the darkness, and trust that God will give them a platform to stand on. But what about the backward step? We don't talk about that too much, do we?
We don't very often talk about how we have to let go, and letting God take over. Sometimes that can be even harder than taking a step of faith in a situation.
It's hard to let go of your loved ones who are headed to hell, it's hard to let go of your friends who are led astray. It's hard to let go and leave it all to God.
And when I say 'letting go', I don't mean you give up on a person or for what you are fighting for. But rather to do all that you can but in the end, realize that God is in control.

So many times we forget that God is Ruler of our lives, so many times we forget that we are powerless over the hearts of men. In and of ourselves, we can do nothing. So many times we forget that it is God who changes hearts. It is God who changes lives. It is God who is sovereign over all of creation. It is God who is sovereign over all the events in history. God is sovereign over all things, not man.
Perhaps, that is why it is so hard to let go. Because we have developed such a high view of man.
We are powerless, our works are tainted with sin. What good can we do in and of ourselves?
Letting go is letting go a pride of self. Letting go is the thing that will make you look weak to mankind. Letting go is the thing that will drive you to your knees in tears and prayer.
And after all that is said, I come to think that it is a bigger problem than we realize. The faith issue. On both ends. On one end we must have the faith to step into darkness and trust that God will give us a platform to stand on. And on the other hand, we must have the faith to step away from everything, and say, "God is sovereign."

God Bless,
  A.W.

He Answers

Over the last year God has answered so many prayers. Big and small.
I was praying that God would keep someone from falling, and He has kept that person. And I prayed that God would bring encouragement to my friend, even if it was just one little conversation, and He did.  Just last night.
How awesome is it when you get to actually see God answering your prayers? It's pretty neat.

It all started last year when God really seemed to be answering prayers. I prayed for a long time that God would open my friend's eyes, because she had fallen into heresy. That heresy had ruined her and broke her down in her life. Once it had given her a false peace and joy. That heresy imprisoned her and destroyed her spiritual walk.
And at times when I was trying to show her the truth it all seemed hopeless. But finally she emailed me and told me that I was right, and that the heresy she had believed in was all a lie.
The next thing we were talking about was Calvinism vs Arminianism.
Now that one took a long time. And it seemed that God didn't even hear me because it would always seem like a constant battle from her traditions and the true Gospel. But one day she emailed me and said that she was a five-pointer!
I cried when I read that email. I cried because God is so good. Because He is so sovereign. Because He answered my prayers. He answered the prayer of each tear I cried for my friend.
And He didn't answer my prayers on my time. He answered them on His time, when the moment was right.
If He had answered them all on my time I never would have learned to be patient in prayer, or to trust in God that He is in full control.
A lot of times I would pray and God wouldn't answer. I would take that as a 'no'. But it wasn't like that, when my prayers for my dear sister in Christ weren't answered, He was saying, 'Not yet, trust in Me for this."
And that is what I had to do. Let go and trust in Him.
Sometimes the answer is 'no' and sometimes it is simply, 'not yet.'
It blows me away when I look back and see how God had a plan through it all, and see how He answered my prayers. Looking back makes me cry and tremble becuase even when I was at the brink of giving up He kept me up, and He gave me hope. Looking back I see God's plan through it all, and it gives me peace for the future. God is sovereign. God is in control.
Over the last year God has answered so many prayers, and sometimes when it has been a long wait I get blown away by that. Because sometimes it feels like He isn't there, that He isn't answering. But then He does. In His time.
And though the wait may be long, I will always have an answer to my prayers. It may be a 'yes', a 'no', or a 'not yet'.
Look back to see what He has already done and trust in Him for the future. He is in control. He is Sovereign.

God Bless,
  A.W.