Today I finally heard back from LA Health Action on the Program Assistant position that I've been hoping to get, and they want to hire me! I'm so jazzed about this position because its exactly what I have been looking for-health policy and advocacy. Not only that, but it also has a generous benefits package, great pay, public transit is reimbursed, Christmas off, and two weeks vacation. I've been in a state of euphoria all day today, and feel a compulsive urge to hug everybody! Or as I'm walking down the street, I imagine there is a great big thought bubble above my head that reads, "This person is extremely happy!"
I have to give glory to God for this job because many times I could have settled for something else, or gone the "safe" route but I clearly sensed God telling me to wait on his timing and to be patient. Previously I was offered another job at a community hospital that could have been a good option, but they wanted a decision right away and I wanted to wait on this job. So, they took someone else and I felt really vulnerable staking all my hopes on this uncertain job prospect. However, God has a reason for everything and my roommate pointed out that having waited so long for a job I am now more able to trust God and depend on him completely to provide. So many times I prayed against anxiety and experienced peace that didn't make sense, and I have seen that he is faithful.
One verse that has been particularly fitting is Romans 8:28-- And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. How true this is!
If you're interested in the organization that I'll be working for, here is their website: www.lahealthaction.org andI'll be working there as a Program Assistant.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Ruthless Trust
I just finished reading an excellent book by Brennan Manning, Ruthless Trust: A Ragamuffin's Path the God, and it has some great insight on what it means to trust God with everything. Trust is one of those elusive things that cannot be summoned, but simply wells up within us in response to seeing God's faithfulness in our lives. At the end of the book, Brennan modifies a familiar scripture, "I trust you Lord, help my lack of trust!" I really relate to this sentiment because it is so difficult for me to let go of all my elaborate plans for the future, and simply to say, "Daddy, your will be done."
This morning, a friend sent me this article and it seems very fitting for the mood that I'm in. Hope you enjoy it!
"Shelter of the Swallow" by Michal Ann Goll
Of all the men and women in the Bible who came to know God intimately, King David was certainly one who understood what it meant to enter the secret place of the Holy Spirit. In Psalm 84, he paints a sensitive and inviting word picture for us.
Psalm 84 ~ To the Chief Musician; set to a Philistine lute, or [possibly] a particular Gittite tune. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
1. HOW LOVELY are Your tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!
2. My soul yearns, yes, even pines and is homesick for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out and sing for joy to the living God.
3. Yes, the sparrow has found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young--even Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.
4. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are those who dwell in Your house and Your presence; they will be singing Your praises all the day long. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
5. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
6. Passing through the Valley of Weeping (Baca), they make it a place of springs; the early rain also fills [the pools] with blessings.
7. They go from strength to strength [increasing in victorious power]; each of them appears before God in Zion.
8. O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
9. Behold our shield [the king as Your agent], O God, and look upon the face of Your anointed!
10. For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand [anywhere else]; I would rather be a doorkeeper and stand at the threshold in the house of my God than to dwell [at ease] in the tents of wickedness.
11. For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield; the Lord bestows [present] grace and favor and [future] glory (honor, splendor, and heavenly bliss)! No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
12. O Lord of hosts, blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts in You [leaning and believing on You, committing all and confidently looking to You, and that without fear or misgiving]
Recently, when I read this wonderful psalm I was in a quiet and reflective mood with the Lord. I felt Him drawing my attention to verse 3: “Yes, the sparrow has found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young—even Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.”
This scripture is one of my most treasured possessions! It was treasured by my grandmother and then by my mother. It has become part of my family heritage. The more scripture we have hidden away in our hearts the greater the opportunity we give to God to speak into our beings. I have one such experience I’d like to share with you.
A Lesson from Nature
Sometime ago, my girls and I were over at our neighbor’s place where they were taking riding lessons. As the horses were being brought in, groomed, and saddled up, I happened to look up and see a barn swallow’s nest built against the rafters of the barn. "What a delightful find!" I thought to myself.
Personally, I think that barn swallows are some of the most beautiful birds in God’s creation. They have such an iridescent bluish, black coloring on their backs, and their faces, throats, and breasts are rich shades of deep orange. These precious little creatures perform like flying acrobats as they swoop and dive after insects in the early evening light.
As I stood there admiring these fascinating little birds, the Lord began to weave together for me an understanding of Psalm 84 using these beautiful swallows. I found myself thinking what an accurate picture the sons of Korah had painted concerning the nature of swallows, especially when building their nests.
A swallow will first find a structure where there is a supply of mud close by. It will carry mud and twigs in its little beak, making trip after trip. Then it carefully constructs its nest, placing the mud on a board up close to the ceiling of the barn, creating a mud-dauber type of structure. The outside of the nest is very solid and very secure. Yet, the inside of the nest is lined with down feathers and is soft, warm, and inviting!
The thought struck me: Swallows build their nests the way they do because, instinctively, they know that the safest place to build is up against the wall. On the other hand, we use the expression “up against the wall” to describe a place of inner struggle where we may feel trapped or feel that we’ve run out of options, and we have no place to run and no way out.
Oh, that we would learn from the swallow the wisdom of God, that we would let our Divine Shepherd’s leading and guiding become so deep in us so as to mirror the powerful instincts built within His creation. May He build within the fabric of our lives the truth that the place of abiding is found where difficulty crosses our will and our fear. That is actually the safest place.
Where She May Lay Her Young
The sons of Korah said, “Yes, the sparrow has found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young—even Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.” We can rest our young in the shelter of that holy, wonderful presence, also. It doesn’t matter if our young happens to be our children, our dreams, our goals, our ministries, our gifts.
This shelter, this nest is not for us alone. It’s also a place for those concerns in our lives that matter most to us. There our fragile, tender, developing “young” can be nurtured and protected under the loving wings of God.
On our own, apart from the Lord, we don’t know how to build a nest that’s secure. We don’t know where our hiding place is a lot of times. The nests of security we build out of what the world has to offer are not anchored. They offer no real security, only the illusion of it.
God’s Word is filled with assurances that He wants to be a shelter for us in times of trouble. He wants to be our rock (see Ps. 92), our fortress (see Ps. 18), and our strong tower (see Prov. 18). These are all good images of places to where we can flee when danger has come upon us and we need a temporary hiding place. Yet, these are not intended as places to live for a long time.
What’s so wonderful about the imagery in Psalm 84 is that a nest is more than an emergency shelter. A nest is where you can live always. Here you can abide in peace when everything around us is being shaken or everything around you is still.
Where Is Your Nest?
Where is your nest? What do you trust in for your security, peace, and strength? If you know the Lord as your God and Savior—has He become for you a nest where your spirit can flee to find the shelter it needs?
Yes, the sparrow has found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself. David and so many others found their rest at the altars of the Lord. And now it’s your turn. Softly, tenderly, quietly He’s calling you from the depths of His wonderful presence. How will you respond? Will you join Him in the secret place?
This morning, a friend sent me this article and it seems very fitting for the mood that I'm in. Hope you enjoy it!
"Shelter of the Swallow" by Michal Ann Goll
Of all the men and women in the Bible who came to know God intimately, King David was certainly one who understood what it meant to enter the secret place of the Holy Spirit. In Psalm 84, he paints a sensitive and inviting word picture for us.
Psalm 84 ~ To the Chief Musician; set to a Philistine lute, or [possibly] a particular Gittite tune. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
1. HOW LOVELY are Your tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!
2. My soul yearns, yes, even pines and is homesick for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out and sing for joy to the living God.
3. Yes, the sparrow has found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young--even Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.
4. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are those who dwell in Your house and Your presence; they will be singing Your praises all the day long. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
5. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
6. Passing through the Valley of Weeping (Baca), they make it a place of springs; the early rain also fills [the pools] with blessings.
7. They go from strength to strength [increasing in victorious power]; each of them appears before God in Zion.
8. O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
9. Behold our shield [the king as Your agent], O God, and look upon the face of Your anointed!
10. For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand [anywhere else]; I would rather be a doorkeeper and stand at the threshold in the house of my God than to dwell [at ease] in the tents of wickedness.
11. For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield; the Lord bestows [present] grace and favor and [future] glory (honor, splendor, and heavenly bliss)! No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
12. O Lord of hosts, blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts in You [leaning and believing on You, committing all and confidently looking to You, and that without fear or misgiving]
Recently, when I read this wonderful psalm I was in a quiet and reflective mood with the Lord. I felt Him drawing my attention to verse 3: “Yes, the sparrow has found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young—even Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.”
This scripture is one of my most treasured possessions! It was treasured by my grandmother and then by my mother. It has become part of my family heritage. The more scripture we have hidden away in our hearts the greater the opportunity we give to God to speak into our beings. I have one such experience I’d like to share with you.
A Lesson from Nature
Sometime ago, my girls and I were over at our neighbor’s place where they were taking riding lessons. As the horses were being brought in, groomed, and saddled up, I happened to look up and see a barn swallow’s nest built against the rafters of the barn. "What a delightful find!" I thought to myself.
Personally, I think that barn swallows are some of the most beautiful birds in God’s creation. They have such an iridescent bluish, black coloring on their backs, and their faces, throats, and breasts are rich shades of deep orange. These precious little creatures perform like flying acrobats as they swoop and dive after insects in the early evening light.
As I stood there admiring these fascinating little birds, the Lord began to weave together for me an understanding of Psalm 84 using these beautiful swallows. I found myself thinking what an accurate picture the sons of Korah had painted concerning the nature of swallows, especially when building their nests.
A swallow will first find a structure where there is a supply of mud close by. It will carry mud and twigs in its little beak, making trip after trip. Then it carefully constructs its nest, placing the mud on a board up close to the ceiling of the barn, creating a mud-dauber type of structure. The outside of the nest is very solid and very secure. Yet, the inside of the nest is lined with down feathers and is soft, warm, and inviting!
The thought struck me: Swallows build their nests the way they do because, instinctively, they know that the safest place to build is up against the wall. On the other hand, we use the expression “up against the wall” to describe a place of inner struggle where we may feel trapped or feel that we’ve run out of options, and we have no place to run and no way out.
Oh, that we would learn from the swallow the wisdom of God, that we would let our Divine Shepherd’s leading and guiding become so deep in us so as to mirror the powerful instincts built within His creation. May He build within the fabric of our lives the truth that the place of abiding is found where difficulty crosses our will and our fear. That is actually the safest place.
Where She May Lay Her Young
The sons of Korah said, “Yes, the sparrow has found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young—even Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.” We can rest our young in the shelter of that holy, wonderful presence, also. It doesn’t matter if our young happens to be our children, our dreams, our goals, our ministries, our gifts.
This shelter, this nest is not for us alone. It’s also a place for those concerns in our lives that matter most to us. There our fragile, tender, developing “young” can be nurtured and protected under the loving wings of God.
On our own, apart from the Lord, we don’t know how to build a nest that’s secure. We don’t know where our hiding place is a lot of times. The nests of security we build out of what the world has to offer are not anchored. They offer no real security, only the illusion of it.
God’s Word is filled with assurances that He wants to be a shelter for us in times of trouble. He wants to be our rock (see Ps. 92), our fortress (see Ps. 18), and our strong tower (see Prov. 18). These are all good images of places to where we can flee when danger has come upon us and we need a temporary hiding place. Yet, these are not intended as places to live for a long time.
What’s so wonderful about the imagery in Psalm 84 is that a nest is more than an emergency shelter. A nest is where you can live always. Here you can abide in peace when everything around us is being shaken or everything around you is still.
Where Is Your Nest?
Where is your nest? What do you trust in for your security, peace, and strength? If you know the Lord as your God and Savior—has He become for you a nest where your spirit can flee to find the shelter it needs?
Yes, the sparrow has found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself. David and so many others found their rest at the altars of the Lord. And now it’s your turn. Softly, tenderly, quietly He’s calling you from the depths of His wonderful presence. How will you respond? Will you join Him in the secret place?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)