Title Change...

I think I was having an issue with my original title to this post, "Intimate and Personal". It was innocent enough to me when you read the post and know what I was talking about, but it never crossed my mind until it was acting funny that the title might have been getting hung up through some "appropriateness (my word) filters". Oops!

So here's the post: Intimate and Personal

That is who Jesus is. He is intimate and personal with us. He desires so much to meet us right where we are and love us to Himself.

I sit here in the midst of the hardest part of the year for me...the week between the anniversary of Joe's home-going and his birthday. I want to share some of my morning bible study from today because it shows just how intimate and personal Jesus is. It shows how deep His love for us, how much He cares about our hurts and trials.

I am doing a study by Mindy Ferguson called "The Women in Jesus' Life." It is a study about all the women Jesus encountered during his life and ministry here. Today's study was focusing on Mary and Martha, primarily Martha during the time when Lazarus, their brother, gets sick and dies. Hello, I am not one to believe in coincidence or happenstance. I believe in the perfect time and will of God. He knows me inside out. He knew what I needed this very day, and He is faithful. He is personal. The scripture reference is John 11:1-6,17-22. The focus being that of Martha's unwaivering faith in Jesus even when she did not understand why He had tarried and allowed her brother to die.

Here is an excerpt from the author (Mindy Ferguson), "When my aunt died from cancer several years ago, I was absolutely sure God would heal her. I prayed in total faith and waited for evidence of God's healing. I didn't doubt for a moment. Yet, in her last moments on this earth, I knew God was present. I knew He was taking her home. I knew that the healing in this situation was bringing her to Himself. I must admit, I struggled to understand why God would allow a forty two-year-old wife and mother to be taken from her family."

Wow! Is God speaking personally and intimately to me here? Yes! I could so easily rewrite that paragraph to say this, "When my brother died from cancer several years ago, I was absolutely sure God would heal him. I prayed in total faith and waited for evidence of God's healing. I didn't doubt for a moment. Yet, in his last moments on this earth, I knew God was present. I knew He was taking him home. I knew that the healing in this situation was bringing him to Himself. I must admit, I struggled to understand why God would allow a forty-one (shy by 6 days)-year-old husband and father of five to be taken from his family."

"Sometimes this life is just plain hard. But Martha was able to maintain her faith in Jesus, even during her loss-even when the Lord responded in a way that she was unable to understand."

When it comes to relating to Mary and Martha, I tend to be more like Mary. But, in this, I want to be a Martha. I want to have the kind of deep-rooted, steadfast faith that Martha possessed, unwaivering no matter what the circumstance.

Lord Jesus, I love you. I love you here in this moment more than I ever have. Jesus, give me an unwaivering, steadfast faith that believes no matter what. Jesus, I pour out my life as an offering before you. Take it and use it for Your glory. May Your name be honored and glorified and praised and adored. Thank you, Sweet Jesus, for loving me, for caring so deeply, for healing so completely. Amen