Restoration

Overwhelmed is a word and world I am becoming faintly familiar with. Chaos has been creeping into the cracks of my life and leaves me screaming, "Slow Down!" Consistently confused, and I regret to admit, slightly depressed, I find it a struggle to sift through the layers of what is going on in my life. A lot of it has to do with transition out of college, into real life, having 2 jobs, shifting communities, and some other things far to personal to share on a blog. I find my self distracted. Loosing sight and focus of where I am and whom I'm called to, I find it quite easy to slip into frequent melt downs. Now to top it all off, I'm sick. What a week!

Seeking the Lord, I felt lead to read Ezra this morning. The story of the temple being rebuilt. It begins, "This goes to fulfill the words spoken by the prophet Jeremiah." So I turned to Jeremiah and began reading about struggle. Israel and Judah's struggle of whoredom, turning away from the Lord who loved them to worship the works of their own hands. They began to serve the gods of foreigners, so the Lord delivered them into exile to serve foreigners. The Lord lays out a list of destruction for the ways that he is going to lead Israel to ruin, but in chapter 5 there is a breath of hope. The Lord says "But I will not make a full end of you." This is a promise that the Lord will restore. The Lord then continues into a list of ways that he will restore Israel. And I realize that is the beauty of the Gospel. The Lord restores. He always tears down so that he can rebuild.

Right now, between being sick, a little depressed, and fairly overwhelmed, I am in ruin. As the temple, I have been brought down. So the Lord says, but I will restore. That is redemption. There is Hope!

Now is the time for transformation. To seek the Lord, to remember what he has called me to. He's called me to dwell in this season. To find myself at home with him. He has called me to belonging, to belong to him. But not to let those stop with me, but let it overflow that others may find a home and belonging through interacting with me. Anything I do outside of this is a little bit of rebellion in my own heart, striving to fulfill my need to do more. Be more, when the Lord has just called me to be and he will be the more.

I'm in process. Not all the way there yet, but I will be. I'm coming. The Lord is restoring me. The Gospel is that Christ came, as flesh, to put to death flesh so that we could rise to full life. I'm being brought into full life.

Question of the Day: How is the Lord transforming you. 

The Sparrow

How lovely is your dwelling place,
    O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul longs, yes, faints
    for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
    to the living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a home,
    and the swallow a nest for herself,
    where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
    my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
    ever singing your praise! Selah
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
    in whose heart are the highways to Zion.[b]
6 As they go through the Valley of Baca
    they make it a place of springs;
    the early rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength;
    each one appears before God in Zion.
8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
    give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 Behold our shield, O God;
    look on the face of your anointed!
10 For a day in your courts is better
    than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
    the Lord bestows favour and honour.
No good thing does he withhold
    from those who walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts,
    blessed is the one who trusts in you!--Psalm 84

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.--Matthew 6:25-34

Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Refrain

I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Refrain

Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Refrain

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