Why are you cast down, o my soul?

As I'm sitting in a coffee shop, waiting to head to my Doctor's appointment, I'm reading Hebrews 10 and praying and thinking about all of our students at Off The Wall. Thinking about that age, and the conversations I've had with some of them over the last few weeks. Thinking about some of the things I've noticed, observed, without even speaking to some of them. 

   Young adults drive me crazy and frustrate me and affect me more than any other age group I think. But I love them with all of my heart. I understand them. I feel for them. I've been there, and basically am there. I know what it's like, and I believe it's such a key age in life to grow and to take Jesus seriously and make some big decisions. They need each other, they need people, they need friends, they need family, they need community, They need the church, they need Jesus, they need discipled, they need love and grace...

     So as I'm praying for individuals, Psalm 42 comes to mind...

1 As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. 

2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? 

3 My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, "Where is your God?" 

4 These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival. 

5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation 

6 and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 

7 Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me. 

8 By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. 

9 I say to God, my rock: "Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?" 

10 As with a deadly wound in my bones, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me all the day long, "Where is your God?" 

11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. 

My prayer is that their souls pant for God. And that with that desperation for God, they follow Him whenever He takes them. That they learn He is for them, and has great plans and works prepared for them, that they are His and every ounce of who they are is found in Him and no one or anything else. That they learn to hear His voice and listen to Him and follow, walk, in obedience to the one who has saved their souls and is sanctifying them to be more like Christ and has redeemed them. That there is hope, no matter how fearful, how insecure, how broken, how angry, how sinful...there is forgiveness. That there is rejoicing. They have every reason to be joyful and to rejoice in the LORD. That Jesus is the most important relationship, person in their life and that their hearts are pure and always seeking after Him. That they love His words and eat them up for God has written them on our hearts and minds. That they know that the. Holy Spirit has equipped them for everything they need in this life to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel and the calling they have received. 

  And that they don't just know Christ, but believe in Him and the power of His resurreection. That they walk WITH Him and not just beside or behind Him. That they know and BELIEVE and can see that they are loved with an unconditional love. A love that doesn't judge them for their wrongs, but embraces who they are and where they are at. A love that will speak openly and honestly with them and hold them when they are weak and one that walks with them through all seasons of life. 

 "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." Romans 12:12 

   

✌️ brethren. 

Come Away with Me

38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.

39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching.

40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me."

41 But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,

42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her."

Luke 10:38-42

The majority of my life, I have been Mary. It has always been easiest for me to just sit at the feet of Jesus. For hours.

It seems that the older I am getting, the more responsibility I am receiving, and with that goes more of my time and focus and energy. Which then means, especially most recently, my hours of time at the feet of Christ, don't happen like they used to. Recently, don't happen often at all if I am being honest. 

It is easy to get caught up in life. Especially when there is so much going on in and around you, in your community of people. I have been reminded in the past couple of weeks of life being non-stop, and many attacks and circumstances arising in my life and in the lives of people I care about deeply, that  idefinately have lost this art of Mary....of sitting at the feet of Jesus. I have been fearful, I have been anxious, I have been insecure, I have been overwhelmed and stressed. All because I have not been trying to take care and deal with life on my own, talking to God along the way, but never taking moments to just stop for even a half hour...just to sit at my precious Savior and Friend's feet. To just be with Him. 

And I'm a quality time person. 

So I encourage whoever is reading this, spend some time with Jesus today. Just you, and Him. Read His words, His life, Worship Him in the way you worship best paint with Him, walk/run with Him, write to Him....just spend time with Him. He is jealous for you. He is with you. Always. Fall in love with Him, all over again. 

I encourage you to watch/listen to this song, it's just on my heart this afternoon, and speaks perfectly to where I'm at, in this moment.

   ✌️ my brethren.

http://youtu.be/9B27Z7hfGRI