Who's Controlling This Life?

Part of survival on this earth is knowing who you can trust because trusting someone gives them control over a part of your life. Being an indpendent person, I don't want anyone else having control of my life.

Then, on Air 1, a scripture moment laid a truth on me that has caused a revolution in my thought process. The only thing we really have control over is our hearts (meaning soul or thoughts).

Let that idea sink in for a moment. You don't control your money; this last year has brought this home. You don't control your family (although we try!). Our bodies can fall apart in a moment. Some one's loss of control of their car can change our lives in an instant. We control NONE of it. It's just an illusion we create to give ourselves security.

But we control our thoughts and believes. I told God I was afraid to hand over my life to Him. I told Him I couldn't trust Him because of the disease that caused my mom extreme pain on a daily basis. It's too scary.

Trusting Him seems to be giving up control. But if I don't have control anyway, why does it bother me? Wow! That's an "A-Ha" moment. It's not about me giving up anything. It's about me accepting the truth.

Anyway, lately He has been showing me amazing outcomes beyond what I could imagine. He's helping me evolve through scripture, daily prayer, Bible study, etc.

If you get nothing else out of my ramblings, may His words bring you closer to Him:

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.

Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift my soul.

Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord, for I hide myself in you.

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God;
may your good spirit lead me on level ground.

(Psalm 143: 8-10)

Prayer Request

A friend just told me about a friend of hers who needs our prayers. Her name is Lesa and she has both parents in the hospital (one is not expected to live more than a couple of days), a sick husband and a child that has a condition which is going to need major surgery.

This is just too much for someone to handle without the Lord by her side. I don't know if she's close to God, but I know God is close to her right now. I pray that she feels His strength and grace.

The Path I Didn't Even Know Existed

3 months ago when my church first announced the Bible study on Psalms, I was excited because I thought I was going to learn facts about the Psalms. I was looking forward to a history lesson and background information that would help me better understand them.

But God had another plan for me. The course wasn't about facts and history, but the emotions and poetry. Each week we examined psalms from a different perspective and each week I couldn't figure out how there could be another week like this. What else could be gleaned from such an approach?

At the end of the 10 weeks, several of us agreed that this course did not go the way we thought or originally wanted it to. However, it took us to a place of such higher understanding and closeness to God. It was absolutely amazing as only He can do it!

The Psalms are the heart of the Old Testament. While Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, etc., give us the framework of the Israelites, the Psalms expose to us the emotions behind all of it. In this book is the agony of feeling defeated, the frustration of feeling forgotten, the joy of God's miracles and praise of the Almighty when all else fails.

Need a prayer? Leaf through the pages of Psalms. You'll find your emotions so beautifully written out by someone else. You begin to realize God knows what you're feeling, He understands your hurt and frustration. And He'll bring you back to where you feel like praising Him. Read, meditate, pray and enjoy!