Sunday, June 13, 2004
why are you in despair, o my soul? and why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for i shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God. Ps 42:11
a close friend of mine said the one of the most encouraging thing to me today. she told me that i "looked" different... that something in my aura or coutenance have changed recently. it seems like the burden of certain trials have been lifted and i seem freed from it. its amazing to me that what's going on inside of me is so evidently displayed. i've been intrigued with the idea of "countenance" and how it is used biblically... i remembered meditating on the above verse and thinking how interesting it was that the despair of one's soul can affect one's countenance, literally, "face."
i've always been kind of an idealist, and i'd like to think that godliness can be evidenced externally. that as we gaze upon the face of God, and that as we grow in His likeness, that we cannot help but be transformed into His likeness and beauty. that in praise of Him (as seen in the verse above) that He essentially gives us a "face lift."
what's more amazing to me in her encouragment is the fact that i feel like there was nothing i did to cause that to occur in me. God is so gracious to have blessed my small steps of obedience by just giving me a sense of peace and forgiveness for a situation that has been ever so difficult for me. when i was sinning in my attitude and harboring ill, i was truly only hurting myself. i felt so frustrated because i felt like i wasn't 'being myself.' isn't it interesting that when Christ frees us from the bondage of sin that He frees us to be more our true selves that we ever would have been apart from Him? we so often neglect to see how so much of God's desire for our obedience of Him is for our own good. i'm familiar with proverbs 3, but it is only in looking at it this time around that i saw the benefits associated with obedience. "do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. it will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones." wow. what an incredible statement. and what a blessing to understand these words experientially.
i'm thankful that God powerful to change our hearts and gracious to exact that change even when we don't deserve it.
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a close friend of mine said the one of the most encouraging thing to me today. she told me that i "looked" different... that something in my aura or coutenance have changed recently. it seems like the burden of certain trials have been lifted and i seem freed from it. its amazing to me that what's going on inside of me is so evidently displayed. i've been intrigued with the idea of "countenance" and how it is used biblically... i remembered meditating on the above verse and thinking how interesting it was that the despair of one's soul can affect one's countenance, literally, "face."
i've always been kind of an idealist, and i'd like to think that godliness can be evidenced externally. that as we gaze upon the face of God, and that as we grow in His likeness, that we cannot help but be transformed into His likeness and beauty. that in praise of Him (as seen in the verse above) that He essentially gives us a "face lift."
what's more amazing to me in her encouragment is the fact that i feel like there was nothing i did to cause that to occur in me. God is so gracious to have blessed my small steps of obedience by just giving me a sense of peace and forgiveness for a situation that has been ever so difficult for me. when i was sinning in my attitude and harboring ill, i was truly only hurting myself. i felt so frustrated because i felt like i wasn't 'being myself.' isn't it interesting that when Christ frees us from the bondage of sin that He frees us to be more our true selves that we ever would have been apart from Him? we so often neglect to see how so much of God's desire for our obedience of Him is for our own good. i'm familiar with proverbs 3, but it is only in looking at it this time around that i saw the benefits associated with obedience. "do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. it will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones." wow. what an incredible statement. and what a blessing to understand these words experientially.
i'm thankful that God powerful to change our hearts and gracious to exact that change even when we don't deserve it.
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