God spoke to me today!!

God spoke to me today...

Let me explain.  God spoke to me today through various Bible verses.
I want to explain how God used His Word to encourage me today.

There is a lot of stuff going on right now in my family.
I received some really hard news this week and have been trying to process it.

So I told Krista I was going to go somewhere for coffee and journalling time.
Here is what I intended to do.  Take a piece of paper and list out specific problems/challenges/troubles before my family.  I was going to have kind of a pity party on paper.

That didn't happen.
Here is what really happened.

As I was getting ready to write down problems/challenges/troubles, God spoke to me.
God spoke to me through a verse I have been memorizing with the children in our children's ministry.
I was reminded of Isaiah 40:8.
The grass withers
the flower fades
But the Word of God will stand forever.

Did I want to take the time to focus on those problems/challenges/troubles
that will fade away

OR

Did I want to take the time to focus on that which will stand forever?

I want to focus my mind on forever - God and His Word.

Then, I took out my paper and made this.

My attempt at "artistic" Bible study.

Let me explain.

I wrote the words "problem," "trouble" and "challenge" all over that middle section IN PENCIL because many of the things we are facing now will not be problems in a month, a year or ten years.
They will fade.

Then I drew the thick black line with God more than visible through it.

Next, I used my youversion Bible app to look up verses about trouble.  Seven verses caught my attention.  Four of them because they were from the same chapter.

Psalm 107: 6, 13, 19 and 28 really hit home.

They cried to the LORD in their trouble and 

He delivered them from their distress.

This journaling Bible was a gift from Pastor Duke and the church
at my recent ordination service

Throughout this same Psalm the writer repeats the idea of remembering God's steadfast love.

In Isaiah 40 and Psalm 107 I saw and on my piece of paper I wanted to show God's love and power.

From the top to the bottom,

From the beginning to the end,

I need to remember who God is...
HE IS OUR REFUGE
HE IS OUR PEACE

HE IS OUR HELP 

HE IS OUR SALVATION

HE IS THE ONE WHO SATISFIES.

God spoke to me through His Word.

Through Bible verses I was memorizing while serving the children and families at EBC.

Through Bible verses I found on my youversion app.

Through Bible verses I skipped over in my morning devotions.  To read this story click HERE

And finally God spoke to me through His Word.  

Through Bible verses and Biblical truth in songs I have listened to.

"That Where I Am" by Rich Mullins.  You can hear a short sample HERE 

"Oh How I Need You" by All Sons and Daughters

Whoever is wise, 
let him attend to these things,
let them consider 
the steadfast love of God
Psalm 107:43

So this is how God used some really challenging circumstance, about 30 minutes of time with a Bible, a notebook, a pen, a pencil and a Bible app to remind me of what a GREAT GOD I am trusting in.

Are the problems/troubles/challenges still there?  Yes!
And so is the truth of John 16:33
"In the world you will have tribulation.  But take heart; I have overcome the world."

I heard about this idea of God speaking to me through the Bible at Desiring God.  Click HERE for the post "I Heard God This Morning"