Friday, April 19, 2013

He is in the Storm

Hello friend.................

Again, we are in a storm.  It seems like they come ~ wave after wave...............

Our sweet Gabrielle is in the PICU.  It's hard to maintain life in the hospital.  Everything becomes unglued, I become unglued.   We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair.  II Cor 4:8   No matter our circumstances ~ YHWH remains, He remains in control.  He is in control.  He holds this too, He holds my daughter, He holds my family, He holds me.

I grow weary...........
     exhausted, yet pursing. Judges 8:4

So thankful for His word.   His word anchors my soul to an unshakable ROCK in the shakeable storm. 
So thankful that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.  John 1:14

He is here my friend.  He is here, in our circumstances.  He is in your circumstances too.  Do you see Him?  Are you able to recognize Him?  Even if you can't see Him, He's here.  Your very breath is evident of Him in your life.
         "without Me you can do nothing." Jesus   John 15:5

As I wrestled this morning through thick tears with fears unimaginable for any mom to bear, the LORD Himself reach down and lifted me up out of the miry clay and placed my feet on His stable ground, His rock and established my steps.  Psalm 40:2

I heard Him
    a delicate whispering voice (1 Kings 19:12)
He spoke so tenderly, so precious
      "I
      have made
      everything
      beautiful
      in its time."
      Ecc. 3:11

What really caught my attention in this verse is the "have made".  He has already done it.  Everything beautiful.  Wow.  Here, in my daughter's struggle, in her pain, in my fear ~ beauty.  Something that He has done.  Even though we don't see the completion yet.  We struggle with the see part don't we.  We want to have all our ducks in a row, everything in order, everything in it's place.  I have been so challenged to know His peace in all circumstances.  To take ahold of His peace in the here and now, in the mess.  It's only a mess to us, not to Him.  He sees, He knows.

Everything.  His word says everything ~ nothing is too far from His redemption, it's all covered.  "Is My hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem?  Or have I no power to deliver?"  Isaiah 50:2  Do you hear?  Nothing in your life, nothing in my life is beyond His reach.  He is the Creator and He sees all and knows all and He is working it all into His plan.  Romans 8:28. 

      Redemption is His Story and He makes it our story.

I don't understand how He takes all the evil in the world and uses it for His glory and His purposes, but He does.  He is YHWH, God and He is good.

Beautiful...........
   what a precious promise for you, for me, for all who will put their trust in Him.

In its time............
    He has a purpose, season for everything.  Have you been able to thank Him for His seasons in your life.  As He whispered these verses to me I was able to.    Because of His mercy, once again I was able to exchange fear for His peace.  He took my tears, He is holding them as He holds me.  My daughter belongs to Him ~ from the beginning to the end. 

Great comfort is found in His word........
    I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice.  Ecc 3:12   I am thankful to YHWH, He changed my tears today into rejoicing in Him.  In His perfect plan because He has already made it all beautiful in its time.  I can rejoice as I wait patiently for the completion of His work, His beautiful work. 

     "I know that whatever God does,
      It shall be forever.
      Nothing can be added to it.
      And nothing taken from it.
     God does it, that men should fear before Him."   Ecc 3:14

Once again in the storm, my Creator, took me to the eye of the storm, covered me and restored rest to my soul.  He longs to do the same for you right in your storm.  "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today."  Exodus 14:13  "The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace!!"  Exodus 14:14

Praying for you friend...............

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Living on the Edge

My Gabrielle loves to live on the edge. 

  She loves to show that her Creator YHWH does the impossible. 

"For with God nothing will be impossible."  Luke 1:37

 She has become as a wonder (miracle) to many while she declares that He is her strong refuge (a hope, a shelter from the storm) and her mouth is filled with His praise and with His glory all the day.  Psalm 71:7-8.


The medical community says any body temperature under 95 F is life threatening and needs medical supervision in warming the body back up.

Gabrielle loves to say, "Take my temperature and you will see that I am a living, breathing miracle to testify that Jesus lives and He upholds me and NOTHING is impossible with Him."

Most of this year her temperature has read right around 91.9 F.  
She is upheld and sustained by Him.  

"All things were created through Him and for Him.  And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist."  Colossians 1:16-17   My precious daughter was created through Him and she was created for Him.  I can sit and linger here.  Her life brings Him glory and honor because He created her.  It's not about what she does, or what she doesn't do.  Just the same for me, for you. 

Having a child like Gabrielle is like walking a tight rope most of the time.  You have to have your focus set like a flint on the prize ~ Jesus Christ.  There are daily, daily struggles turning into months and years that are constantly there trying to knock you off the rope.  You learn to daily pick up your cross and move forward with your eyes and hope set on the ROCK, the anchor of your soul. Being reminded that I don't support the root, but the root supports me.  Romans 11:18  And finding great peace here.

I read Jesus words in John 15:5, "for without Me you can do nothing." and I realize this includes breathing.  Me breathing and my precious child breathing.  I  realize that even my breath, Gabrielle's breath is a gift from the LORD God who created the heaven and earth and created this fragile child.  Fragile in the eyes of the world that is.  I'm not so convince the LORD God would "label" her as fragile or any of these special children.

So, if I can't even breath on my own, no wonder I struggle to live this life on my own.  Often people say to me, "Jodi, I don't know how you do it."  Let me testify that I don't "do it."  Jesus does it.  He does it through me. 

 He supplies

 the strength..............
 the grace.................
 the rest...................
 just like He supplies the breath..............

  And yes it is through a lot of tears 
  but it's glorious
  when you find Him "in the thick cloud."  Exodus 19:3  

And yes, HE is here, in the thick cloud of suffering, of trials ~ in yours and in mine.  "Oh taste and see that The LORD God is good."  Psalm 34:8 and His mercy endures from everlasting to everlasting.  

Me ~ Learning to love fearlessly again because of my precious daughter who shouts from the mountain tops, "My God, YHWH, reigns and He is good and He still does the impossible today!" You will have to hear her with your heart not your ears.
  
Gabrielle, our precious daughter is 14 year old who suffered a severe brain injury at birth.  She is still total care in all areas of life.  She is a living, breathing testimony to the greatness of the LORD God we serve.  She is a teacher.  If you will listen to her with your heart, you will learn much.