Unsettled

I believe the Lord uses rough patches to draw us nearer to Him. When something is out of whack in our spirit, we can take it as an indication that we need to do some seeking, some repenting, some being still...waiting...listening... If we are too eager to have the "best life now!" and try to avoid pain, always striving to rid our lives of unpleasantries...we may very well be drowning out the small, still voice of the Holy Spirit.

Lately I have been in that unsettled place. It has forced me to carve out extra quiet time, seeking the Lord with an earnestness that I admit isn't always there. He has convicted me of things I have been trying to hide from, is changing me in difficult ways that make me want to pull the covers over my head and stay there until its all done and over with. The beautiful thing among this more difficult time is that I know God is working. I know He is beside me, refining me, helping me transform from the rotten flesh in which I dwell into the fruitful image of His Son. There is joy among the pain... it is not separate from the pain! It is not an either/or... it is because of the pain that I can experience this deeper joy and trust in God Almighty.

So I give myself over to this death of self, knowing - believing - that whatever He has on the other side of this moment is so much better than what there is now. I am humble before the potter, I desire to be clay in His loving hands, now matter how hard the reformation may seem. And I change. By His grace and strength alone, I change. I praise Him for allowing me to be unsettled, I praise Him for His still, small voice. I praise Him for the quiet He has put upon my soul in humility. I praise Him because He is a mighty God, an awesome God, and a wonderfully merciful and loving God. I praise Him because He is God. Hallelujah!