I have been praying for a heart that will love and trust God no matter what the circumstances are -- a heart that will "extol* the Lord at all times" (Psalm 34:1 NIV). When speaking on the phone with a dear friend of the heart, I realized that the Lord is providing me with an opportunity to do that today.
*extol: to lift up, raise or elevate (OED)
This morning, I inscribed this prayer in my journal:
"Jesus, I want you to call me out of my comfort zone & give me an opportunity to RADICALLY depend upon you."
Little did I expect this opportunity to manifest itself through waves of emotion, apathy, and listlessness. But, the enemy knows how to attack. He knows where we are vulnerable and targets each of our "Achilles' heels".
But Jesus takes those pain points and transforms them into sanctification. As Scripture says, "All things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28 HCSB). He takes the challenges, however those manifest themselves, and uses them to shape us into the people He wants us to be. That is why James can write "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, knowing that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing" (James 1:2-4 NIV).
I learned this weekend that sanctification (the process of becoming more like Jesus) is not something that I can muscle my way through. It is not about me sanctifying myself, it is about surrendering to the Lord's sanctifying work within me. God is so good and faithful.
All this to say that the Lord (through the wisdom of a dear friend) revealed to me how He is using this tumultuous season to shape me into the woman He wants me to be. He is challenging me to praise Him, to elevate Him, to lift Him up at all times. Despite how I feel, I am to praise Him.
SO, my action of the day is to make a #happylist (s/o to http://katemcampbell.wordpress.com/), a "gratitude journal", a list of all of the things I am thankful to the Lord for. Rather than wallowing, I will praise and extol my Jesus.
