Well.

Well - Adverb

1

a : in a good or proper manner : justly, rightly

b : satisfactorily with respect to conduct or action <did well in mathematics> <works well under pressure>

2

: in a kindly or friendly manner <spoke well of your idea> <wished them well>

3

a : with skill or aptitude : expertly, excellently <paints well>

b : satisfactorily <the plan worked well>

c : with good appearance or effect : elegantly <carried himself well>

4

: with careful or close attention : attentively <watch well what I do>

5

: to a high degree <well deserved the honor> <a well-equipped kitchen> —often used as an intensifier or qualifier <there are … vacancies pretty well all the time — Listener>

 "...And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him [Jesus] to lay his hand on him. And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, he sighed and sad to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." And his ears were opened his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. And they were astonished beyond measure saying, "He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."


He has done all things well. Jesus, does all things well. Christ in me, the hope of glory, does all things well.

This move, picking up, leaving, starting new. No job, which will turn into new job. Wanting so desperately to be in the position He would have me further the kingdom. New home, new roommates, more family.

He does all things well.

The only appropriate response is for the Lord to open my ears and my heart - to enlarge my faith. He does all things well through willing, believing hearts.

Understood.

 "Nothing makes rest so sweet as toil; nothing renders security so pleasant as exposure to alarms. The bitter quassia cups of earth will give a relish to the new wine which sparkles in the golden bowls of glory. Our battered armour and scarred countenances will render more illustrious our victory above, when we are welcomed to the seats of those who have overcome the world. We should not have full fellowship with Christ if we did not for awhile sojourn below, for He was baptized with a baptism of suffering among men, and we must be baptized with the same if we would share his kingdom. Fellowship with Christ is so honourable that the sorest sorrow is a light price by which to procure it."

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I'm only growing in a strong and steady assurance that my feet are headed in the right direction.  There is something about feeling small in the vastness of buildings and crowds that was actually reassuring. There is more waiting for me than i could possibly want or imagine.

And this next step is to wait in the same strong, steady assurance that the Lord will open the necessary jobs. Picking up and moving to a different state with intention being perminent is difficult. I'm not moving for school to see a similar group of faces everday, i'm not moving for a large social group of friends. I'm taking that step of faith, trusting that all i need will be provided.

I've never trusted like this, never had fewer connections to rely on. I find the fears to be irrationally real. And the Lord keeps placing the question in front of me - Do you trust that I've seen all that's behind, and bring blessing in what's ahead?

My confidence is shaky, but so desperately wanting to be strong.

But as i look back, i start to understand and be assured of this - that I've seen the Lord deliver my life from shaplessness, dark and void, placed my feet on solid ground and patiently continue to give reasons to put a smile back on my face. Life is not dark as it once was, and the light that has come from healing isn't artificially manufactured by busyness. I better understand love, because i better understand brokenness. I understand better the good news of the gospel, because i better understand what it feels to be so lost. I better understand the reality of Christ in me because i better understand what it feels to be so depleted of human strength. My future in Portland brings tears to my eyes because I am able to look and see all that the Lord has walked me through and out of. It's powerful.

He eagerly awaits to richly bless my life as i give him the space in my heart and mind to do so.

So i'm reminded today to slow myself, and take the time to stop and pray and seek and ask the Lord to fill me with His touch. He has great plans, and they are things that i can't even foresee. This unknown is something to be excited about, not feared.

Rejoice my soul, the Lord is near. I pray I grasp part of the vision of how my little life weaves into His great plan to bring His kingdom. I am the daughter of the Most High. So again, rejoice my soul, the Lord is near - I am embraced, and I am understood.

***Congrats to the Ellershaws, and the new addition of little Abigail Grace. So excited to watch all that God has for this little girl

"In the 3rd year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. he was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. his mother's name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to. He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israe, so hat there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. For he held fast to the Lord. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses. And the Lord was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him. He struck down the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city."

I needed this today. I needed more of the story in 2 Kings 20, that as Hezekiah prayed on his death bed, His integrity and faith from the days he walked before changed his fate.

I'm growing. I want this to be my testimony.

Greatness is achieved by childlike faith in the Father.
This is an opportunity to trust. And I want to use it well. I want to pray well, wait well, depend well.

I know these are the testing points - when you don't hold any of the cards. I can walk confidently that He is coming through, or i can worry and take it all in my own hands.






But thankfully there are testimonies like these. That those who trust in the Lord and obediently follow him demolish strongholds and accomplish greatness by His grace, His power, for His glory.










It's a beautiful  challenge today.