In this storm

This past week God has been hard at work in my life. It's been rough and scary and I've been through a whole host of emotions but I feel so wonderful. God has really tested my faith in His plan and my trust in Him. I cant say that I know where He's calling me tomorrow but I know that right now its all in His loving and merciful hands. The biggest test of my faith was turning to God during a big storm that had been building up over the past couple of weeks. Well the storm hit very hard but I have to say that turning to prayer and surrounding myself with my brothers and sisters in Christ helped me keep focus. I am so honored to be surrounded by such a loving group of prayer warriors in CIA who lift me up. It seems as though I've found a family, especially a group of girls, and I'm so blessed. I hope that God can use me to bless their lives in even a fraction of the way that they have blessed mine.

So I've noticed a trend in the blogs that was completely unintentional where I like to post a song that pertains to the topic of the week or just has spoken to me lately. Well this week's song is Praise You In This Storm by Casting Crowns.

What is so powerful about this song is that it emphasizes being in such a turbulent period in your life where you don't know where to turn and having the faith to turn to God. It was exactly where I was at this week. Its important to recognize that we serve a King who gives AND takes away. And a beautiful woman of God pointed out to me a few days ago that if it is in God's plan to take something away from you, then you want Him to take it... even when your heart is broken and torn. It is such an inspiring promise to know that God has plans for you to prosper and will grant you the desires of your heart if you submit to Him and love Him with your whole heart. I am in awe that God so intricately wants to design our lives and takes care in every detail. And if it's in His plan to build me through these trials, then I praise Him for the storms He calls and say bring it on.

Additionally, I've been reading about Abraham in Genesis and God totally had me in mind when He wrote about asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, the son through whom God had promised to make many nations. Abraham had complete faith in God's plan and never questioned or bargained with Him. And by trusting that God knew what He was doing and loving the Lord above all else, God saw that Abraham's heart was right and called for him to stop the sacrifice. It was 100% God and by turning completely to Him during the trials and tests He presents to us we will be blessed as good and faithful servants.

And then to top it all off, God again had perfect timing. The lesson for Sunday's bible study was from Mark where Jesus calms the storm. How appropriate! And the breakout challenge was to identify the storm in your life and define why you're afraid of it and then determine what you think Jesus would say to you. It was wonderful to be able to share this story with my sisters of how He had brought this storm into my life and carried me through it.

I'm not going to pretend that this past week was easy potatoes.. but God proved Himself to me by showing me that when I turn to Him, even when it's hard to trust in His plan, that He will bless my life.

As Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away.
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn I will praise You in this storm