No Man Save Jesus Only

The title is taken from the KJV of Mark 9:8. But it's also the desire of my heart right now. Well, let me be completely honest. It's the cry of my heart.

Sometimes God will throw me for a complete loop just to use it to draw me closer to Him. Shaking my head and throwing my hands up can lead to either bitterness or peace. So, I just confess my disbelief, ask for forgiveness, and confirm in my mind who God is. And stay there for as long as I can. ;-)

I know God only exactly wants the best for me. And His ways (thankfully) are higher than mine. As a friend said to me, I don't need to be the problem solver!

Yet taking all of this back to him doesn't remove the sorrow (perhaps dissatisfaction), it just adds a measure of peace. And a tad more strength. Just enough strength to keep going for the moment. And that's good enough for me. Any more and I'd be likely to run off on my own (again). Been there. Done that. Don't want to do it again.

So I'm learning that complications often leads to simplifications. I think He will complicate things just enough to send me shaking my head and throwing up my hands. So, I throw up my hands, not in giving up, but in letting go. I've blogged about this before, Matter of fact, once again, it's coming back to what I'll call the first day of this recent journey! Funny thing is, I look back at that entry and yet I'm still at the point of surrender, yet I see things so differently now. I see God so much better. No man, save Jesus only!!

Reading Psalm 25 helped me too.

I thought of that Ginny Owens song first this morning. It's pretty fitting as I blog this too… "so if all of these trials bring me closer to you. Then I will go through the fire. If You want me to."

Here are some thoughts in prose form:

Hands
"palm of his hand"
that's where I am
I just hope He doesn't squash me like a little bug
He won't
I'm safe there
but not removed from being refined
and disciplined
and yes, that's painful
but the results is purity
and refinement
and a harvest!
I do have an inheritance
Christ in me
the hope of glory!

All for now,
Lisa