Hey, my beloved sisters! I have you on my mind right now, wondering how you are and what God is presently sowing into your path. I’ve been writing to you steadily through Children of the Day but today I found myself longing for real-time interaction. I’ve been thinking about a verse that I’ve known and loved a very long time. I like it in almost any version but it’s by far the most gorgeous in the King James.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Ā Ā Ā Marvelous are Your works,
Ā Ā Ā And that my soul knows very well.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Psalm 139:14 NKJV
It’s the last line that I love so much. Life is hard and all our unanswered questions and unsolvable mysteries can make us feel like we’re getting sucked further and further into a black hole. We can come to the conclusion that there is really very little that we can know and, for the most part, we earthlings are victims of gravity, the soles of our feet stuck to the dirt and growing more callous by the day. Depression runs particularly rampant this time of year and darkness can be even darker for children of light. We know it’s not where we belong but we don’t always know how to crack the door to the sunshine.
We’re going to give that a shot today.
My challenge to you in the midst of all our questions is to behold what we each – individually, not corporately – really do know all the way into the dark folds of our souls. Here’s the 2-part assignment:
1. Complete this sentence: Right now I don’t have any idea… (pick only one thing, the thing that you find most confusing right now or most removed from your knowledgeable reach).
2. But these things my soul knows very well: (Write 5 things you know – really, really know – even in the black of night, even when you don’t feel well, even amid your thousands of other questions. Don’t just come up with 5 things by rote because you know they’re the right things to say and they’d be the top 5 priority pieces of information for people of our faith. What 5 things make the most difference to you right now in your circumstances?? What does your soul know very well? 5 things, Sweet Things. Don’t copy anybody else’s answers. Don’t even read anyone else’s list until you leave your comment. This is not about their relationship with your God. This is about yours. In a world of wondering, what do you know, Sister? Resist being predictable. Think about it. Don’t say it if you don’t know it to your core. For instance, don’t say, “I know God loves me” if the truth is that you doubt it every single day. Say what you know.
And those things will bridge your faith over to what you don’t.
I love you so much.
Right now I don’t have any idea why it seems my prayers go answered for my marriage.
But these things my soul knows very well:
1) God is Sovereign
2) God is Just and all wrongs will be made right in His timing.
3) There is a Kingdom to come and my reward is there.
4) The unseen is more real than this what I see and feel.
5) He is good.
1. Right now I donāt have any ideaā¦ what will happen to my son- if he will quit drinking or not- what will happen to him if he doesn’t.
2. But these things my soul knows very well:
1- God loves me
2- God loves him
3- I have to give him over to God for my sake as well
as his
4- I trust God to do whatever it takes to save him. If
HE decides to take him home, HE will be there for
me, as HE always has been, as HE always is, so HE
will be.
5- Thank you, Jesus, for being my Strength, my Rock.
Right now, I have no idea if my son will return to the faith.
But this I know within the depths of my soul:
1) “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot disown himself (2 Tim. 2:13).
2) “The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it” (1 Thess. 5:24).
3) “But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one” (2 Thess. 3:3).
4) “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23).
5) He is able ~ It’s ALL about Jesus…His faithfulness: “To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy” (Jude 1:24).
Right now I don’t have any idea why things turned out so depressingly different than my husband and I planned for our lives/ministry.
But these things my soul knows very well:
1. I will yet see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. (Ps 27:13)
2. He is able to provide “strength to my soul” (Psalm 138:1-3) when I have none.
3. It’s not what I expected, but it’s still good.
4. If I agree to not have a pity party until I read through the Psalms in my sorrow, by the end, I am strengthened.
5. When the depression is fueled by anything outside of the present circumstances, it’s much worse than just dealing with the present and not going to the “what if’s” or what might happen….
1. How we are going to manage/afford treatment for my son’s illness. How or where my husband will find employment. How we are going to manage on very little income, how we will afford health insurance.
2.God is good. God loves me. God knows my hurt and fear. God is enough. God holds me in the palm of his hand.
1.Right now I donāt have any ideaā¦ how I can overcome my reliance and dependence on food for comfort, security, and relief of pain.
2.But these things my soul knows very wellā¦
a.That God loves me in a way that I cannot even comprehend.
b. That everything in my life happens for a reason even if I donāt understand it yet (or never will)
c. That the Word is the source of my healing, and I wonāt be changed by anything else
d. That your Word is true and inerrant and the ultimate authority
e. That God is fun āŗ
1. Right now I donāt have any ideaā¦what will happen in this next/new chapter in my life.
2. But these things my soul knows very well: 1) God loves me, has me in His hands and nothing can snatch me from His hands. 2) …he who began a good work in me
will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 3) I can do all things through Him who gives me strength. 4) Being is better than doing. 5) I am believing God!!!
Right now I don’t have any idea…how I can ever get out from under the huge pile of debt that is suffocating me.
But these things my soul knows very well…
1. The feelings of shame are not from God, but from Satan.
2. Feelings are just feelings. They are not necessarily based on truth.
3. I can only see a tiny bit of what is really going on-it’s the things I cannot see that will last forever.
4. God knows every single detail about what is happening.
5. No matter what happens, God already has my future in His hands.
This I don’t know what God will do with healing my mother. I don’t know if God will ever grant me deep and relaxing sleep.
I know that someday God will grant me deep and relaxing sleep. I know that even though I will praise God in this difficult season in life, that it will be hard. I know that I often remember to pray to God in the midst of a storm and forget to praise at the beginning. I know that I must trust God in the midst of this season.
Right now I don’t have any idea where I should live.
But these things my soal knows very well :
God is real
God has spoken to me
God has changed me
The Holy Spirit is present
My mother loved me.
I know…
1. my earthly significance is in no way a reflection of my heavenly significance.
2. i must always extend grace
3. God’s way always works out for the best, best predictor of future is past behavior, HE KNOWS BEST
4. choosing a thoughtlife like Christ makes a difference
5. God created chocolate the the view in Yosemite NP just for me, sorry everyone you can enjoy these but I know God thought of me while creating them :)M
Finally got settled after a 2 year transition. Lost track of God. Lost track of me. What His plans are I haven’t a clue and I feel very lost. But I know…
1- HE loves me unconditionally
2- HE knows my future
3- HE is right here beside me
4- I can do all things thru Christ who gives me strength
5- I am eternally saved
Right now, I don’t have any idea how my ulcerative colitis will progress.
But these things my sould knows very well: (1) I am saved through Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. (2) God is with me via His Holy Spirit (3) He KNOWS me and is faithful (4) He LOVES me and will not abandon me (5) I am blessed to know the previous four, really know them because He called me to be His.
Right now I don’t have any idea:
When my husband and son will reconcile their relationship with each other and with God.
But these things my soul knows very well:
1) Only God can satisfy my every need.
2) There ain’t no high like the MOST HIGH,,,,,Mama Beth is right~grin.
3) God is in complete control, despite the crazyness in this world.
4) God is good.
5) There is nothing I can do to make Jesus love me anymore and nothing I can do to make Him love me any less…..Selah
Right now I don’t have any idea how to bring an ounce of joy to my marriageā¦.
But these things my soul knows VERY wellā¦
That God is in the business of miracles!
That God CAN redeem my marriage!
That God WILL redeem my marriage!
That God saved both of us about 6 years into our marriageā¦ GRATEFUL!
That God has a purpose in all of this and we need to follow His lead, not our own!
Right now I have no idea if my older sister will choose to stay at a new senior facility where she can receive compassionate care for memory issues or insist on going back to a former residence where I fear she’ll be very unhappy. But these things I know: 1.) She is God’s much loved child 2.) He has taken care of her for many years as she’s been alone 3.) God is more than able to care for her no matter where she goes 4.) He will be a lamp for my feet and a light for my path as I try to help her and 5.) No matter what happens, His ways are good and acceptable and perfect!
Right now I don’t have any idea how life will turn out for my son (whose wife left him for an affair this year, yet has his 5 and 2-year old 2/3 of the time) and the children.
5 things I do know:
1. God has given me “the no greater joy” than to know that my children walk in truth, and that my son has drawn close to the Lord instead of backing away.
2. God has given me unmistakeable messages of his love for me and his forgiveness.
3. God will never leave or forsake me or my children or grandchildren.
4.His grace will be sufficient, HAS BEEN sufficient, in whatever we may face.
5. The Lord Jesus Christ is my strength and my joy.
Right now I don’t have any idea why we are having such turmoil closing a deal to sell our home.
But these things my soul knows very well: (1) No plan of God’s can be thwarted (2) God has a plan (3) even if I look to the right and left and do not see Him, He is there (4) God’s plans will bring His glory (5) I am not to worry or be anxious
Carolyn, Idaho
Right now I donāt have any idea how to reach Gayle to help her truly find the Lord. (She is in such a mire, a dark place of addiction, maybe mental illness.)
1. My soul knows that the Lord is bigger than anything, bigger than any circumstance, able to heal. (Mark 10:27āWith man, this is impossible, but not with God. All things are possible with God.)
2. My soul knows that the Lord loves Gayle and that she is fearfully and wonderfully made!
3. My soul knows that if the Lord promised to the exiles and elders in a letter carried by Jeremiah that He had plans for them, plans to prosper them, plans to give them hope and a future, he has such plans for all of us. (Jeremiah 29:11)
4. My soul knows that His Word will not return to Him empty, so when I share with others under His direction as best I know how and as I feel directed, He will use that for His purpose. (Isaiah 55:10-11)
5. My soul knows that the Lord will direct our paths. He will give me guidance. One promise is Psalm 32:8, I will teach you and tell you the way to go and how to get there; I will give you good counsel, and I will watch over you.
Had to really ponder this a bit…
Right now I don’t have any idea of how long I will wait until the ‘chasms’ in a couple of areas will be bridged…
But this I do know-
1. Jesus really is El Roi- and He sees me
2. Jesus has proven to me how faithful He is
3. I really can trust the Lord with everything
4. He is involved in the details of my little life
5. I am saved because of Jesus, My Lord!
1) Right now I don’t have any idea…how my children will turn out; whether or not they will serve The Lord or not. It is well beyond my knowledgeable reach right now.
But these things my soul knows very well:
1)I may not have any idea what is going to happen in the future but He does.
2) Whatever does happen is going to be Father-filtered well before it reaches me.
3) Even when things might look pretty hopeless, I still will have Hope as an anchor for my soul.
4) I will always be working from victory in Christ. Not to. From.
5) I will always have the opportunity to come boldly before the throne of Grace to receive mercy and grace to help in time of need.
I love you too Siesta Mama Beth-very much!:) ((HUGS)) to you:)
1. I don’t know how our family and my 24 year old daughter-in-law are going to do during the first holiday season – Thanksgiving, Son’s birthday, Christmas – after our son’s death (car accident) in March. We are doing very well, but not sure how we will navigate this season of joy:)
2. I know the Lord is Faithful, I know He loves me, I know He is Good, I know He is near to those who Mourn- I know that He does exceedingly abundantly all than I could ask or imagine!!! So thankful for my relationship with Him. He brings me joy!
Don’t know: What You are going to do in my husband’s heart & life, if anything.
Do know: That You speak to me through Your Word. That you are using me. That You are causing others to care for me. That You have provided for me. That You love my husband.
Right now I don’t have any idea why God allows (or so it seems), for bad things to continue to happen to his believers and followers?
But these things my soul knows very well:
1. God is omnipotent, omnipresent and all loving.
2. There will be no suffering or tears in heaven.
3. He gave us the Holy Spirit to work through us and lift us up.
4. He chose to suffer the worst, for me…us…all sinners.
5. He is the great I AM!
Right now I don’t have any idea…what my next step is as You prepare me for the next stage in this life.
But these things my soul knows very well:
1. You have a purpose for me and it is good. At this point I am a wife, mother and teacher. What is next?
2. You provide all my needs, not my wants but my needs. You led me to the grants and scholarships for my degree and licenses before.
3. Your plans never “hurt me.” They do stretch me, draw me closer to you, show me how much you love me.
4. That you will prepare me fully; but I need to trust you.
5. That whatever the next season holds for me, it will be amazing, made just for me, and You (God) will be with me whether I feel your presence or not.
I don’t know what God has planned for my marriage or how to encourage my husband in this season of life.
I know
1. God loves me
2. He has a plan
3. He is in control
4. He says to me “Do not Fear”
5. I have to trust Him.
I have no idea how God will reconcile our family and provide a job for my husband.
My soul knows very well that :
He is the author and finisher of my faith
He is the Alpha and Omega. He who has begun a good work in you will finish it. He loves me. He is working in my situation because he loves me and wants to.
a). The direction my adult children will choose for their vocation, life, will they press on in their faith or give up?
b).1. He did not give up me, even when I did not know Him.
2. Some things it is best I do not know- good or bad, my heart could not take it at that ‘want to know’ time.
3. It is a miracle I survived what I did and gifted with children to parent.
4. If i who had to hunt down crumbs to survive- and did, why do i think my kids won’t hunt, and find their own tasty crumbs?
5. I only have today, I will rejoice and be glad in it, and in it- alone!
Right now I don’t have any idea if my CT scan will show if cancer has returned.
But these things my soul knows very well
1. When I don’t know how to pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes for me
2. All things work for good for those who love the Lord
3. God can take the my ashes and make them beauty
4. He will complete the good work He has started in me
5. The Lord has surrounded me with wonderful family and friends.
Right now, I have no idea how I’ll get through the holidays, get my girl through a big event in January, welcome my first grand-baby (complicated pregnancy), graduate my baby girl from high school all while unfolding painful layers of issues regarding compulsive behavior and it’s consequences.
1. I know my husband loves me.
2. I know The Lord has provided for and protected me tenderly and tenaciously for 48 years.
3. I know The Lord goes with me wherever I go and He goes before me to prepare the way (I move a lot!).
4. I know The Lord helped me mother my children. I needed it desperately and He did it through a broken jar of clay.
5. I know I need more of Him, His people, and His Word.
Right now I don’t have any idea…how long God is going to leave us in this very, very small town where we don’t have a church home and we don’t have any friends. At all. Where loneliness overwhelms me on a weekly, sometimes daily basis.
But these things my soul knows very well: God is still on the throne and Jesus is at His right hand; when God says no to a job in a better location, He has a way better yes waiting for us; I would be nothing without my salvation;
I know that my Redeemer lives (!); Jesus is worthy of praise.
Right now I have no idea why it seems that I am a puzzle piece and seem to always feel as if I am in the wrong puzzle box.
In my soul, I know that God has placed me specifically in the job I now have.
In my soul, I know that God made this puzzle piece and sees how I fit.
In my soul, I know God does not call us to be normal, so I should not “fit.”
In my soul, I know that God is calling me to love others without the protective parameters I have put around my life.
In my soul, I know that I am God’s daughter and He will run to meet me every time, with arms open wide.
Praise God for you, Teri! I really appreciate the five things your soul knows very well. Thanks for sharing. God bless you richly!
1) Right now I don’t know what is going on at my church or what to do….
2)But these things my soul knows is: God is not wringing his hands over this and it will be ok.
Right now I donāt have any ideaā¦ whether or not we will continue our foster care journey and add to our family.
But these things my soul knows very well:
1. If I ask for wisdom, God will give it. (James 1)
2. If I rest in the shadow of the Most High, I will find rest. (Psalms 91:1)
3. I can trust God even when I don’t understand WHY certain things are happening.
4. God has a better understanding of what is going on.
5. No matter how hard, God is not apathetic to my plight, He knows, and understands and hurts with me.
Right now I don’t have any idea…how God’s going to heal this heart and satisfy me completely.
5 Things I KNOW:
1) God is real
2) God is using this to make me beautiful, to look more like Christ
3) God is using me and prior struggles to comfort and help others
4) Spending time with Him and being honest are essential for redemption
5) He will always come get me if (and when!) I stray
Right now I don’t have any idea … when and how I’m going to get out of the job I’m in now. And why so many brilliant, wonderful, creative people are unsaved.
Five things I know well:
– God doesn’t sleep. He is always available.
– God hears me, even when what I’m saying is nothing more than a thought or a whimper in my heart.
– God is responsive.
– God is the way, the truth, the life, the only thing that makes sense.
– God is in control. His hands never slip from the wheel.
1. Right now I donāt have any idea why my life is structured the way it is.
2. But these things my soul knows very well:
1) Jesus knows me inside-out, upside-down and backwards.
2) I will one day understand and be awed by what He has done with me.
3) This is all over “tomorrow.”
4) He isn’t making one shadow of an error with me.
5)He loves my children more than me and can take care of them better than me.
Right now I don’t have any idea:
….if my husband will ever be cured of his mental illness.
But these things my soul knows very well:
– God has spared the life of my son twice.
– God put us together as man and wife for a reason.
– I know God talks to me.
– I am sure God has gifted me to do the hard work of
addiction counseling.
– I am broken-hearted over my husbands mental illness
and the lack of help we can get from the medical
profession because we don’t have money or insurance.
Right now I donāt have any idea how we are going to be able to make it…spiritually, financially, emotionally. So many problems in so many areas. Right now, it is hard to feel like God cares, but I know that: 1. He has said He will never leave me, 2. He says this is for my good, 3. If I don’t have strength to get through the day, He does, and 4. He will have to carry us, and 5. His strength is manifest in our weakness. I cannot see these things at the moment, but I know that He is faithful to His Word and I cling to that and Him. We Truly, at the moment at least, have no one but Him.
Right now I don’t know how I’ll enjoy the holidays with my husband deployed and no other family support.
Things I am sure of:
1. He loves me
2. He is faithful to me
3. Some of Gods best work is putting us together:)
4. Deployments end, love doesn’t
5. I am so lucky and blessed. Just very lonely right now.
Praying that God will fill your heart with His peace and joy. He promised that He is with us and that He would be with us to the end. Be blessed and encouraged sister, knowing God has many miracles in store for you and yours, just believe.
God Bless you!!
How I will ever get my family of 7 (my husband and 5 children) to the mission field and if that truly is God’s calling for us.
1. Life on planet earth is difficult. 2. God’s word is truth. 3. God is for me. 4. He has given me a purpose (though often I don’t know what it is). 5. I love Jesus. But sometimes his name is all I can utter.
1. Right now I donāt have any idea how long it will take before I am back to my happy-go-lucky self and am healed from my grief.
2. But these things my soul knows well.
ā¢ My God is a Healer IN HIS TIME
ā¢ My God has never, even in the darkness, left my
side and NOTHING that ever happens to me can make
me turn away from Him.
ā¢ My God has a purpose and a plan for meāeven now.
ā¢ My God will always be found when I seek Him.
ā¢ I would have lost heart unless I had believed
that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the
Land of the Living.
Thank you for this exercise Beth!
Right now I don’t have any idea… if I’m doing all that God wants me to do, as far as my calling and purpose is concerned.
But these things my soul knows very well… 1. God is real. 2. He is always with me. 3. He has always been, and always will be, faithful to provide my needs. 4.I am His beloved child and nothing can ever change that. 5.EVERYTHING works out for my good in the end, even if I don’t see it at the time, because that’s what God does for His children. Looking back on every situation, I see where He has brought something good, even out of something bad.
Right now I don’t have any idea how to proceed to look for housing and help my 80 year old mama with dementia and possible cancer.
But my soul knows very well:
1. God is sovereign over all the sky and earth.
2. His Spirit lives in me.
3. My Lord is merciful.
4. His Word is living and active.
5. God is faithful.
Right now I donāt have any idea when or whether the other shoe will drop. Though it’s not perfect, my life is so packed with blessings, and I’m pestered by worry that my fair share of heartache is lurking somewhere in the future, just waiting for me to get there.
BUT, these things my soul knows very well: That God is GOOD. Good is who He is; he cannot fail to be good, forever and completely. That God is for me. He applies his unfailing goodness to my life by working every aspect of it for my good, as he does all who love him. That God is with me. Day in and out, every moment, regardless of location or activity or awareness. That God is patient. When I am impatient and short-sighted, leading me to be frustrated and discouraged, he is patient with me. Even when I’m downright rebellious, he waits, administering loving discipline and grace. That God is the source of all wisdom. We like to claim intelligence and knowledge as human traits, but God owns all good things. He increases my hunger and thirst for his wisdom, and I learn from him whenever I seek him.
Right now I have no idea…what God’s plan is for my life, whether it’s going overseas or staying and going on short term trips.
But these things my soul does know quite well…
1-He is always always always faithful to provide. No matter what huge thing might have happened, He always provides exactly what I need. It might not happen when I expect, but it does happen, always.
2-Even the mis-steps of the past couple of years have been guided by Him. Every path and step has taught me a valuable life lesson, that I probably wouldn’t have learned otherwise.
3-When I get down and depressed about still being single and with no prospect even in sight, that God is still working on my behalf. And just because I can’t see it yet, I know that He is coming up with the best plan for my life.
4-When I don’t feel like worshipping, that is the time that I need to get on my knees and worship all the harder. Every time that I have done this, it makes it so much sweeter.
5-All things truly do work for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose. There are so many times that I look back on something and realize exactly what He brought me out of. I am so thankful and blessed.
These things my soul knows full well. š
Right now I donāt have any idea how I will continue to support myself and daughter financially or emotionally, especially through this holiday season.
Five things I know deep in my soulā¦
There is a tender lesson in this season for me. God has never asked me to go without or put something down without sowing an abundant harvest out of it. That is the lessonā¦the tenderness in it? He hears my cries, sees my heart, and ordained the outcome! Amen.
All His provisions are perfect, and I have no reason to fear. Godās provision for me has never failed, either a portion of the Word here, an answered prayer there, a soft whisper when the answer is no, He is always faithful to me. Unfathomable to me!!!
I grow weary and impatient waiting in His will. That is something I need to be deliberate about asking for forgiveness. It is one thing to say I strive for His will in my life, and I desire nothing less, but it is an entirely different thing to do it joyfully!
Christ is my salvation, my ransom has been paid in fullā¦period! (exclamation point :)) If I want to stand in His armor, on His rock, I must stand in truthā¦I am only as captive as my secrets.
My hope eternal gets me through the most difficult moments and days. The very thought of looking upon Jesusā face one day is very overwhelming for me. It can bring so much joy my chest feels it will burst, my eyes sting of tears, I canāt contain the praise my mouth wants to shout out!!
One thing I do not know is what my future holds…. to elaborate, I have 2 jobs right now. One as a hairstylist which I love and one as a youth pastor which I love too and feel called to do as well. I don’t always want to have two jobs, but financially I am blessed to be able to do hair so I can minister. When will this craziness of 2 jobs end so I can focus on my family more (doing hair is working every saturday and evenings and my oldest goes to kindergarden next year….yikes!) I am afraid I will never see them with my work schedule!
But 5 things I do know….. 1. The Lord has never left me… I know that and feel it. 2. I am head over heels for my husband 3. I love my 2 boys so much it scares me 4. I have a passion to teach the Word 5. On my mind 24/7 is the church, it drives me.
Right now I donāt have any ideaā¦ how I could ever be like others where they have a home and love and family they belong to.
But these things my soul knows very well:
1) God, Jesus, is good.
2) There is really goodness (light, truth, love — goodness) in Jesus, it’s a reality.
3) Jesus is my savior.
4) My daughter loves me.
5) My life is, or has been, better than I have deserved.
Right now I don’t have any idea if I or my baby will make it through this pregnancy in one piece.
But these things my soul knows very well:
1. God is Sovreign and in control
2. God is in authority over my body and can call every cell into submission
3. God loves me so much and has a GOOD plan for me
4. God already knows and loves my baby boy
5. He will never leave me, no matter how dark it gets
Right now I have no idea why the answers are so hard to find!
I know that I am saved for eternal glory
I know that God loves me – I really do know this!
I know that Good will prevail in the end
I know that my children are a gift
I know that this world is full of God’s secrets yet to be revealed