Sunday, January 23, 2011

Where does my help come from?

I am humbled.

I am grateful.

And, I am in awe of the rich, rich blessing of faithful friends & family that the Lord has bestowed upon my family. Thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness, for your mercy, & for your grace!

As most of you know, my dad & I started our trek to move me to Washington, D.C., a week ago Saturday. What a sweet time it was for me to spend with my daddy! But, as we were driving across Tennessee, unbeknownst to either of us, Dad had a stroke.

But, here's the thing--because of the omniscient & sovereign God we serve, Dad is having some of the best care in one of the best facilities during a time of rehabilitation like this. Mom is able to be there with him without having to wear herself out driving back & forth to Snyder. And, though it might be hard on the girls & I, we know God is true to His promises, & He will not leave nor forsake us.

I'm here to tell you--the power of prayer is as evident to me now as it has ever been.

Everyone kept calling, texting, & "facebooking" me talking about how hard & terrifying it must have been & how proud they were of me for taking care of Dad. Please hear me when I say I'm SO grateful & SO thankful for the sweet words of encouragement, but also hear me when I say it had NOTHING to do with me.

The moment I entered the E.R., I had quickly text two of my "Prayer Warriors" to start praying. With only a minimal level of yelling & slight threatening on my part (ha!), Dad was quickly placed in an examination room. The Lord has had His sovereign hand in every aspect of the whole situation. We were given a phenomenal doctor & though many tears of uncertainty were shed, we knew that HIS grace was sufficient.

And, I KNOW it was because of the prayers that began the moment we entered the ER.

The outpouring of love, prayers & blessings from our family & friends is almost unfathomable. We had complete strangers visiting Dad's room praying over him & reassuring us of the unsurpassing peace of our God. We were constantly getting calls & messages of people praying for us. Thank you, each one of you, for approaching the throne of grace on our behalf! We have been truly humbled.

For me, my heart was touched the most when one of my dad's friends flew out to Tennessee to continue the trip with me. I pray the Lord blesses him & his family a hundred-fold for the love & support they've shown my family. I wish I was a better writer & could better put in to words the gratefulness I feel in my heart. :)

Dad is progressing more & more everyday, and if you ask me, Mom's enjoying the vacation (though I KNOW she misses her students AND could probably stand to have something more comfy than that slim fold-out bed at the hospital!!).

I'm settling well in Alexandria, Virginia, & will start work next week.

There's a passage that I want to share--I turned it over and over again in my mind as I was standing in the ER waiting for Dad to get a room, and continue to reflect on it as the days pass. I hope you find the overwhelming peace through it as I have:


I lift up my eyes to the mountains--where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven & earth.

He will not let your foot slip--he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD watches over you--the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm--He will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming & going both now & forevermore.

Psalm 121

Monday, January 3, 2011

...for such a time as this?

The past 7 months of my life were a whirlwind.

An extremely fast-paced, crazy, messy whirlwind--of emotion, of learning, of understanding & growth. Four years ago, you couldn't have paid me a million bucks to believe I'd be doing what I am today.

My life is moving in a different direction than I planned, but if there's one concept that I'm truly beginning to understand, it is this: the Lord is constantly on the move, and I can choose to be a part of his work or not--but, rest assured, His will WILL be done...with or without me. So, though I'm pretty clueless of the direction the Lord is taking me, of one thing I'm sure, as long as I'm seeking His face, I can't go wrong.

I guess I keep expecting His plan to come in the mail in a nice little envelope with the return address reading, "Heaven." Though there is so much uncertainty, I know my life is in the hands of a perfect God. So, I think I'm just going to calm down, relax, and enjoy the ride He is taking me on.

Since I left Kansas City in November, I've had some decisions to make. Do I take the first job offered to me? Do I go back to school? Do I wait?

I didn't know what to do. But, I felt the Lord saying--wait. Just wait. Trust me--I've got it under control.

If you truly know me, you know my level of patience. If you don't know me, let me tell you--it's not very high. So, when I heard God saying wait, I got scared. But, let me tell you, Paul isn't lying when he says God's peace surpasses all understanding... it does! So...

I prayed. I listened. I cried. I worried. I prayed. I listened. I cried. I worried. I was anxious. I questioned. Then, He led me to a place where I simply relaxed & basked in the promise of His faithfulness.

Here's the thing--in spite of my initial lack of faith, the Lord was faithful, and in His time--He delivered (see bottom of post).

Through the past several months, Esther has been on my mind---

I've known the story & heard the phrase "for such a time as this" since I was a child, but I hadn't understood its application to my life until about 8 months ago. As time has passed, the Holy Spirit has revealed more truth to me through this beautiful story of a young woman's faithfulness to her people.

If you've never read the story of Esther, please read it (click here)!

But, let me give you a quick summary & tell you what the Lord's been trying to teach me:

Esther becomes a Persian queen (her hubby obviously didn't know she was a Jew). Long story short, her people (the Jews) are going to be annihilated by the King (her husband). So, Esther, being the queen & all, can either place her life in jeopardy by asking the King to spare her people or she can sit & remain silent.

For me,the climax of the story comes when her uncle says to her, For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14

Two things--
1. The Lord will deliver the Jews. Esther can choose to be a vessel for the Lord or not.
2. Maybe the Lord made Esther queen for nothing else but to complete this task.

What does this mean for Glyn?
1. The Lord will further His Kingdom--with or without me.
2. The Lord has placed me exactly where I am for this very moment (such a time as this). So, the question is, how will I react to this truth?

Am I looking for His work? Or, am I so caught up in life from day to day that I'm avoiding or missing what He lays in front of me?

God is busy working on the hearts & minds of His people. He so desperately wants us to join in His work--not because he needs us... but, because he wants to use us for His glory. If we consistently miss or avoid these opportunities, we are missing out on the rich blessings He has stored for us!!

My prayer is that I take captive every moment & situation He places me in--& that I will boldly, consistently, & unapologetically approach the throne of grace, seeking His will & understanding, as He purifies & refines me (Malachi 3, Revelation 3:7-13).

It's not easy. The Lord is working in mighty ways all around me--how do I know where to go? It really is so hard, and if I ever figure out how to decipher His will with complete certainty, I'll let you know.

All I know is that I must step out on faith. I must seek Him through His word & follow where I feel His prompting.

Right now, He has opened another door for me...one I definitely didn't expect--I'm going to work full time for Eagle Forum, & I'm moving to Washington, D.C.