²⁰ For as many as are the promises of God, in Christ they are [all answered] “Yes.” So through Him we say our “Amen” to the glory of God.

The promises of God are certain, even when we are uncertain.

PSALM: Just as I am 1835
Charlotte Eliott (1789-1871)

Just as I am Thou wilt receive
Wilt welcome pardon cleanse relieve
Because Thy Promise I believe
O Lamb of God I come I come

Like Charlotte, I believe that Jesus promises that just as I am, he will receive, welcome, pardon, cleanse, and relieve me.

PARABLE:  Sitting on my porch steps until dark waiting for my father to pick me up for a visit as he promised. Tears of disappointment burned my cheek for the last time. Excuses would no longer be accepted. I vowed not to believe in promises.

I didn’t realize that this vow would impact my ability to trust others for years to come. In fact, it would impact my trust in God. The incident would cause the chronic questions of “Where are you? Do I matter? Will you REALLY come through for me?” to play like a broken record in my mind whenever life happens.

I confess that circumstances and challenges have a way of rewinding the broken record and bringing me back to the question of who God is in my life. It produces the spiritual delusion that God will not keep His promise. Even though I know it is a LIE playing on the reel of deception that seeks to kill, steal, and destroy my intimacy with God, sometimes the tune still plays and I harmonize with the lie. 

When it does, I have to erase the tune by taking those thoughts into captivity. I have to stand on the truth that Jesus, the Lamb of God, made the promise with His sacrificial life that assures me that even in my doubt, He will receive, welcome, pardon, cleanse, and relieve me of my fears, JUST AS I am.  

No need to do anything FIRST. Right in my deepest moment of doubt, I can come to Jesus. This is a promise I can trust.

Soul care training exercise:  The songwriter uses many words to describe the dependability of Jesus. Take a moment and slowly read the words: receive, welcome, pardon, cleanse, and relieve.  Ponder the question In this moment, what truth do I most need to know about Jesus’ promises? Reflect and let the Holy Spirit reveal to you whether you need to be received, welcomed, pardoned, cleansed, or relieved.

Notice without judgment and with a curious awareness of what comes to your mind. Invite God into your sanctified imagination. Ask Him to bring to your attention what He wants you to know.

• Next scan your mind and notice what the Holy Spirit is sharing that you need to know, hear, or do as you come to Jesus just as you are in this moment. Expand your thoughts, it may be something you never heard told this way before.
• Finally, Focus on what you see and hear. With a breath of assurance, breathe in and breathe out and accept what Jesus is offering to you.

PRAYER: Jesus, I come just as I am knowing you are waiting with welcoming arms to receive me. Pardon me for my sins and thoughts of doubt. Cleanse me from my mistrust and deceptive thoughts. Relieve me of my anxiousness and worry.  I believe in your promise.  Even in moments when my mind doubts, my heart reassures me that I can come, Just as I am.  In the loving name of Jesus I pray, Amen. 

PRAISE: Now that you have emptied your mind of the clutter and wandered with Jesus, take a closing moment to thank Jesus that no matter what, you can come Just as you are. Then take the mindfulness of Jesus’ Presence in these last few minutes of wandering into the next ones and beyond.

Until next time, be Resonant.

The post He promised appeared first on Resonant 7.

Take five minutes Bonus Guided Meditation He Promised.

Image attributions:  Text art app with words added

Matthew 11:28-29 Amplified

²⁸ “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation]. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (renewal, blessed quiet) for your souls.

We have an inevitable invitation to come to Jesus. He beckons us. The outcome is rest.

PSALM: Just as I am 1835
Charlotte Eliott (1789-1871)

Just as I am without one plea
But that Thy Blood was shed for me
And that Thou bidd’st me come to Thee
O Lamb of God I come I come

Charlotte experienced days of uselessness and loneliness as she lived out an illness that left her disabled. Though she sometimes battled depression, she knew to come to Jesus just as she was when she experienced the darkest nights of her soul.

PARABLE: I can still see the vivid image of my arms reached out to my daughter beckoning her to come and to take her first step into my arms. As a baby born prematurely with a heart condition and severe asthma, I was unwilling to do anything but carry her. One day my husband challenged me and suggested that I had to stop carrying her and to let her walk in order to let her grow. While I knew his guidance was correct, it took several weeks for me to begin to try out his wisdom. I was afraid that she might fall and hurt herself. I was afraid that she may have an asthma attack. Most truly, I was afraid to not be in control of her safety. 

Finally, I was convinced to place our daughter on a VERY padded blanket, stretch my arms out, and whisper “come here.” It took a few tries but within minutes with a grin of accomplishment on her face, she was waddling over to my outstretched arms. She was not afraid. She knew I was attentive to her safety and that she could rely on me to pick her up if she feel down. She knew how to get to me all along, she was just waiting for an invitation for me to let her come.

This imagery of outstretched hands and a waddling infant taking their first steps reminds me of the promise and invitation of Jesus that invites us to come to Him and He will give us rest. This is not a condition-based invitation, all we need to do is respond to Jesus pleas for us to come here, just as I am. There is no expectation that we come in a particular manner. We can come when we don’t feel good enough. We can come when we feel haughty. We can come when we are afraid. We can come when we are full of courage. We can come when we feel undeserving. We can come when we feel entitled. Jesus is not concerned about how we come. He wants us to come just as we are, no judgement, and no desire to change how we feel in that moment. His saving blood has made a pallet of love, mercy and grace that will catch us when we fall. We can come to Him, especially when we are weary but even we are not and we will find rest.

Soul care training exercise:  Some areas of life are easier to trust God than in others. God’s name is trust. Take a moment and turn your attention to coming to Jesus. Ponder the question What am I bringing with me today as I come to Jesus? Reflect and let the Holy Spirit reveal to you what God wants to reveal to you about the condition in which you are coming to Jesus.

Notice without judgment and with a curious awareness of what comes to your mind. Invite God into your sanctified imagination. Ask Him to bring to your attention what He wants you to know.

• Next scan your mind and notice what the Holy Spirit is sharing that you need to know, hear, or do as you come to Jesus just as you are in this moment. Expand your thoughts, it may be something you never heard told this way before.
• Finally, Focus on what you see and hear. With a breath of thanksgiving, breathe in, breathe out, and rest in the arms of Jesus.

PRAYER: Jesus, thank you that like a little child, I can run to you. Your arms are always outstretched. You will catch me when I stumble. You do not require any conditions of me to come. Your invitation is unending and unconditional. Thank you for your fulfilled promise of rest.  In the loving name of Jesus I pray, Amen. 

PRAISE: Now that you have emptied your mind of the clutter and wandered with Jesus, take a closing moment to praise God for His invitation to come and His promise to find rest. Then take the mindfulness of Jesus’ Presence in these last few minutes of wandering into the next ones and beyond.

Until next time, be Resonant.

The post Come here appeared first on Resonant 7.

Take five minutes Bonus Guided Meditation Come and Rest.

Image attributions:  Text art app with words added

Proverbs 3:5-6 amplified

Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart
And do not rely on your own insight or understanding.
⁶ In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him,
And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way waters.

Our trust in God is based on His identity. He is Adonai, Yahweh, Jehovah.  Period.

PSALM: O Worship the King 1561
William Kethe (?-1594); Robert Grant (1779-1838)

Frail children of dust and feeble as frail
In thee do we trust nor find Thee to fail
Thy mercies how tender how firm to the end
Our Maker Defender Redeemer and Friend

Grant proclaims that God’s mercy is tender, firm, and enduring. We can trust that God is our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend. We can trust in His name, His character, and His being.

PARABLE: Identity matters. It brands us. It establishes how others see us. It determines how we see ourselves. In this world of identity theft, fake news, Photoshop, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms, we can’t always trust that someone is who they say they are or who their image portrays them to be. 

Instead of assuming what we see is true, we must let people GAIN trust and find themselves trustworthy. They must go through a trust hierarchy. The first level of trust is deterrence-based trust.  It is based on rules and consequences that govern behavior. This rules-based trust is the basic level of trust. The next level of trust is knowledge-based trust. It is based on experiences that add up to prove that you have enough knowledge of the person’s behavior to have a good idea of how they will react and behave. The final level of trust is identity-based trust. This is the most intimate level of trust and is based on relationship, the understanding of loyalty, acceptance, and understanding. It is reserved for the most important people in our lives. It is where we can be transparent and vulnerable. 

Identity-based trust is the kind of trust we can have in God. We can confidently rely on God our Creator to make a way for us, our Defender–to defend us in the battle of life, our Redeemer–to give us His redeeming grace and turn around our mistakes, and our Friend–to be our constant friend. Like a frail soldier being brought in from the battlefield leaning on his mates with each arm counting on them to bring him to safety, we can be certain and rest on the arms of the Holy Spirit and lean on the everlasting arms of Jesus to carry us to God our Refuge where we are safe!

Soul care training exercise:  Some areas of life are easier to trust God than in others. God’s name is trust. Take a moment and turn your attention to seeking the loving Presence of God. Ponder the question What part of God’s character am I most confident in – Maker, Defender, Redeemer, or Friend? Reflect and let the Holy Spirit reveal to you what God wants to say to you about how you most trust God’s identity within your life.

Notice without judgment and with a curious awareness of what comes to your mind. Invite God into your sanctified imagination. Ask Him to bring to your attention what He wants you to know.

• Next scan your mind and notice what the Holy Spirit is sharing that you need to know, hear, or do to fully depend on God’s whole being with your whole being. Expand your thoughts, it may be something you never heard told this way before.
• Finally, Focus on what you see and hear. Allow praise to form within you. Take a deep breath in and release a song unto the Lord.

PRAYER: Father, you are my Creator, my Defender, my Redeemer, and my Friend. Help me to trust your whole character with my whole being. Empower me to confidently rely on, confide in, trust in, secure my hope in, and lean into YOU.  In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen. 

PRAISE: Now that you have emptied your mind of the clutter and wandered with Jesus, take a closing moment to praise God for being a trustworthy Creator, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend. Then take the mindfulness of God’s glorious glow in these last few minutes of wandering into the next ones and beyond.

Until next time, be Resonant.

The post Identity Matters appeared first on Resonant 7.

Image attributions:  Text art app with words added

Psalm 104

Praise the Lord, my Soul
Lord my God, you are great;
The Lord wraps Himself in light as with a garment;
He stretches out the heavens like a tent and
lays the beams of His upper chambers on their waters.

God, our Creator you are magnificent. Your glorious might and grace are not something I can keep silent about. I must share the story of your glow.

PSALM: O Worship the King 1561
William Kethe (?-1594); Robert Grant (1779-1838)

O tell of His might O sing of His grace
Whose robe is the light whose canopy space
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form
And dark is His path on the wings of the storm

Grant’s writing was influenced by William Kethe’s paraphrase of Psalm 104 in the Anglo-Genevan Psalter. Psalm 104 begins with the invitation to Praise the Lord, my Soul. Both authors agreed the story of God’s mighty, marvelous, and gracious works should be shared.

PARABLE:  I sat on the hot sand with my great-nieces, scooping the sand with our hands and trying to count the morsels. The waves of the Atlantic Ocean turned the sand into a thick mud clay that we formed into a heart. The grains of sand are too many to count. The waves of the ocean are too mysterious to judge. The big waves that seem as though they are going to overtake you gently land at the foot of the sand statue. The small waves that appear as if they will stop before reaching the sand wash up past the shore. 

The light and warmth of the sun kisses our skin and darkens our melanin. Eventually, without warning, the warm waves wash away the sand statue and leave our bodies cloaked with sand that takes days to find and even longer to cleanse. Our tans, our glow, our smiles tell the story that we experienced something marvelous. There is no figuring out the wonders of the sand and sea. We realize that the sand is not there for us to count. The waves are not there for us to predict. Both are just marvelous works for us to enjoy and opportunities for us to create stories that we can share.

We marvel at the encounter. We recognize that the mighty SON, full of grace and love, has shown on us. We are reminded of His SON kisses when we see the canopy of stars by night and the light of the sun by day. When we hear the roar of thunder and feel the cleansing rain. When we hear the giggle of a child and see the tears of the parent. The residue of his loving mercy, compassion and grace leaves traces of His touch and a glow of His Presence that we can’t trace. Our glow, our joy tell the story that we experienced something marvelous. It prompts the response of praise! We have to share the story of His mighty works.

There is no figuring out the wonders of God’s love. Unending grace is not for us to count. God’s mighty acts are not for us to predict. All are just marvelous works of His hand and opportunities for us to share the story of His glow so that others too may praise His wondrous works! What story will you tell of God’s marvelous works? What song will you sing of His gracious love? 

Soul care training exercise:  Take a moment and turn your attention to seeking the loving Presence of God. Ponder the question What story can I share of God’s marvelous, mighty, and gracious acts? Reflect and let the Holy Spirit reveal to you what God wants to say to you about the story of His mighty and marvelous acts and gracious love?

Notice without judgment and with a curious awareness of what comes to your mind. Invite God into your sanctified imagination. Ask Him to bring to your attention what He wants you to know.

• Next scan your mind and notice what the Holy Spirit is sharing that you need to know, hear, or do to share the story of His mighty, marvelous, and gracious love. Expand your thoughts, it may be something you never heard told this way before.
• Finally, Focus on what you see and hear. Allow praise to form within you. Take a deep breath in and release a song unto the Lord.

PRAYER: Father, you are the Great Creator. Help me to notice the glow of your glory and to share the story of your wondrous and mighty works and gracious love. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen. 

PRAISE: Now that you have emptied your mind of the clutter and wandered with Jesus, take a closing moment to praise God for a good ending. Then take the mindfulness of God’s glorious glow in these last few minutes of wandering into the next ones and beyond.

Until next time, be Resonant.

The post This is how the story ends appeared first on Resonant 7.

BONUS REFLECTION: Take five minutes to listen to the Share the Glory Story guided meditation.

Image attributions:  Text art app with words added

²⁸ And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose.

Because God is the author and finisher of our narrative, we have the blessed assurance of how the story ends.

PSALM: Blessed Assurance 1873
Fanny Crosby (1820-1915) 

This is my Story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long

Fanny Crosby’s story sang of trust in God. Even though she could not see the sparrow, she was certain that God watched over it. Even though she could not see the wandering sheep, she was certain that God would guide it back to safety. Even though she could not see with her physical eyes, her spiritual eyes could see beyond her circumstance and knew with certainty that God never stops working for our story to have a GOOD ending.

PARABLE:  

In the answer to our story, all of the above is true.

A. God, our Healer heals every concern of the mind, body, and soul for the Miracle Worker is working for our GOOD

B. Jesus, our Wonderful Counselor gives us knowledge, wisdom, and understanding for every circumstance for the Way Maker is working for our GOOD

C. Holy Spirit, our Comforter, and Guide will be our Light in the Darkness for He is leading us to the truth that ALL things are working for our GOOD

D. All of the Above

Time after time, story after story, God’s promises ARE TRUE and He will always be faithful to make things work for your GOOD. The ending is the same every time. The story ends for your good, well, planned, and in a way that points to His love for you. This is the story of the believer. Even when darkness tries to overshadow the light, it must fail. This is how the story ends. Even when grief chases you from sun up to sundown, it will grow weary from being chased by God’s peace. This is how the story ends. Even when loneliness whispers in the midnight hour, it will be silenced by the Presence of God. This is how the story ends. Even in the transitional time between hope and despair, healing will transpire. This is how the story ends. 

Jesus is the narrator of our story. His death, burial, and resurrection confirmed that all things are working for our good. This is our story. 

So… when you find yourself waiting, like Crosby, invite your spiritual eyes to see the ending that shows His faithful, powerful, and gracious, glory. Bring your thoughts back to this reality and let your life tell the story. Even during frustrations, pain, and draining times, lean into the dominion of God and tell the story of patience, perseverance, peace, and the promise that it IS working for your good. Cry if you must then tell the story. Stomp if you must, then tell the story. Lament if you must, then tell the story. Skip to the end of the chapter, read the ending first. Offer a song of praise that the only option for your story ending is GOOD.

What is your story? What is your song? 

Soul care training exercise:  Take a moment and turn your attention to seeking the loving Presence of God. Ponder the question What is my story? Since you already know the ending, how will you tell the story? 

• Reflect and let the Holy Spirit reveal to you what God wants to say to you about your story.
  • Notice without judgment and with a curious awareness of what comes to your mind. Invite God into your sanctified imagination. Ask Him to bring to your attention what He wants you to know about your story.
• Next scan your mind and notice what the Holy Spirit is sharing that you need to know, hear, or do to share your story. Expand your thoughts, it may be something you never heard told this way before.
• Finally, Focus on your breath. As you breathe in remember that the Holy Spirt, the Breath of Life, is breathing within you the fresh, pure, perfect love of God.

PRAYER: Jesus, you are the narrator of my story that ends with ALL things working for my good. Help me to trust the ending even when I can’t see it. Help me to share the GOOD ending with others. 

PRAISE: Now that you have emptied your mind of the clutter and wandered with Jesus, take a closing moment to praise God for a good ending. Then take the mindfulness of God’s ending with you in these last few minutes of wandering into the next ones and beyond.

Until next time, be Resonant.

The post This is how the story ends appeared first on Resonant 7.

BONUS REFLECTION: Take five minutes to listen to the What is My Story guided meditation.

Image attributions:  Text art app with words added