At the end of March I had an awesome opportunity to go on the women's retreat with my mom. It was such a richly blessed weekend where God poured out His Word to us and we were all refreshed, revived, uplifted and encouraged! God is so good to us and His desire is for us. He just wants everything within us to be so captivated by Him. "I am my beloved's and his desire is toward me." (Song of Solomon 7:10). He wants us to be completely and utterly devoted to Him. It's mind-boggling to think how much God loves and cares for us.
The theme for the retreat was the faithfulness of God. And oh how I needed to be reminded that my God is faithful! Isn't it somewhat funny how quickly we forget the faithfulness of God. I always forget the things I should remember and constantly remember the things that I should forget. I know I forget so often and I begin to rely on my understanding and stress out and all the while God is right there saying, "I am the Faithful One and no matter what, I will be true to my Word and I will do what I have promised to do. So dear child, stand firm on My promises and believe with all your heart that your Daddy is faithful and He will come through. I love it when you trust in Me and believe that I will do it. I love it when your heart is completely dependent on Me. I am with you always. I am the Faithful One." Oh what beautiful comforting words from my Father.
Pamela Markey was the main speaker for the weekend and God definitely spoke through her. It's so wonderful to see a women who is so captivated by the Lord that all that she reflects is Jesus. I loved her instantly! And it just so happens that she was born in Zimbabwe and lived there until she was 17. Her parents were missionaries in Zimbabwe and she still has family out there. She later moved to America and started a family of her own. She has been a missionary in Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan and now Hungary. Her story is one of how God has kept her through many things but still she has seen His faithfulness and goodness in it all. I was so touched to hear how the Lord took her through the fires and through the storms and in it all she learnt how to completely abide in Jesus, the true Vine. He sustained her and gave her unsurpassable joy when she lost her husband. She knows about the faithfulness of God. We all do. But do we remember it and does it spur us on to trust Him all the more?
She talked about different Bible characters such as Job and Esther who lived their lives with "wild abandonment" to God. Wild abandonment is the place where one can say, "...though He may slay me, yet I will trust in Him." or "...if I perish, I perish." These people could say such things because they trusted in the faithfulness of their God. I want that unwavering faith, that cautionless faith. The faith that will do anything because it knows that with God nothing is impossible.
Spurgeon said, "God's past faithfulness demands our present trust." I have seen the Lord's faithfulness over and over again in my life and now I'm being faced with many decisions and I'm learning to trust in the Lord's faithfulness with a reckless abandonment. There's a lot of pressure but I'm pressing into Him. Decisions, decisions and more decisions. Only He can keep doors open or keep doors closed so I walk in faith knowing that He will open and close the right doors. So whether I stay or whether I go... Great is thy faithfulness O God my Father.
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
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