Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
This is one of my favorite scriptures and such a constant reminder.
As I turned 28 over a week ago, I have had many memories flood my mind.
Memories of all the moments of Gods faithfulness in my life, even at times when I didn’t always see it.
Everyone of us has moments of doubt, sometimes we are even faithless, we fail to trust, but we know that scriptures reveal to us that when we are faithless, he will remain faithful.
God never promised the road would be easy, and he never promised that we would journey without pain, but what he did promise was victory. When we daily choose to walk out the journey God has placed us on, we are challenging our faith.
One thing I have learned through my journey, is to not ask God why me, why now, why the pain, why the disappointment, but to ask God what does he want me to learn from this journey? How does he want me to use my journey to be a blessing? How is my journey going to better my walk with him? Even though it’s hard to ask ourselves those questions sometimes that is all God simply requires of us.
The truth is, He chose me to walk this journey for a reason. It may not be the journey I would of chosen but Gods ways are always higher than ours. Each moment of my life is ordained and each step I take is in the path God has designed for me. Each valley I have walked through has been one more way that God has shown himself mightly to me.
As we enter into this thankful season, there is so much to be thankful for.
I am thankful for the valleys.
Lately my husband and I have been fervently praying and seeking the Lord for direction and guidance for specific areas in our life. Sometimes walking through the valley can bring some of the hardest days and some of the most rewarding days.
Each chapter of our life is slowly being written.
I have walked through the valley several times in my life, and everytime I was reminded of the lessons that I learned, the values I gained, the strength that kept me going, the praise on my lips that fought the battles before me and the prayer that stormed heavens gates on my behalf. For all these reasons, I am thankful.
In the valley we learn what it means to humble ourselves before the Lord. We learn to sacrifice. We learn to pray without ceasing. We learn to have faith as tiny as a mustard seed. We learn what it means to have perseverance. We learn to trust the Lord with our whole heart. We learn what it means when the scripture says that he gives and he takes away. We learn that God still has a plan and purpose. We learn that God has chosen us to walk these valleys for such a time as this. We learn to war. Most importantly we learn that the same God that is with us on the highest mountain top is also the same God that is with us in the valley.
Tyler and I are truly blessed in our marriage. I couldn’t imagine doing this life without him by my side.
We are thankful for the Lords promises. We are thankful that daily we can stand upon his word in prayer. We are thankful that his ways are higher than ours and his plan is greater than what we can even imagine.
Sometimes in life God requires us to wait, and in the waiting he will strengthen our hearts.
Sometimes God requires us to use our pain for his glory.
My heart may be weak at times, but in him I find refuge, peace, and a love of a father that never fails me and never forsakes me. God is not surpised by any of this, rather he is joyful through this journey he has chosen me to walk.
I will daily continue to find joy in the journey and daily I continue to thank God for his faithfulness.
So in these season of thanks. Remind yourself of your own journey. Remind yourself to praise God not only on the mountain top, but in every valley and every season of your life. For it is the praise and power in his name that will overcome and win every battle.
Joy in The Journey 