Joyful Application of the Sovereignity of God

At the beginning of last summer my fifteen year old daughter went on a short term missions trip to New Orleans with several other youth from our church.  They worked with Urban Impact Ministries and Nola Fusion.   click here to learn more about Urban Impact and Nola Fusion.

Upon return those who went gave an excellent report to the church body.   My daughter put her experience in writing.  Below is her words explaining her experience in New Orleans, some of the fears and unknowing she experienced, and how an understanding of the Sovereignty of God and  how realizing all thing are for God's Glory worked to bring her joy and success during her time in New Orleans.  (Note: on the night before my daughter left for New Orleans we learned from the Corps of Engineers that the Missouri River would rise and swell way beyond its banks rising three feet above the floor of our basement.  The night before she left we evacuated our basement and two days later built a three foot levy guarding our walk in basement.  While in New Orleans these things weighed on her mind and worked greater patient endurance than otherwise may have occurred.  Although the flooding of the Missouri River lasted for over three months and the river rose over 21 feet beyond normal the levees built by the Corp, the County and the City all worked to hold the water at bay sparing our home and many others in our community though some dear neighbors lost home and land being on the wrong side of the levee.)

By the Grace of God my Fifteen Year Old's Joyful Application of the Sovereignty of God:

One verse that helped me throughout my trip to New Orleans was my favorite verse from Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”    Knowing that God had a purpose for me on this trip and that it would lead to God’s glory was a great comfort to me since I didn’t really know how the week was going to go.  

   I was a little overwhelmed when I saw all the poverty within five minutes of our drive to the yellow house.

We saw abandoned houses, broken windows, graffiti everywhere, gangs hanging around the city streets, and homeless people wandering around. I didn’t think I was going to see all that in only a couple of minutes. Then, just before we pulled into the yellow house I saw what I thought was a huge gang of kids hanging on the street just before we entered the yellow house, I quickly realized that it was just the other group of kids that came from NE. ;) 

   I had so many worries the first couple of days while I was in New Orleans. I didn’t know how the week was going to lay out, or how I was going to make friends and make my conversations glorifying to God, I was missing my family, and worried about our house, I wasn’t really sure how God was going to work in me during our stay, and I’ve never even done something like this before or even been away from my family for this long, so I didn’t have them to tell me what to think of everything that I was experiencing. Then we found out that we couldn’t call our families every night and I had to be separated into a group away from our church group and with a whole bunch of strangers for parts of the day. In my heart I was angry and frustrated about leaving our church group and having to be with this other group for a whole week!! 

  When we got back to our room that night I took time to lay down and think over everything that was going on. And talk to God about how I should take all this in. He reminded me that God put me here in New Orleans and in the purple group, and that it was wrong of me to be angry at where he has put me. I was put in the purple group to glorify God and that I should be glad and thankful for where God has put me. After that I was rejoicing knowing that he planned for me to be in that group and here in New Orleans and it gave me a sense of relief and a desire to take everything that came my way with joyfulness and thanksgiving because God is in control. 

    The week got better as it went, I started getting more comfortable with my team, and I loved getting to play and know the kids in New Orleans better! Although I missed my family and wanted to call them so desperately, I turned to God and was more dependent on Him. Whenever I was alone or was bothered by my thoughts I looked on Christ and remembered Romans 8:28. God gave me comfort and the words to say when I talked to some of the kids that I met. I got to share the gospel with two girls that I met with in New Orleans. One was a girl from the NE team and the other was from New Orleans. I was rejoicing when I got that opportunity to tell them the gospel and it made me so rejoiceful getting to share how good God is! 

    Through this trip God constantly reminded me of his sovereignty and how we are completely dependent on him. He gave me a peace that he was in control, even at home. I knew that if our house or my Dad’s work was flooded and if it was all taken away, it would be good. And I really realized that all my joy comes from God. When I’m at home it’s hard to realize that because I have parents to tell me how to do things, a nice bed, a good church, and all these comforts, but if it was all taken away would I still be happy. I got a little taste of that in New Orleans when I had some of that taken away, and God showed me that the only real joy I have comes from God. I did have a fun time getting to see all the kids in New Orleans, having good food,

 music, games, seeing the French Quarter, getting to know all the interns, getting to know the kids in our youth better, hanging out with our leaders, but the only and real joy you have is doing it for the glory of God. He is our joy! 

   Now that I am back from New Orleans I’ve been thinking about all that happened and trying to let it soak in. I’ve always had a desire to be an overseas missionary and right now I’m praying to see where God wants me. I am still young and I know I have a lot more growing and maturing to do in the Lord, but God has a plan and he is still working in me and I pray that whatever happens until that day where I will be where God wants me that I will live for his Glory and continue having a deeper desire to know Him.

For more on the Youth Trip to New Orleans click here

Meet me at the Brook...... Rom 8:28

My good brother in Christ, Mike, quite often sings a little ditty as he meets me in the hallway of our work.  He sings, "meet me at the Brook."   That's all, the whole song. "Meet me at the Brook."  Short, but I LOVE IT.  Mike's  words and tune sometimes continuously ring in my head so catchy is the tune and so wonderful the subject to which he refers.  There is a kind of a RAP sound to it.   Mike is referring not to some stream somewhere but actually to the puritan, Thomas Brooks.   Mike owns  the Complete Works of Thomas Brooks.  Very cool.  I have only Precious Remedies and now Spurgeon's, Smooth Stones from Ancient Brooks.   Last I spent time with Mike we poured through the index and volumes of the Complete Works, and found the following on Romans 8:28.  Having read this little excerpt several times now I commend it wholly for your consideration.

Twelfthly and lastly, If thou art a holy person, if thou art one that hast that real holiness without which there is no happiness, then know for thy comfort that all things shall work together for thy good: Rom. viii. 28, 'And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.' All the afflictions, and all the temptations, and all the desertions, and all the oppressions, and all the oppositions, and all the persecutions that befalls a godly man shall work for his good, Rev. ii. 10. Every cross, every loss, and every disease that befalls the holy man shall work for his good; every device, every snare, every method, every depth, every stratagem, and every enterprise of Satan against the holy man shall work for his good ; they shall all help to make him more humble, more holy, more heavenly, more spiritual, more faithful, more fruitful, and more watchful, 2 Cor. xii. 9, 10; every day of prosperity, and every night of adversity shall work for the holy man's good ; every storm and every calm, every bitter and every sweet, every cross and every comfort, shall work for his good that is holy, Hosea ii. 5-7. When God gives a mercy, that shall work for his good ; and when God takes away a mercy, that shall work for his good; when God gives him large commons, that shall work for his good; and when God cuts his commons short, that shall work for his good ; yea, and all the falls and all the sins of the saints shall work for their good. As I get hurt by my graces, so I get good by my sins, said famous Mr. Foxe. Oh the care, the fear, the watchfulness, the tenderness, the zeal, the revenge, that God raises in the souls of his saints by their very falls! 2 Cor. vii. 8-13. Oh the hatred, the indignation, and the detestation that God raises in the hearts of his children against sin, by their very falling into sin! Oh what love to Christ, what thankfulness for Christ, what admiration of Christ, what cleaving to Christ, what exalting of Christ, and what drawing from Christ, are saints led to by their very falls! Oh what exercise of grace, what increase of grace, what magnifying of grace, what liftings up of divine power, and what a high price are holy men led to set upon the precious blood of Christ, and all by their falls! It is the glory of God's holiness that he can turn spiritual diseases into holy remedies, and soul poisons into heavenly cordials; that he can prevent sin by sin, and cure falling by falling. One calls that 8th of the Romans and the 28th verse the blind man's promise; and I may call it the lame man's promise that is holy, and the deaf man's promise that is holy, and the dumb man's promise that is holy, and the needy man's promise that is holy, and the sick man's promise that is holy, and the languishing man's promise that is holy, and the dying man's promise that is holy. Oh the comfort, oh the sweet, oh the content, oh the satisfaction that this promise hath afforded to many a precious saint, when other promises have not been at hand! Christian, what though friends and relations frown upon thee, what though enemies are plotting and conspiring against thee, what though wants, like an armed man, are ready to break in upon thee, what though men rage and devils roar, what though sickness be in thy family, and death stands every day at thy elbow, yet there is no reason for thee to fear or faint, because all these things shall work for thy good. Yea, there is wonderful cause of joy and rejoicing in all the afflictions and tribulations that comes upon thee, considering that they shall all work for thy good. Christians! I am afraid, I am afraid, that you do not run so often as you should to the breasts of this promise, nor draw that sweetness and comfort from it that it would yield, and that your several cases may require. And thus I have done with this use of comfort and consolation to all God's holy ones. You see what comfort, what consolation, yea, what strong consolation, waits upon all God's sanctified ones. I have been the longer upon this use, because the times require it, and the condition of God's people calls for the strongest cordials, and the choicest and the sweetest comforts.  click here to read online -  Note also the that I have added links to the complete Works of Thomas Brooks over on the right of this blog.