Who Am I Lord? : You Are Mine

Song of Solomon 2:16 KJV

My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.

Isaiah 43:1 KJV

But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

John 17:23 KJV

I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

2 Thessalonians 2:13 KJV

But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

Who Are You, Lord?

While Praying One Day A Woman Asked, 

"Who Are You, Lord?"

He Answered, "I Am". 

But, Who Is I Am? She Said.

And He Replied...

"I Am Love, I Am Peace,

I Am Grace, I Am Joy,

I Am The Way, Truth, And The Light ...

I Am The Comforter,

I Am Strength, I Am Safety,

I Am Shelter, I Am Power, I Am The Creator,

I Am The Beginning And The End,

I Am The Most High".

The Girl With Tears In Her Eyes Looked

Toward Heaven And Said,

"Now I Understand. 

But Lord, Who Am I?"

Then God Tenderly Wiped The Tears

From Her Eyes And Whispered,

"You Are Mine".

Mine. I hear that word countless times a day. "NO" and "MINE" are a toddler's favorite words I do believe. At 2 and 3 years old my boys understand the fierce possession that "mine" means. They're ready to brawl at the drop of a hat it seems like some days if one thinks that hat is his and not his brother's. But as possessive as they are over toys, sippy cups, or last week's chicken nugget found wedged under the car seat, they're even more so possessive of the people they love. One of Kieran's first fully formed sentences was "My Poppa. Baby get." when he thought that Nanna ought to hold Devlin so that Poppa could hold him.

But I am not sure more thrilling words have ever been uttered than these, "you are mine," when you know it's the Master and Savior whispering them to you.  And that is exactly what we are, His. He has chosen us, He has called us by name, we are His beloved, and He is in us and God the Father loves us as He has loved His only begotten Son. 

I have looked forward to writing this blog since we began the Who Are You Lord? series, and now that I am, I am simply speechless. I'm not at all sure that I can do it justice. I am not at all worthy to be called His.  Nothing I have ever said or done, or could do or say, can make me enough, save one thing. Making Him mine. I am His beloved and He is mine. Choosing Him means that His blood covers my weakness and my failings, covers my sin and washes me white as snow, makes me worthy in the sight of my Father. Knowing that I am His is, more often than not, the only thing that keeps me going, keeps me putting one foot in front of the other, keeps me from burying my head in the blankets and refusing to get out of bed. Because He is in me I can face another day full of the stresses of life and all that that entails. But sometimes it gets to be too much. There are times when I am overwhelmed and I can feel the panic rise in my throat and the tears spring up in my eyes and I know that the dam is about to burst...and then it does. And while I am falling apart He is picking up the pieces. And then I feel Him, so powerfully that He may as well be here in the flesh lifting my head up and giving me the peace and comfort,the strength and shelter, and love that I need so much.

For all that He has done for me, what can I do for Him? How do I repay Him? I must live for Him, to make Him proud of me, to worship and honor Him, to help others come to know Him so that they can be His too. Because we are bound to give thanks to Him always because He chose us from the beginning, He knew us before the foundations of the earth were formed. He knew who we'd be, what we'd do, and He chose to call us His anyway. 

My Beloved is mine and I am His.

Since I Am Thine, Lord

 H. W. Flickinger

Since I am Thine, Lord, and Thou art mine,

Purchased and kept by power divine;

Tho’ so unworthy, O let me be

Conscious that Thou art living in me.

Since I am Thine, Lord, and Thou art mine,

Tho’ but a branch whilst Thou art the vine;

Prune me and train me, that I may be

Fruitful in service, Master, for Thee.

Since I am Thine, Lord, and Thou art mine,

Oh, that through me Thy glory may shine;

Filled with Thy Spirit, grant me this plea:

That all shall see Thy likeness in me.

Since I am Thine, Lord, and only Thine,

Joy thrills my soul, for now Thou art mine;

Thou art in me and I am in Thee,

Thine all the praise and glory shall be.

Since I am Thine, Lord, saved by Thy grace,

Oh, how I long to see Thy dear face;

Help me to serve and patiently wait

Till I pass through the heavenly gate.

Who Are You Lord?: I Am Love

Isaiah 43:1 KJV
But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

1 John 4:8, 16 KJV
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

John 17:23, 24 KJV
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

I think that one of the most exciting things about finding out that you're expecting a baby is picking out a name.  I know as a little girl I had lists of baby names as long as my arm. At one time I wanted 6 kids and had a name picked out for each one, I've even used a name or 2 off those lists written so many years ago.  For as long as I can remember I've wanted to be a Momma.  Sure there was a time when I wanted to be a doctor, a veterinarian, a pediatric nurse, a teacher, a writer, but the one thing that remained was my desire to be Momma to someone.  I loved my children long before they were conceived, when they were only a dream in a young girl's heart. 

The struggle to become a Momma was not something I anticipated.  I don't think as a woman, that the thought that bearing children, doing what your body was made to do as only a woman's body can, will be a struggle.  The thought that I might not be able to never even entered my mind when we decided to have babies. We only tried for 2 months before getting those 2 pink lines I had waited years to see.  So when I miscarried just a week after learning I was pregnant, not only was I devastated, I was shocked and stunned as well.  It was a curve ball I had never expected. One thing that I've carried with me is that I never had a chance to pick a name for my baby.  We went and bought a dozen books on pregnancy, parenting and a huge baby name book the weekend we found out I was pregnant but I hadn't been able to choose a name before my dreams were extinguished and my heart broken.  I had loved my baby long before he or she existed and yet I don't even have a name to call my baby by in my heart and prayers.  But Isaiah 43:1 gives me a peace that fills my soul to overflowing.  But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.  My baby has a name, given to him by our very Creator and I look forward to the day when I can hold my precious baby in my arms and call him by his God given name.

That same baby name book is now scarred and dog earred from 4 more pregnancies.  4 beautiful names chosen with love. 2 of them I use daily, hourly, minutely...some days Kieran and Devlin seem to be the only words I utter, sometimes in frustration, exasperation, joyously, tenderly, but always lovingly.  The other 2 names are whispered in my heart, in those quiet moments when it's just me and my Lord, when I pray that they know how much I love them still and how my arms ache to hold them. Oh what a glorious day it will be when I can worship at the feet of my Savior with my arms full of babies. 

And yet I know how very loved the 3 of them are in Heaven.  In John 17, Jesus is praying to his Father.  He is praying that God love us as He has loved Jesus.  Verse 24 tells us that God has loved Jesus before the foundation of this world.  And so the very God that knows my name, my babies' names, has loved us as He has loved His Only Begotten Son.  And knowing that, I cannot be sorrowful that I cannot have them here with me physically. 1 John 4 tells us that God is love, and to dwell in love is to dwell in God.  So I may not be able to wrap my arms around them but I can dwell with them in God's precious, soul saving love.  I can dwell in the knowledge that He knows my baby's name and He knows mine.

He Knows My Name

He counts the stars one and all 
He knows how much sand is on the shores 
He sees every sparrow that falls 
He made the mountains and the seas 
He's in control of everything 
Of all creatures great and small 

And He knows my name 
Every step that I take 
Every move that I make 
Every tear that I cry 
He knows my name 
When I'm overwhelmed by the pain 
And can't see the light of day 
I know I'll be just fine 
'Cause He knows my name 

I don't know what tomorrow may bring 
I can't tell you what's in store 
I don't know a lot of things 
I don't have all the answers 
To the questions of life 
But I know in Whom I have believed 

He knew who I was when He carried my cross 
He knew that I would fail Him but He took the loss 

Every step that I take 
Every move that I make 
Every tear that I cry