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 Joy

                                   

Zephaniah 3:17 KJV

The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. 

Isaiah 51:3 KJV

For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. 

Habakkuk 3:18 KJV

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 

Psalms 119:68 KJV

Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes. 

What amazing promises these verses hold. The Lord My God is in the midst and He is mighty, He will save and He will rejoice over Me with joy, with love and with singing. The Lord shall comfort Me, He will come to Me in all My waste places, My lowest, dirtiest, most sinful places, and He will make My wilderness like Eden, My desert like His garden where joy and gladness and thanksgiving will be found therein.  I will rejoice in My Lord, I will joy in the God of My salvation. My Lord is good and does good and He will teach Me His statues if I open My heart and mind to Him.

There have been so many times in my life when I have felt like my joy was gone and I was left with sadness or anger or grief or jealousy or anxiety or confusion. I battle with some, maybe all, of these emotions on what seems like a daily basis at times.  I let the flesh take hold of me and I don't turn to the one place guaranteed to give me back my joy, His Word.  He gave it to us for a reason. It is a love letter written by the groom to His bride and it is meant to be cherished and kept sacred in our hearts.  

Life and it's ins and outs present us with opportunities each day. Opportunities to turn to Him and see His goodness and let His joy fill our hearts or opportunities to let our flesh and our wayward emotions take hold and rob us of our joy in Him. So often in the past I have done the latter and have found myself in misery, so anxiety ridden that I am physically ill...the cure? Jesus.  It is that simple to find your joy again and that simple to keep it. Turn to Jesus, walk with Jesus, talk with Jesus, live in His light and you'll have His joy. Charles Spurgeon said this, "His Church can never sink to so low an ebb that He cannot soon build her up again, nor in our own hearts can the work of grace ever decline' so grievously that the same mighty power which once quickened cannot revive and restore us."  We can never be so low or so sorrowful that His joy cannot revive us and restore us again. And wherever we find ourselves we have the promise that He is there to save us and comfort us, to bring us joy once again. 

In The Garden

I come to the garden alone,

While the dew is still on the roses,

And the voice I hear falling on my ear

The Son of God discloses.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own;

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other has ever known.

He speaks, and the sound of His voice

Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,

And the melody that He gave to me

Within my heart is ringing.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own;

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other has ever known.

I’d stay in the garden with Him,

Though the night around me be falling,

But He bids me go; through the voice of woe

His voice to me is calling.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own;

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other has ever known.