A new year... and a new journal! Picking out a new journal is one of my favorite things to do each January. It's a hard decision for me, usually taking much longer than it should as I peruse the shelves of Barnes and Noble. A good journal is all about feeling for me - the paper soft, the binding strong, and of course it helps if it looks pretty. I'm excited for this year's journal.
I love all of the blank pages - possibilities - and I can't wait to fill them with thoughts, prayers, sermon notes... all the ponderings of my heart. I look forward to this new year in the same way. So many possibilities. New opportunities. And this year is sure to be full of them! I thank God for this new year. A new beginning, a new adventure. I'm getting married!! I get to be a wife! Lord willing, I'll have the privilege to begin my own family with a sweet and godly man - for the glory of God. Praise Him, I wondered if these days would ever come!!
But, before I look forward at my prayers for this year, I want to look back at what the Lord has done.
First, at this time last year, Jesus carried me through one of the hardest choices I've ever had to make. At the time, it felt like I had a lack of faith, like I was giving up, or doubting God's ability to work powerfully in my life. Now, I can see it was just faith in God in a different direction. God did work powerfully in my life and in my heart, but it looked differently than I ever could have imagined. Praise God, He gave me the grace to trust Him and to say "yes" even though it wasn't my own desired solution. God showed me kindness during that season through sweet friendships, family, and the opportunity to share the hope of Christ with others (which increased my own hope and joy in Him).
As the answer to many prayers, the Lord brought my dear fiancé to me last year. Through this, the Lord has begun teaching me more about what it means to love biblically and how to be a godly wife. I have realized that I know so little and am very underprepared (but willing!!) for this great calling of marriage. I can see it will be a tool used to teach me to rely on Jesus and trust His grace as I learn and grow. Both Rob and I have been very blessed and encouraged by many sweet couples and a few resources we've used to begin preparing for marriage.
Click here to get a free PDF download of "This Momentary Marriage" by John Piper.
"Preparing for Marriage God's Way" by Wayne Mack has been a very practical help!
I rejoice in the great things the Lord has done in my life this year. He has been so faithful to me. But, as I examine my own heart, I have to admit it has not been a year of great spiritual growth. At least not that I can tangibly see. So, looking forward to 2016, my greatest desire and my deepest prayer is that it would be a year of more spiritual growth. I hope this will take shape in a number of different ways...
- I desire a deeper yearning for the scriptures, leading to more consistency in my daily reading. I've always enjoyed deeply studying one book of the Bible at a time, but have not always been faithful to follow a daily reading plan that would lead me through the entire Bible each year. I began this discipline (again) over the summer with a chronological reading plan and hope to continue with more consistency through this year. Here's a resource that may help you if you desire the same thing - http://www.ligonier.org/blog/bible-reading-plans/
- I desire more intimate prayer, seeking God first in all things, and fighting my battles on my knees. Prayer so often for me is an after thought. My mind and heart gets so quickly distracted when I settle down to pray. I've also struggled with figuring out how to keep track of different prayer requests I have for people or burdens that are on my heart and when to pray for them. So, last year I started a prayer notebook that has begun to help. It's divided into sections of daily and weekly prayers. Daily prayer includes: adoration, prayers for my own needs and desires, and prayers for my fiancé and our future family. Weekly prayers are broken down as follows: Sunday - The local church (leadership, members, ministries, needs), Monday - My extended family, Tuesday - Rob's extended family, Wednesday - The lost (those in my life and around the world), Thursday - Local ministries, Friday - World ministries and missionaries, Saturday - Specific Needs and people groups (government officials, the homeless, prisoners, etc.) Structuring prayer in this way was partly motivated by a message by John Piper, which ends with a thought about praying in concentric circles - http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/devote-yourselves-to-prayer
- I desire to actively hide God's word in my heart. Rob has really been an encouragement to me in this area. He is very disciplined in memorization and I lovingly call him my "walking concordance". I love that one of his goals in memorization is to aid evangelism. I hope to follow his lead in this area and really work diligently to memorize scripture this year, especially those verses that clearly present the gospel to others.
- I desire to continue intentionally sharing the gospel on a regular basis - both planned and unplanned opportunities. Again, I look forward to joining Rob in this area, being a helper for him and being encouraged by his faithfulness to continue sharing Jesus with people. I have lots of ministry ideas and I look forward to how the Lord will unfold ministry for me in a new community.
- I desire greater contentment and really tackling the idol of materialism that I find in my heart so often. I desire to seek spiritual treasures more than any earthly possessions.
No comments:
Post a Comment