God's Sufficient Grace

Commissioning

Today has been a mixture of sweetness and sorrow. This weekend I took my last trip down to DeLand before I leave for Thailand, and this morning I was commissioned at my dear church there, Immanuel Presbyterian. Even though I have not regularly attended Immanuel since I lived in DeLand and went to school at Stetson, I still consider Immanuel my second home and visit often enough to make sure that they all don't forget about me. : ) And they love me very much. That was obvious this morning from the number of people that came forward to surround me and pray for me. And, as one of my friends later pointed out, there wasn't one pause from one person to the next during the time of prayer - as soon as one person finished praying, another began. I'll never know exactly why they all love me so much - I certainly have not given anything to the church to even begin to repay all that they've given me. I think it's just in their nature to love, because I'm not the only person they lavished their kindness and hospitality and support on. Every person I've ever talked to who has spent any time at all at Immanuel has come away feeling the same way - loved.

One of the things I love the most about Immanuel, though, is the way they pray - and really, the way they talk, think and live. They pray, talk, think and live the Word of God. My pastor there does not only speak the Word from the pulpit (although he does preach it faithfully every week) - every conversation I have with him, he quotes Scripture after Scripture to me, all of which seem to address exactly what I am struggling with at the time. But it's not just my pastor who is that way. The elders, teachers, women in the church - the whole congregation! - is permeated with the Scriptures and with a love of the gospel. And I'm finding that is what I most want and need to hear from others, especially at times of difficulty or sadness. I am growing to hate sentimental but meaningless sayings or even words of sympathy. They really don't do me any good. I need to hear something solid, strong, enduring, real - I need the Word. And they give it to me, in their deep love. Oh, how I love my Immanuel family!

And speaking of needing to hear something strong in times of difficulty, I find that desire has impacted my musical tastes as of late. As I pack and cry or wonder and worry about next year, I've felt a need to hear "strong" music - like full orchestral pieces with the brass section blasting, hymns like "Be Still My Soul" or "O God Beyond All Praising", music that sounds like a rock or the rolling of massive ocean waves. I need to be reminded that God is not like me. That He doesn't move, change, grow weary, get stressed, rush around, or worry. He is so very still and solid in His absolute power and control. That though I am falling apart, He is not. And so I set up camp on this ROCK and I say with confidence that no matter what I face in Thailand, I will not be shaken.

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge." Psalm 62:5-8

posted by Catherine Rogers @ 7:22 PM