Met in the Rain

It rained a few nights ago here in Malaysia.

That’s really not an unusual occurrence. In fact, it had rained many times before then; and it has rained many times since then. But a few nights ago, I went out in the rain. And in the rain, I sought God at a time when I really needed a touch of His grace, a reminder of His love. The following is what I wrote in my journal that night:

It was raining a little, and I sat out on our front steps with my mom, just talking. I kept hoping and waiting for it to rain—-I mean, really rain, the dense, thick, curtain of rain that comes only in the tropics. It sprinkled off and on until finally later that night, it rained. I practically ran outside and just stood there, letting the falling water soak me and drench my soul. And in the rain, I cried out to God. I literally felt thirsty for the rain, praying that it wouldn’t stop until the Asian rain had drenched my body and until God’s rain had filled my heart. You see, I equate that kind of rain with You, Lord. I don’t know why, but that kind of rain is always a symbol of Your presence. I love to stand out in it because to me it becomes Your grace and forgiveness washing my soul, Your love soaking through to heal my heart, Your Holy Spirit to cover and comfort me. That kind of rain becomes holy to me, because I feel like in the rain I come before the throne of God.

So I knelt outside tonight, hands upheld, reaching through the rain to You, and I emptied myself. I cried and let Your rain wash away my tears. I prayed and let Your rain sanctify my prayers. I whispered over and over my love to You; and then I let Your rain fall over me to cover me with Your love in return. I recited Scripture aloud in the rain, and I asked Your rain to anoint those words over my life.

In the rain, I found the holy, healing rain of God that soaks the soul. In the rain, You came to tell me again how much You love me. In short, it rained tonight in Malaysia.

And in the rain, You met me.

Mission: Celebrate Birthdays. Status: Accomplished

Hi everyone! I am pretty wiped out and really need to get to bed, so this will be short. I just wanted to drop in to say that the last couple of days have been great. We celebrated my 21st birthday yesterday and my sister's 18th birthday today. It's been a great, special time, full of many blessings. Thanks to all of you who called, emailed, or messaged me on Facebook to wish me a happy birthday; each of you made my day even more special! I am so thankful to God for each one of you. As another year of my life passes, I offer my love and thanks to every person in my life; each of you have blessed me and had a part in making me who I am today. And of course, my greatest love and praise go to the God who gave me life, who has carried me each day of my life, and who makes life worth living. He truly has blessed me and given me so much to be thankful for throughout each year I have lived, whatever the circumstances have been.

So now, after having way too much fun (and way too much birthday cake), we resume our normal lives.
Tomorrow's mission: return to ripping CDs.

Ripping CDs....and "Accepted in the Beloved"

Ok, I have to be honest: I'm very tired. And it's not because I've had a busy day and run around doing a million things. In reality, I've been sitting in front of this computer for the last I-don't-know-how-long (a good estimate might be 6 hours by now). I know, I know...you're all thinking "How is sitting down all day exhausting?" Well, I don't really know, and I'm sure that'll be one of the questions I ask God someday. But I can assure you, it is. Our family is beginning the process of packing and organizing our house, and since I don't have as much to do as the rest of the family, my job has been to organize our CDs and rip them to this computer. This might be a simple task in some families, but in our family, where 3 out of 4 of us are avid music lovers, it takes much longer than one might think. But I'm really not trying to complain; it hasn't been that bad. It's interesting to see how many CDs we really do have. Crazy, but interesting.

Since that's pretty much it, I may close off for now. I do want to share this wonderful phrase that someone prayed over me the other day. They prayed that God would show me that I was "accepted in the Beloved." I thought it was so beautiful. No matter my past mistakes and failures, I have been made right with God through Jesus Christ. Before God, I am seen in the righteousness of his beloved son Christ, not in my own sinfulness. Amazing, awesome, humbling thought...I am "accepted in the Beloved."

Learning as I go

What I love about life is that you learn as you go. I will never know everything, and I'm not sure I would want to. I am continually learning things about the world I live in, about myself, and about the God I love.

For instance, I am learning the importance of prayer for other people, even (or especially) those I don't know, like those affected by the central Java earthquake in Indonesia. The latest figure I could find put the death toll at over 6,200. I have been learning the power of prayer, and that my limited knowledge of others does not limit God's knowledge of them. I can pray for complete strangers in another country, and God can touch and bless each one of them because he knows and loves them personally. I have added two buttons to the right in my Links section that you can check out to become a part of worldwide, 1 year prayer effort that focuses on one area of the world per month. It is a special privelege to be a part of God's movement and blessing among the nations that He cares so much about. Last Sunday, my church here in Malaysia had a Global Day of Prayer meeting, gathering which churches all over the globe who met to pray for the world. My mom and I sang on the worship team for this special meeting, and it was beautiful to see people repenting and crying out to God for His glory to flood Malaysia and the rest of the world. I was very humbled to be a part of something that God was so obviously involved in.

I am also learning about the development of life. As I saw my sister graduate on Wednesday night, moving on now as a high school graduate into the new world that awaits her, I realized that life never stops moving. Every day is different; every day brings something new. God will continue to grow and develop us, and we will take on new roles every day of our lives. I am a college student right now, but that role will continue to develop until it blends into the next role God calls me to.

A third thing I am learning simply involves God's power in my own life. It is an amazing thing to know I can never fully understand God. In reality, I don't have a right to understand God; yet in His infinite love, He has invited me into relationship with Him through Jesus Christ, a relationship where he continues to develop a deeper understanding of Him day by day. He teaches me that He has the power to deliver me from any struggle, and He teaches me what it means to trust in Him through those struggles. He teaches me what it means to have joy, and He teaches me what it means to praise Him through tears. Most of all, He teaches me how much He loves me and what that love means in my life. Sometimes I allow fears or guilt or simply selfishness to keep me from God, but He shows me that He won't allow it and that He will pursue me until I am finally on my knees before Him in surrender, love, and adoration. He wants a relationship with me, and He won't let my own sin, ignorance, or stubbornness keep me from Him. It is a beautiful thing to pursued and loved by the God of the universe, is it not?

And finally, I am learning the power of God's Word as I allow those words to penetrate into my mind and heart. Here are some verses relating to the lessons I learned above:
#1--As I pray for others, especially the living earthquake victims, I can remember God is in control: "[God says] When the earth quakes and its people live in turmoil, I am the one who keeps its foundations firm." (Psalm 75:3) If God's power can keep the foundations of the world firm, surely He has the power to touch those I pray for.
#2--As life develops, I know God will be with me: "I will be your God throughout your lifetime--until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you." (Isaiah 46:4)
#3--God is passionate about me and longs for me to trust His love for me and His power in my life: "he is a God who is passionate about his relationship with you" (Exodus 34:14b) and "We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in Him. God is love..." (1 John 4:16a)

May God show His rich, rich love to you today. And may He teach us all to learn as we go.

Birthdays and Baccalaureates

Hey everyone! Today, June 4th, has been a special day for our family. First, my sister Lindsay had her Baccalaureate this morning, which was really neat. It's so weird--but still cool--to see her in a graduation gown! It was fun to see her with all her friends, running around with a huge smile to take pictures with all her friends. She will graduate next Wednesday, on June 7th.

Today is also a special day because it is my mom's birthday! It's been a busy day, what with Baccalaureate this morning and a Global Day of Prayer service later tonight; but we still have had time to take my mom out for a meal and then ice cream, as well as squeeze in some presents.

So it's been a good day. It makes me realize how grown up my little sister is getting, and I'm so proud of who she is and all she is becoming. She has a very tender heart, and I'm so grateful that God gave her to me as my sis. I'm also so thankful for the wonderful mom I have, a beautiful woman whose strength, life, and love for God example the woman I want to become one day. I'm so thankful for them both, especially on today, a special day for both of them.

To Mom and Lins: I love you!

Lindsay's grad week will continue, so I'm sure I will have more to write soon. May God bless each of you with a special peace and joy today!