Notes from Beth Moore Simulcast Aug 28 and 29, 2009

Psalm 37
History/Background
David's wrote this psalm...think of his personal history and all he had been through as a shepherd, in the caves running from Saul, tall that happened as he became King, his sin, and then becoming a man after God's heart....He wrote this psalm toward the end of his life (vs 25...I have been young but now I am old) and he summed up everything by saying...God can be trusted....and David had never seen the righteous forsaken.

Key verse-Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Beth had us take a few minutes to think about our desires.
There are 7 facts about this verse.

#1 Nothing dictates our lives like our desires.
At the end of the day-people do what they want to do...

So what are OUR desires? Did you notice the verse doesn't say...He will give you the desire of your heart...but it is plural...the DESIRES of your heart!

Psa 38:9 says All my longings lie open before you, O Lord, my sighing is not hidden from You.

God knows what they are....we can be open with Him. Don't give up on your desires.

What is a legitimate desire? A sustained longing unaffected by moods or circumstances. (think about that for a minute)

In today's world, we are used to our desires being met immediately....Most of the time, God's work is slow...He doesn't work within time limits...This is where she said...Don't give up on your desire!!!

Here she went to the audience and had some people share..one lady has been praying for something for 25 years...Beth hugged her and said...Don't stop praying!!!

#2 Beneath the desires of our heart is the heart of our desires.
This was kind of hard to grasp but I will try my best.....
What do we truly desire? Then look underneath THAT....God is after what we TRULY desire underneath that....her example...if you wish your husband was a more godly man and you think about it all the time...maybe what you truly want is to be a more godly woman in your own life.....that was a shallow example and to be honest, we all talked about it later wondering if we understood what she meant...
Most times, our desires are a hint of what really lies underneath in our deepest self and is far more important than what we THINK we want....God wants to get under there...to the meat of what we need and want...

Here is where she starting talking about unanswered prayer...she asked...have you prayed about something and you KNOW it is God's will and you wonder why He has not answered....if we have prayed and God has not answered over time...you can be assured that something is UP! Reasons you may still be waiting...
For us....our destiny may be at stake......
For God...His glory may be at stake.....

This struck me.....If God isn't answering...in the absence of the answer...what is PRESENT? Or you can say it this way....What is present in the absence of the answer?
God has SOMETHING there...He has not forsaken us..He has not forgotten us...we are not alone....
What we are lacking will be used for our destiny...for every desire implies something we lack...and God is always sowing, reaping or harvesting...He esteems our longings...Wait a little longer....Don't give up on Him! See what is happening as you wait.

#3 Delighting in God adapts our desires with inevitability.
This is where the promise of verse 4 comes in....Delight yourself in the Lord and HE WILL GIVE YOU THE DESIRES OF YOUR HEART.
It's inevitable..it's a promise. We adapt or we adjust....We come to desire what He is truly after in our lives...we find out true heart's desires...and He will answer.
Psa. 37:23, 24 If the Lord delights in a man's way, He makes his steps firm; though he stumbles, he will not fall for the Lord upholds him with his right hand.
The Lord delights in us and we in Him. We should pray DAILY..."Give me a heart that delights in You." Beth prays it every morning.
We think to ourselves, "How can I delight in a world gone mad"? But God sees ALL the madness in the world...alll the burdens...but He looks down and sees a mom teaching her little one a bible song...and God delights...He sees a little girl writing her prayers down in a journal and He delights...He sees an older couple still in love and He delights...When He sees a woman, so hurt by life that she can't bear to hope again....too hurt to trust God one more time...but she gives her trust to Him anyway....He delights in her. He delights in us.

Circumstances may not change but we can! Look for God events in your life...a discovery that changes the way you look at life.

#4 Nothing external can steal our delight.

Other people don't have the right to steal our delight but we give that right to them. Don't!! If our delight is gone...look to yourself.
If we are going through a season of a lack of delight or joy...look inward, not at others.

There are three things that steal our delight...and the word "steal" here means to take a bit out of....so she thought of our jaw..which bites..to help us remember what steals our joy.

J Jealousy Psalm 37:1
A Anger Psalm 37:8
W Worry Psalm 37:1, 7, 8 (Fret)

Jealousy- We can be jealous of the wicked who seem to prosper and in other people who excel or have what we want. Jealousy comes from a lack of security. It's a from of desire tinged with resentment.
You can't give way to jealousy and feel delight.

Anger-What are you mad about?
Those who have no control use anger and most of the time it DOES work.....but it doesn't bring you love (which is what is most needed) and it distances others from you. Anger NEVER works in a relationship.

Anger is the opposite of pleasure.
Anger and Pleasure are both powerful and strong but complete opposites. Anger steals and malforms our desires...an angry person doesn't even really know their desires.

Some have such a lack of passion that they'd rather be MAD then DEAD...then they are at least feeling SOMETHING. We are created for a holy passion. If we don't have a holy passion, we will subsitute something else for it.

Anger can also have an element of grief in it. Grief is a type of loss. In most anger there is an element of sadness but there is more control for that person to be mad, rather than sad.

If you are angry...speak your peace to God about it....get it all out and then get up and get on with things.

Worry-the word "worry" or "fret" means to eat or gnaw into...or to affect something by gnawing it to death...but it doesn't change it.
We don't really, truly have a lot of control in our life...we only have an illusion of control. But if we are worriers, then we won't know our true desires because we want everything to be fixed for our happiness.......


When we are in a crisis of faith there are two extreme ways we'll default. (mostly having to do with your personality)

Repression-------------------------------------------------------------Rebellion
Repression will make you sick Rebellion will make you stupid in what you do &say



We have to be real....don't keep things inside We have to be to be reverent-He's God


#5 To make room for delight, we've got to commit.

37:8 Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him and He will do this...

In Hebrew the word COMMIT means to "roll". We ROLL it on to God's shoulders...

Take what makes you jealous, makes you angry or makes you worry and ROLL it on to His shoulders...we need to STOP our unbelief and commit to Him.

#6 Nothing is passive about patiently waiting for our desire to turn into delight.

The Hebrew word for wait is not passive...it means to press into.

Beth gave two testimonies here...she asked if we remember her talking about a close family member who was an alcoholic...they lost everything..their home, their family, they had nothing...lived on the streets for YEARS...they felt unloved even though they were loved by family.....they were alcoholics for DECADES...and Beth had been praying all these years...and never gave up....as of Saturday, this person had been sober for 140 days! What if they had stopped praying..though it had been too long....that nothing would every change....but it did.

The other one was about her husband...I remember she has said a couple of times that she wished her husband cared more for spiritual things...she has prayed for Keith to be a lover of God's word for 30 years....she had tried to his "holy spirit" and had left verses around and done all she could do but nothing happened....until a year ago...out all of the sudden he dived into God's word and is everything she has always wanted....but it took 30 years! Don't give up! We need to get out of the way and let God.

Psalm 37:7 Be still.... the word "refrain" in vs 8 means the same thing....it means "Stop it!! Have you ever gotten down to your little one's level, looked them in the eye and said...."Stop it!! That's what this meants...Be silent. Hold your peace. Sometime we are begging and pleading with God and he says.....Stop talking! Be silent...Stop it!!!! Sometimes we are all talk and not hearing!

37:7 wait patiently....(this means in anxious expectation)
The hebrew word is Chiyl...means to twist or twirl....like when you stub your toe and you are dancing around...twisting about in pain...but as you jump in pain...you yell...I am trusting you anyway God! When we are in pain...trust.

Prov 25:27 (from The Message) says...glory piled upon glory is not good for you.
It's like with our kids...if everything goes right with them all the time...you pray they win that game, they never lose, they never get sick, they always come out on top...then they won't learn what they need to learn....they won't be a person of character or have strength through difficult times....so Beth prays for her kids and grandkids....protect them from Evil but not from your Glory....whatever they have to go through for God's glory..she wants for them...same for us...we sometimes go through difficulties for God's glory.

#7 Til Faith becomes sight, trust God and do good.

Faith WILL be sight! For "none that put their trust in Him will be put to shame".

When we look at God with our eyes some day...we will wonder why we didn't pray bigger, trust more!

Psa 37:3 Trust in the Lord and do good.

It doesn't say trust in the Lord and do RIGHT. It says do good.
In our world, good is despised. Doing good accomplishes nothing but doing good even makes evil take note. The world despises us for being good but it can't say anything when we do good.

vs 3 says "dwell in the land" Someday, Jesus will reign...until then live where He has put you now.

"enjoy safe pasture" Feed off His faithfulness!!

College-Sophomore Year

So I am sitting here at my computer in the kitchen and Kristin is sitting on the couch. We are waiting for her grandmother to come and stay with Korie so we can pick up Steve and take Kristin back to school. It is kind of weird just sitting around waiting....waiting for a moment that I have dreaded all the way back from May, when she came home after a long 9 months away from us for the first time.

This separation stuff stinks! Only yesterday it seemed so far away that it was ridiculous to even think about. I remember thinking as she went to middle school that we still had years ahead. But I did start realizing when she got to high school that the time goes fast as I watched the girls that Steve coach move through the varsity teams so quickly...as I watched the youngest players become the leaders and the swing players become the captains and we watched them graduate and wondered where the time had gone.

Then it was our turn. The ball seasons changed like trees did in their seasons and soon I was watching her go from the swing player to leader of the teams and I watched her go on her senior trip and graduate....and then it was time for her to go....I have friends who's children struggled with leaving and cried not wanting to go back to college and so I am thankful that Kristin loves school and being in Lynchburg. In some ways, it really hurts that she is so ready to go back to her life at LU and in other ways, I am proud of her and excited for her.

So....as I write this...more time has passed and we will soon put the last few items in the van, we'll kiss Korie goodbye and start driving away from the coast. We will be in our normal "travel" mode, with Steve listening to the radio and Kristin sleeping and me reading but all of us know this isn't the normal trip. In a few short hours, we will drag all her stuff up 3 flights of stairs, watch her hug her friends that she has missed, texted and facebooked all summer and Steve and I will put smiles on our faces and act like everything is just fine. When it is time to say goodbye, we will know she is happy to go off and catch up with everyone, and we will be happy for her as we try to hide the tears and start the long trip home alone....there will be some tears and sighs but deep down, we are happy she is taking this next step, thrilled to leave her in a place like Liberty, excited to see her grow in Christ, ready to pray her through every day and already looking forward to fall break...which is six weeks and five days away......

My Sister's Keeper

I read some things today in a book....the movie "My Sister's Keeper" hit a little too close to home and so I bought the book to read. Korie doesn't have a terminal illness, although, it is a very chronic and dangerous illness with many unknowns in it. We live in uncertainity just as this family in the movie did...wondering if their child would live or die. I have been told twice that Korie was dying and both times, God determined different. I also have another child who has lived through very difficult times with her sisters illnesses and watching the siblings in this movie, made me think of how well Kristin handles things in our family. I also see in her eyes, how dread and fear can enter so quickly, as it can with me. And ocassionally she will offer a comment that causes me to realize that there is a lot there under the surface lying dormat. I hope that in her journeys, she comes to rely on the Lord to help her through those times and that she can live in confidence and trust that we are all in God's Hands.

Saying that, doesn't mean that I live like that every day. Most times, yes...but in a split second, I can fall. I am improving though...the first time, when all this happened, I didn't get up for two years....I don't want to say that I am SO much better now because I certainly don't want to be tested in that...but I feel like my faith has strengthened over the years and I hope I can keep trusting Him.

This family in the book, the Fitzgeralds, don't seem to be believers, so in much of the book, I can see how I would react a little differently but I must admit, as much as I did not like the mom (Sara) in the movie, I am relating to her in the book. Here is the statement she made that borders close to how I can feel...and I am sure I will be blogging more of them....

"Driving home, I am struck by the sudden thought that the world is inflatable--trees and grass and houses ready to collapse with the single prick of a pin. I have the sense that if I veer the car to the left, through the picket fence and the Little Tykes playgroud, it will bounce us back like a rubber bumper."

Of course, as I christian, we say that God has everything in His hands and and that the things of this life ARE temporal but our lives are eternal. That is the sad part. So many people don't realize that. But, when you are hit with a serious illness in your family, thoughts like this pop into your head. And Sara is right, life, as you know it, can be gone tomorrow....or even today.

Reading Anna's part (the sister), I think of Kristin and how she grew up...Ann says, "My parents tried to make things normal, but that's a relative term. The truth is, I was never really a kid. To be honest, neither were Kate and Jesse.....we have been too busy looking over our shoulders to run headlong into growing up. You know how most little kids think they're like cartoon characters-if an anvil drops on their heads they can peel themselves off the sidewalk and keep going? Well, I never once believed that. How could I, when we practically set a place for Death at the dinner table? Kate has acute promyelocytic leukemia. Acutally, that is not quite true, right now she doesn't have it, but it's hibernating under her skin like a bear, until it decides to roar again.....(she mentioned a different set of medical words here..different than OUR medical words but Kris knows them)...these words are a part of my vocabulary, even though I'll never find them on any SAT."

Anna's thoughts make me wonder what kind of things go through Kristin's head that she has never shared with us. Also, Anna has insight to the things Sara does or says...it makes me wonder if Kristin has that about me. Of course, Kristin is not a pin cushion as Anna is in this book, so maybe they don't even relate to each other but it sure does make me think.

One more thing....this is long but this scene has "played out" in our house numerous times...a little differently but the same....Anna is seeing her mother try on party dresses in her room...."Mom, you look...., tired. The word bubbles right under my lips. My mother goes perfectly still, and I wonder if I've said it without meaning to. She holds up a hand, shushing me, her ear cocked to the open doorway..."Did you hear that?"
Hear what?
Kate
I didn't hear anything.
But she doesn't take my word for it, because when it comes to Kate she doesn't take anybody's word for it. She marches upstairs and open up our bedroom door to find my sister hysterical on her bed, and just like that the world collapses again. My father, a closet astronomer, has tried to explain black holes to me, how they are so heavy they absorb everything, even light, right into their center. Moments like this are the same kind of vacuum; no matter what you cling to, you wind up being sucked in. (I will skip all the part about Kate being fine...she was just upset about a TV show but what Anna just said is so true)....She continues...."The fist inside me relaxes, now that I know it's all right. Normal, in our house, is like a blanket too short for a bed....sometimes it covers you just fine, and at other times it leaves you cold and shaking; and worst of all, you never know which of the two it's going to be. I sit down on the end of Kate's bed...."

That is it....the uncertainty...that is the hardest thing of all...the not knowing if today you will face something life altering or life threatening. The blanket analogy is good...I do feel that way often...but in reality, the blanket of God is always there to warm me and comfort me if I turn to it. I may have to face something tragic someday...maybe something not even related to Korie...we all do...but the blanket will always be waiting for me if I accept it.....and I can cling to Him in whatever I have to face....I also rely on the blanket of prayer of my dear friends and hope to be the same for them. We are all touched by our own testings and trials. We all need each other. We can't always understand what the other is going through. Maybe a few words on a blog will help. Thanks for listening...I am sure I will have more to say about the Fitzgeralds.

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." Romans 8:15

Family Night Out

So, last night we did our now annual "out to dinner before Kris goes to college." It had been a difficult week and we did not know if we would manage to go.

First of all, with the water damage caused by the settling of our patio, Steve had been working (I am talking hard labor here) daily...in 90 degree weather....breaking up concrete, digging holes, moving dirt, hauling gravel....and then he had his master's final in the evenings to work on. Along with everything else life entails, he has been a very busy, and now very tired and stressed person. We are thankful for friends who did help him the last day and Paul...I can't being to use words to describe that wonderful man! ANYWAY.....

On the kid front---Korie has a cracked tibia...that meant a few trips to Richmond and a boot that she is wearing that makes transitions fun. :) Then she has a UTI and contacted a virus and is on day 5 of a fever. Kristin was down two days with something similiar. SOOOOO...our dinner was looking doubtful but God gave strength to both girls and Steve yesterday and we were able to enjoy a nice evening out.

We wanted to try the Carrot Tree in Williamsburg but found out it is closed on Tuesdays. So Kristin chose Samauri...and we love Japanese. Usually, you have to share tables with strangers but we had perfect timing and had a table to ourselves. We had a great cook and he made amazing food....the girls ate a lot and really enjoyed it. Korie even ate shrimp! The yummy food, the oriental music and atmosphere (and a waitress who was a former student of Steves) made it a very nice evening.

After dinner, we headed over to City Center to take a few family pictures...also something we started last year along the Warwick River. The evening was warm but bareable with the lowering sun and I just watched my oldest daughter as much as I could while she was in here with us!

Once we got home, Kristin and I decided to go to a movie together and we enjoyed it And if you don't count a man who came in at the last minute (for a Chick Flick???), we had the theater to ourselves and could laugh at will. So, tomorrow we take her back to Lynchburg...and our lives will fall into the pattern of school days again, and long distance calls to see how she is doing and hoping she posts pictures on facebook so we can see what she is doing and who she is doing it with. Today I realized that we will go out for two more of these "Annual Family Dinners" before she will then be done....and then what will life bring our way? I have my own hopes and dreams but God's are the ones that count and I hope Kristin seeks for them with all her heart.