barley and blessings.

"You make everything glorious - and i am Yours - what does that make me?"

sometimes you just need some david crowder band to speak some Truth, ya know?

i have to say, friends...life is pretty A-OK these days. it's not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, but i have been more cognizant of the Lord's hand upon my life. i've been better able to recognize His blessings (tangible and not) and i find myself praising Him with more regularity. it does wonders for the body and soul.

i recently finished a Bible study book with some of my JMU girls called "no other gods" by kelly minter. it was fantastic for many, many reasons - chiefly, it gave me a broader perspective on the things that i constantly put before the Lord. they are more numerous than i care to delineate here.

i've been walking in conviction and clarity.

along with realizing my own sin, i have come to a greater understanding and depth when it comes to His presence in my life and the blessings that He wishes to bestow.

in the Book of Ruth, it speaks of God's PERFECT timing (far better than any human could orchestrate). ruth and naomi arrive in bethlehem just as the barley harvest was beginning. if they had arrived a mere 1 week prior to this, ruth would not have had her encounter with boaz in his field. he wouldn't have been harvesting and she wouldn't have had the opportunity to glean. God's perfect timing lead to a beautiful love story and ultimately, the lineage of Jesus.

i know this "beginning of the barley harvest" seems like a small detail, but it rang as incredibly profound for me.

His timing is best. He clearly knows what He is doing (and 99% of the time, i don't). He has it all planned out (again, i don't even know what i am doing tomorrow). why don't i trust His plan? why do i question His timing? why do i walk forward, thinking that i know the best possible scenario? (i cringe with the vanity of it all.)

the Bible is full of testimony after testimony of God's perfect provision at the perfect moment. oh, how i wish to add to those testimonies with my own life. and oh, how my sin stops me from truly walking in His will.

i would love for my constant prayer to be "yet, not as a i will...but as You will." (matthew 26:39)

it's incredibly convicting. He has proven His credibility in this arena since the beginning of time, literally. it's all in His hands anyway, right?

when i really meditate on this Truth, i am free to take a deep breath and realize that His plan and His time will win out.

it always does. it's always best.

may i ever claim this.