My Response to Yesterday's Blog, by Christy Venable

Psalm 62:5-8 (NLT)

5 Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
    for my hope is in him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress where I will not be shaken.
7 My victory and honor come from God alone.
    He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
8 O my people, trust in him at all times.
    Pour out your heart to him,
    for God is our refuge. Interlude

In yesterday's blog, Michael Eldridge posed this question:  What catalysts can you pinpoint as what God has used to grow your faith in him? Then, we were challenged to consider these 5 dynamics: practical teaching, private disciplines, personal ministry, providential relationships, pivotal circumstances. Here's my humble confession regarding these:

I can see God's hand in each of these dynamics. Several years ago, the Lord brought us as a family into a position in which I was able for the first time to really sink my teeth into in-depth Bible Study. I had always yearned to delve into the truth of God's Word in a deeper way than my personal quiet times seemed to afford. I needed to be taught...truth by truth, principle by principle and be shown how to apply those principles to my own life. God began doing that. Second, God created in me an enormous hunger for His Word. I remember asking a friend to pray with me that God would give more time alone in His Word. God answered that prayer by meeting me daily in my quiet times and feeding my hunger with the richness of His Word. Third, God opened doors for me in ministry that I truly could not have ever imagined. I had dreamed of ministry, but God's plan was more than I could have asked or imagined...Honduras, leading small groups, Women's ministry, blogging. Fourth, God surrounded me with friends who were willing to be transparent about life struggles and triumph, and who allowed me to be real, too. Herein lies "community." Here I pause...it is the 5th dynamic with which I struggle...Sure, I 'm all about pivotal circumstances when the fruit is obviously good and satisfying...for example a situation which we would label "divine appointment." The temptation to cower comes when the situation is obviously hard, obviously going to test me and try me, obviously going to have moments of pain and suffering. The word "pivotal" refers to a point in which a change of direction occurs, a swing in direction. I'm all about changes in directions when the forecast is bright and sunny, but I confess, I struggle when at the point of turning I look up ahead and see dark storm clouds. It is in those moments of unexpected turns and surprise curves that for me, faith is hardest to come by. In those times, I must rely most on His presence being known in the four dynamics listed previously. Help me Lord when the circumstances shift to remain faithful in allowing myself to be taught, in spending time alone in Your Word, in focusing on the needs of others and not just my own, in allowing Godly people to pour into my life...Help me trust You as sovereign and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that "He, who has brought me to it, will bring me through it." The forecast may not look good, but I can trust You are working for my good and for your glory.