My dwelling place

My heart started to beat a little bit faster as I sat down tonight to share these words.

Before I spill- I would love for you to stop and read Psalm 91.

Welcome to my newest dwelling place in scripture.

Fitting because the passage is all about one who dwells with Christ.

These words bring such a challenge in my life and, at the same time, great comfort.

In the midst of the calamity and trials of our days- we can trust in our faithful Refuge and Fortress.

This portion of scripture has changed the ways in which I live out my days.

Let's take a moment to claim the promises of this passage-
I found myself tearing up as I made this passage personal.
I encourage you to do the same.
These words are for you this day.

*He will deliver me
*His faithfulness is my shield
*He will command His angels concerning me
*He will be with me trouble
*He will rescue me
*He will satisfy me
*He will show me His salvation

The enemy is at work in the world around us-
We are beaten and bruised.
We are sick and we are rejected.
We are devastated and disappointed.
We walk through the valley of the shadow of death-
but we do not fear and we are not destroyed.
Praise the Lord for his protection and provision in our lives!

Notice that in verse 9 of the passage it says...
"Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place..."

and in verse 14 it says...
"Because he (us) holds fast to me in love..."

Do you see what I see?
We have a role to play in this scenario.

Have I made the Lord my dwelling place?

Another way to ask this question-
To whom do I run when I face the terror of the night?
Where do I seek refuge?



I do not know about you- but I have so often chosen to dwell outside of the shadow of the Lord and in the things of this world. This has always ended in personal defeat and a difficult surrender of self to the Lord.

Tonight I asked some of my girls where they run in times of trouble.

Their answers?

Music.
To their room.
Family.
Friends.

These are the moments that I want to sit down and look into the eyes of each of these sweet girls and say to them-
You are adored!
You are fought for!
You are promised protection by God!


Oh that they could see that they have a Heavenly Father who fights for us and protects us.
Who will defend to the last breath and destroy the enemy without fail.

Don't get me wrong- I have a daddy who I believe with all my heart would slay 1,000 giants to defend me.
But the enemy is bigger than any goliath the world will bring.
This is a battle only God can withstand and come out victor.

Verse 7 of Psalm 91 gives such a powerful image...

"A thousand may fall at your side,
then thousand at your right hand,
but none will come near you."


I sit here and close my eyes and imagine what it is to be a child of God who is in the shadow of the Almighty. Who is guarded in all my ways. Who is covered.

I think about all of the moments when I have chosen to dwell outside of the blessings and provisions of a God who sent His son to die so that I might live.

Why do I choose to hold fast to anything else?

My prayer is that we will DWELL all of the days of our lives in the shelter of the Most High and abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

Aaron Keyes has a song based on this Psalm that I sing to myself often...

I will dwell in the shelter of the Most High God
I will rest in the beauty of Your presence
Your faithfulness is my shield and my great reward
I will not be afraid
I will trust in the Lord



Let's place our trust in our Mighty Fortress.
Let's make His presence our dwelling place.
Let's rest in His faithfulness.

Before You I Kneel

A heart focused on the gospel.

A life dedicated to bringing glory to God.

A passion to be a light in the darkness around me.

As I lay down at night I pray that the Lord would mold me and shape me so that all of these things are a reality in my life.

Then the morning arrives...coffee spills.
outfits don't work.
five more minutes wins again.

I have missed the mark-
my heart goes throughout the day scattered.
trying to keep up.
all-together unfocused.

Is this true in your own life?

I have entered into a season of life where routine has become my best friend.

We have moved into a new home and gotten a new puppy and routine has been built strategically so that all goes smoothly (sort of) in the Byrd house.

Practically- I was craving this same discipline in my relationship with the Lord.

So- I wanted to share with you 3 things that, right now, are helping me stay afloat.
Keeping my eyes turned to Jesus.

1. A Quiet Place


In the hustle and bustle of life I have found no greater pleasure than walking into a room that I refer to as my "still place" and sitting at a desk that is only inhabited by a journal, bible and a jar of pens. I do not have assignments. I do not have a task list.

What I do have hung right before my eyes is a scripture that I am clinging to with all my strength...

"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, and I will be exalted in all the earth"
Psalm 46:10

Each day I try to spend time still. paused. in awe of the Lord and reminding myself of all He is and all He has done.

2. A Challenging Word


I may be in the midst of five different books.
All of different topics. All different levels of difficulty.

All causing me to think. Dive to scripture for truth. Desire to gain more knowledge.

It is so easy for my mind to become idle and lose my passion to know more.

Spending time in God's word has become something that I crave- and these books that I read in the evenings and throughout my week are a one way ticket right back into scripture.

I cannot get enough.

3. A Song of Praise


Music is something that I enjoy very much- and worshipping God through song in the morning has become a favorite part of my day.

Recently- I have become slightly obsessed with making sure I listen to one particular song on my way to my destination each day.

It is called "Before You I Kneel" by Keith and Kristyn Getty.

Here are the lyrics...

Before You I kneel, my Master and Maker
To offer the work of my hands.
For this is the day You’ve given You’re servant;
I will rejoice and be glad
For the strength I have to live and breathe;
For each skill Your grace has given me;
For the needs and opportunities
That will glorify You great Name.

Before You I kneel and ask for Your goodness
To cover the work of my hands.
For patience and peace to shape all my labor,
Your grace for thorns in my path.
Flow within me like a living stream,
Wear away the stones of pride and greed
‘till Your ways are dwelling deep in me
And a harvest of life is grown.

Before You we kneel, Our Master and Maker;
Establish the work of our hands.
And order our steps to seek first Your kingdom
In every small and great task.
May we live the gospel of Your grace,
Serve Your purpose in our fleeting days,
Then our lives will bring eternal praise
And all glory to Your Name.

A sweet, sweet reminder of the importance of committing our days to the Lord.


Brothers and Sisters- I pray that each of us look at our lives and examine our commitment to spending time devoted to devoting ourselves to the Lord.

In no way do I have it figured it out- but I have found some simple things to add to my daily to do list- tasks that are way more important than sweeping my floors or catching up on twitter- that have helped me to "order my steps" to seek first His kingdom.

I pray that this encourages you this day.

Many Blessings-

Cleaning Day

I find great joy in having a day of life devoted to being able to clean the Byrd house. I have found it to be a form of therapy.

Perhaps it brings such joy because I know exactly what the results will be.
When I place dirty clothes in the washing machine they will come out clean.
When I vacuum the carpet all of the crumbs and dirt are no more.
When I spray cleaner on glass I know that the grime will be wiped away.
Cleaning day ends in massive, visible results.
For me- a clean home is a functional and more comfortable home.

(Please know that my house is not always super clean..I am simply saying that I love love love it when it is! No claims of perfection here!)

I have been intrigued recently with God’s word that speaks of cleanliness..
A clean heart.

Psalm 51:10 says..
Create in me a clean heart O God,
And renew a right spirit within me

The word clean is defined as:
Free from stain and dirt
Free from contamination or disease
To rid of impurities


Goodness- does my heart have stain!
Impurities abundant!

A clean heart.
Certainly Lord- this is something that I desire!
To do this I must first identify and examine the dirt. The contamination.
The sin causing the diseases of my heart.


Today as I was thinking about putting these thoughts into word form I caught myself listening to a song that was perfect for this moment…

It simply said
“I am a sinner. If it’s not one thing it’s another.
Caught up in words. Tangled in lies.
You are a Savior- you take brokenness aside and make it beautiful.”
(Brokenness Aside- All Sons and Daughters)

What truth!
Aren’t we always dealing with some form of sin?
When we deal with one impurity another comes in to take its place…


The stains of each of our hearts will be different.
Some caused by loss, heart break, lust and greed.
Some of us may be very aware of the buildup of dirt on our hearts and others may be blind to how filthy our hearts are.

Either way- We have a God who has the power to purify us and renew us!

Take a look at your life.
What sins linger?
What areas of your life need a true “wiping away” of the bad?

The definition of clean doesn’t say that we lessen the rubbish, the stain, the contamination… it says that we are rid of them.
We can be free of the impurities!

We have the opportunity to have pure hearts and be truly clean –but only through the power of Jesus Christ.

So what is the result of our heart becoming clean?
Picture with me a window in a very old and gloomy home.
No light shines in from the outside . Nothing from the inside can be seen.
Then one day someone walks right up to it and sprays something on it- and wipes away layers upon layers of the dirt.
Then comes the good- light can be seen!
Vision is no longer impaired because of the filth!

This can be true of our hearts.
When we ask the Lord to create in us a pure heart and allow ourselves to be rid of our sin we will begin to see again!
We will no longer be impaired by the impurities of our lives.

Now friends- will this newly cleaned window stay clean on its own?
No.
It must consistently be checked for dirt and purified for it to stay in good shape and in its best form.

In the same way-
We must pray always to be sensitive to the sin in our lives and call on the Lord to equip us to deal with it immediately when we identify it.

Sisters-
How is your heart?
Will you join me in taking a look on the inside and be real about the stains and the filth?

We have a God who looks at us and calls us the apple of His eye.
He longs to set our brokenness aside and make us beautiful.
He loves us in our filth and has the power to make us clean.

Lord, I pray that you make us uncomfortable in our unclean state.
Give us the boldness to rid our lives of the people and places that only layer our hearts with dirt and dust.
Place in us a longing for hearts that are pure and alive for the sake of Your glory.
We cannot do this in our own power- renew our spirits and equip us to be obedient to where you call us to go.
Amen

Below is one of my favorite Puritan Prayers.
Hope that it blesses you as it blesses me.


Purification
Lord Jesus, I sin. Grant that I may never cease grieving because of it, never be content with myself, never think I can reach a point of perfection. Kill my envy, command my tongue, trample down self. Give me grace to be holy, kind, gentle, pure, peaceable, to live for Thee and not for self, to copy Thy words, acts, spirit, to be transformed into Thy likeness, to be consecrated wholly to Thee, to live entirely to Thy glory.
Deliver me from attachment to things unclean, from wrong associations, from the predominance of evil passions, from the sugar of sin as well as its gap; that with self-loathing, deep contrition, earnest heart searching I may come to Thee, cast myself on Thee, trust in Thee, cry to Thee, be delivered by Thee.
O God, the Eternal All, help me to know that all things are shadows, but Thou art substance, all things are quicksands, but Thou art mountain, all things are shifting, but Thou art anchor, all things are ignorance, but Thou art wisdom.
If my life is to be a crucible amid burning heat, so be it, but do Thou sit at the furnace mouth to watch the ore that nothing be lost. If I sin wilfully, grievously, tormentedly, in grace take away my mourning and give me music; remove my sackcloth and clothe me with beauty; still my sighs and fill my mouth with song, then give me summer weather as a Christian.

I Will Pray

Have you ever had an experience that ended with this thought..
“I will never be the same”

So have I.

I had the enormous privilege of traveling to London for 9 days to serve with a team of Hunter Street Students and adults.

I must admit- in so many ways – I was not expecting such a transformation of my heart.
I have seen the hard hearts of London before.
I was expecting to see the Lord at work in the lives of our students and those that they spoke with...
But you see- He was at work in me.

I tear up every time I think of the people that I encountered.- even those that were just for a moment.
I get a knot in my stomach when I realize how far I am away from them now.
{ It is just over 4,300 miles by the way..}

Each time I stood at a tube stop waiting for our train I found myself staring into the faces of the men and women riding by on their trains.
Face after face- a different story.
Almost impossible to comprehend.

So many times since we have returned I have asked myself
“What now?”

What am I to do with this strong burden that I have brought home with me for a people who are half of a world away?

Last night as I was drifting to sleep I found myself repeating three words to myself that soothed me.

“I will pray. I will pray. I will pray.”

For now- the prayer will be my work with the people of London.

Oh- the power that is in prayer!

Our team saw God at work amongst us by answering very specific prayers last week.
We learned what it looked like to pray without ceasing.
Literally.
All day. Each day.
A lifestyle of prayer.

And you know the neat thing about being in this relentless conversation with our Lord?
You see Him work in such detail.
You are paying attention to His leading.
You are focused and you are attuned to His whisper.

In this reminder of the importance of PRAYER I have gone back to find one of my favorite pieces by J.C. Ryle- “ A Call to Prayer”

Several years ago I made myself a sheet that sat on my bedside table that said..

Pray with Faith

“We should endeavor to believe that our prayers are heard, and that if we ask things according to God’s will, we shall be answered.” (Ryle)

We should cultivate the habit of pleading promises in our prayers!

Pray with Boldness

“One who heard Luther praying said, ‘What a spirit., what a confidence was in his very expressions. With such a reverence he sued, as one begging of God, and yet with such hope and assurance, as if he spoke with a loving father or friend” (Ryle)

Pray with Fullness

“The cause of their weakness in prayer is to be found in their own stunted, dwarfish, clipped, contracted, hurried, narrow diminutive prayers. They have not, because they ask not.” (Ryle)



What strong words!

I will ask that the Lord will fill my prayers with humble requests and sweet praises.
I will ask that the Lord will teach me to pray with reverent boldness.
And I will pray with faith- for our God hears and sees and answers.
Our God saves!

Are your prayers filled with faith, boldness and fullness?

So often we carry along burdens and questions without even considering taking them before the Lord in prayer.

I imagine that on many days the burdens that I try to carry on my own make me look like a prisoner- with heavy shackles and chains that I am trying to drag along on my own.
Imprisoned by life because I am too prideful to pray.

How sweet is it that God looks at us in our weakness and removes these weights and woes from us and hears the cries of our hearts.

So- brothers and sisters- I will pray.

For the people of London. For the people of Hoover.
For my worries. For my fears.
For my dreams. For my deepest sins.

Will you join me in running in the direction of a lifestyle of prayer?
He hears. He sees. He answers.

I will pray.

Rooted & Established: Knowing Jesus

Time, it seems, has gotten away from me since the last time I had the pleasure of sitting in my chair with a hot cup of coffee and letting the lessons the Lord is teaching me pour out into this boring and gloriously empty white box on my computer screen.

For me- this is therapy.
To put into words the lessons the Lord is in the midst of walking me through.

I- the forever pupil.
He- my great teacher.

The main subject matter as of late has been just this:
The importance of knowing Jesus

Roll with me on this...

Life has been rich and full over the past several months.
Thanksgiving came and went.
And now, too, Christmas has come and gone.
(I type this directly facing my Christmas tree which I am dreading taking down...maybe William won't notice if I leave it up until June-ish??)

What a wonderful Christmas it has been!
Each year my family attends our churches Christmas eve service.
Always a sweet time of worship on the eve of Jesus' birthday.

Each year we sing...

"Joy to the world! The Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King!...
He rules the world with truth and grace
and makes the nations prove the
glories of His righteousness
and wonders of His love!"


As I was singing these words my heart was overwhelmed-

This baby that we are celebrating
This little boy born in Bethlehem-
He is my Jesus.
I know Him well.
I know Him intimately.

He is the joy to the whole wide world-
and my dear savior King.

Of course- there were tears.

God used this infant to alter eternity.
Manhood added to diety.
Come to dwell with us.

Grace upon Grace.
Jesus.


As we look ahead to the new year- many of us (including myself) often come up with a comprehensive list of things we would like to do accomplish in the next 365 days.

{Running more. Weighing less.
Write a book. Call mom more.
etc. etc. etc.}

I get so caught up in getting things done on the list that I miss the lessons that are going on in the midst of it all.

It is best for me to simplify.
To focus.

This year on my list is just one thing:
Treasure Christ

I am trying to focus on Jesus and knowing Him well.

I do not know what the year 2013 will bring along with it when it arrives-
but I do know that when the year 2013 departs that my desire is to look more like Christ and know Him better.

Sure...a longer run, a book and a few less pound wouldn't be too shabby.

But, my friends, there is nothing more satisfying than knowing Christ.

Colossians 2:6-7 says...

"Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him, established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in Thanksgiving"


No matter what the year ahead may bring- may we be found
walking in Christ
rooted and build up in Christ
established in our faith

Knowing Jesus.
My prayer is that we would all make this our main priority in the days ahead.


Happy Christmas and Blessings to you in the new year
-amy

That I Should Go

Imagine with me for a moment a young man-
Far from his place of birth.
Exiled from his family.
Tending his flock of sheep in the wilderness.

Suddenly- a great flame appeared and the angel of the Lord spoke to him.
Through a bush.

Ah, Moses.

I have always loved spending time in Exodus.
The call of Moses to go.
The way that the Lord used this man to free the children of Israel and plunder the Egyptians.

However this week- in my current heart state- I read this particular portion of scripture with sensitivity to the great call the Lord had placed on Moses.

(Have you ever felt that the Lord was calling you to do something unbelievable? inconceivable? )

Let us work our way through this together...

God is speaking to Moses and the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.
The Lord makes clear to Moses that he is near and is standing on Holy ground.

He has the attention of brother Moses-

Then comes the call...

Exodus 3:10-12

"Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.
But Moses said to God, 'Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?'
He said 'But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain."

Would you have asked the same question that Moses did?
...Who am I that I should go?

We see then that the Lord does not answer Moses' question in the way that he asks but says... "I will be with you"

The Lord has shown Moses that His presence is essential to the call.
It will be God himself and His nearness to enable Moses to carry out this calling.

The Lord then goes on to share with Moses what to say to the elders, the people of Israel and to the Pharaoh.

I cannot imagine what Moses must have been thinking.

...really, Lord? You want me to go and plunder the Pharaoh...

But the Lord tells Moses in verse 18 something unbelievable
"And they will listen to your voice...
and then in verse 22(b) the Lord tells Moses
"..so you shall plunder the Egyptians."

To Moses- this must have been impossible in His mind.
No, Lord- you have the wrong man.
I am exiled.
I am weak.
I am unworthy.

In Exodus chapter 4 verse 10 Moses says
"Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and tongue.

Then the Lord said these words to Moses.
(I imagine these words must be read with authority. The Lord is commanding Moses to go. Guiding with his rod- telling Moses to obey.)

"Who has made man's mouth?
Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing or blind?
Is it not I, the Lord?
Now therefore go, and
I will be your mouth and I will teach you what you shall speak."


I am in tears reading and reflecting on this portion of scripture.
How many times, Oh Lord, have I doubted your ability to work through me?

The Lord does not call the equipped.
He equips the called.

What area of your life right now are you ignoring the Lord's call?
Is He calling you to go?
Is He calling you to give?
Is He calling you to speak?


You see- Moses tried all that he could to get out of this call-
and I would have done the same thing.
I do the same thing.

But see the truth that the Lord speaks over him--
I will be with you.
I have sent you.
I will be your mouth.
I will teach you what you should speak.

I think of the many things that the Lord has placed on my heart to accomplish-
tasks or calls that I avoid or bury deep because they are too daunting, too overwhelming and I do not feel equipped.

But the Lord is not calling me to go alone.
He is calling me to GO with him.
And be a vessel for Him.
A vessel equipped by Him to fulfill His purposes.

WHO ARE WE THAT WE SHOULD GO?
We are sinners who have been offered redemption through the sacrifice of God's only son. We are sons and daughters of the Most High whose purpose is to bring glory to Christ- and this purpose comes with a cost.

There will be cost in the call.
For Moses this cost was great- but obedience to Christ was His call.

What is the Lord calling you to do?
He will equip you to go to the Pharaohs gates.
He will equip you to speak with authority and might.
He will send you with the promise that you do not go alone.

Let us hold fast to our faith in King Jesus-
who reveals Himself, His promises and His purposes to use in our lives through the tasks that He calls us to accomplish- all for His name's sake.

In All That I Have Found

Autumn in my favorite time of year.

Brilliant Weather.
Flannel.
Family gatherings.
Festive Foods.

Something about this season is cozy and perfectly familiar.

This week I celebrated Thanksgiving early.
There was no turkey.
No cornucopia of plastic fruits.

But many thanks.

What?
YES.

I had my own week of thanksgiving with the Lord.

To say that I felt wrapped in the warmth of my Jesus is a start.

I felt His goodness in the chilly mornings.
His beauty was a gift with changing leaves.
His joy in the laughter of people around me.
His nearness to my heart was intoxicating.
Christ in Me- Teaching and loving me.

Unbelievable.

I found myself incredibly excited about things that I often overlook and hardly recognize.

At one point I stopped and said to myself...
This is too good to be true.
It was uncomfortable.

God is, in a way, too close.
He is in my business.
He presence effecting me personally. consistently.
And I LOVE it.

I have been praying for a heart that savors Jesus.

A heart that is stilled at the foot of the cross and focused on Christ.

(How often do we sit down and say "Thank you")

All of my life-I grew up in church singing..

"Thank you for loving and setting me free. Thank you for giving your life just for me. Yes, I thank you. Jesus, I thank you"

But did I sing these words as a redeemed Child of God?

Do I live with this heart of Thanksgiving?

This week I could not help thanking Christ for loving me.
For setting me free.
For giving up His life so that I may live.

He died so that I may live.

....Let's get personal.....

How often do we cry watching movies or reading books and sobbing over a character who has given their life for the sake of another?

All the time.
Sobbing. Heart Broken. Genuinely sad.

YET- we go days- weeks- years
without giving praise and expressing thanksgiving to Christ-
who made Himself nothing so that we may have life.

That is a hard fact to admit.
My pride tries to convince me otherwise.

But the truth is that I do not say thank you enough.

I know this sounds simple-
and perhaps it is just that.

But there is no doubt that many of us, especially myself,
could benefit from adding an intentional time of thanksgiving in our daily routine.

The Lord is doing a number on my heart-
and last week I found myself sobbing in my bed from all of the horrors that are in this world- and the Lord has chosen to spare me from suffering them.

Why not me?
Why them?

I do not know.

But-thanks be to God.

He deserves my affection.

He deserves my adoration.

He deserves "Thank you"

In all that I have found- God is faithful, good and worthy to be praised.

Will you join me in celebrating Thanksgiving early?
And all the time?

Our hearts shall be overjoyed with thanks-
to the point where this thanks becomes a part of our lives-
our lifestyle of worship.

"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
you have loosed my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness,
that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!"
Psalm 30:11-12

He is worthy.

-Many Blessings



Some ideas to make it real....

Ways to express Thanksgiving personally:

*Journal of Thanks
There is nothing sweeter than flipping page after page of documented answers to prayer and testimonies of God's faithfulness. I cherish my journals. My heart is on the lines of the pages.

*Verbal Praise
My favorite time to talk with the Lord is in my car.
There are few moments that are sweeter than my verbally communicating to the Lord
"Thank you, Jesus for reconciliation. Thank you, Jesus for forgiveness"


Ways to express Thanksgiving together:


*Thanks Board
I know many families who have a board of "prayers" and "lessons" in their homes.
How about a public board of thanks?

*Writing Thanks
Personally- The Lord has used so many people to reveal Himself to me. What a joy it would be to let these people know that they were a part of God's work in my heart