Mighty is the Power of the Cross

The past week started as a difficult one for me. I found myself asking God, “Why am I here?” There were a lot of things on my heart, and I think that I allowed Satan to take control of those thoughts. I know that I am where God wants me, but it is sometimes hard to see why. Life here is a lot different here compared to Taylor or home. Here, everyone around you is not pouring truth into your life daily. In fact, it is hard to find at all. I feel like my time here has been wonderful but exhausting. I am frequently in new situations, and there are a lot of “foreign” aspects of life…even though I’ve been here for awhile now. I have had to seek out many relationships which has been good for me. However, sometimes I wish that I could just sit and not have to explain myself to everyone. I want to talk with someone who knows all of me. Some days I just long for a good hug (I will get my share of these and more in a few weeks!!). However, yesterday was different. God was showed me that I just need to focus that much more on Him. I think that being here a second time and wanting to know His will for the next step of my life has caused me to put unneeded pressure on myself. Last night I was reading about God’s grace in my Bible study and how precious of a gift this is. I was reflecting in my journal afterwards about this, and God gave me the calming peace that I have been looking for this week. Then, as usual I put on some worship music to fall asleep to. I was listening to “Mighty is the Power of the Cross” by Chris Tomlin. I have heard this song countless times, but last night it penetrated my heart. I realized that it was all about the grace of God. I listened to this song three times last night and thought about the words in the verses. I realized that I have been forgetting the power of the God I serve. I have been so worried about my future. How could I even for a second doubt that my God who is so powerful would not be able to guide me in His timing? After this, I started thinking more about these words and what God has the power to do.

What can take a dying man and raise him up to life again?

What can heal a wounded soul?

What can make us white as snow?

What can fill the emptiness?

What can mend our brokenness?
What restores our faith in God?

What reveals the Father's love?

What can lead the wayward home?

What can melt a heart of stone?

What can free the guilty ones?

What can save and overcome?

…The power of the cross….

As I was thinking about each of these things, I started thinking of how His power has changed these situations in my life and others I know. Also, it made me have incredible hope for those I keep praying for. There are people I love that are broken. There are some that need to see the love of the Father. Some need to be released from the guilt they carry as they realize God has forgiven them. Some are searching in the world for happiness and need to realize that God is waiting with open arms to satisfy that void. Last night I was so encouraged to know that all of these things are possible through the power of the cross. And I believe in that power! I have seen it work in my own life. I refuse to let Satan have the victory of those I love and others in the world that are without hope. I went to bed so excited and refreshed!

Today I met Pete and team at the guest house. Alice called last night and said that she and the kids were sick, so they didn’t go to church today. The team is made up of seven guys, some dads and sons and some others. They are from a church in Atlanta, and I had a great time talking with them. It was really exciting to see a glimpse of what Pete sees when new people experience another country. They were asking me questions about the people and about Burkina, and it was great to see their eyes trying to take everything in. Church was a little different today because one of the guys from the team preached…so I actually knew what was going on for the first time!! His message was from Mark 2 which is the passage of the friends who bring their sick, paralytic friend to Jesus…through the roof. He focused on the friends and how they were not backing down. They knew the power of Jesus and had faith that He would heal their friend. There were so many people there, that they couldn’t get inside. They did not give up and leave. Instead, they decided to dig a hole into someone else’s roof. I had never caught the part that Jesus looked up and saw their faith…the faith of the friends. He then healed their friend. What would have happened if the friends would have thought, “I guess this isn’t going to work, so we better just go back.”? Not only was this man healed, but it was in front of a giant crowd. The power of God was displayed vividly to these people. I was sitting there thinking, God this is just like you to have this message today as this was still so pressed on my heart. There are several people that I love that I need to have this kind of faith for. Some of you may even be reading this. You are precious to me, and you need to be brought to Jesus. I pray that I will be that type of friend for you.

Some people aren’t able to get to the feet of Jesus alone. Let’s join together and bring people to Jesus!

Mighty, awesome, wonderful

Is the holy cross

Where the Lamb laid down His life

To lift us from the fall

Mighty is the power of the cross