Covered in His Presence

Lamentations 3:17-25
I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:  Because of the LORD'S great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;

We often spend times focusing on the afflictions that we have gone through or at the least areas that cause worry. We are called to set our minds on things above and make a choice to refocus and focus on God's faithfulness and who He is!  We are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. 

The last few months have been an interesting journey with The Lord. Since I became a believer God has been allowing me to search my past and identify core issues that affect my ability to see God as He desires and affect my ability to live in the abundant life He has promised.  He has revealed bitter roots and has been faithful to weed my garden and bring healing in numerous areas. As a result, I am more able to see Him and love for Him. He has been showing me that many of the wounds I have experienced have actually led to life and have been part of molding me into the woman that I am. 

Praise God that He never tires of working with us! In the past month, God has expanded this process by allowing me to look back at my past with new eyes! Instead of just seeing where God healed me and used my circumstances, He is actually showing me where He was during those circumstances and how He was present in them. This is a concept I have known, but not actually experienced for myself. He is opening my eyes to identify God's faithfulness throughout my past. 

I am doing a Beth Moore study with a few friends and she is currently having us divide our lives in 5ths and then process that way. I also have spent a few Saturdays in Pasadena receiving prayer ministry with an organization called Arbor Spring. This had been one of the sweetest processes I have gone through with The Lord. He is allowing me to see how He was/is present in everything. Even when I did not know Him or love Him, He was there with me. Even when I was suffering, He was with me and was faithful to me in some way that I could never have imagined! He was weeping and holding me when I was weeping. He was protecting me from things I couldn't see when I was putting myself in danger. He was building character in me that could be used for the future even though they were built during times of spiritual and emotional brokenness.  

Through this process, I am having a different response to my past. When I look back now, my past is covered in God's presence and I see God's faithfulness and have a feeling of sweet contentment with knowing where He was (which was right with me). I know I will have more processing to do in the future, but at this time I feel more at peace with my past and therefore my present and future with God than I ever have been. He is so sweet to me! I have tasted and seen that The Lord is good. 

So reflecting on the verses above... We may feel downcast, but we can choose to refocus our minds and hearts on The Lord and His faithfulness and He will transform and renew our minds!


Psalms 42:5-8
Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon- from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.
By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me- a prayer to the God of my life.


Psalms 34:4-5
I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.