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Dancing

Reveal Day 11 Dancing In The Dark

December 21, 2020 by Sara Cissell Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Ezekiel 37:15-28
2 Samuel 6:1-15
Ecclesiastes 3:1-22

Reveal, Day 11

I woke up today and struggled to put my feelings into words. For a person who loves words, failing to figure out which ones to use only added to the loneliness of the moment.

As I thought, a picture of the ocean tide going out came to mind.
That. I was feeling that.

How does the beach feel as the tide heads back to sea, taking with it anything not strong enough to anchor itself in the sand?
Does it recognize something is missing?
Does a sense of loss and an inability to hold onto the waves cause it to tremble?
Does an awareness of uncovering surprise it as the ocean breeze makes contact with the wet soil?

As the beach imagery provides words for my emotions, it also reminds me of the treasure trove revealed in the absence of those salty waters as the
waves run out and sea shells glisten on sandy shores. The ocean picture of runaway tides and hidden shells reminds me that while I may be feeling much like the beach at low tide, I have hope.

Good things, God-things, are found in the midst of these emotions.
Good things, God-things, are found in the faith that sustains us in the wake of raw, uncovered, and alone.

This hope is found in one Place, in one Person, the Presence of God.
Jeremiah 29:13-14 says, “‘You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. I will be found by you’–this is the Lord’s declaration.” How many times I have held onto this promise, and seeking Him, knowing He would faithfully allow me to find Him.
I’m sitting here humbled by the Lord’s promise not only to be found by me when I search for Him with all my heart, but to dwell within me. Because Christ came to earth and died for my sins, I am able to interact with Him directly.

This was not the case for those believers living in the days prior to His arrival. In fact, leading up to Jesus’ birth, the Israelites had no prophetic voice communicating the heart of the Father for 400 years. They had promises of the Messiah to come, but no present-day prophet through whom the Lord would guide and lead His people.

The Holy Spirit did not indwell them individually; a priest served as the intermediary between a believer and the Lord through the sacrifices required by the Law. Until Christ became our perpetual sacrifice, the Israelites lacked consistent access to the Presence of the Lord in their lives.

But oh, how they reveled in the joy of His nearness when His Presence visited! David danced with abandon before the Ark of the Covenant as it was restored to Israel. When was the last time you danced with joy, and I mean more than quiet toe tap to a song with a good beat? This dancing sprang up within David as an outrageous act of worship, totally disregarding social norms. David sought only to please the Lord and rejoice in His Presence.

Elizabeth, John the Baptist’s mother, also experienced the impact of the Lord’s nearness. The baby in her womb leapt as the baby Mary carried, Jesus, drew close. I’ve never been pregnant, so I can only imagine the surprise and delight at feeling a child within dance. This must have been far more noticeable than the butterflies and kicks a soon-to-be mother feels.

As the first Christmas arrived, the shepherds were unaware of the nearness of the Lord’s Presence, but what must their responses have been when an angel appeared and brought the glory of the Lord with him? Years of silence ended as the host of heaven sang praises to the Lord.

The first Christmas ushered in the grace of access to experience the Almighty’s presence directly within our souls if we surrender our hearts to Him. When we seek Him with all we are, we will find Him. He will make His home with us. (Ephesians 3:17)

In those moments when an aching void turns your world dark, come to Him with your raw and uncovered and alone. Come with your bereft heart echoing mourning Israel’s exile cry,
“Oh, come, oh come, Emmanuel! “
Come with your longing for God with us, our God whose nearness is our good.
And in your dark waiting, hope in the assurance your Emmanuel is near!
Dance with David, John the Baptist, and a few surprised shepherds, and delight in the Presence of the Lord who came near!

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Reveal Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Reveal!

Posted in: Anchored, Faithfulness, God, Grace, Holy Spirit, Hope, Jesus, Joy, Promises, Reveal, Seeking, Worship Tagged: Close, Dancing, dark, emotions, God Things, Good Things, loneliness, Messiah, Nearness, Ocean, presence, silence, Tide

The GT Weekend! ~ Neighbor Week 1

April 25, 2020 by Rebecca Adams Leave a Comment

The GT Weekend!

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to
reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ.
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer,
rest your soul in reflective journaling,
and spend time worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) Kids. We love them. They drive us crazy. We long for them. We dream of tiny toes and whispy soft hair. Our hearts are crushed at teenage rebellion. Our insides break at loss. We watch them in their sleep, these pieces of our hearts. We cheer them on, we weep over them, we see us in them, and oh how we pray for them! Great is the gift of standing eye-to-eye with a child of any age and letting them feel seen and known and radically loved. How rich is the treasure of a child! Whether you have children, wish you did, are glad you don’t, or miss your grown children or grandchildren deeply, children are a gift for all of us! Pray specifically this week for God to increase your love for ‘the neighbor kids’. Maybe even write down a couple of names and pray diligently for their hearts to know Jesus!

2) When we think of Jesus’ call to “love your neighbor”, the face of our spouse doesn’t naturally pop into our thinking. What would it look like if we were each to very intentionally consider how to go about loving our spouses deeply, practically, and without condition of their response this week? If you aren’t married, engaged, or dating, ask the Lord to give you a specific married couple to pray over this week. Connect with them, ask how you can pray. Bring them before God this week and love them deeply as Jesus has called us to love one another. Choose one radical way to love your neighbor-spouse this week, and do it!

3) To love others well, it’s critically important we understand how magnificently we ourselves are loved by the Great God of Love. When we are rooted in truth, dancing in grace, and embraced by the everlasting, confident love of Father God, we give love to others. And we do it well. Consider the way you love others currently, and let it be a guide to help you understand how you view yourself as loved by God. Where are you stingy in your love? Where are conditions attached? Where does performance play a major role? Take these to the Lord and ask Him to show you His own deep heart of love and choose to hold fast to truth!

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from 1 Corinthians 13:7-8 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Love bears all things,
believes all things,
hopes all things,
endures all things.
Love never ends.

Prayer Journal
Oh God of Love, Your kindness towards me is unfathomable. I’m so small and insignificant in comparison to the far-flung stars and vast galaxies. Even these are nothing to You. Yet, not even a sparrow falls to the ground without Your knowing. Every hair on my head is numbered. Every freckle is known, let alone every emotion, fear, and secret way inside me. How could I possibly keep this love inside for me alone? Yet, how quickly I become selfish, losing sight of how deeply I am loved by You! I slip into thinking You are stingy, becoming bored with my humanity, annoyed at my inner self. But, no, Your love is constantly present. When I sit here, wrapped in this incredible truth, love for others bubbles to the surface. Give me opportunity to love my neighbor, Lord Jesus, as You have so radically loved me.

Worship Through Community

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Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

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Posted in: Deep, Grace, GT Weekend, Love, Neighbor, Truth Tagged: Dancing, Hold Fast, kindness, known, Love Deeply, Neighbor Kids, rooted

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And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14