2025(6) Faith Leap - Aside: I'm Gonna Worship Through It

 2025(6) Faith Leap - An Aside: I'm Gonna Worship Through It

   

This blog post is not going to be like my typical posts. Just a quick Aside to say Hallelujah.

"I know my God can do it. So, I'm gonna worship through it. Before I see my breakthrough, I'm gonna choose to praise you! " - Tasha Layton

Don't you love this picture above? When Richard took it, he had no idea how perfectly he would capture the emotions I've felt in the last week. It has been a rough one, but also beautiful. Mighty waves have crashed down around us while, at the same time, the Savior's peace beyond has been a constant; His gentle light breaking through the darkness. I do not have all the words to tell the story yet. And, frankly, I am hoping and praying to experience more of an ending before I share it. In the meantime...

Seeking answers and understanding from Him this week, I was led to Nehemiah. The entire book gave me great insight, but I was especially instructed by Chapter 9, where the people spend a quarter of the day immersed in the scriptures, and then a quarter of the day worshipping God. They remembered His blessings to the Israelites in the desert - from the mighty miracle of parting the Red sea, to the eventually-unappreciated daily miracle of manna. When the Israelites began to blame God for the hard, when they tired of waiting on the fulfillment of His promises, rather than leaning in to their relationship with Him, they turned away - failing to trust that the hard was for their growth and that He was walking with them. They forgot that "counting our blessings is far better than recounting our problems"

Hearing my call to repentance, I fell to my knees and spent as long as it took to thank Him for every blessing I could think of; I asked Him to show me miracles He'd given me that I hadn't seen (boy, were there a lot) - I thanked Him for those, too; and, I thanked Him for the promises He's made that I am still waiting to see the fulfillment of. And you know what? By the time I was done, the hard didn't feel hard anymore. The situation isn't yet resolved, but it is no longer the heavy burden it had been. I experienced, very tangibly, why President Nelson called it "the healing power of gratitude"

"Jesus Christ frequently expressed gratitude. Before raising Lazarus from the dead, before miraculously multiplying loaves and fishes, and before passing the cup to His disciples at the Last Supper, the Savior prayed and gave thanks to God...Does gratitude spare us from sorrow, sadness, grief, and pain? No, but it does soothe our feelings. It provides us with a greater perspective on the very purpose and joy of life."

Isn't that amazing?!? I had never noticed how often the Savior gave thanks to the Father before the miracle had occurred. Even before passing the cup that was symbolic of the bitter cup He would empty, performing the greatest miracle for all of mankind; the bitter cup that would be so excruciating that He, even God, would ask that it pass from Him, if possible; even then, He gave thanks first. That is pretty profound.

So, that is the purpose of this post: to publicly thank my Father in Heaven - even though the miracle He's promised hasn't come yet. Because He has already proven that He is faithful.

I want to tell a tiny sliver of His goodness:

I firmly believe that coincidence is synonymous with Tender Mercy from God. Coincidentally, this week's "Come, Follow Me" study links to President Nelson's talk Christ is Risen; Faith in Him Will Move Mountains (If you didn't read it yet, go do it! It is so good!)

I remember when He gave this talk. I was still reeling from the sudden loss of my Dad just a month and a half prior, so I had very real mountains that I was desperate to move. I remember intentionally choosing to live this counsel - including asking for opportunities that would require more faith. (A caution: if you do this, you'd better buckle up!) This week, one of the miracles I'd been blind to, and now I see, is how carefully and patiently God has mentored me for 5 years in my desire to build greater faith to move mountains. I still have plenty of growing to do, but He has truly helped me come to "believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." So that, even now, "I will sing hallelujah to the One who can do what the world says can't be done. I know my God can do it, so I'm gonna worship through it." 

God is Good. 💗