For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 KJV
This verse is one we normally lift during Christmas as we celebrate the birth of Christ and receive Him, yet again, into our hearts. He’s called Wonderful and Counselor, among other things, in this verse, but I’ve come to know our Savior as my “Wonderful Counselor” (as it reads in other versions like the ESV), in a new way right here in September.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him. Psalm 37:7a
Like many of you, I’ve been in the Word a LOT in this quarantine season. I shared in a recent Instagram post that I’ve listened to and for God more than I ever have—for work direction, in relationships, for general faith and life guidance. From focused prayer and study time, the Lord has lifted certain passages in the Word that my soul has needed, one of which is the title verse of this post . . .
What these words of David say to me basically and simply is trust the Lord. I’ve read other verses where the encouragement is to cease striving. And as writer Brett Cohrs puts it, “Stop trying to manufacture the outcomes in your own life and in the lives of others.” Friends, the times belong to God. He has ordered our steps and set our paths. No need for us to strive and assume control over things ourselves. God has it all under control.
Does that mean we stop praying? Certainly not. Do we stop believing God to show us His way? Not at all. It means we surrender all to Him. We expect in faith. We give up control and walk as God orders.
The being still has another meaning for me: When you pray, when you study, reverence Him. Be still, almost literally, and keep holy quietness as you listen for Him. Turn off the TV and put down your phone. Seek the Lord while He may be found.
Perhaps being by myself has helped in this place of thirst and hunger for God, and I’m grateful for that. I’m not going to pretend I’m not thankful for being able to work from home these few months. While COVID-19 has certainly had an incredible turn with us, God is bigger than any raging virus, pandemic, injustice, tribulation, or heartache we’ll ever face. Be still and wait patiently. He will see us through.
And by the way, Psalm 37 is worth the read in entirety. You can find it here.
Be blessed, wear your mask, help others, and stay safe.
It’s my birthday month! If the Lord wills, I’ll see 48 on the 16th! And here on the New Day blog, one of my favorite things to do around my birthday time (and any time, as you know) is to feature the stories of people whose journeys of faith have encouraged and inspired me in my own walk. Danielle Moore is first on the list this year. . .
As highlighted in her Instagram bio, Danielle is saved by grace, lover of the Lord, and married to her bestie Cody, my cousin. I don’t get to see them much, but thankfully, social media keeps us connected. The rest of Danielle’s bio, which is the focus of this post, reads simply, mommy to 9. You read that right: NINE. Hands full. Cody’s grandmother, my great “Aunt Bet,” raised a similarly large family, so one could say the apple didn’t fall too far in the family tree there. . .
On social, Danielle constantly shares a candid perspective of what it means to live as a woman of faith, balancing life as a wife and stay-at-home mom to nine. Her joy is found in the faces of those God has entrusted to her, and she doesn’t take the calling lightly. In a recent Instagram post, Danielle makes it plain in that her choice to serve family is by no means any less of a role than any other “job.” She encourages other moms, and even those of us who aren’t moms, to honor God wherever we are and trust Him in it all. With her permission, here’s the full post. I pray you are blessed by it as I was.
My heart’s desires | “I never imagined I’d be a STAHM of NINE kiddos. The fact that I owe thousands of dollars in student loans should be proof of that. Sure, I wanted your average 2-3 kids, but I just KNEW I wanted to be a doctor, until one day my hatred of school outweighed my love of medical science. So I decided to become a nurse—still in the medical field but less school. Then I became pregnant with M and God shaped my heart’s desires into new ones. I wanted to be home with her and for her and my husband. After baby 2, that desire grew. Then baby 3 was coming, and fear of financial turmoil crept in and clouded the call God placed on our hearts. So I became a teacher and worked for three years, and as soon as we had contemplated putting M in school for the first few years, “just so we could knock out some financial goals,” I became pregnant with babies 4 & 5. Before you ask, YES, we know how that happens!😉
I’m just a girl | “Let me say, God is sovereign, y’all! My entire check would have gone to childcare for five kids, so back home I went. God has called us to homeschool, for Cody to be the sole monetary provider (I got a couple of side hustles though😄), and for me to be the home keeper. But make no mistake, I AM NO Martha Stewart/Betty Crocker/Joanna Gaines. I’m also not Mary Poppins, the most patient and cheerful person, or have a PhD in education. I am ALSO not an unintelligent woman who lacks strength because I don’t have a “real job.” I don’t lack passion or drive because I don’t have a bunch of business goals. If I HAD to enter the workforce, I’d be just as capable as any other. I’m just a girl, wanting to honor God by being the best wife to my husband and mother to these beautiful faces.
Not less than | “So, to encourage other women, I just want to throw this out there: You can have a degree that you earned with a pretty darn good GPA and still desire to “just” stay at home to serve your family. That does not make you weak, unintelligent, naive, less than, and any other synonym today’s society may throw at you because of your choices. I am happy, fulfilled, and have not lost myself. I know so many women who are AMAZING at their full-time/part-time/out of the home/in the home jobs, and they are KILLING it and still loving their families well, and I applaud them! I also stand with them, with my head held high, because choosing this for our family doesn’t make me less than.”
To follow Danielle’s journey on Instagram, click here. Photo taken by Dear Marlowe.
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