I asked God for strength, that I may achieve,

I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey…

I asked for health, that I might do greater things,

I was given infirmary, that I might do happier things…

I asked for riches, that I might be happy,

I was given poverty, that I might be wise…

I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men,

I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God…

I asked for all things that I may enjoy life,

I was given life, that I may enjoy all things…

I got nothing that I asked for- but everything I had hoped for;

Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.

I am among the most richly blessed.

- An Unknown Confederate Solider

I found this on one of the blogs that I subscribe to (my sister's blog), and I really liked it, so I figued I would repost it on here. It is so very encouraging, and also very true! It was a reminder to me that while it may seem to us that our prayers aren't being answered, they are, just not necessarily in the way we want them answered. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! 

God Is Near

God is always near to His children, even we stray away from Him. This is very convicting to me, for I have not always been close to God, and have strayed away from Him many times, yet always, He takes em back and forgives me. We serve an awesome God!

Friends may lead me astray,
But God is always near.
Others may cause me to turn away,
But, always, God is near.

Though I may stray far away,
Still He watches over me.
Though I choose to go my own way,
Still, He watches over me.

When I return and plead,
“Lord forgive me!
You’re all I need.
Please, Lord, remember me!”

Lovingly, my Father said,
“Child, you wandered far away;
From me you fled,
But I was with you all the way.”

It was then that I cried.
I don’t deserve His love.
But still, He was by my side,
My loving Father above.

Child, Rest In Me

Something that I've always had trouble with is resting in and depending on God. I'm a very stubborn and independent person, which I will be the first to admit are two of my greatest weaknesses. Through my (almost) two years here at college, I've had to let go of a lot of my independence due to struggling with my asthma and other physical problems, and I've had to let go of my stubbornness enough to admit that I need help. I was thinking about all this today when I wrote this poem:

“Child, rest in Me,”
My Father gently says.
“Child, rest in Me.”

Stubborn though am I,
I pull away
“I can do it!” I cry.

“Child, rest in Me,”
He says once again.
“Child, rest in Me.”

Still I resist
I want my way
“I can do it!” I insist

“Child, rest in Me,”
Is all that he says.
“Child, rest in Me.”

Suddenly, I stumble and fall!
“Lord, help me!
I need you!” I call.

“Child, rest in Me.”
No chiding, simply,
“Child, rest in Me.”

“Father, I need you,
I need Your help
With all that I do.”

“Child, rest in Me.
I will help you,
Only rest in Me.”

The Lord's Will

If it's the Lord's will, then how can it be so hard to accept? Why does it hurt so much? I've been asked that question by a couple of friends, and each time I didn't know how to respond, mainly because I had never had those feelings before. But now, I know exactly how they were feeling and how hard it was for them because I'm going through the exact same thing. It's not an easy thing to go through, by any means.

It's been almost two weeks now since I first asked those questions, and it hasn't gotten any easier. I still don't know the answer to those questions. I was so happy with the way things were going, so sure that it was the right thing, then, suddenly, I was confronted with the fact that it wasn't God's will. I couldn't believe it. Not God's will? I had been so sure it had to be God's will; after all, I was happy and content with the way things were going. I didn't understand how it could possibly be any thing other than God's will.

I was devastated. I cried. I cried a lot. However, that didn't help. The only thing crying did was remind me even more of the pain I was going through and of what I had lost. I couldn't figure it out. If it was God's will, then why did it hurt so bad? Why was my heart so heavy? Why did my heart heart feel like it had shattered into a thousand pieces?

The one thing that did help was turning to God for answers. I sought comfort from the one place i knew I could find it, God's Word. I opened my Bible first of all to my life verse, Isaiah 40:31. "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint." That verse brought me so much comfort, because i realized that if I looked to the Lord and trusted Him, then in due time, He would give me the strength to go on.

The next verse that I saw was right across the page. I had read it before, but never had it spoken to me like it did when my heart was so troubled. "Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."

And so it continues, with the Lord leading me to verse after verse after verse. Every verse that I read was exactly what I needed at that time. Even verses that I had read before and had memorized as a little girl held new meaning for me.

Although that period of time was, and still is hard, it helps to know that I have a wonderful God right there with me. He will always be by my side. It reminds me of a well-known poem, Footprints in the Sand, by Mary Stevenson. The last few stanzas of the poem are: "'Lord, You told me when I decided to follow You, You would walk and talk with me all the way. But I'm aware that during the most troublesome times of my life there is only one set of footprints. I just don't understand why, when I need You most, You leave me.' He whispered, 'My precious child, I love you and will never leave you, never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you.'"

That poem has never meant more to me than it has in these past couple of weeks, because I know that the Lord is carrying me through this trial. Even though I still don't understand why, or how it can hurt so much even thought it's His will, He knows. Although I still cry, and although it still hurts and it will hurt for awhile, I know that God is right beside me, ready to help me whenever I ask.