A Good Sunday

I love it when I'm sitting in worship, listening to the sermon, and I'm able (with the help of what's being preached and the Holy Spirit) to take out my thoughts, sort them out, and put them back in with a clearer understanding of God's will and desire for my life. That's a good Sunday!

Through the past few months, our pastor has been preaching on Joseph. The main theme through all his sermons have been God's sovereignty and providence in Joseph's life and in ours. This spring, I've really struggled with a "why me??" attitude. I feel like God keeps throwing all these things into my life. And though I trust Him, love Him, and know that ultimately this will work for my good and His glory, it's easy to feel like I'm being picked on. Pastor Wade's sermons have challenged me and convicted me as I've dealt with my attitude.

Today, Pastor Jon preached. As I've dealt with my bad attitude, I've discovered that deep down I feel very sad about life. I blogged about my thoughts and feelings in regards to Timothy's cleft surgery, explaining that I was saddened that I lived in a wold where babies where born with deformity. I'm fully aware that I live in a sin stained world. But today, I received a little more insight into my thoughts, feelings and emotions. My sadness is really homesickness. As I more clearly see the world around me, and gain understanding about how wretched and sinful it is and we are, I find myself deeply longing for Heaven. I long for the day when Christ will wipe away ever tear, for a day where night will not come and faith will become sight.

I'm thankful for this insight. I'm also thankful for the pastors that God has placed at our church who use God's Word to encourage and convict me. What a good Sunday!

"We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." Romans 8:22-27