just a little rant because I'm human and it's okay to rant. right?

I'm just... I'm frustrated.

     I'm so self-centered. Everything is seen through a lens of "how does this affect me?" And then afterwards, I take off those glasses and see everything clearly and blur things again with tears of frustration and annoyance. I want to take those "all about me" glasses and smash them under the heel of my shoe.

     I tell myself that I'm not a very self-absorbed person. When I was younger, I was told often by pastors and my mom's friends and nice stranger ladies at the grocery store that I was such a well behaved little girl (not bragging here: I'm was a little introvert who didn't talk except for please and thank you and I have a mother and father who know where it's at when raising children).

     But now I'm in the real world, where things don't like to happen the way I think they should. People don't act the way I think they should. If I didn't want to play on the playground at preschool recess, I didn't have to. It was okay if I just wandered around, singing Sound of Music and eavesdropping on my teachers' conversations (Sorry, Mrs. R and Mrs. D). Now it seems like people are forcing me down the slide. I don't want to go! 

     School isn't sitting at the art table drawing all morning anymore. It's blood and sweat and tears and due dates and research and periodic tables that I don't want to memorize and geometric constructions I don't want to draw. It's late nights because I am too tired in the morning - a vicious cycle of sleeplessness. It's constantly throwing off the stress and inwardly screaming for God to make it easier.

     Friends aren't the little girls who invite me over to make soap and play with American Girl Dolls after preschool anymore. They are so, SO much better, and yet it takes more to keep those friendships alive. Business gets in the way of relationships. Online school means friends who live across the country, or at least a few hours away.

     Money isn't something that just comes with having a lemonade stand just for fun anymore. I need it to keep my commitment with Compassion. I need clothes (don't worry - I'm, like, getting clothed and stuff. I'm provided for. But it's hard when you're that girl who wears a sweatshirt and jeans to church because you wore the only two good dresses you have the last two weeks, and you see all of your friends with amazing clothes and everything...). It's no longer as simple as owning a favorite sweater and wearing it every day.

     Prioritizing according to the Bible is hard in a world where the culture wants you to do otherwise. To be honest, I didn't think this particular aspect of culture would hit me this hard at this point in my life. Grades are just the most important thing if I want to go to college. Grades... grades... grades. I always thought I was a pretty good student. Like most kids, failing tests was a nightmare for me, but it was never one I actually experienced until recently.

     It makes me wonder if I'm becoming less of a person. I know... it's just called "real life," and I'm no longer in my little homeschool bubble of "I'm accepted all the time for exactly what I am by everyone and everyone thinks I'm awesome and I don't get graded on my tests because I'm young and my parents don't want me to find my worth in grades and I am content with my clothes and my talents and my life and YEAH."

     I know I'm getting all teenage-angst-y on y'all, but life was just so much SIMPLER as a little kid. There was no poking and prodding if you mentioned a guy twice in the same hour. No yearning for independence, because, quite honestly, grown-ups have to do work and that's no fun! The only good reason for being a grown-up is you can pretty much do whatever you want. Right? RIGHT?!?!

Hah!

     Ugh. What a lie. I'm not even totally grown-up yet and I know that's a lie. I know people talk about "middle-aged crisis" and all that, but what about "teenaged crisis?" It's haaard, folks. And you know that! Because I know that pretty much all of my readers are either in the middle of this or have "been there, done that." Y'all know. 

     I'm just overwhelmed. Like I said. Screaming. God is there, I know. I constantly have to zoom out and see more than my computer screen and my bedroom walls. I constantly have to stop comparing myself to others. Seriously. I have to JUST. STOP. (link)

     It scares me sometimes when I think that my life before I turned... well, say fifteen, was pretty much trial-free. I might as well have been wearing a "life is good" t-shirt 24-7. Maybe I didn't think so then, but gosh darn it, I look back and that's totally what was happening. Sure, I thought I had such a hard life sometimes. But then I hit my first real trial, when God knew I was ready for one. If he had asked me, "Sarah, are you ready for a trial?" I would have said, "um, no! MY LIFE IS PERFECT, GOD. DON'T TAKE AWAY EVERYTHING I'VE DREAMED OF." And, well, he did. To my fifteen-year-old brain (I know, I know, that was only a year and a half ago. But the then-brain and the now-brain are wayyy different). From then on, my life has been different. It will continue to be marred by the results of The Fall, until I die and leave it all behind for eternal felicity in heaven. That scares me, to a degree. Just being honest.

    Today at my incredible, amazing, mine-is-better-than-yours youth group, we talked about how to deal with it when God says "no" to our prayers. I have to say, not my topic of choice; at least not at first glance. When we got into it, I learned a lot about how God has something better for us when he says "no." A lot of my youth group leaders said they were glad God said "no" to them in a lot of situations, because things ended up being infinitely better for them. I'm not entitled to share any of the stories, but dude, you should have heard them.

     The thing is (whew, I'm not writing a paper so I can say "the thing is"), I do believe that. I totally do. My real question is: WHEN? When do I get to hear the other half of the story, the half that comes after the "no"? The part when everything works out to my advantage?

     Well, would ya look at that. Just spilled to the internet. Heh. Why not. It got a little bit off of my chest, and maybe someone will read this and kind of feel a little bit better about life.

Hopefully there's some stuff in there that isn't totally depressing.

Also I wrote this in two different sittings, so the first half might have a different feel than the second half. You might say that mood swings and I are on a first-name basis.

s

compassion

     I saw somewhere that "compassion is the gift you give to yourself."

I have just embarked on a journey which I hope will be long-lasting and fruitful. I signed up to sponsor a child with Compassion. Compassion is an organization that "releases children from poverty in Jesus' name." By sponsoring, I can help one person across the world be free from poverty! How amazing is that?

My family has sponsored with Compassion before, but I was too little to really get into it - writing the letters and all that. I didn't feel the longing to help quite as much as I do now.

For the past three years or so, I have been pondering this on and off. I was at a Starfield concert, and during the concert the band talked about how they sponsored kids with another program (I forget which one, but it's basically the same thing as Compassion). They showed a video of them in other countries with these kids, and it moved me. I wanted to be part of it. I wanted so much to accept a packet with a child's picture in it when they handed them out at the concert, but I didn't have any income back then (or at least, not enough to sustain a sponsorship). I tried to figure it out, but it just wasn't working. I was young, and my parents weren't sure I was ready to do that kind of thing. I kept thinking about it, though.

About a week ago, it entered my mind again. Sometimes if I was bored, I would go on the Compassion website and see if there were any kids who had my birthday (tell me you wouldn't do the same thing! Haha). I started looking at all of these kids who were just like me, but in worse circumstances. Right now I get a pretty significant amount of money coming in because I teach private violin lessons, so I thought... maybe this is possible.

I felt called to sponsor a girl my age. I wanted to be her friend; to sympathize with her, to be someone who understands where she is in life, even if I can't identify with everything she's going through. I looked at the girls my age on the website. There were twenty-six, and I wrote all of their names down in my journal. I prayed through them so many times, asking God to bless all of them and to tell me which one was for me. My heart was full, thinking of all of these beautiful girls that I could possibly befriend as their sponsor.

A couple days later, I told my parents that I wanted to do this, and they were (are!) extremely supportive. My mom prayed through the list of girls too, and the next day I had narrowed it down to five that I felt God wanted me to consider especially. It didn't take me long to select the one girl I would sponsor. I felt so close to God and to her at that moment.

I had to wait until I had enough money to start the sponsorship, and it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I knew that she wouldn't be sponsored by someone else if God really wanted me to have her. If she was taken before I could sign up, I would know that God wanted me to select another.

But I was sure that she was the one.

Last night, I finally had enough money to sign up. Shaking with excitement, I went to the website and clicked "select this child" on my girl's profile. Then my internet crashed.

No big deal. I'll just reload the page.

I went to the page again, and saw a message that said something like: "This child has been recently sponsored. We would love for you to pick another child to release from poverty!"

My heart sunk down into my socks.

Pick another child?

But she was the one! 

Shaking, but now with disappointment, I went to deliver the news to my parents. They couldn't believe someone had taken her in the split second that I had left the webpage. I tried refreshing the page and everything, but it still gave me that message. I cried a bit on my mom's shoulder before I started to feel more peaceful about the situation. My dad said to check the website in the morning, just in case it was a mistake.

Later that night, I checked again (just to see... I don't know. I was hoping).

She was there.

I clicked on her picture, and it took me straight to where I could put in all of my information to sign up to sponsor her.  

Praise Jesus! 

Apparently, when I had clicked "select this child" it had reserved her, so that when I went back it looked like someone had taken her. It was really me, though. :)

The rest is history. I signed up, and I should get the information about how to write letters and stuff really soon. I saw God so much throughout this week-long adventure: he showed me which one out of twenty-six to sponsor. He provided the money. He tested my faith when it looked like he hadn't saved her for me. But he had! And now I have someone who I hope will be my good friend in time to come.

Because when you show compassion to someone, it doesn't just bless them. It blesses you too. I know this girl will help me more than I can imagine.

-Sarah

a note from ephesians

     This morning I was reading Ephesians, and I came across something wonderful that I had never quite thought about before.

     Okay, that's not all true. I had thought about the concept before. But it showed itself in Ephesians this morning:

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,"

 Ephesians 1:11

     I'm pretty sure I've even heard this verse before - but it never, ever took on the meaning it did today. 

     You may or may not know that I tend to have rather low self-esteem. I have struggled and prayed about it, and God has helped me to see myself as I truly am in Christ. This verse has further helped me see that. 

     We have obtained an inheritance... according to his will.

He WANTS us to be his heirs. God's plans never fail or fall through. He always gets his first choice of what he wants. And his first choice in this regard is for me to be his heir and his beloved child. 

Happy Monday, everyone. :)

-Sarah

    

a future and a hope

     Jeremiah 29:11 has been something of a "cliche" verse for me. Not in the sense that it's overrated or whatever, but it seems like I've heard it quoted so many times in so many contexts, that it's lost some of it's meaning to me. That's why I'm so excited that God has given me a new meaning to it. And that's why I'm writing this post. :)

     For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 29:11

     My former thought process when hearing this verse: It's very comforting that God knows exactly what is going to happen in my life, and I don't need to worry about it!

     It's not as if there is anything wrong with thinking that. It's the truth: God does know what is going to happen in the future (he planned it), and I really don't have to worry about anything. But that's as far as I got with this verse. The fascinating thing about the Bible is, since it is the inspired word of God, there are always new layers of meaning to it. God uncovered a new layer of this verse, and I'm just so excited about it. 

    I first realized it whilst doing math homework.

     Funny how this post was triggered by my math homework. Didn't I just write a post that started the same way?

;)

      It's hard being a sophomore in high school who happens to be doing a much more rigorous curriculum than most people my age that I interact with on a daily basis. For example, while they're watching a movie, I'm doing math or some other form of homework. Almost every single time. I use that example because that's precisely what happened to me an hour or two ago. My parents keep reminding me that all this school is necessary if I want to be accepted into Hillsdale (my dream college). I called that to mind as I was sitting on the floor doing math, just ten feet away from the happy, math-free movie-watchers. I thought of the work that was necessary if I wanted college. I thought of Jeremiah 29:11. 

     And I realized.  That future starts now. 

God has plans for me now. It's not like I'm just living my life, and one day, it will be THE future that's referenced in this verse. I'm living it.

     (It's super late at night as I'm writing this, so I know it's on the brink of incoherency. Sorry about that.)

     I suppose what I'm trying to say is that what I do now matters. It's part of God's big plan for me, and in the grand scheme of things, having to do math instead of watching a movie isn't really significant at all. Because it's part of God's huge and exciting plan for my life. It's nice to think about when I'm feeling discouraged about school and such (especially now, with four weeks of school left and finals looming ahead). I know that my hard work WILL pay off soon.

Anyway, that's my two cents on Jeremiah 29:11. I hope it was encouraging/enlightening/et cetera.
Excuse the rather flustered nature of the post. . . I'm tireeedddd. Haha. :)

Have a nice Tuesday.
-Sarah :)

 

be still my soul

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on your side

Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain

Leave to your God to order and provide

In every change, he faithful will remain

Be still, my soul: your best, your heavenly friend

Through thorny ways, leads to a joyful end

Be still, my soul: your God will undertake

To guide the future as he has the past

Your hope, your confidence, let nothing shake

All now mysterious shall be bright at last

Be still, my soul: the waves and wind still know

His voice who ruled them while they dwelt below

Be still my soul: the hour is hastening on

When we shall be forever with the Lord

When disappointment, grief and fear are gone

Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored

Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past

All safe and blessed we shall meet at last

     I had forgotten about this hymn. I was singing (I'm always singing, and nearly always looking for something new to sing), and I thought of this one. I started singing it, and when I got to the line "in every change, he faithful will remain," I lost it. I tried to keep singing, but it was hard because I was crying.

     Lately, I have still been struggling with all the change and the sadness, disappointment, et cetera that comes with it. Most of the time I'm fine; I forget that it's hard and enjoy life. It was one of those times when I started singing "Be Still My Soul." Singing "in every change, he faithful will remain" dug out the emotions I have in the times I'm struggling. 

     This really is an incredible hymn. I want to take a minute and talk about what it means for me.

In every change, he faithful will remain

Be still my soul: your best, your heavenly friend

Through thorny ways, leads to a joyful end

     Jesus is my best friend. He is always faithful. He's the still, never-changing rock above my swirling, changing, chaotic life. I know that though he leads me through thorny ways, I will reach that joyful end.

Your hope, your confidence, let nothing shake

All now mysterious shall be bright at last

Be still my soul: the waves and wind still know

His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.

     God is in control of the waves and the wind: he rules them just as he calmed them when he was incarnate on the earth. I may not be able to control my circumstances, but God has it all under his control.

When disappointment, grief and fear are gone

Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored

     All I can say is that I can't wait for when there will be no such thing as disappointment, grief, or fear.  Revelation 21:4 says: "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." As Christians, love's purest joys will be ours like they once were for Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. 

Have you found any songs recently that God used to speak to you?

-Sarah :)

     

wednesday verse

Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.

Jeremiah 32:17

fiery trial part 6 (blessings)

     We pray for blessings, we pray for peace

Comfort for family, protection while we sleep

We pray for healing, for prosperity

We pray for your mighty hand to ease our suffering

     

     As I continue further along the path of suffering, it's easy for me to focus my attention on how I am being disappointed again and again. It's easy to give up trying to be strong – trying to make it through. 

     Far too easy. And far too tempting.

I want what I want, and I want God to give it to me! Why should I try to conform my will to his, when I'm sure he can't know best?

All the while You hear each spoken need

Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

The thing is, he does know best. I have to believe that. I am starting to, but it's hard. I would even be tempted to say it's too hard.

     But even as I'm writing this, I'm realizing that I have been depending too much on my own strength to make it through this trial. What makes me think I can carry myself through something I didn't even bring about? Am I that full of myself, that I would assign that much power to myself? It's a problem all Christians face at one time or another. We try to handle things by ourselves. But we can't handle things by ourselves. 

     It's not my place to take over; to be sovereign. It is my place, however, to fill myself with Jesus, who is sovereign, and with the power that he gives me to walk through my suffering. Exodus 14:14 says, "The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” I will not stop putting my hope and trust in Jesus. I know he will fight for me. 

     I know that what I am experiencing will result in his blessings. He will give me something much greater than anything I could ever imagine. I must believe that. I must keep my eyes on Jesus. 

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears?

What if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You're near

And what if trials of this life

Are Your mercies in disguise?

     I look forward to the wonderful things God has in store for me. I pray that he will give me the strength and wisdom to keep walking in the path he has set for me, without looking back. It is exhausting to think about the whys of the doings of God; he is incomprehensible, and as such, I will not try to understand his reasons for directing my life the way he does. 

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear

We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near

We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love

As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

And all the while You hear each desperate plea

And long that we'd have faith to believe

     It's all that I can do to keep these beliefs from dashing to pieces. I have to fight to keep my eyes on Jesus. But I'm fighting with his power, not my own. Romans 8:31 says, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" I sing songs about God's love for me and his sovereignty, sometimes just to remind my doubting heart that it's true. 

     It is true, even if that seems hopelessly preposterous. It's not. There is a purpose, and God is working all things out for my good because I love him. 

What if my greatest disappointments

Or the aching of this life

Is the revealing of a greater thirst

This world can't satisfy?

     And so, I lean on Jesus, knowing that he loves me and that he wants and intends to bless me. "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” - Lamentations 3:22-24. 

And what if trials of this life

The rain, the storms, the hardest nights

 Are Your mercies in disguise?

Blessings - Laura Story

-Sarah :)

"The Heavens Declare the Glory of God. . .

. . .and the sky above proclaims His handiwork."

     I wasn't thinking about Psalm 19:1 when I was lying in bed last night, retreating to the depths of the covers in an attempt to drown out the sound of the loudest thunder I have ever heard. I was thinking more along the lines of what I could think about instead, to take my mind off of the monstrous noises that seemed to penetrate my window. I wondered, "Is Jesus going to come back?" Somehow I wasn't all that ready for Him to come. I was afraid.

     Psalm 19:1, as well as another passage from Psalms that comes to mind. . .

"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; what can flesh do to me?" - Psalm 56:3-4

. . .would have been a good thing to think about. Knowing that the thunder was a declaration of God's power, rather than something that seemed to be out of His control, would have enough to put my mind at ease. I pray that next time I am in that kind of situation, I will remember the words of God! The heavens declare the glory of God, they are not outside of his glory. When I am afraid of anything, I can trust God and not be afraid.

I hope this encourages you,

-Sarah :)

Titus 3 - Jesus changes everything - part 1 {Worthy11}

 
Hi!

I'm finally posting about Worthy!!!! Below is some of my notes on the first message we heard. More are coming. Enjoy!

     The theme of the youth retreat this year was "Jesus changes everything". This includes our faith, our evangelism, and much, much more! Jesus came to earth 2000 years ago, and he changed EVERYTHING. He made the blind see, the lame walk, the sick healthy, the dead rise, cast out demons, etc. Plus, he changed the way people looked at the law of Moses and how to live for God! 

     The first night, Mr. Brewer (our youth pastor) taught us about how Jesus changes us through grace. Below are some of my notes on this sermon.

     

     When Jesus changes us through grace, it's something only he can do. We cannot give spiritual sight to those who are spiritually blind. 

     Mr. Brewer gave the example of trying to explain what color looks like to someone who is blind. How could you explain it in a way that they could understand? You couldn't say that the color green looks like trees, because they don't know what trees look like either. The point is, describing color to a blind person is impossible.
    
     The first point he made was that Jesus changes our hearts. He saves us because of HIS righteousness, not because we did something great (we didn't). On a side note, I feel like that last sentence is something I've heard SO much. I have to ask God to make it real to me every time I hear that truth. Otherwise, I will block it out and not want to hear it anymore. I DO need to be constantly reminded of it!!! We don't contribute at all to bringing our salvation about, except to bring the sin that we need to be saved of.
     When we are saved, it is easy to take it for granted that we are chosen by God. To help us avoid this way of thinking, and instead be thankful to God that we were chosen, we can remember what we were like before we were saved. We were hateful, malicious, envious, foolish, disobedient, and rebellious. We were headed to hell. Thinking about how we were saved from eternal sorrow, regret, pain, and horror should boost our thankfulness to God a lot!
  
     The second point was that Jesus changes our religion. A works-based religion says: "If I obey, God will love me." A faith-based religion, a religion changed by Jesus, says: "God loves me because of who he is, regardless of how I perform." Of course, he is grieved when we sin, but his love for us never changes. Just because he is sad does not mean he is going to leave us alone.
     There is a song by Casting Crowns (I don't know what it's called :D) that I've heard on the radio, and part of it goes something like, "Not because of who I am, but because of what You've done. Not because of what I've done, but because of Who you are." I feel like that sums it up perfectly. :) Basically, a works-based religion is all about us, while a faith-based religion is all about Jesus.

The third and final point Mr. Brewer made was that Jesus changes our status. We go from being hateful and rebellious, to heirs of God. We go from wrath to mercy, all because of the Gospel. We get what Christ deserves.

Thanks for reading. I hope this encouraged you :)

-Sarah :)
     

     

peace

Peace

You give me peace

When the storms come, and I'm afraid

Peace

You give me peace

When I trust in the words You say

You give me peace

If You can calm the seas

Then You can comfort me

If winds obey Your voice

Why should I fear their noise?

And though my eyes can't see

I know You're with me

When someone starts to fight

And does things I don't like

I hear Your gentle voice 

Saying I have a choice

To make an enemy 

Or to spread Your peace

Peace | Sovereign Grace Music

Security in trials/persecution

My mom showed this quote to me. John Chrysostum is being persecuted for his faith by Empress Eudoxia.

John Chrysostum and Empress Eudoxia

“ You cannot banish me for this world is my Father’s house!”
“But I will kill you!”, said Empress Eudoxia.
“No, you cannot, for my life is hid with Christ in God!”, said Chrysostum.
“Well, then, I will take away your treasures!” said the Empress.
“No, you cannot, for my treasure is in heaven and my heart is there.”
“But I will drive you away from your friends and you will have no one left.”
“No, you cannot”, said Chrysostum. “For I have a friend in heaven from whom you cannot separate me. I defy you for there is nothing you can do to harm me.”

this is the stuff

. . .might not be what I would choose
but this is the stuff you use

Francesca Battistelli | This is the Stuff

Nothing is outside God's plan

God writes our story. Not us.

"The battle is not yours but God's"

I know this is really long. But pleasepleaseplease read it through; it is an amazing story.

After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites, came against Jehoshaphat for battle. Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, "A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar" (that is, Engedi). Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the LORD; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.

And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, and said, "O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, 'If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgement, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house–and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.' And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy–behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. O our God, will you not execute judgement on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you."

Meanwhile all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. And the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. And he said, "Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the LORD to you, 'Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's. Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. You will not nedd to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.' Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you."

Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshiping the LORD. And the Levites, of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the LORD, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed." And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the LORD and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,

"Give thanks to the LORD, for his steadfast love endures forever."

And when they began to sing and praise, the LORD set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another.

When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the horde, and behold, there were dead bodies lying on the ground; none had escaped. When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found among them, in great numbers, goods, clothing, and precious things, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. They were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much. On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, for there they blessed the LORD. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Beracah to this day. Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, for the LORD had made them rejoice over their enemies. They came to Jerusalem with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the house of the LORD. And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel. So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.

- 2 Chronicles 20:1-30

some meaningful worship songs

I have been listening to some worship songs lately that have really affected me. I wanted to put the links to grooveshark.com here, so that you can listen to some of them and be encouraged.

In Christ Alone | Keith and Kristyn Getty

O Church Arise | Keith and Kristyn Getty

He's Always Been Faithful | Sara Groves

Christ is Risen | Matt Maher

- Sarah :)