It is well- Horatio Spafford

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say (Psalm 32:8/ Isaiah 48:17)

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,

it is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control, (John 16:33)

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, (Romans 5:6-8)

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part, but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, (Colossians 2:14)

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: (Philippians 1:21)

If Jordan above me shall roll,

No pang shall be mine, for death as in life (Matthew 11:29/ Revelation 21:4)

Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But, Lord, tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,

Thy sky, not the grave, is our goal;

Oh, trump of the angel! oh, voice of the Lord!

Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul! (Psalm 116:7)

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, (1 Corinthians 13:12)

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

Even so, it is well with my soul.

If you aren't familiar with the story behind these lyrics take time to read it here under 'Hymn Story'.

a bite-size portion, please.

I've been seeking bite-size portions of God.

What about being swept over by a tidal wave?

What about majesty? A sense of gazing upon the Rocky Mountains.

What about "too much to contain" (Malachi 3:10)?

Ephesians 3:19-21: "Now to Him who is able"

Christ is able to, through His power, fill me with all the measure of the fullness of God!

When I'm eating, fullness comes when I have consumed too much; not 'just enough'. I haven't stopped at 'satisfied' but I have exceeded my limit- I'm full.

Colossians 2:10: "and you have been given fullness in Christ..."

I have sought, and consequently have received, God in bite-size amounts. I wanted a message in 140 characters or in the containment of a single verse. I have wanted to be able to grasp it, to make sense of it, to receive simply what is needed for the day. But I could have so much more.

I have been given so much more!

There is a deep mystery in the Word of God. It's not containable. It's too much for me to make sense of. It is beyond any logical explanation that I could come up with. It is too much to record in a journal and definitely too much to be posted in a blog! The reason why I haven't been satisfied- the reason why my soul hasn't been overflowing with joy? because my desire has been for God to presented to me through the limit of my understanding.

Praise God that He has given us His understanding and His wisdom to understand the mystery of Himself in all of His fullness!!

I want God.

uncontainable,

unfathomable,

soul-awakening,

mind whirling,

overflowing,

makes-me-want-to-dance,

too much to comprehend on my own,

God!

tweet.

"The significance of prayer lies not in it's outcome, rather it's existence."

I can't make such a statement without coming to terms with how weak I am. To be honest, I desire the outcome. Perhaps I haven't completely realized this because it seems that my life has been graciously void of so many heartbreaking circumstances.

There is a mystery concerning prayer that will be unveiled only when we are face to face with the Lord (1 Corinthians 13: 12). Until then, I need to be reminded that prayer is a divine invitation presented to us, through grace. I must, in unforeseen pain, realize that prayer is about communication. So when the request of physical healing may 'fail', at God's discretion , I must remind my hard-headed self that prayer doesn't become unnecessary or ineffective when I do not see results.

I am fearful, and at the moment more aware, of just how weak I am; thinking about how I have relied on prayer for it's visible results rather than appreciating it for the reality of what it is.

I am still learning. I am afraid that I have fooled myself into thinking that there is a quick-fix tweet-able answer to some of life's most gut-wrenching realities. Solutions and summaries don't fit into a 140 character limit. We are much too weak and need so much grace to come to terms with the mystery of prayer.