At the beginning of the week I (Mia) was struggling with depression. Today, just a few days later, it seem like forever ago. God lifted the weight from my heart as I drew near to Him. Now, I don't claim to know His ways as they are not my ways, they are higher than mine, but I'm just gonna take a guess that He gracefully lifted the weight of depression off of me because He had a whole lot of other stuff He needed on my plate.

It has been a week! I rejoice in all that has gone on, from prayer meetings, to new songs I was able to write (one step closer to finishing this album I am working on), hearing tough news, praying my little heart out for loved ones and to top it off the return of my long lost luggage from the cruise I went on a few weeks back!

But, the reality is that in each situation, whether good or tough, was that I was able to draw near to Him in praise or draw near to Him in prayer. That was the difference from last week when I just drew away.

Earlier this week when God hit me over the head with His word and I once again began to taste and see that the Lord is good, He spoke a word in my life regarding my lost luggage. Now, while there was not a lot of items lost in that bag, the cash value of the items added up to over a $1,000 to replace. That's not something I normally think about when packing. But as each item, the prescription sunglasses, the flat iron, the multiple pairs of shoes, the books, the contacts, the Bible (that one made me so sad) the make-up and make-up brushes which I admittedly spent more money on than I normally do (but ladies, theses brushes are amazing!), were added up, I realized that collectively they had a higher value than I thought.

As I was praying about something completely different, The Lord simply said to me "It is Found!"
That was all I needed to hear. From that day on when people asked me about it, I told them it had been found, now it just had to find it's way back to me. I stopped the reordering of certain items, stopped gathering receipts to submit to the insurance. I simply took God at His word and waited. 

I didn't know how long I would have to wait, I just knew that God was bringing it back to me. So on Wednesday when I got a message from my husband with pictures of my luggage, I simply had to praise God and thank Him for His word.

I think we all have situations like this. Something it's a lost item, a relationship, a child or a dream. So we pray, we trust, we struggle, we plead, we beg, but above all,  WE TAKE GOD AT HIS WORD.

He may tell us, "It is found!" and surely tells us "It is finished!" but, we may have to wait. We may have to simply trust and remain in the struggle for a time, but God, being our Good Shepherd when one of His sheep is lost, He will leave the other sheep to go and find the lost sheep and bring it back. It's just that sometimes, that takes time.

So, dig deep. Praise Him in the good and tough. Listen for His voice and take Him at His word just like the man in the Bible did.

For years I'd done it.

Played the part. Acted the bit. Uttered the words. 

But something was missing. Only, I {Mandy} didn't know it. 

It wasn't until the past two years of feeling God tugging on my heart and my beinning to bury myself in His Word that I realized my faith, my life was shallow. 

It wasn't as if I intentionally forged a relationship with Christ that I didn't have. In fact, I've had a relationship with Christ since the age of 13. I relied on Him to carry me through some of the darkest years of my life. I know I love Him and I know I am His child. 

What I didn't realize was that my faith was very surface. My understanding of who God is was deeply skewed and not deeply rooted. 

It wasn't until I began really studying the Old Testament (particularly Genesis through Leviticus) that my eyes were opened at how small of a box I put God in. 

Suddenly, within the past month, I feel like I woke up from a long, deep slumber. 

Dramatic? Maybe, but so was the realization that God is as just and fair as He is loving and merciful. 
It was so easy for me to associate His sovereignty with kindness and mercy, and not focus much on His justice and righteousness, which is portrayed clearly in the Old Testament. 

I shied away from verses displaying the consequences of those who had strayed far from Him. I couldn't reconcile the compassion of Jesus echoed throughout the New Testament with the God of the Old Testament who I felt was harsh.

Diligent, purposeful, intentional study of God's Word, mixed with open and honest prayers asking for wisdom have brought me to a closer relationship with the Lord. There are still so many questions I have and things that I don't understand, but I feel I am closer to God now, and that our relationship is deepening. 

Do you want a closer relationship with the Lord? It's as simple as asking God to draw you to Him. He will meet you where you are and give you wisdom as you study His Word. 

Father, please fill us with a passion to know You better. Please open our eyes to insights about You. Help us to understand Your full sovereignty and guide us into a deeper relationship with You. We praise You. In Jesus name, Amen.