"You are I AM"

Years ago, I came across the following statements, "There is a God. You are not Him." So many times, my actions suggest that these statements are not true. An example of this is when, during difficult situations, I attempt to control things over which I do not have a shred of control. The song, "You are, I am" by the group, MercyMe, eloquently and powerfully reminds me of who God is and who I am. These are truths which it can be so helpful for us to take hold of and allow to become rooted in our hearts in all seasons of life. Here are the lyrics and the official YouTube video.

Blessings to you.

"You Are I Am"

I've been the one to shake with fear
And wonder if You're even here
I've been the one to doubt Your love
I've told myself You're not enough

I've been the one to try and say
I'll overcome by my own strength
I've been the one to fall apart
And to start to question who You are

You're the one who conquers giants
You're the one who calls out kings
You shut the mouths of lions
You tell the dead to breathe
You're the one who walks through fire
You take the orphan's hand
You are the one Messiah
You are I am
You are I am

I've been the one held down in chains
Beneath the weight of all my shame
I've been the one to believe
That where I am You cannot reach

You're the one who conquers giants
You're the one who calls out kings
You shut the mouths of lions
You tell the dead to breathe
You're the one who walks through fire
You take the orphan's hand
You are the one Messiah
You are I am
You are I am

The veil is torn
And now I live with the Spirit inside
The same one, the very same one
who brought the Son back to life

Hallelujah, He lives in me
Hallelujah, He lives in me
Hallelujah, He lives in me
Hallelujah, He lives in me

You're the one who conquers giants
You're the one who calls out kings
You shut the mouths of lions
You tell the dead to breathe
You're the one who walks through fire
You take the orphan's hand
You are the one Messiah
You are I am
You are I am

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JI4CPfuLW0

Strengthened and Carried

 
The following dialogue is an excerpt from the adaptation of J. R. Tolkien's epic novel, The Lord of the Rings.

Frodo: I can't do this, Sam.

Sam: I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going..." (The Two Towers).

Many of us, faced with a situation that overwhelms, upends, shatters, or at least creates deep fissures, have echoed Frodo’s words, “I can’t do this…” Sometimes we uttered the statement audibly, at other times in our minds, but whatever form it took, we made the statement with absolute certainty. “I can’t do this!” Like the people Sam describes in his response to Frodo, each of us have opportunities to give up but can choose to go on; thankfully, we are not required to do so in our own strength. Hear the words of our Father spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand’” (Isaiah 41:10).He also makes this promise in Isaiah 46:4: “Even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.”

Be encouraged.

Do not give into despair: A quote

"I implore you to not give in to despair. It is a dangerous temptation, because our Adversary has refined it to the point that it is quite subtle. Hopelessness constricts and withers the heart, rendering it unable to sense God's blessings and grace. It also causes you to exaggerate the adversities of life and makes your burdens seem too heavy for you to bear. Yet God's plans for you, and His ways of bringing about His plans, are infinitely wise." - Madame Guyon

 

Hope in God: A Quote

“Please remember

 there is never a time when we

cannot hope in God,

 whatever, our need or however

great our difficulty may be…

Our hope will never be in vain,

and in the Lord’s own timing

help will come.”

- George Mueller