In Oceans Deep My Faith Will Stand... A Five Minute Friday post.

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Hello there, sweet readers!

Can you even believe that today is the beginning of December? DECEMBER, people? 

I don't know about you, but I'm not so sure I'm ready for all that tends to come at us during this month! That may be because I am still 'grounded' awaiting surgeries in January, and we will not be doing many of our 'normal' December things this year because of that.  (Some of this makes me happy... and some of it, not so much!)

Anyway, December is here whether we are ready or not! So let's welcome it and kick it off together... This is a Five Minute Friday post... which simply means I set a timer and free write for five minutes flat on the one word prompt: DEEP

{GO!}

I see the word and immediately hear
the lyrics to one of my favorite songs... 

"You call me out upon the waters The great unknown where feet may fail And there I find You in the mystery In oceans deep, My faith will stand..."

"My faith will stand..."

I sing it over and over... 
Sometimes as a statement or declaration.
Other times, as a plea and a prayer!

Because through the last few years, --you guys!!!--
I have felt the 'Oceans Deep' part, for sure!

He has called us out upon the waters... He has!
We talk about it all the time
--how He calls us to be water walkers
and how we believe... 
And we do.
  Well, mostly we do! 

But like Peter, we look down at our feet
and we can't compute how we are doing it...
or why the waves aren't overtaking us,
and our focus shifts just a tiny bit
and we begin to sink. 

We feel the pull down into the deep... 
where fear abides and worry lies just
below the surface!

And we have the choice to look to Him
and take His outstretched Hand...
or to let the darkness surround us
and the waters swallow us up.


But always... His Hand is reaching...
ready to pull us up in a warm embrace!

"And I will call upon Your name And keep my eyes above the waves When oceans rise, my soul will rest in Your  embrace. For I am Yours and You are mine"  

I am Yours... and You are mine!

I mean... what else do we really
need to know, right?

When I remember that
I am His... and I am Held...
When I remember that He is
working things out for my good
and He can be trusted...

Well - it helps me to keep
my eyes above and not below...
it stops my wandering heart and mind
from diving down deep into
the shadowy What If's and If Only's... 
and it refocuses my attention on
the One whose Grace Abounds!

"Your grace abounds in deepest waters Your sovereign hand will be my guide Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me You've never failed and You won't start now" 

He's never failed! 

Just think about that for a moment...He's never failed. 

He's never lost a battle...and He fights for you!

I can't say for you... 
but I know for me,

I can forget this Truth
when I'm in the midst 

of the Heavy and Hard...

when it feels like the waters
are quickly rising and my footing
is anything but sure...

I need the reminder that
He is always solid ground.

He is my firm foundation
and the cornerstone...

His Spirit draws me deeper
--but never pulls me down
beneath the surface... 
at least not without enabling me
to breathe underwater!

His ways are Higher... Better... Surer...

Even when we can't understand
the Why's or the When's...

we can trust the Who...
every time!

For when He takes us deeper...

our faith is made stronger... 

"Spirit lead me where my trust is without  borders. Let me walk upon the waters, Wherever You would call me. Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander And my faith will be   made stronger In the presence of my Savior" 

We often think we'd rather
skip the wilderness...

we'd rather not have to face
trials and uncertainties
or take risks like walking on the water!

But it's exactly in those seasons
that we find our faith is proved pure.
These are the times when our spiritual muscles
grow strong and we realize that the Truth we know
and the Name we call on, well-- 

















He's never failed... 

  and He won't start now!

{STOP!}

I am His... and He is mine... 
He is yours, too!

As December unfolds and the chaos of Christmas rushes all around us, my prayer is that you will know this truth --this Jesus-- down deep in your spirit and you will slow just a moment and actually, literally, prepare Him room!
He's coming...

Even after all this waiting... rest assured,
He is on His way for you!

And how could I not include a link for you

to hit play and enter in to worship

with this song right along with me?

Enjoy!

Linking up with Kate Motaung and the #fmfparty Community today.  Five Minute Fridays give us the chance to dive right in and share what He puts on our hearts! Click HERE to read what others have to say about "DEEP"

The FMF lowdown: The gathering happens on Twitter on Thursday nights & then we write our hearts out & hit publish all over the interwebs on Thursday & Friday (& sometimes on Tuesdays!) It's where we encourage & uplift... where we share prayer requests & praise reports... where we talk about food & friends & we find support & kindred hearts. It's where we are reminded that life is good & God is good & we're not alone... & then we all write for five minutes flat, a flash mob of wordsmiths letting our hearts & our fingers do the talking tapping & we hit publish before we can second-guess it all away. We'd love to have you join us!

I'm also linking up with the lovely writer community linked below:

Crystal Twaddell for #FreshMarketFriday

Mary Geisen for #TellHisStory

Kelly Balarie for #RaRaLinkUp

Lori Schumaker for #MomentsofHope

Holley Gerth for #LetsHaveCoffee

We have recorded another new episode of THE CHANGING OUR MINDS PODCAST. We talked All Things Christmas in Episode 10... and we'd love for you to join us around the table as we share some of our favorite things about the holiday! We will be back one more time before Christmas Day and we'll focus more on the Christmas Story itself (or --make that, HIMself!) So keep a look out for both of our Holiday episodes this month!