He Reveals His Thoughts to ME?

Kathy Troccoli is one of my favorite Christian women ever. She's one of those people I would love to have lunch with sometime just to soak up some of what she has learned in her walk with the Lord. My favorite song she sings is an old one, but it's one that I could sing in total truth. Well, if I could carry a tune in a bucket I could sing it, but you know what I mean. Anyway, it's called "Break My Heart", and the lyrics are as follows:

I've known laughter, days of fun,
Had many hours in the sun,
Been to many mountains, walked along the ocean shores.
I've seen rainbows fill the sky,
Counted stars on summer nights.
Oh, so many moments that have filled my soul with joy.

CHORUS
But, it's been the rain, i'ts been the storms
It's been the days when I've been worn
That I have found You, Lord,
That I have found You, Father.
It's in the pain that I have grown
Through all the sorrow I have known
But, if that's what it takes for You to lead me this far
Go ahead and break my heart.

I have felt the winter snow,
Seen the beauty of a rose,
Sat by many fires and enjoyed the warmth of friends.
I've known love and it's embrace,
Have felt the wind against my face,
Watched the moon at midnight shine upon a sleeping world.

I love this song because I literally have seen all of those places. I've experienced all of those things. And the Lord has shown Himself to me in all of them. But, as I look back over my life, I realize that it truly has been in the painful, doubt-filled, questioning times that I have grown the most. This is where I have learned to trust Him with what really matters, with what I don't understand, and with what rests in the deepest parts of me that no one else ever sees.

Tonight as I read in Amos, the Lord reminded me of a verse He had shown me a few years ago. Amos 4:13 says, "He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals His thoughts to man, He who turns the dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth-the Lord God Almighty is His name."

Wow! He who made all those places & things I have seen & experienced, who forms mountains, creates wind, keeps the world spinning and holds time in His hands actually cares enough to reveal His thoughts to man. To me. This is something that is so hard to wrap my brain around. I don't deserve anything He has given me. Even less do I deserve to be one with whom He would share his thoughts. But I am. And so are you.

In 2011 our church will be reading the Bible through chronologically together. This may seem like a daunting task, and it may be tempting, or even easy, to give up. After all, we are busy people. Surely God understands that, right? He couldn't possibly expect us to give up 20-30 minutes of TV, movies, internet, shopping, golfing, fishing, sports, a good novel, etc. each day to read a book that someone else will spoon feed us in an hour on Sunday morning, right? But wait. What if this isn't for His benefit? What if it is for ours? Think about what He could do in & through us if we really grasped and started living out His thoughts. The ones He has already revealed to us. What if we really, truly grasped what a privilege it is that He gave this Word to us? What would that do for our families, friends, neighbors, co-workers, communities and our world? We hold in our hands the revealed Word of the Lord God Almighty! Do you get how huge this is? Will you commit to making reading it a priority in this next year? This is not just about gaining knowledge for knowledge's sake. It's about knowing Him better, His heart, His character & His will. Will you open your heart to allow it to change you from the inside out, to transform your thoughts, attitudes & actions, to make you more like Him, and to move you out into the world as a powerful force for His Kingdom? Grab a Bible, a notebook, a pen & a friend (for you will need help & encouragement to stay faithful) and dive headfirst into the revealed Word of the King of Kings.