bless the Lord, o my soul

This morning as I was spending time in God's Word, I ran across a note in my Bible that I wrote last year. I was reminded of how precious the year 2009 was to me and how I am forever changed because of it. This was, by far, the most difficult year Lee and I have ever faced together and possibly one of the most difficult times of my 30 years of life. Many of you know the story and it's somewhat complicated to explain, but the short version goes like this:

Lee resigned from his position at our church in January of 2009. There are many things that led up to this, but it was a decision that was very difficult to make. He was not asked to resign, and there had been absolutely no "wrong doing" on his part. After all, my husband is one of the most noble men I know!! :) None the less, with total confidence that we were doing what God desired of us, Lee resigned with no possibilities on the horizon. For the entire year, we faced each day with expectation and hopeful hearts. Lee worked hard - sometimes 3 jobs at a time - to provide for our family and by God's grace, we sold our house during this time and my sweet in-laws took us in! In February of 2010, the Lord brought this particular trial to a close and revealed His next step for us.

I can honestly say that although this was a difficult time in our life, God's grace was sufficient. Of course there were moments that I broke down, but praise God, they were only moments. I experienced such joy during this trial because I was resting peacefully in the arms of my Father. My hope was found in Isaiah 40:31 where God promises to renew the strength of those that wait on Him. He was so faithful to His Word and my strength was daily renewed by Him.

The note I found this morning was written beside Psalm 103: 1-5. It says, "Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."

The note I wrote says, "Even in the trials, I have so many reasons to praise the Lord!" This scripture gives so many reasons to praise our Father and none of them are based on circumstances - they are all based on God's unchanging character!

Bless the Lord, O my soul!!