Since I shared the first half of my morning, I ought to share the second. In fact, I hardly can not share.

Thanks to a word from Linda Cline, I opened up Streams in the Desert for today, and was ruined. I think between that passage, (which was more or less the Lord showing me that this right now moment is His answer to my prayers- that this is what is necessary to do the very work I've been asking Him to do- and to become the person I long in my heart to be) and Kristene Mueller who I had tapped on to play in the background... all I can say is Oh Lord. truly.

Then, I opened to Romans 5. Romans 5:1-5 is one of my two absolute favorite pieces of scripture, but I still become unacquainted-no matter how many times I have read and even memorized it, it always seems like I've never read it. Romans 5 came to mind a couple days ago- and it wasn't until now that I sat and opened it up. My bible has it titled, "Peace With God Through Faith" -- I chuckled. The Streams in the Desert section for today had been all on faith growing to maturity in storms. I've been pondering faith for the past week or two. I was reading in Matthew yesterday, and wondering what faith really is. The disciples had asked Jesus why they couldn't cast out the demons in a man, and Jesus said it was because they didn't have faith. I think few of us do today too- otherwise, why aren't we casting out demons and sickness? Why can't I make the ones I love who are sick, well?

I want faith. And I think God's offering me the opportunity right now to buy it... striking a deal with me and seeing if I'll let the seeds grow, even though the package says: "Does not grow in sunshine- plant where shady, dark and stormy. Wait. Watch. Do not expect to grow overnight.... though it will be night in which they grow."

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Romans 5: 1-5

Read on if you like, the entire chapter is amazing, it pretty much just changed my life, just now.