Further In! Further Up!

I decided last night that the name of my Japan newsletters would be "Further In! Further Up!"

This came to me as I was riding home in the car from Thanksgiving in Denver. I was thinking of verses that I was claiming from the Bible for this season. And I thought of Isaiah 55. I have been meditating on that chapter for the past two months. There is just so much from that one chapter alone that I want to claim that it would take a long time for me to explain how the Lord has used that chapter in my life.

But the verses that have spoken to me the most are verses 8-9 which say, *“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”*

I like those verses because they speak of how high God's ways are and how even our best plans for ourselves are nothing in comparison with what God desires for us. I love the thought that God has something bigger in store for me than what I could picture or even plan.

These verses go with the line "Further In! Further Up!" spoken by Aslan in C.S. Lewis's The Last Battle which is the last book of the Chronicles. Aslan dashes off into the "new Narnia" and challenges the other characters to chase after him and explore their new home.

I always pictured Aslan challenging the children (who are now grown~ tear) to grow out of what they had previously loved to experience something greater. It's about being stretched and allowing the Lord to stretch and grow you. It's saying goodbye or "no" to something good to allow God's best in.

That's scary, huh? I don't know what God's best is... in fact, sometimes I think life can't get any better than how it's going at that moment... but when He asks me to be moved, be stretched... I want to say yes.

A song that I love (thanks Brannan for reminding me) is by Sara Groves. (editor's note: Her Conversations cd is excellent in my opinion). She sings the following:
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

Morning by morning I wake up to find
The power and comfort of God’s hand in mine
Season by season I watch Him, amazed
In awe of the mystery of His perfect ways
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He’s always been faithful to me.

I can’t remember a trial or a pain
He did not recycle to bring me gain
I can’t remember one single regret
In serving God only, and trusting His hand
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He’s always been faithful to me.

This is my anthem, this is my song
The theme of the stories I’ve heard for so long
God has been faithful, He will be again
His loving compassion, it knows no end
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He’s always been faithful,
He’s always been faithful,
He’s always been faithful to me.