Category: Worship

Surely, The Lord Is In This Place

On By Rachel ChadalavadaIn Chaos, Future, Life, Uncertainty, WorshipLeave a comment

Every so often, I start fresh in Genesis—journeying through the Bible from the very beginning. Each time I start over, something new speaks to me.

Recently, one verse has stayed with me:

Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.’ — Genesis 28:16

Let’s look at how Jacob came to that moment.

His mother Rebekah had convinced him to deceive his father Isaac by pretending to be his brother Esau to receive the blessing of the firstborn. This enraged Esau—Enough for him to want to kill Jacob. Fearing for Jacob’s life, Rebekah urged him to flee.

So Jacob ran—literally fleeing for his life—and ended up in the place he would later name Bethel. There, exhausted, afraid, perhaps traumatized and wrecked with guilt, Jacob lay his head on a rock. He was alone, uncertain of his future, completely out of control.

And yet—it was in that very place that God revealed Himself to Jacob in a dream. It was there that Jacob received a promise:

I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your descendants. Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth… and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed… I am with you and will keep you wherever you go… I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you. — Genesis 28:13–15

When Jacob wakes up, he realizes something profound: God had been with him all along—he just hadn’t known it — Hadn’t perceived it.

Fast forward to the story of Joseph, Jacob’s son, recorded in Genesis 37–50.
Joseph—his father’s beloved—was sold into slavery by his own brothers. Imagine how he must have felt: scared, betrayed, abandoned, wronged. The Bible doesn’t describe his emotions, but they’re not hard to imagine.

Yet the Bible tells us this: God was with Joseph.

This young man found favor in the eyes of the Egyptian commander and was put in charge of his household. Over the next several chapters, Joseph is wronged again and again—falsely accused, imprisoned, forgotten. And yet, the Bible repeats: God was with Joseph.

My life the past few years has been focused on humanitarian assistance, providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world in Jesus’ name. The people I serve have been victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine. They are in their current state through no fault of their own. These people have lost their homes, land, livelihoods—even loved ones. Their future is uncertain.

Their homes are gone, but their mortgages remain.
Their cars are gone, but the payments persist.
Their loved ones are gone, but they must endure.

They didn’t ask to be in this place. But here they are.

Some haven’t even begun to process the past, let alone imagine a future.
And yet, in this place, shaped by a storm of some sorts that uprooted lives, God was there—and they weren’t even aware of it. God is there in the teams that show up to provide food, clean water, nutrition commodities, medical assistance, and even shelter; to share the love of Jesus.

So, what about you? What brought you to the place you find yourself in today? Do you see God in it? Are you aware of His presence?

Will you, like Jacob, say, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I didn’t know it”?

Will you, like Joseph, trust that God is still with you?

Have you, like the people I get to serve, seen the Lord meet you at your point of need?

Will you let Him?

Regardless of how you got here—or how I got here—this is true:

God is in this place. And perhaps, that isn’t just enough—it’s everything.

I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord!

This is the Way. Walk in it.

On By Rachel ChadalavadaIn Future, Life, WorshipLeave a comment

I was recently deboarding a plane, and there was a mama behind me, calling out directions, “Go! Go!” I looked around to see who she was talking to. And sure enough, about 2ft off the floor, was this little munchkin toddling about behind me. She was listening to the instruction her mama was giving her, and followed through as best as she could. The mama was struggling with her bags and didn’t have enough hands to hold the toddler. I decided to help, and offered my guiding hand to this little explorer. She clutched my hand, and we made our way out of the plane, and down the stairs to the buses. Mama and baby were to go to Nigeria, while I was on my way to South Sudan. “Come on, let’s go. This way!” mama called out to the little girl when it was time for us to part ways. They were headed to Abuja. I was not. Whether the little girl kicked and screamed, or smiled and laughed, THAT was the direction she had to go in – the one her mama was leading her in.

Over the past few months I been thinking a lot about direction, God’s leading, choices, and the impact of our choices on the prevailing of God’s will. My prayer has been this – Lord, if I have a choice in the direction my life is headed, where does, “the steps of a righteous man are ordered by God,” come into play? Are You directing my steps, or am I choosing them?

The year 2023 is going to be a year of change, of new beginnings. It’s going to be a fresh start, in a new location, serving a new people. It is as scary, as it is exciting. The choice I make, will determine whether I stay in South Sudan, or move to another country. What if it’s a location I don’t want to go to? How will I know that that choice is the right one?

I was texting a friend about the direction I think the Lord is leading me in. No sooner than I pressed ‘send,’ I received a call, and on the other side was my loving friend, asking me with genuine concern, “Rachel, what are you doing? Have you thought this through? You know you have a choice. God can use you just as well in a different direction.”  Choice. I do have a choice.

From the time I asked myself that life defining question, “What is it that I’m doing that has any eternal gain?” my choices have been a series of denying myself and following Christ. Quitting a well-paying and stable job to pursue higher education at a time when I should’ve been home, starting a family and laying down roots; staying in the U.S. even when it didn’t seem like another job was on the horizon, trusting that He will provide; returning to India and feeling like I didn’t have the opportunity to lay down roots even though I desperately wanted to; coming to a conflict-ridden place like South Sudan; staying in this warzone for over three years; and now, heading to another disaster-stricken location.

The choices I have made have definitely not been in my best interest – at least in the way you and I understand it. But for the kingdom of heaven, they have been pivotal. God doesn’t need me to accomplish His purposes. I know this. And yet He calls out, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” My unequivocal response, a thousand times, is this – “Here I am Lord, send me” (Isaiah 6:8).  

Yes, I have a choice. Therefore, I choose to say yes to any, and every opportunity He gives me to walk in obedience to Him, and in service to His people, wherever they may be – India, America, South Sudan, Timbuktu.

And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it’ ~ Isaiah 30:21

In closing I have to say – I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord

“Where Did I Go Wrong?”

On By Rachel ChadalavadaIn Chaos, Life, Worship1 Comment

One of the first things you’ll know about me is this – I talk to everybody. I am there for everybody. I’m a friend to everybody. However, I am very intentional about who I allow into my inner-circle. I am cautious about who I allow to invest in my life. I am careful about who I allow to see me. I know that sounds bad, but it is said, “You are only going to be as good as the people you surround yourself with.” The Bible too vouches for the same idea: “The righteous choose their friends carefully” (Proverbs 12:26a); “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm” (Proverbs 13:20). So if I call you my “Friend” you know that it is by choice. I choose you – Our relationship didn’t happen by chance. I’m sure you see the wisdom in this. So tell me, what happens when one of these carefully, intentionally chosen and loved relationships fails you?

An incident in the recent past had taken me on a rather confusing roller coaster ride with one of my most cherished friendships, leaving me feeling sad, hurt, rejected and forsaken. The dictionary definition for the term “Forsaken” is “Abandoned” or “Deserted” and yes, that pretty much sums up how I felt. Another thing you’ll know about me is that when I face crap like this, I like to quickly deal with it and move on – That’s exactly what I did. I dealt with it, forgave, asked for forgiveness, and moved on. Until, everything resurfaced this morning, when a friend in church decided to shed more light on this incident and let me tell you, the end of that conversation left me feeling smaller than the size of a pea. Now listen, this isn’t the first time I’ve been deeply hurt by friends I love and would easily take a bullet for, and I know that unfortunately this won’t be the last. But that doesn’t mean that it gets any easier, or that the pain isn’t intense. So, I did the one thing that I knew to do… I asked the Lord and myself, “Where did I go wrong?” “What did I not see?” Surely I missed something somewhere. Why else would it come to this? Why else would everything go wrong?

These thoughts swirling in my mind, I walked on to the stage, consciously deciding to switch gears from my aching heart to worshipping a sovereign God. As the music began to play, I held my microphone in my hand and waited for the lyrics to show up on the screen. The music-intro to the song was almost through but the lyrics never showed. We somehow managed to croon through the first verse… still no lyrics. All the video screens just shut down and NOTHING was working. EVERYTHING seemed to go wrong.

Now, I know what you’re thinking – technical errors happen ALL the time. Why should I make it seem like such a big deal? Well, it’s a big deal because while this scenario may perhaps be common to other churches, it isn’t common to mine. We are well prepared. The production team works tirelessly from the previous evening, making sure everything is in order. They arrive super early on Sunday morning to run through the videos, the sound check, the slide shows, the lyrics for all the songs… They do EVERYTHING in their power to ensure there isn’t a technical glitch like there was right now.

In the midst of this chaotic yet, the-show-must-go-on moment, I felt a stirring in my spirit that left me with this question – “So, where did the production team go wrong?” I realized that while I had tried to mentally switch gears, the Lord was in the mood to address and lay my concerns to rest then and there. My response, all while struggling to recollect the lyrics of the song we were still singing, was, “Nothing Lord. Not a thing.” They did everything in their power to make sure there was no technical glitch. In that moment I felt the Lord assure me that sometimes, even when you do EVERYTHING right, crap happens. You lose your job. You get skipped for a promotion. Someone else takes your place. You pay the price for someone else’s mistakes. You get blamed for something you had nothing to do with. You get hurt. You end up hurting.

Nobody wakes up thinking, “Oh, let me hurt my friend today.” It just happens. But in the midst of that crap, something else happens – You see, God is in the business of bringing beauty from ashes (Isaiah 61:3).

When the lyrics didn’t show up on the screen, the worship team sang the chorus from memory, and when we couldn’t remember any more, we just stopped singing the song that we rehearsed and couldn’t find the words to, and ended up singing a new song… a song that birthed in the hearts and mouths of everyone on the worship team, out of an adoration for their Savior, that wasn’t limited to the lyrics of the song. The audience poured out their hearts in praise… people raised their hands, knelt down on the ground… laid prostrate on the floor… turns out, nobody cared that there was a technical glitch. In that moment of everything just shutting down, true and pure worship… worship not limited to words penned by someone else, was rendered.

This experience in no way answered why I was treated the way I did or why my friend chose to forsake me. And if I’m honest, I know they didn’t intend to hurt me… It just happened. It was a technical glitch beyond my control, and possibly theirs as well. But in the midst of that hurt, the worship I choose to render to this God Who, in His divine wisdom, thought that it was in my best interest to go through the pain of this situation, is the sweetest and most genuine of all! 

“I love You Lord, and I lift my voice, to worship You. Oh my soul, rejoice!
Take joy my King in what You hear. May it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear.”

In closing I must say – I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord.

The Cross has the Final Word

On By Rachel ChadalavadaIn Chaos, Life, Worship1 Comment

DDBDHXWUMAEHif7The past few months have been the hardest I’ve ever experienced. I have felt rejected, small, unheard, super low on priority lists and downright blah! I’ve tasted a whole other dimension of hurt, betrayal, lies and brokenness by people I loved the most and looked up to my entire life. In the midst of this confusion about what my reaction should be, the Bible reminded me that I was indeed called to a higher calling. If we are called to love our enemies, how much more are we to love our loved ones? After all, it hurts so bad because they’re people that we have loved so deeply. But see, that’s the thing. They are people. And people, by nature, are broken.

Along with lessons of brokenness, and how even our loved ones are broken and make irreparable mistakes every now and then, I’ve learned new lessons on grace, forgiveness, love, peace, restitution and restoration. I tasted what it feels like to take the fall for someone else, to pay the price that was never mine to pay in the first place, to be confident of the decision – “Better me than him/her” … Needless to say, it wasn’t easy. It just wasn’t easy!

I cannot begin to tell you how many times I wished I could just bury my head in the ground like an ostrich and completely ignore my surroundings – But that’s a luxury I evidently did not have. I knew what the right thing to do was, but under the weight of all that was going on, the “Right thing” just seemed insignificant and pointless. Nonetheless, it was done merely because it was the right thing to do. Plus, if I don’t, who will?

Even though this entire ordeal was excruciating, the key words here being “Was” and “Excruciating,” I learned a whole lot of things about love, life, friends, family and people. But above all, I had a new appreciation for salvation – Perhaps my analogy is a bit far-fetched. Nonetheless, it made sense to me:

  • Jesus took the fall for me, a hit that was never His to take. But He did it anyway.
  • Jesus paid the price for MY sin – that price was never His to pay. But He did it anyway.
  • When Jesus hung on the cross, He looked at me and said, “Better me, than you.”

I have no business crying and telling Jesus that He had no idea what I was going through, because the shoes that He walked in, are a hundred times worse than the ones that I did. Did it hurt? Sure it did. But I wasn’t alone. And you know what? If my ultimate purpose is to be like Him, to grow into His likeness everyday, then why am I surprised that I am called to follow suite? That I am called to forgive more than seventy times seven – not once, not twice, not even 10 times but above and beyond all of that! I mean, God knows I’ve done more than my share of sinning and have said less than my share of “Sorrys”. When He forgave them all, why should I hesitate to do the same?

You know, I’m one of those people who likes to move on in life and quickly. I believe what’s done is done, nothing you can be done to change the past. So, learn from it, and get on with life. Some call it resilience, some maturity, some downright denial, some others foolishness and still more, an abuse of grace. Truth be told, I have come to realize and experience for myself that forgiveness is a choice. A hard choice, but one that frees you from the clutches of bitterness when you don’t even realize that you’re a prisoner. All the advice I got from people wiser than me, left me in a state of cognitive dissonance – What was right, what wasn’t? Could I trust my judgement anymore? Is pronouncing a sentence my call to make? Who determines how sorry the offender is? Should my forgiveness depend on the degree of their remorse? Can anyone really earn forgiveness? If I’m bearing the brunt of someone else’s actions, then am I not justified in being resentful? The answer to every single one of these questions, came in the form of yet another question – What would Jesus do? I wore that bracelet so often in my teenage years. It was now time to live it. What would Jesus do?

If you don’t take back anything else from this post, take this back – It takes more energy to be mad than it takes to forgive. And as stupid as it may seem, as complacent as it appears, or as pointless as it may be deemed, forgiveness is always the right answer!

“Why?” you ask? Because of the finished work of Jesus on the cross –

“Forgive us Lord our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us!”

After all, the cross has the final word!

In closing I must say – I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord!

The Best Book to Read

On By Rachel ChadalavadaIn Life, WorshipLeave a comment

Growing up in Sunday school, one song that stuck with me goes like this – “The B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the book for me. I stand alone on the Word of God the B-I-B-L-E!” It has always been engrained in me that it is important for me to read God’s Word and obey it. For a long time I read the Bible as if I were doing God a favor. Little did I know the blessings that I was missing out on by not loving His Word.

Years of constant uncertainty have caused me to desire a close, intimate walk with Jesus and I have come to realize that the Bible is not only God’s Word but also a revelation of Who He is. There is no way I can possibly love God without loving His Word, nor is there a way to know God without spending time in His Word.

A few months ago I attended a Bible study during which the speaker quoted Ezra’s love for God’s Word. For some reason that struck a chord with me and I decided to read through Psalm 119. As I read through it, my eyes were opened to the blessings that were in store me when I spent time with God’s Word. As if getting to know the Lord more and more weren’t enough motivation to spend time with the Bible, here are 20 blessings that Psalm 119 reveals:

  1. God’s Word blesses us – v1&2
  2. It helps us be blameless – v1&3
  3. It provides freedom from shame – v6
  4. It causes us to praise God – v7
  5. It helps us keep our ways pure – v9&10
  6. Our eyes will behold wonderful things – v18
  7. It takes away reproach and contempt –
  8. It keeps us calm even when people stand against us, when they sit and intentionally plot against us (v23)
  9. It counsels us – v24
  10. It strengthens us – v28
  11. It enlarges our hearts to want more – v
  12. It turns our eyes from vanity – v37
  13. It produces reverence – v38
  14. It equips us to have an answer for him who reproaches us – v42
  15. It gives us freedom – v45
  16. It gives us courage to stand before kings and bear witness – v46
  17. When we bear witness, God’s word keeps us from being ashamed – v46
  18. It revives us in times of affliction – v50
  19. It comforts us – v52
  20. It causes us to be sensitive to evil and produces righteous anger – v53

I have a whole new perspective on the reading the Bible now and truth be told, the more I read God’s Word, the more I want to read more of it.

In closing I must say, “I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord.”

Bah-Humbug!

On By Rachel ChadalavadaIn Chaos, WorshipLeave a comment

If you know anything at all about me, you will know that I am a walking-talking Christmas cheerleader! I wait for Christmas all year long and as soon as November hits, much to the dismay of several people around me, I bring on the Christmas cheer. Christmas music, Christmas attire, planning the Christmas party… I even finish my Christmas shopping before anyone else. I remember when I was growing up, my mother, sister, me and some of our neighbors would spend our evenings making Christmas goodies. We’d spend the next morning distributing those very goodies to our teachers, friends, loved ones and even strangers. I’d go caroling late into the night with my youth group, heralding to the world the birth of our Savior. I’d spend every weekend participating in one Christmas program or another. I’d help my sister pack Christmas gifts for children in orphanages. I’d even leave random notes for my friends at work, bringing on the Christmas cheer.

When we spent Christmas at my uncle and aunt’s place, we’d stay up late nights decorating, munching on Christmas goodies, and chatting up a storm with my cousins. We’d re-live Christmases of the past, memories of childhood spent together, our hopes and dreams for the future… Christmas was so much more to me than just December 25th.

Until now.

This season marks 2yrs since I’ve been home for Christmas. I haven’t seen my sister since January 2014. I haven’t hugged my niece and my nephews and I haven’t hung out with my friends. I almost cringe at the thought of going to church because I get to sit by myself, while everyone else is sitting with his or her family or friends. During the regular part of the year, it doesn’t bother me because I know without a shadow of doubt that I am exactly where the Lord wants me. But during Christmas, when everyone talks about visiting his or her parents and siblings, it’s harder to see that. And definitely hearing Pere Como sing to me, “Oh there’s no place like home for the holidays,” surely does not make things easier. That said I am grateful for extended family and friends that the Lord has allowed me to spend this Christmas with. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss being home with my mother, father, sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephews. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t care that my whole family will be together – uncle, aunt, cousins – while I’m in a land that’s easily about 8,508 miles from them. I’d be lying if I said that I was looking forward to Christmas.

I woke up this morning dreading the idea of going to church because I’d be reminded of what I don’t have here. I’m not the kind of person who generally complains. If something doesn’t work, I shrug it off and move on with life. Usually, I remind myself of all that the Lord has blessed me with – friends I can now call family, a town that feels like home and a job that I am passionate about. Finally frustrated by my attitude toward this season, I watched Christmas movie after Christmas movie to see if I could bring on the cheer, like it was a switch that I could simply turn on. Needless to say that didn’t really work.

Until, I reflected on the true meaning of Christmas. You see, Christmas is not about decorating your home, baking goodies, or buying gifts for loved ones. It’s not about family traditions, childhood memories, or even – forgive me as I say this – about friends and family. No! Christmas is about Christ, and Christ alone. It is a time when we are reminded of the immeasurable love that God has for you and me, that He would send His one and only son in to this broken world, not just to fix it, but to restore it to Himself. It is a reminder that He saw us when even we didn’t see ourselves. It’s the assurance that because Jesus came in to this world to give His life up for broken people like you and me, and then rose up from the dead, defeating death once and for all, no matter how hopeless the world around us can seem, we will always have hope in Him.

Christmas is truly about just one thing – Christmas is about Jesus Christ, and for that reason alone, I will celebrate!

Merry Christmas!

In closing I have to say – I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord!

Surely I’m Capable of More

On By Rachel ChadalavadaIn Future, Uncertainty, WorshipLeave a comment

Earlier this week, my manager gave me a simple task to do. She wanted me to ship some labels out. I did it and replied to her email letting her know that the task was done. She responded like the way she always does – with a “Thank you.” You may read this and think – so what? What’s the big deal? The big deal is, she has never missed saying thank you for the simplest things I’ve done – sending out mail, editing bios, updating a spreadsheet or just walking over to her desk to answer a question. She has always said thank you (a true sign of a good leader if you ask me!). Now, I don’t work to be appreciated, but when you are consistently appreciated, you have to acknowledge it. So I wrote her a note telling her how awesome she was to consider those under her and say thank you. Obviously touched by the little note, she responded and said that it means a lot that even though I hold a Master’s degree, I am willing to do things like mailing out labels.

I’m not saying this to pat myself on the back, but I am at a point in life where I truly believe that work is work. You honor what you are asked to do, and you do it diligently and with integrity. Now, I was not always like this. There was a time when I didn’t want to do something because I thought it was menial work. But God broke my pride. He taught me that humility goes a long way.

In 2009 I was offered a job at a diplomatic mission as an Administrative Assistant. Please don’t get me wrong when I say this, but I thought the position was that of a glorified secretary and so I did not want to do that job at all. I almost felt that it was beneath me and that I was capable of more. Nonetheless, I took the job and I did it to the best of my abilities. I worked very hard but I had a really bad attitude about it. I didn’t enjoy my work. I did it because it was my job and because I needed a paycheck. Until, the Lord broke my pride by teaching me two very important things:

  1. Who Am I Working For?

The Bible teaches us in Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.” That verse was a slap in my face! I asked myself – If Jesus wanted an Administrative Assistant, I’d want to be that person right? Well, I was that person at that very moment. Once I learned that I wasn’t working for my organization. Rather, I was working for my Lord, my whole perspective changed. Now, I gave my job my whole heart and in doing so, learned how important my role was and how humbling it was to be in that position. I learned so much being in the position. God could’ve picked anyone else to do that job but He didn’t. He picked me and I wasn’t about to let Him down.

  1. Can I Be Trusted with More?

The Bible teaches us in Luke 16:10 – “He who is faithful in a very little thing is also faithful in much.” If I cannot do a menial task diligently, what makes me think I can do a more responsible position any better? It was only after I learned to be faithful and work with all my heart in the position of an Administrative Assistant was I offered the position of a Cultural Affairs Assistant. My position stepped up, my responsibilities grew but it was only because the right people saw that I was faithful in the little things and could be trusted with more.

What is the point to this blogpost? It is this – Perhaps you are more educated than what your job requires. Perhaps you feel like the work you are doing is beneath you. Perhaps you think that you are capable of more. There is nothing wrong in wanting more. We should all aim high. But just because our goals are higher, doesn’t mean that what we are doing at this very moment is meaningless. On the contrary, may I suggest that your present is in fact, preparation for what is yet to come? I want to challenge you – be faithful in the little. Once you learn how to, God will pile on the responsibilities. Trust Him with it. As children of the living God, we have to believe – God doesn’t make any mistakes. If He has allowed you to be a temporary Media Relations Associate, it is with purpose. If He has allowed you to be a cashier at a retail store, it is with purpose. If He has allowed you to be a secretary, it is with purpose. If God has allowed you to have the worst boss under the sun, it is with purpose.

So, should I be mailing out labels when I hold two Master’s degrees? ABSOLUTELY! If the King of Kings could work as a carpenter, I think I can ship some labels. Wouldn’t you agree?

In closing I have to say – I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord!

What’s in a name? EVERYTHING!

On By Rachel ChadalavadaIn Uncertainty, WorshipLeave a comment

You know that person who is always so happy you want to punch them in the face? On most days, I am that person. I love how happy I am. I truly believe that I can be joyous in most circumstances. Until, I end up doing something stupid! I’m sure this happens to you too. The day is fantastic and then one small thing happens, and your day is ruined! Well, that was my yesterday. My day was going on really well. I was annoyingly happy. I was singing. I had a skip to my heel… and then, I made a mistake. A mistake that pretty much wiped out all the work I had done the entire week. One mistake. That was all it took for me to look at myself in the mirror and say, “You idiot!” I was calling myself names.

According to the dictionary, a “name” is a word or a combination of words by which a person, place, or thing, or any object of thought is designated, called, or known. Your name is what you call yourself. It is your identity!

I was reading through the book of Psalms and I loved how David poured out his heart to the Lord. In doing so, he identified very distinct characteristics of God’s infinite persona. In Psalm 18:2, David refers to the Lord as a “rock,” “fortress,” “deliverer,” “shield,” and “stronghold.” When he was fleeing from Saul/Absalom, David took refuge in God and in His protection. So it is obvious why he called God the names that he did.

This made me think of how we identify ourselves. Sure I have a name. Rachel. It’s beautiful and I love it. But then I thought about all of the other names I call myself – Strong, independent, ugly, selfish, fat, lazy, idiot…!!! Most times, when I call myself those names, I truly believe that’s who I am. In that moment, that is my identity. Yesterday, when I called myself an idiot, in that moment, I truly believed that I was “an utterly foolish or senseless person.”

Take a moment now and think about all the names we associate with ourselves, with our families, our friends and with strangers. We say, “alcoholic,” “addict,” “gay,” “straight,” “divorcee,” “widow,” “monster,” “murderer,” “liar,” “cheat,” … the list can go on. But may I suggest that our identity does not really rest in any of our shortcomings? It rests in the finished work of the cross. In thinking about what we often call ourselves, may I point out to you what Jesus calls us? John 1:12 says that, “to them that receive Him, He has given them the right be CALLED children of God.” In John 15:15 Jesus CALLS us His friends.

In saying this I am not discounting our failings and shortcomings. I am convinced that Jesus loves us too much to leave us the way He found us. What I am saying is – All have sinned and have come short of God’s glory – Each and every one of us. But if Jesus doesn’t identify us by our sin, then why should we?

If you are trying to figure out who you are… who you truly are, may I encourage you to look to Jesus because He calls you His “treasured possession” (Deuteronomy 7:6).

In closing I have to say – I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord!

Overwhelmed Much?

On By Rachel ChadalavadaIn Chaos, Uncertainty, WorshipLeave a comment

Recently I committed to reading the Bible cover to cover. Wait, let me rephrase that. I recently committed to STUDYING the Bible from cover to cover. The difference between the two words makes a world of a difference! So far, I have been able to read from Genesis through Nehemiah. I am currently reading the book of Job.

Funny story – I was sitting by Bass lake earlier today, reading my Bible. An elderly lady walked past me and asked if I was reading my Bible. When I responded yes, she wanted to know what book I was reading and I told her. She smiled at me and asked me if the reason I was reading it was because I was having troubles. Lol!

It is unfortunate isn’t it that we associate the book of Job with the troubles he went through, his whining, annoying friends…? I know that the book has a happy ending, as I believe every story should. But what caught my attention isn’t the ending. It is the beginning. Let me explain.

If you know the story of Job at all, you will remember that God permits Satan to try Job because God was confident that he would not turn his back on Him. Job was living a happy and content life. But before he knew it, BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! Four catastrophes occurred, one after another.

  1. The Sabeans attacked and took all the oxen and the donkeys.

  2. Lightening struck all of his sheep.

  3. The Chaldeans made a raid and stole all the camels.

  4. ALL of Job’s children died – Not one, not two… ALL of them! 

Let’s take a moment and think about this. The Bible says that each of these incidents were reported to Job by a servant… the one servant that survived each of these catastrophes. That said, I encourage you to read the passage for yourself (Job 1: 13-22) and take into consideration the words the writer of this book uses to indicate how the servants brought these reports to Job. The Bible says, “While he was still speaking…” These words precede every incident. In other words, before Job even had the time to process one tragedy, another struck. Before he could come to terms with one loss, another hit. Talk about beating the wind out of someone!

His response to this overwhelming heart ache? He fell to the ground and WORSHIPPED! (Job 1:20)

I don’t know what it is that you are feeling overwhelmed about. May be you’ve received information that is life changing? Perhaps you are apprehensive about the future? Could it be that your present makes no sense? Or, you’ve lost a dear one? May be you just found out that you have a huge payment to make and you are completely broke? May I be so bold as to say – Regardless of your situation, would you like Job consider bowing down in worship?

Worshipping God in times of testing isn’t the most easiest of things to do. It probably will not solve your problems. However, bowing down in worship will give you the strength, the courage and the peace you need to catch a breath and humble yourself before the Lord, reminding yourself of who truly is in control. Worship is our way of stepping back and letting God bring order in to our chaos!

I doubt any of us is as overwhelmed as Job was. So, despite what he was going through, if he could fall down in worship, so can we!

In closing I have to say – I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord!