Hello everyone!!! I am so so excited to fill you in on what the Lord has been up to here at YWAM Maui. The past few weeks have been filled with lectures, quiet times, work duties, weekend adventures, intercession, cliff jumping, heart pruning, outreach prep, shenanigans, hard things, homework, worship and SO. MUCH. JOY. It’s pretty busy here on base most days, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world because the joy and peace of the Lord overflows my cup. Oh, what a feeling, knowing that you’re in the center of His will. Feelings of humble gratitude fill my heart every single day when I reflect on all that He has done to bring me to this place. Every morning, when I open my eyes ( at the top of my triple bunk bed) surrounded by twelve girls who have now become family, I am overwhelmingly thankful. Thank you, Jesus, one million times over. I am so unworthy, you are so good to me.
A lot of our time here at YWAM Maui is spent in the classroom. Each week we welcome a new speaker, and each speaker covers a different topic. We spend approximately 18 hours in the lecture hall, and then have assigned homework/reading each week. Our desire is to grow in our relationship with the Lord, root ourselves in the foundational truths of His word, and allow it to change us from the inside out. It is essential that we really know this God deeply and allow Him to grow us, before we attempt to go and tell others about Him. Our knowing must proceed our going. And this is not just a knowing of, but a deep knowing that comes from close, daily relationship. Our lecture topics, thus far, have been: “the Father Heart of God”, “the Character and Nature of God”, and “Hearing the Voice of God.” My summary of the past three weeks of lecture would be this:
God is Almighty. God is Sovereign. He is much bigger than we could ever imagine, His ways our outside of our ability to comprehend. He not only founded and established our planet and solar system in perfect working order, but has done the same in the rest of the solar systems. He does it all PERFECTLY. Every. Single. Day. He is God. Omniscient, all powerful, self sufficient, mighty, infinite, GOD. When we see Him rightly, we see ourselves rightly; and what a sobering experience that is. There are 7.53 billion people on the earth, and you are just one of them. It would be really easy for such a powerful God, not to see you; or, to see you simply as another one of the 7.53 million. But, my friends, be encouraged: that is not our God. He is all powerful, He is mighty, He is all of those big God things and more. But He still knows exactly how many hairs are on your head, He knows you by name and He is madly in love with you. He has had each one of your days specifically written in His book from the beginning of time; He knows the deepest parts of you: the good, the bad, the ugly, everything. But guess what. HE. STILL. WANTS. YOU. Not only that, but He wants all of you. Not just the “church on Sunday morning” you, but the parts of you that you keep hidden from the world.
He wants a relationship with you, He wants to be the one you run to, He wants to fill you up, encourage you, hold you. He wants to be your peace, your constant, your best friend, your Father. He does not want you for what you can do for Him, He’s the God of the Universe what can you offer Him that He doesn’t already have? He doesn’t delight in your religious routine, your perfect church attendance or even your checked off Bible reading plan, HE WANTS YOUR HEART, HE WANTS YOUR WHOLE LIFE, SIMPLY BECAUSE HE MADE IT FOR HIMSELF. But, it doesn’t stop there. He didn’t just wish for it, He didn’t just sit there and hope for it. He DIED for it. Perfect, sovereign, almighty, infinite, all powerful God came to this earth through Jesus Christ. GOD came in the form of a humble servant. He lived the life we should’ve (but couldn’t) live, died the death we deserved to die (as a result of our sin), and resurrected to win the battle against sin and death.
Now we are able to have the close, daily relationship that He so deeply desires to have with us, because our sin no longer separates us from this holy God! He wants to speak to you, walk with you, show you who He is, and give you joy and hope and purpose as a result. Think about that: a close, intimate, honest, vulnerable, relationship with the God of the Universe. It’s possible by giving Him Lordship over “your” life. By giving Him back the life He gave you, and allowing Him to have rule and reign over it. It’s possible through Jesus, and it results in JOY JOY JOY!!! Not that we will never suffer again, He doesn’t promise that. In fact, you may endure additional suffering as a result of following Jesus. But even in that suffering, He promises His presence. He promises that we will never suffer alone, and that no pain is in vain for the children of God. He promises to walk hand in hand with us until the day that we see Him face to face, and then get to dance with Him for eternity. What. A. Savior. All I can say to that is YEE HAW THANK YOU LORD!
This is the God I have said yes to. This is the God whom I have given my life to. This is the God I have obeyed by coming to YWAM Maui. A sovereign God, yes, but a relational God through and through. It may seem foolish to you, call me the fool of all fools if you wish. But, once you experience this God, once you get to know Him and fall in love with Him and let Him have control, He will change your entire life in the best way. He’s the peace you have been looking for, the purpose you have always craved, the fulfillment you’ve always sought in this world but have never found. I may be young, but the more I see of the world, the more I see that He is the answer; that He alone is worthy of my pursuit, my time, my energy, my devotion and my utmost affection. And He has proven Himself faithful, time after time after time. My friend, if you have never said yes to Jesus, or even if you have at one point and have since fallen away; I encourage you, let Him in. Don’t wait until the end of your life to say yes to Him and miss the abundant life He has planned for you, but say yes today!
God bless!!
Soli Deo Gloria,
Elise Jenney 🙂