As I was pulling in to the driveway at home, I looked on our front porch as I always do, to see if there were any packages. Recently I’ve ordered some books and video equipment so every day is a new surprise. Well today, as I drove past our house, I noticed a small package. I walked to the front, leaned down, picked it up and looked at the return address - Harvest House Publishers! I thought - what could this be? I took it inside, opened the package, and when I saw it, I could not believe my eyes! It was my new book - Trusting In The Names Of God - Drawing Strength From Knowing Who He Is. What an exciting day it is when a new book arrives. I just can’t even describe all that it means to me to receive this book. It’s a lifetime of study in the Word, seminary study, and walking with the Lord, moment by moment. I so long for others to know God. By knowing Him, we trust in Him. And if we do not know Him, there’s no way we can trust Him. You can’t trust what you don’t know. And so, my goal for millions throughout the world, is that they will “trust in the names of God.”
Tonight I carried on the tradition. And those of you who have been reading on this blog know about it. Whenever I receive a new book, I line up all the books on our window sill. All to the glory of God. We keep the books up there for about a week. It’s an opportunity for me to just thank the Lord for all He’s done. This book arrived just in time as we are getting ready to film the series of six companion messages this weekend. And so, I’m excited to have these messages filmed and to be able to share the names of God with others. God has used His names in my life to teach me who He is, what He does, and what He says. And through His names, I’ve learned that God is more than I could have ever imagined and He does more than I could have ever dreamed or hoped. What an awesome thing it is to know and love God. What a privilege to serve Him. And what a joy to worship Him. And what an incredible promise that He is hears and answers our prayers (Psalm 138:3). And so, as I think about the release of this new book, I say “thank You Lord.” And when I say thank You to the Lord, I’m thanking Him for His strength, His wisdom, His guidance in the writing, and for Harvest House Publishers, their entire team, my staff at Quiet Time Ministries, those who partner financially and prayerfully with me in this ministry, and for my incredible family, and my wonderful husband. To God be ALL the glory.
Our team took a trip to Menifee, California for a day of personal revival at Revival Christian Fellowship. More than 300 women gathered together for a time of drawing near to the Lord and focusing on the theme “Revive Me O Lord.” And that is what personal revival is all about - the Lord at work in our heart. Rick Warren says at the beginning of his book “It’s not about you.” But when it comes to personal revival, it IS about you and me - it’s about what God is doing in our hearts. That’s why it was so powerful just prior to the Welsh Revival of 1904-1905 when Evan Roberts ran to the front of the room when the prayer was prayed “Lord, bend us”, and he cried out “Lord bend ME!” Those days of revival in Wales where it was like one gigantic prayer meeting must have been amazing! May we all learn the prayer of the psalmist in Psalm 119 “Revive ME O Lord.”