Recounting the Deeds of the Lord

Isaiah 63:7 says,
"I will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord, the praiseworthy acts of the Lord, because of all that the Lord has done for us."

So I will do that, today, for a public reminder of God's goodness, and a future reminder to me of how God was at work in these weeks and months.

(1) He led us to stay in Texas.  This was no small thing, as we had no house, no car, no job, no dishes, nothing, here in Texas.  We are grateful to Him for the way He uprooted our lives 6 years ago to "plant" us overseas, and we are grateful now that He has replanted us here in Texas.
(2) He provided a job for my husband.  An amazing job that allows us to be right where we want to be... part of our local church, and near family and old friends here.
(3) He allowed us to get a house that, because of the crummy housing market, is far beyond what we could normally hope to own, and it is not only just right for our family's needs, but there are some really awesome features (like a roof-level fort for the kiddos) that show God's personal care for us in unexpected ways.  We are so very very thankful.  
(4) God convicted me of my tendency to yell and graciously has disciplined me and showed me just how ugly it really is.  I am learning so much from Him, and I believe that He is breaking the stronghold of this sin in my life.  It is so encouraging to see Him dismantle a sin that has been a part of my life for decades.  It is wonderful to see that He is still at work in my life.
(4) He has worked everything together so that yesterday morning (Wed.), the painting inside the house was completed and we were able to move all of our possessions in Texas into the garage.  This morning, in just a couple hours, our possessions from Istanbul (that I packed up 3 months ago) will be delivered to our new home.  If they had arrived even 2 weeks ago, it would have had to be delivered to my parents' house & we would've had to move it ourselves, but God even worked out the delivery of this shipment.  Incredible!
(5) The carpets (which, even though they still have great wear, had been quite badly stained & I was concerned we might need to replace them) were cleaned yesterday & basically all of the nasty stains came out.  Not only that, but our God led my curious little 7 year old to want to go out and check the mail yesterday morning.  When he did, there was a $20 off cleaning coupon from that particular local mom-and-pop owned carpet cleaning company inside a "Valu-Pak".  Score!  Big earnings for one trip to the mailbox.
(6) Our local church & our parents have been such a blessing to us... helping with the kids, bringing a few meals, helping move, clean, and install things.  It's been amazing.  I love our church!
(7) My parents have let us live with them during these last 2-3 weeks of transition.  See, our rental house where we'd been living is about 40 minutes from our church & Doug's work, but my parents live 14 minutes away.  Particularly since we're a one-car family, it's been such a gift to cut down that much time off of our back-and-forth trips each day.
(8) His goodness and kindness to our children, through all of this, has been such a gift.  We counted up yesterday, and once we move into this house (which will finish happening today), my oldest two sons will have lived in 13 different places in the last 6 & 1/2 years.  Despite the moves, the transitions, the different languages and cultures, and the changes to our family (we went from 2 kids to 5 kids in less than 6 years), God has been so faithful to lead us as we parent them and keep things steady for them.  Every time we pray for wisdom, He answers that prayer (James 1:5), and has surrounded us with wise counselors & godly people.  Our children possess a sense of 'home' that basically means "wherever we are all together as a family" and perhaps will lend itself more easily to a perspective that Heaven is our true home, when we are all together as the Body of Christ.  I am so thankful to know that our Father cares for our children even far more than I do.

Truly these are the "gracious deeds of the Lord," "praiseworthy acts of the Lord," and I praise Him for all that He has done for us.

11 comments:

Jessica B. said...

This is awesome. I too see similar ways the Lord has provided for our family- ways that I never dreamed of even asking for- in the last 4 months as we have transitioned back to the states.
Praise God for His goodness and may we not forget!

Anonymous said...

Wonderful, Jess! Such a great reminder to count our blessings. I hope you have fun setting up your new home! I love a surprise coupon too :)

Rachel B

Surprised Rach said...

This is such an encouraging post, It makes me want to count my blessings too. Praise Him!
Rachel

Anonymous said...

Good luck settling in to your new home. The rotten housing market reflects the suffering of many people but has been a blessing to others, as you point out.

Laurie B

Candice said...

Rejoicing with you in all the ways the Lord is providing for and blessing you guys! :)

Mana Laura said...

Hi Jess,
I've been reading your blog for quite some time, I enjoy the "meat" of it the most, but also the other bits and bobs! I am almost for sure going to have five days in Istanbul this July on my way to Kiev. I just wondered if you might have any insider tips you might share, favorite restaurants or views or parks or things to do? Anything to avoid or be careful of? I know you've got a lot on so no worries if you don't have time to reply! Blessings, Laura

Lasso the Moon said...

"that show God's personal care for us in unexpected ways." This is one of my favorite things about Him!
Anna

sandra said...

Just thinking of you and wondered how things were going with your new home! I hope your crate arrived without any issues. Happy unpacking & settling in! hugs.

Deborah said...

"home...means wherever we are all together as a family..."
God has called my daughter to be a missionary in Texas...I look forward to reading more posts. Your blog is deep and inspiring. Thank you for all the hard work you put into it. Please check out mine, I think you would like it.
Debbie

Marie said...

Hi,
I came across your blog a few months ago from a link on another blog I read (don't even remember which one, maybe It's Almost Naptime?). Anyway, I just read this post today and love it! Thank you for sharing the many ways that God is blessing your family. Such a reminder to look for how He is always taking care of us, even in the smallest details.
Blessings,
Marie

Linda said...

found your blog when searching that verse in Isaiah. Glad I did. Looking forward to reading more.