Joy and Strength (Christian life and music)

I have been waiting for some email responses lately, some of which can potentially change my life.  It has been nerve wracking for me. I've prayed about it, gave it all to God, and yet it still weighs on my heart and mind - the uncertainty, the wondering, and the not knowing. It's hard to truly let go sometimes.  I believe I trust God with my whole heart.  And yet when there are some issues on the line that affect my life, affect my immediate future, and just plain can either make life harder or easier for me, I give in to anxiety. It is a miserable place to live!  But I do not need to stay in that miserable state of mind. Especially when I belong to omnipotent God who is for me, on my side, ever watching out for me, and doing all sorts of wonderful things on my behalf behind the scenes.   How do I know He does all of these and more?  He promises to do them.  And if you are a child of God, you too have the same promises from His infallible Word. We will still have to wait on so

When you've been through many trials and tribulations, years of suffering with little let-up, you start to doubt God's goodness toward you. Oh you may still believe that He is good toward others, but you have a hard time experiencing His goodness toward you because of difficult circumstances. That is where I was in my faith for longer than I like to admit.  Oh my faith in the Lord was still strong.  But I struggled with the difficult things He allowed to enter, and continue, in my life. After all, I listened to Him and obeyed Him where most would not.  Why the long, hard season?   I believed in His goodness even when I obeyed and things still turned out awful, or worse than they were.  But I had stopped clinging to His promises for me .  God does not always fix all of our problems, though He does come alongside to comfort us in the midst of our problems. What if those harsh realities never go away this side of heaven?  Can we still believe not only in God's goodness toward

My faith isn't perfect.  The perfectionist in me hates that.  After all, I have already been through so many trials, tests, and tribulations - all either caused or allowed by my Lord - that I was hoping my faith would be perfected by now.  To never doubt.  To never waver. But I'm just not there yet.  I feel like I was  there before.  Before the hits just kept on coming, with no end in sight. See, I thought I would be in a season of plenty by now. Now don't get me wrong.  I want for nothing, really.  I am very grateful for all the Lord has given me. By season of plenty, I mean more a season of fruition .  Where the heck is all the fruit from all of the former seasons of "threshing," "raking," "plowing" - you get the gardening metaphors already?   I don't see the fruit with my eyes yet.  And I don't always sense the spiritual fruit in myself, either.  Especially when I doubt. What's a girl to do? Is it possible to regress in our faith