Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.
Psalms 116:7 NIV

When life is busy and we are so caught up in the constant rush of work, church gatherings, life, we lose the appreciation for what is around us. We wish for a moment, just a few moments to slow down, take rest and yet our days are cluttered.

But Now is the Time

I am grateful and give thanks to the Lord for this time.

In this time of world chaos, I have had the time to still my beating heart, to calm my racing mind and find rest in the beauty and goodness that surrounds me. And for that I am grateful.

In this time when the world is uncertain, I have the time to ponder and take to heart the certain promises of the Lord, promises that will forever hold true.

I am grateful and thankful for this time. Never, not for a moment does time standstill but, in this time, in every moment may my soul be still.

Thank you, Lord, for your Love, for your provision, for your restoration. Thank you, Lord, for each and every moment. For the good moments and the turmoiled moments. It is in the turmoiled moments Your Goodness, love, greatness shines through.

In this time of worldwide crisis, in this time where the world is in chaos, in this time of uncertainty and unrest may our souls find rest and peace in the goodness and the greatness of our Lord.

Lorette Olivier

I am a single mom to a 16-year-old daughter. I gave my life to the Lord in 2012 and stand daily in awe of how Great God is. With God I have overcome severe depression, addictions, low self-esteem and suicidal tendencies. I have moved from living in lack of, to owning a company. I love to serve in the kingdom of God. I also love writing and listening to music.

The post Grateful in Crisis appeared first on Cup of Faith.

Oh this challenge to know me
Oh this challenge to find me
Oh this challenge to love me

Deep in my heart,
In the core of my being.
I long for more,
I long for life,
I long for love,
Every fibre,
Every nerve,
Every muscle,
Every drop of blood,
Wants to be more,
Learn more,
Love more

Neglected, abused,
Pushed to the limits of pain,
Pushed to the boundaries of life,
I’ve fallen, I’ve risen,
I’ve fallen, I’ve risen,
I’ve fallen, I’ve risen.
I’ve been pushed, I’ve been pulled,
I’ve been torn apart,
I’ve been stripped to the core of my being,
heart and bones; gaping wounds.
I’ve cried, I’ve screamed,
I’ve lost, I’ve won,
I’ve lost, I’ve gained,
I’ve been lost, I’ve been found,
I’ve given, I’ve received,
I’ve given, I’ve given.
I’ve tried to love, I’ve failed,
I’ve tried to be loved, I’ve failed.
I surrendered my soul,
My every waking breath,
I surrendered it all,
To the One above all,
I surrendered it all,
My life, my breath, my heart.
I surrendered it all
To learn, to grow, to change,
To give more, be more, love more and be loved.

How could I have loved before,
When I did not know what love was?
How could I expect another to love my eyes,
My ways,
My being,
When I despised my eyes,
My ways,
My being,
My life.
Respect?
I had none for myself or others,
none for this life that I was so purposefully given.
Oh I cry
At the thought of how I have hated this life,
Despised my very breath,
Wished and even prayed
That I would not wake to another morning.

I have given it all,
I have surrendered my every hurt,
My every pain,
My intense darkness,
I have laid it down before my God,
Before my King.
I have begged
And pleaded for forgiveness,
I have asked to be changed,
Renewed,
Rebuilt from the very depths of my soul.

I am loved beyond measure
By the King of Kings,
He gave me life and purpose.
The alpha and omega of life
Has loved me since before human minds even thought of me
If my God has loved me and loves me still,
Then why can I not love myself?
My every hair
He knows,
My strengths, my weakness,
He knows,
My eyes he knew before I was even formed,
He loves my eyes, so why can’t I?

Into this mirror, I must gaze,
Into the depths of myself, I must see,
That old fear starts churning,
No, keep looking,
Nothing to fear,
It’s just my eyes,
The eyes that see the world,
See the beauty of life,
Nothing to be angry about,
The pain, the secrets –
It’s all finished, it’s all gone,
Not forgotten but no longer part of my present
Those secrets don’t need to be secrets anymore,
That anger – it’s gone,
Those infested wounds are starting to heal,
Soon to be nothing but scars,
Reminders of where I came from,
Reminders of my strength,
Reminders of my battles,
Reminders that I never gave up.

Keep looking into the depths of my eyes,
There’s a power within me,
To overcome anything,
A power from above.
Keep looking,
Keep looking it’s all ok,
Nothing to fear,
It’s just my eyes,
These dark eyes,
Dark – almost to the point of black
But not quite,
These eyes as unique as my fingerprints,
These eyes have seen so much,
These eyes that long to see more,
These are my eyes,
Intricately formed by the loving hands of my creator,
Nothing to fear here.

Oh I’m liking this journey to know me
Oh I’m enjoying this journey to discover me
Oh I’m loving this journey to love me

Lorette Olivier

I am a single mom to a 16-year-old daughter. I gave my life to the Lord in 2012 and stand daily in awe of how Great God is. With God I have overcome severe depression, addictions, low self-esteem and suicidal tendencies. I have moved from living in lack of, to owning a company. I love to serve in the kingdom of God. I also love writing and listening to music.

The post Eyes appeared first on Cup of Faith.

Your heart has been torn apart, the intense pain of rejection hits your every nerve, it hurts so bad you feel like you’re suffocating, you feel unloved, unwanted like nobody cares, and like you’re not meant to be apart of this world.

STOP!

Think again.

Think of this:

God knew you before time began before you were born and before the very people who rejected you and hurt you even knew of your existence. He created you with the utmost care and knew everything about you; what your name would be, and even what your strengths and weakness would be. (Jeremiah 1:5)

Grab hold of that truth, and take heart in knowing that it doesn’t matter who your parents are, what you’ve done in your past, who beat you, who degraded you, who told you how worthless you are or even how you’ve hated yourself. When you are a child of God, none of this matters, for God can take the most broken, the angriest, the most unloved souls and transform them into something beautiful, you just have to believe in Christ, our Saviour, and surrender to His love.

Focus your thoughts on Him, and leave all doubts, self-loathing and insecurities at the door, as you walk every day embraced by our heavenly Father. John 1:13 says, “To be a child of God has nothing to do with human parents. Children of God are not born because of human choice or because a husband wants them to be born. They are born because of what God does.”

Maybe you’ve lost sight of God, maybe you’ve allowed the lies of the enemy to become louder than the voice of God, maybe you’ve never heard the voice of God, listen for His voice today, listen to him calling you into His house, He’s waiting to embrace you, transform you and do miracles in your life. Surrender it all today, take a step in faith and walk as a child of God.

Lorette Olivier

I am a single mom to a 16-year-old daughter. I gave my life to the Lord in 2012 and stand daily in awe of how Great God is. With God I have overcome severe depression, addictions, low self-esteem and suicidal tendencies. I have moved from living in lack of, to owning a company. I love to serve in the kingdom of God. I also love writing and listening to music.

The post You are worthy appeared first on Cup of Faith.

The idea that you can be truly saved, and yet remain as you are, is the biggest downfall of the modern-day church. To be saved, one must accept Jesus for all that He is and come to a place of knowing our Savior. If you have allowed our Saviour to fill all parts of your life, it is impossible not to be moved by the Glory of His Presence and remain unchanged.

To arise as sons and daughters of God, we must step beyond the mindset that to be saved we simply need to believe and acknowledge Jesus. To be saved is so much more than just believing. To be saved is to raise your hands to Heaven, close your eyes and feel the embrace of God, see God, and know Him for all that He is. To be saved is to open your heart, mind and soul to the Glory of God. To allow the power of God to move within. To allow that power to arise from the deepest depths of your being.

To be saved is to surrender all that is within you, every drop of poison, every vile thought, every dream, every desire, every breath. It’s about being totally empty and then letting the power of God move within your soul.
As the spirit of our Father fills every void and every need, He quenches your thirst and satisfies your hunger. The very character of God will overflow from you; love, grace, and goodness flow freely through the veins of a saved soul.

To be saved is to be totally, utterly unraveled, unwound. It’s desperate, heart-wrenching sobs of repentance at what you were before. To be saved is to be moved, to fall on your knees in absolute awe at the love God has for you. To be saved is to be moved so intensely by His Glory and His Holiness that you can do nothing but lie face to the ground, tears streaming from your face, completely overwhelmed by the magnificence of His Presence.

To be saved is to encounter your reflection and see yourself the way you were created, the very image of He who breathes life into you. To be saved is to encounter the heart of God, to let your heart reach beyond what you know, beyond what you think, beyond what you feel and move to a place where the very breath of God is felt, heard, moving and awakening every fibre, every nerve of your being.

To be saved is so much more than simply declaring, ‘I am saved.’ It is the resurrection, the revival, of mind, body and soul. It is the beauty of broken and shattered pieces being moulded back to wholeness.

Lorette Olivier

I am a single mom to a 16-year-old daughter. I gave my life to the Lord in 2012 and stand daily in awe of how Great God is. With God I have overcome severe depression, addictions, low self-esteem and suicidal tendencies. I have moved from living in lack of, to owning a company. I love to serve in the kingdom of God. I also love writing and listening to music.

The post To Be Saved appeared first on Cup of Faith.

“When the oceans rise and thunders roar I will soar with you above the storm, Father you are King over the Flood I will be still know you are God. Find rest my soul in Christ alone, know His power in quietness and trust…” (Still – Hillsong)

Tonight ,I was busy reading my bible, when 1 Kings 19 11-13, hit me and rushed into my soul like water rushing from a flooded dam.

¹¹ The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. ¹³ When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Elijah is on the run, he’s hiding, his soul is in despair, he doesn’t know where to go or what to do, he’s feeling hopeless and lost in the desert, in fact in verse 4 he even prays that he might die, saying he’s had enough.

Then from verse 11 the Lord tells Elijah to go and wait in the presence of the Lord for he is about to pass by. I imagine that the shattering of rocks must have been so loud and chaotic, that the earthquake cracking the ground turned everything upside down, and that the fire roared and devoured everything in its path, yet after it all… comes the gentle whisper of God.

How often is it that when we’re being hit left, right, and centre, in the raging storm, we try to find God but instead, get lost and overwhelmed because the waves are too rough. So instead, we end up drowning in our troubles and spend our time crying out, overwhelmed and deafened by the earth-shattering chaos that surrounds us, and we end up not being able to hear God’s whispers.

To hear God’s gentle whisper, we need to learn to Be Still.  We have to literally shut out every roaring sound within our minds and step into the quietness, to listen from the depths of our being, to find Him.

If we try to hear God above the chaos and the confusion, we will fail because everything He whispers will be lost in the noise. We have to give up fighting the waves, winds and fires that shake our lives, and learn to Be Still, and surrender our soul to the quietness. You will soon find that those moments are the ones that bring the calm and peace, as you accept, learn to let go and trust the Lord.

Be still my soul, be still for that Whisper, that still gentle voice of the Lord is more powerful than any raging storm. Be still my soul Be still.

Lorette Olivier

I am a single mom to a 16-year-old daughter. I gave my life to the Lord in 2012 and stand daily in awe of how Great God is. With God I have overcome severe depression, addictions, low self-esteem and suicidal tendencies. I have moved from living in lack of, to owning a company. I love to serve in the kingdom of God. I also love writing and listening to music.

The post Be Still My Soul appeared first on Cup of Faith.

Oh Lord,
Oh God,
Forgive us Lord,
For becoming complacent,
With the things of the Nations,
that break your heart.

Oh Lord,
Oh God,
Our nations are in turmoil.
Our people are lost,
Lost in the darkness of greed and power.
Lost in the abyss of hatred and violence.
Bound by the spirit of corruption and lies.

Oh Lord,
Oh God,
Our nations are dying,
And the cries of mothers for their children
can be heard in the streets at night.

The innocent are running,
With no purpose or direction,
Consumed with panic,
Allowing anger and rage to drive them.

Oh Lord,
Oh God,
Forgive us,
Forgive me,
Our royal priesthood,
Your chosen people,
Forgive us for being complacent,
For taking it upon ourselves,
To judge those who only you should judge.
Forgive us Lord,
For not bringing the world before you,
For not pleading,
For not crying desperate cries,
For the lost souls.

Oh Lord,
Oh God,
We pray often for the healing of our people,
But are our hearts are broken,
Shattered for the healing of our nations.

Forgive us, Lord,
Forgive me,
Today, you opened my eyes,
You called me,
You spoke to my soul,
My heart is desperate,
It is pleading,
It has pulled me to my knees,
So my tears will flow at your feet.

Oh Lord,
Oh God,
My heart is broken,
It is broken and desperate,
Not for the innocent running scared,
Not for the safety of my fellow priesthood.
No Lord, it is truly broken for the lawless ones of our nation.

Oh Lord,
Oh God,
Send a revival,
In the hearts of Your people,
So that we may become an army,
An army on our knees,
Pleading and crying,
At your altar for the lost and dying souls.

Oh Lord,
Oh God,
I cry before you today,
For those lost in the darkness,
Tormented by the chaos within them,
So desperate Lord for something,
Anything to satisfy their empty souls.
Oh, my heart truly is pleading,
For the souls of those who are driven by anger and rage,
Tormented by demons within their minds,
Driven to the point of becoming murderers, rapists, thieves and liars.

Oh Lord,
Oh God,
Forgive us,
Forgive me,
For not being desperate enough,
To save their souls.

Oh Lord,
Oh God,
These are the lost,
The broken,
That you died for.
These are the souls,
You, Lord, took the beating for.
These are the souls,
Whose sin you took upon your shoulders.

Oh Lord,
Oh God,
We, your royal priesthood,
Your chosen people,
Have neglected to be broken, as you are, for these souls.

Oh Lord,
Oh God,
We have forgotten
You took us,
From the miry clay,
From the darkness of the world,
And showed us your light.

Oh Lord,
Oh God,
Send a revival,
In the hearts of Your people,
Help us,
Oh Lord,
To love the way you love us,
Without judgement,
Without condemnation,
Without prejudice,
Help us to love those,
Who even the world has rejected.

Oh Lord,
Oh God,
As we plead,
And cry desperately,
For these souls.
May You heal our Nations,
And may You heal the lands.

Lorette Olivier

I am a single mom to a 16-year-old daughter. I gave my life to the Lord in 2012 and stand daily in awe of how Great God is. With God I have overcome severe depression, addictions, low self-esteem and suicidal tendencies. I have moved from living in lack of, to owning a company. I love to serve in the kingdom of God. I also love writing and listening to music.

The post A Prayer for Our Nations appeared first on Cup of Faith.

Oh Lord, we want to stop for a moment.
We want to stop in the chaos.
We want to stop the hustle,
And just be still.

In the stillness of this moment,
From the depths of our hearts,
We pour out an offering of love.

In this moment,
this glorious moment,
We thank you Lord for every breath,
Every beat of our hearts,
We thank you, Lord,
For the privilege to be alive right now,
For this moment

Oh Lord,
In this moment,
we glorify Your Mighty Name,
We lift You up,
We exalt you above everything.
Oh Lord,
In this precious moment,
we just want to say we love You.

It will take more than a moment,
To truly express our love.
But Lord,
Take this moment,
And hear the song of love,
That flows from the depths of our soul.

Lorette Olivier

I am a single mom to a 16-year-old daughter. I gave my life to the Lord in 2012 and stand daily in awe of how Great God is. With God I have overcome severe depression, addictions, low self-esteem and suicidal tendencies. I have moved from living in lack of, to owning a company. I love to serve in the kingdom of God. I also love writing and listening to music.

The post Just a Moment appeared first on Cup of Faith.

Soul shattered, broken,
The pieces lost in a void of existence.
Every breath, every moment,
Haunted by the mistakes,
The horrors of a life that seemed so pointless.
Afraid to lift my head,
Afraid to look at the eyes of the world,
Afraid of the pain hidden in my own eyes
Existing in the shadows,
Waiting just waiting
For that moment I could stop breathing.

Lost in the darkness,
No hope for a soul torn
Beaten beyond repair.
Through the darkness,
Through the pain,
Comes a slither of hope
In the form of a name.

I heard Your name.
I heard it spoken among the crowds.
I heard that You could heal.
I heard that You could set me free.
Oh, Jesus,
I heard Your name.

I heard that if I fell before You,
If I gave You all the pieces of my shattered soul,
You could make me whole again.
With nothing to lose,
But pain and rejection,
All I had to give was my broken heart .
My empty soul.
Oh, Jesus,
I heard Your name.

I closed my eyes,
Closed my ears to the voices around me,
Held my breath for just a moment.
And fell at Your feet,
Fell at Your mercy,
There was nowhere else to go,
Nothing else to do.
In that moment…
Oh, Jesus, You moved.

Oh, Lord,
You are glorious.
Magnificent.
So amazing.
You are beyond actual words.
I stood in awe at Your splendour,
And Your might.
I saw You.
Oh, God,
Exalted, over all,
Seated above the world.

You are God of creation.
God of the earth.
God of the heavens.
God of the sea.
There is nothing in this world,
Or universe,
That is more powerful,
More glorious,
More radiant,
More splendid,
Than You.

You are higher and deeper than any mountain or ocean.
Your greatness and Your splendour are more vast than every grain of sand on the earth,
More vast than every star and planet in the skies.
You reign gloriously above all.

But Oh, Lord
Despite Your glory
Your power and Your greatness,
You chose,
Oh, Lord,
To move, breathe and flow through my soul.

In all Your splendour
You took the time,
You took a moment to hear me,
To see me,
To speak to me.

Oh Lord
From Your throne of Glory,
From Your place on high,
You stepped down to my weeping soul.
You sat down beside me,
You placed Your hand upon my heart,
You whispered,
“Give it to me.”

In that moment,
That moment of trembling and shaking,
In that moment of surrender,
In that moment I crumbled.
I wept.

Oh, God,
Despite Your greatness
You held my heart still.
I sobbed,
Overwhelmed by Your presence,
Overwhelmed by Your love,
Overwhelmed by who You are,
Oh, Lord.

And still in that moment,
In that broken,
Desperate moment,
You held my heart.

Oh, Lord,
As the tears flowed,
You moved through my soul.

You are the King of all Kings,
You are Lord of all
And yet,
You chose to speak,
To touch,
To grace,
My broken, rejected soul,
With your presence.

Oh, Lord,
What love this is?

Oh, Almighty Father,
As I bowed my head,
My tears drenched Your feet.
You placed Your hand upon my head
And Your Spirit flowed,
From the tips of every strand of hair,
To the deepest, deepest part of me.

As Your Spirit flowed
And touched
And revived,
My body,
Through my soul.
When it felt like I could take no more,
When it felt like my veins would burst,
When it felt like my body could no longer contain my heart,
When my every breath felt like it would explode from my lungs,
You touched deeper,
You moved and flowed into places of my soul I never knew existed.
You opened veins that had no blood and you poured your spirit through them.

Oh, Lord,
Your temple trembled,
Your temple shook,
The very foundations of this temple’s soul shook
And Still,
You moved.

Oh, Holy and exalted God,
Oh, Glorious Glorious King,
Oh, Mighty and All-Powerful Lord.

I can never be the same again,
In that moment,
You moved me like never before.
In that moment,
I saw like never before.
In that moment,
I heard like never before.

Oh, Lord,
You have totally and utterly unravelled me.
You have shone light
On places within my mind and my soul.
You have completely,
Utterly,
And violently
yet gloriously,
Shaken me to my very core.

Oh, God,
I have been in Your presence so many times,
I have seen You,
I have felt You
And yet in this one moment,
You have touched me deeper,
And pulled me closer than I’ve ever known.

Oh, Lord
In this desperate place of needing You,
In this totally shattered, yet beautiful moment,
My soul,
Oh, God,
Has found it’s home.
At Your feet,
Surrounded by Your Presence,
Touched gently,
Yet intensively,
By Your grace and Your love.
Here is where my soul has found its centre.

Oh, Lord of all
Lord of my heart
Lord of my thoughts
Lord of my actions
Lord of my words
Lord of my life
You, oh, God, are Lord of all.

Lorette Olivier

I am a single mom to a 16-year-old daughter. I gave my life to the Lord in 2012 and stand daily in awe of how Great God is. With God I have overcome severe depression, addictions, low self-esteem and suicidal tendencies. I have moved from living in lack of, to owning a company. I love to serve in the kingdom of God. I also love writing and listening to music.

The post When God Moved appeared first on Cup of Faith.