Nothing's Wasted
I always have a song in my head. I can tell what I’m listening more to when it’s a worship song and not something I’ve heard on social media. One song that has been on repeat in my head is “At the Altar” by Elevation Rhythm. It reminds me of something Pastor Miriam shared several months ago when she said “God doesn’t waste anything.”
I'm removin'
All of the things that would move me
Further from You
A thank you could not be enough
It's not lost on me what You saved me from
I'm runnin'
Stumblin', I know, but I'm comin'
To give You this offerin'
My worship I'll never withhold
Broken, but You call it beautiful
Where the tears of the desperate
Reach the feet of the Savior
Nothin' I wouldn't offer
There's no waste at the altar
Where the heart of surrender
Meet the hands of the Maker
Nothin' I wouldn't offer
There's no waste at the altar
You can bring everythin', everything
Things I've treasured
Oh, couldn't come close to Your presence
Grace upon grace, who could measure
No, nothing could measure
And I'm returnin'
Oh, back to the One, I am runnin'
To give Him my love
'Cause He took a sinner like me
Washed me with grace and then set me free, oh
Where the tears of the desperate
Reach the feet of the Savior
Nothin' I wouldn't offer
There's no waste at the altar
Where the heart of surrender
Meet the hands of the Maker
Nothin' I wouldn't offer
There's no waste at the altar
Come lay your broken dreams at the altar
And every victory at the altar
Fear and anxiety cannot live here
There's no waste at the altar
Let your heart sing out and tell Him you love Him
Don't make it perfect, just let it be honest
He can use anythin', sit back and watch Him
There's no waste at the altar
Romans 8:28 NLT
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
I’ve read this verse so many times, but never in the context of nothing being wasted with God. I don’t know about you, but I have walked and am walking through seasons where I don’t understand what is going on or why I have to walk through this particular season. And God brings this song to mind, “There’s no waste at the altar…” It’s the gentle reminder that He has everything under control, but I have to surrender and lay control down at His feet.
But it’s not easy. I can relate to “I’m runnin’, stumblin’, I know, but I’m comin’…”. Every day I try to give every situation over to God, and every day I find myself trying to pick it up again and make things happen on my own.
Matthew 14:24-31 NLT
“Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?””
We can all relate to Peter in some form or fashion. He had a habit of opening his mouth and inserting his foot. But in this particular situation, Peter had the faith to step out of the boat, however, he got distracted by everything going on around him and lost sight of the One who called him out. I can take a step “out of the boat” but as soon as I take the next couple of steps and it isn’t the outcome I thought they would be, I start looking around and trying to do what I think needs to be done to accomplish the task at hand. And when I finally stop, I gently hear the Holy Spirit say, “Please trust Me.”
“Come lay your broken dreams at the altar…” Sometimes it takes more time than I would like for God to fulfill His promise and they become broken dreams to me. The one person that comes to mind from the Bible is Abraham.
Genesis 15:1-3 NLT
“Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.” But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.””
Journal | Do you have any broken dreams? Have you felt God made a promise to you but you have yet to see it happen? Write those dreams down. If you have tried to make them happen on your own, ask God for forgiveness and release those dreams back to Him.
Abraham had been holding on to the promise God made to him in Genesis 12 (v. 1-3), but here we see several years later and Abraham still doesn’t have a son. But Abraham never gave up and after a couple curves in the road, Abraham held that promise in his arms.
”Fear and anxiety cannot live here…” I have to say this as a declaration over myself as I can be fearful and worry about what happens next when things aren’t going the way I would like.
Galatians 5:22-23 NLT
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”
Walking in the fruit of the Spirit is a daily decision and is not always easy. I can quickly get into my feelings and have a pity party for myself. But I have to stop and remind myself that God is moving and working, even when I can’t see it, “there’s no waste at the altar…”
Philippians 4:6-7 NLT
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
Prayer | God, I am so thankful You never waste anything. You take even the worst situations and use them to accomplish Your best for my life. I don’t understand why I have to walk through what I do, but I trust Your perfect timing. I release all fear and anxiety to You. I relinquish control and lay it down at Your feet. I chose to walk in Your peace that guards my heart and my mind. Thank You for everything You’ve done. Thank You for everything You are doing now. Thank You for everything You are going to do! In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen!
I'm removin'
All of the things that would move me
Further from You
A thank you could not be enough
It's not lost on me what You saved me from
I'm runnin'
Stumblin', I know, but I'm comin'
To give You this offerin'
My worship I'll never withhold
Broken, but You call it beautiful
Where the tears of the desperate
Reach the feet of the Savior
Nothin' I wouldn't offer
There's no waste at the altar
Where the heart of surrender
Meet the hands of the Maker
Nothin' I wouldn't offer
There's no waste at the altar
You can bring everythin', everything
Things I've treasured
Oh, couldn't come close to Your presence
Grace upon grace, who could measure
No, nothing could measure
And I'm returnin'
Oh, back to the One, I am runnin'
To give Him my love
'Cause He took a sinner like me
Washed me with grace and then set me free, oh
Where the tears of the desperate
Reach the feet of the Savior
Nothin' I wouldn't offer
There's no waste at the altar
Where the heart of surrender
Meet the hands of the Maker
Nothin' I wouldn't offer
There's no waste at the altar
Come lay your broken dreams at the altar
And every victory at the altar
Fear and anxiety cannot live here
There's no waste at the altar
Let your heart sing out and tell Him you love Him
Don't make it perfect, just let it be honest
He can use anythin', sit back and watch Him
There's no waste at the altar
Romans 8:28 NLT
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
I’ve read this verse so many times, but never in the context of nothing being wasted with God. I don’t know about you, but I have walked and am walking through seasons where I don’t understand what is going on or why I have to walk through this particular season. And God brings this song to mind, “There’s no waste at the altar…” It’s the gentle reminder that He has everything under control, but I have to surrender and lay control down at His feet.
But it’s not easy. I can relate to “I’m runnin’, stumblin’, I know, but I’m comin’…”. Every day I try to give every situation over to God, and every day I find myself trying to pick it up again and make things happen on my own.
Matthew 14:24-31 NLT
“Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?””
We can all relate to Peter in some form or fashion. He had a habit of opening his mouth and inserting his foot. But in this particular situation, Peter had the faith to step out of the boat, however, he got distracted by everything going on around him and lost sight of the One who called him out. I can take a step “out of the boat” but as soon as I take the next couple of steps and it isn’t the outcome I thought they would be, I start looking around and trying to do what I think needs to be done to accomplish the task at hand. And when I finally stop, I gently hear the Holy Spirit say, “Please trust Me.”
“Come lay your broken dreams at the altar…” Sometimes it takes more time than I would like for God to fulfill His promise and they become broken dreams to me. The one person that comes to mind from the Bible is Abraham.
Genesis 15:1-3 NLT
“Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.” But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.””
Journal | Do you have any broken dreams? Have you felt God made a promise to you but you have yet to see it happen? Write those dreams down. If you have tried to make them happen on your own, ask God for forgiveness and release those dreams back to Him.
Abraham had been holding on to the promise God made to him in Genesis 12 (v. 1-3), but here we see several years later and Abraham still doesn’t have a son. But Abraham never gave up and after a couple curves in the road, Abraham held that promise in his arms.
”Fear and anxiety cannot live here…” I have to say this as a declaration over myself as I can be fearful and worry about what happens next when things aren’t going the way I would like.
Galatians 5:22-23 NLT
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”
Walking in the fruit of the Spirit is a daily decision and is not always easy. I can quickly get into my feelings and have a pity party for myself. But I have to stop and remind myself that God is moving and working, even when I can’t see it, “there’s no waste at the altar…”
Philippians 4:6-7 NLT
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
Prayer | God, I am so thankful You never waste anything. You take even the worst situations and use them to accomplish Your best for my life. I don’t understand why I have to walk through what I do, but I trust Your perfect timing. I release all fear and anxiety to You. I relinquish control and lay it down at Your feet. I chose to walk in Your peace that guards my heart and my mind. Thank You for everything You’ve done. Thank You for everything You are doing now. Thank You for everything You are going to do! In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen!
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