LIVE!

COME AWAKE FROM SLEEP, ARISE

YOU WERE DEAD, BECOME ALIVE

WAKE UP, WAKE UP

OPEN YOUR EYES

CLIMB FROM YOUR GRAVE

INTO THE LIGHT

 

 

 

 

Sneaking Suspicion

Have I told you that I’m in a refining process? It’s been on-going for sure. My prayer for a while now is that God would reveal “everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles” and would change me. I don’t want anything in the way of my relationship with Him or to hinder me from loving others the best that I can.  Wow has He been doing that!

 

But I also have this sneaking suspicion that He’s trying to show me that He is enough for me. This tough learning experience has been noticed by the absence of things that I’ve been relying too heavily on and is now not there. I’ve been grieving the loss of them and have been wondering what the deal was. And then yesterday it came to me! (Or God told me.) This could be the Lord stripping these things so that I have no one and nothing else to rely/lean upon than Him and Him alone. This has been my prayer, but I never thought it would be answered in the form that it’s being answered it.

 

This is, for sure, something that I hope/fear will continue for quite a while. But, I can say, that having a God-perspective on what is happening is a bit more reassuring. You know…that’s there’s a purpose and all.

 

IS GOD’S COMFORT TOO LITTLE FOR YOU? IS HIS GENTLE WORD NOT ENOUGH?  ~JOB 15:11

 

 

God-thing

I’ve been living in a neighborhood that has a very nice walking trail and I take advantage of that trail almost daily. Over the course of the last few months I have regularly seen three boys, about high-school age, walking along the trail as well. Each time I see them I say hello and smile and they’re very polite and say hello in return. In December I felt the urging to speak to one of the boys and ask if I could pray for him. I ignored the urging, telling myself that I was making it up in my head. After passing the boy and missing my opportunity I realized that it was a missed opportunity and immediately asked God for another one. God answered and gave me that opportunity about a week later, to which I ignored it again, telling myself the same thing-that I was making something up in my head. And after missing that opportunity again I immediately knew it was disobedience. God had been faithful to give me opportunities to reach out to this boy, not once but twice, and both times I had said “no thanks”.

 

I talked with my small group about it, expressing that it was a missed opportunity. I felt awful! Disobedience is NOT fun! So while walking on the trail in the weeks to follow I prayed that God would give me another chance. Nothing. This made me sad. Well, on Tuesday I was walking the trail and praying that God would give me one more chance if He wanted me to have one. And not even 30 seconds later this boy walks around the bin, and he’s by himself! He’s always with these two other boys, but that day, alone!  I was so thrilled!

 

My heart leapt and I thanked God for giving me another chance and answering my prayer so quickly. I prayed for the right words to say and the strength to actually go through with it this time.

 

I walked up to the boy and introduced myself and he told me his name is Brandon. I said, “I know it may seem strange to you, but I like to pray for people as I walk this trail. Would it be alright if I prayed for you while I walked?” He responded with a huge smile and his face all lit up and said, “Yes, thank you!” And we shook hands and were on our way.

 

I’m so thankful for many things with this:

1.       That God gave me a third chance to be obedient.

2.       That God answered my prayer so quickly that day.

3.       That God had given me so many opportunities to smile at the boy and say hello to him and his two friends so I didn’t look like a crazy random woman coming up to him on the trail.

4.       That the boy was so receptive  what I asked him.

 

I love these moments where I get to see God working!