Though I haven't seen the tangible results of our pleas as of yet, I have received a great gift today. A gift of understanding and assurance. This brings peace to my aching soul and as one of my lovely friends said "the beautiful smile" has returned to my face.
Words of encouragement have been sent to me by many of you - they are also gifts from our Heavenly Father. Our protector and provider. You are each angels in the flesh for sharing your peace giving and uplifting words. Today a new angel joined the team in the form of a navigator. She helped me with the giant burden of health insurance coverage. My hubbie and I have been without coverage for six years due to being denied each year by the kids' provider. My sweet angel navigator just helped me through the process and we are now to be covered at a price we can afford! Praise the Lord for an answered prayer!!
Some of the sweet words that have helped me understand where I've been (in this darkness) are from my favorite author, Sarah Young, in her devotional Jesus Today.
When you are feeling overwhelmed by your circumstances, take time to listen to Me. Hear Me saying, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
Listening to Me when you're feeling stressed requires discipline and trust. Your racing thoughts make it hard to hear My gentle whisper. Ask the Holy Spirit to calm your mind so that you can hear My voice. Remember that I - the Prince of Peace - am with you at all times.
I am not only with you; I am also in your circumstances. Moreover, I am in control of everything that happens to you. Although I am never the author of evil, I am fully able to use bad things for good. This does not remove your suffering, but it does redeem it - infusing it with meaning. So if you are in a storm of difficulties, I say to you, "Take courage. It is I." Search for signs of My abiding Presence in your current situation. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
"Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." Matthew 14:27
"After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper." 1 Kings 19:12
"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6
"You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13
After reading this, in my quiet time this morning, I had to confess to the Lord. "Forgive me, God, for not being joyful always, not praying continually; and not giving thanks in all circumstances, which is Your will for me in Christ Jesus." (prayer based on 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Then my gracious God gave me more as I studied and did my homework for my Bible Study Fellowship class. We are studying Matthew 17 this week. The verse that God made shine like the noonday sun and brought so very alive in His living Word for me today was Matthew 17:20. "He replied, 'Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." This is not a new verse for me... but it sure felt new today.
The devotional that is based on this verse in my Mom's Devotional Bible is called When Mountains Won't Move:
Mothers face mountains all the time. Heaps of laundry. Mounds of applesauce on tables. Towers of wooden blocks. And the unconquered heights of potty-training. How are we to respond?
Jesus tells us to respond with faith. With faith all things are possible. When we surround ourselves with proof of God's control over our days, our spirits are lifted and most mountains do, in fact, move.
And when they won't? When it's 9:30 at night and we're still stumbling through toppled blocks on our way to throw in another load of wash - what then? When the mountains don't move, we can respond with perspective, knowing that we are living in a season of life today that will change tomorrow. These mountains will pass - and others will take their place, like the mountain of trusting a teenager to drive or date, or the mountain of our child's college, career and mate decisions.
When the mountains won't move, we can hold tight to the God who is in control and let him lead us through these days, picking the path around the mountains to the other side.
Praise the Lord that I am no longer trying to conquer mountains of potty-training!! Amen?! But I am entering the later (trusting a teenager). I am so thankful that God allowed me to see the light today, the light of his sovereignty. Sometimes the things that we know, that we know, that we know don't make complete sense until we've stumbled around for awhile in the dark.
Thank you, again, to those of you that have been my cheerleaders and have been holding me up and pointing me in the right direction... to God Almighty. The God who is in control. The God who shows us the path around the mountain. The God who gives us courage when we are too weak and blind to know that we need Him more than we think we do. The God who is eternally patient with me when my faith is wavering and I don't understand. He gives me grace and I sure do need that.
Pastor Lloyd Bustard sings about it here in this song called Grace. The beginning lyrics of this song took me in big time. Have a listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2TlWu0_vL4
I'm still working on the Golden Rule - Doing Good. Please be patient with me as I find the words.
"And be thankful." Colossians 3:15b
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