1 Thessalonians 5:14 tells us to warn the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, and be patient
with them all. Yes, with them all! Reading this verse again I realize that we
are called to do these things because this is what God does for us. He brings
people into our lives or uses our situations to reveal Himself, warning us
against false distractions. He places small gems in our path for encouragement,
provides us with strength to do His will, and is oh so patient with our double
minded resistance. He is a light to our footpath and He will lead the way if we
ask Him.
A few times
this week I started my mornings by asking God to guide me. I asked the Lord to
bring me to places of need and to help me align my thoughts with His. Sunday, God
faithfully responded by first leading me into a conversation that genuinely
moved the other person. Though I didn’t think there was anything out of the
ordinary about our conversation or anything extremely special, a 65-year-old
man was brought to tears and told me how much that time meant to him. Then on
that same day God opened up yet another conversation, which meant a lot to me.
This person shared how the Lord pressed upon their heart to reach out to
someone I care a great deal about, but someone who I was unable to speak with
myself. In this, I could see the powerful truth of God pursuing His children
and it encouraged me to know that true love continues to grow regardless of
circumstance.
On Wednesday
I was blessed to take part in an event for 100 children in need. These
children, living in various shelters around Los Angeles, were gifted with a
shopping spree from the Rams football team and The Salvation Army. I watched as
God put all this together in just under 5 days. He took a very simple question
from a very determined man and turned it into a very special evening for these
children with support and provision. Not only was I a witness to the leading of
the Lord that day, but I was also witness to the control God has over
everything.
All day the
rain had been falling and the event was about to begin. Three of us gathered
inside this massive store and prayed right there in the middle of the check
stands. We prayed over the event, asking Christ to fill these children with
joy. We joined in Spirit praising God for the opportunity to do His work and
humbly asked Him to clear the skies of rain. Faithfully, 15 minutes later the
clouds parted, the rain stopped, and the skies turned blue. For 3 hours the
skies remained dry. When the event was over, just as the last bus pulled away,
it once again began to rain. Now some may say coincidence, but I say power!
Scriptures tell
us, “that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us. And if we know
that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we
have asked of Him.” (1 John 5:14-15) I’m not one who believes in coincidences
but I do believe in the words of Jesus when He says, “I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you
will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives,
and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” (Luke 11:9-10) I pray that we all keep seeking, that we all keep
knocking, and that we all keep asking so that we can continue to testify about
the miraculous workings of our Lord and Savior.
Now clearly
the first half of my week was extremely heartwarming, but by the end of it my
mood had swayed into myself once again. The worst of this low hit on Christmas
Eve and it was quite the opposite of what I was hoping to be feeling that
night. Prayerfully I was able to snap out of it for a few hours but my mood
quickly returned after a church service that had somewhat disappointed me. It
wasn’t a bad service by any means, but it wasn’t what I expected either. I had
been looking forward to hearing the Word, worshipping in song, and gathering
together to celebrate the birth of our Savior. However, our speaker that night
wasn’t who we assumed it would be, the singing was a little off, and the Word
was short. I was kind of put off by all these small things but thankfully I
still got something from the service.
The pastor
that night kept asking the congregation, “Is God with you?” My response was yes!
Undoubtedly so, God is with us. But I couldn’t help but wonder, are we with
God? Am I with God? Looking back over this week I can see the areas in which I
was with God, the times I felt engaged, and the times I felt His leading. Even
so, I can also see the areas I wasn’t with God. The times I reached out for
flawed male comfort, the times I partook in activities that would dull my
feelings, and the times I thought double mindedly about the motives of my
actions. I can see my wayward steps on His highlighted path and though I may
not have been fully with Christ in all the moments of this past week, I am
thankful that He was still fully with me. I am thankful that I can recognize
the areas of my life that I need to allow God into and I am thankful for His
patience in His dealings with my softening heart. I realize that it’s not a
matter of “is God with us,” it’s a matter if we are allowing Him to be. I pray
that we all allow the Lord fully into our lives and that we all allow Him to do
what He does best. Love us.
PTL! Thank you for your desire to Follow Him! You bless me, sister:-)
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