"Large & In Charge"
I was talking with my friend "Kelly". She and her family relocated recently and during the process, her one, continuous prayer was that everything would work out smoothly. Months into the process, looking back, "smoothly" has not made the list of adjectives describing her experience....not even once. If it could go wrong or be delayed or tossed into the air, it did and was. She has put her life into the Father's loving hands. He will give her strength and peace and continue to bless her.
I visited with my friend, "Sue" the other day. She hasn't asked the Lord for anything grand or specific. Yet, within the last few months, she has received wonderfully surprising news of great joy....followed by equally surprising news of great tragedy. She has put her life into the Father's loving hands. He will comfort her and continue to bless her.
My friend, "Leigh" has prayed diligently for years for a very specific blessing from God. In recent weeks, it seems as though the Lord may be giving her precisely what she has longed for all these years. She has put her life into the Father's loving hands. He will protect her and continue to bless her.
I have heard the same message shared from three separate women's lives. Whether we ask for it or not, we face challenges everyday. Some are monumental and others mundane. Some exhilarating, others exhausting. Our only hope is in the promise that God is God. He never changes and He cares for us. We have our wishes, we make our decisions, we live like we're making things happen, but the ultimate truth is that God is in control.
But realizing such a huge truth should not cause us to feel powerless. His love is powerful. His sovereignty empowers us to live abundantly. We rest in Him. We trust in Him. We live for Him. We believe Him when he says He loves us and will complete the good work He has begun in us.
Thank you, Lord, for my friends (You know their real names). Thank you for loving them and letting me see You at work in their lives. You are mighty and wonderful. Give us all the courage to cry out for You and the patience to wait for You. Thank you for Your promises that make life so abundant. You are worthy of all our praise!
2010 update...
Today, "Kelly" is experiencing a miraculous blessing of healing in her life that can be remarkably traced to the NEW physician she discovered in her NEW town. (And the GREAT physician that never left her side:)
Today, "Sue" is experiencing the joy and victory that God has redeemed to her from a season of such heartache and pain.
Today, "Leigh" is experiencing God's sustaining power and love through His good and perfect gifts.
Lord, thank You for being alive and active. With a three year block of hind sight, Your providence and promises are so simple to see. Help me trust Your character when all I can see is this tiny moment...especially when this moment is sorrowful and hard...when it hurts. I KNOW You care and You love and You delight in pouring out mercy. Give me grace to trust you more.
