A Testimony of God's Goodness
In July 2016 I began feeling a bit burned out with writing devotions 7 days a week. I had been doing it for a couple of years and it occupied a large part of my life. I work a full time job and have multiple responsibilities, as most of you do. My first love is time with Jesus, but I started realizing that I began seeking Him for a message instead of out of the passionate pursuit of His presence. You see, I don't have a natural gift to write, it's an anointing that flows from my intimate time with Jesus, so I've got to get into His presence for the words to flow. I didn't like the way my focus was changing and I wanted some time to seek Him without being concerned about a message.
I began praying about the possibility of adding other writers. I didn't want to shrug my responsibility, but I also wanted to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, in case this was the direction He was leading me in. A few days after I prayed, a new member joined my Corvette Daily Devotion Group. I continued asking God for guidance and to give me a sign of whether or not this was His will. As I'm praying, this new member, messages me a devotion He wrote for his worship team. I'm sure he had no idea why he felt lead to send me that, but I knew. I continued praying and testing the waters as I asked him to send me more devotions. I stalked his page, checked out his church online and finally got the ok from the Lord! August of 2016 Steven Smith became the new weekend writer for the 2 groups! He has been a God send to all of us. There have been times that I was verbally attacked in the groups and he came to my defense. I never have to concern myself if he's going to write something appropriate or forget to post. He's been a man of integrity and I've so appreciated his help and support. Soon after, my daughter in law, Pastor Bethany, asked me to post devotions on the church page that she had begun writing for... she was amazing and the Lord allowed me to take 2 more days off, add Pastor Bethany and write 3 days a week! She too has been such a blessing to all of us!
It's amazing to me, how much God cares about the details of our lives as we surrender it to Him. Three people, who hadn't all met, living hundreds of miles apart, having the same heart, joined together by the Spirit of God to do ministry together! Crazy isn't it!
There was one more thing I asked God for... this man, that I've never met and lived across the country from me... this man who has been such a blessing to me and this ministry...I asked God is He could make a way for me to meet Steven, this side of heaven... I've mentioned it to my husband a hundred times and we were discussing it just this weekend, we were trying to figure out how I could meet and thank Steven in person. I walked into my church this Sunday morning...12 hours from his home and screamed... yes! SCREAMED! When I saw him sitting on the back row with his sweet wife! Yes!! God cares about the details of our lives and the desires of our heart!!
Whatever you’re facing today, Jesus cares, He has the answers and He will make a way where there's no way!
Psalm 37:4 (ESV) Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 139:1-6 (NLV) O Lord, You have looked through me and have known me. You know when I sit down and when I get up. You understand my thoughts from far away. You look over my path and my lying down. You know all my ways very well. Even before I speak a word, O Lord, You know it all. You have closed me in from behind and in front. And You have laid Your hand upon me. All You know is too great for me. It is too much for me to understand.
Matthew 7:7-11 “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 he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”
