If God has ever been relentless, it has been today. He has made a sport of throwing encouragement at me all day. Right when I need him the most, there He is. But the beauty is that He was with me all along. Yesterday was a weird day. I reached this point of distraction, where my eyes were everywhere but on the hope provided by my Savior. I believed the lies that Satan fed me: instead of saying no to the fruit that the serpent told me to eat, I ate it. Suddenly, abiding in the Lord was not the best option; I bought into the idea that waiting for the Lord and his timing was too hard. In this culture of having everything right now, I found restlessness & anxiety encompassing me. Like Peter, I took my eyes off Jesus and gazed into the storm that surrounded me. Why? Why is my tendency to be so discontent with where the Lord has me? I don't know, but I hate it.
After heartbreak, my heart has been battling healing. Instead of dipping into the living water that Christ gives freely, I often try to mend my heart with other things. Subconscious or not, this is not what the Lord intends for me. Whether I am on a mountain top or in a valley, my focus should solely be the Lord. There is often a discrepancy between what promises I preach to myself and what promises I let perpetually penetrate my heart. The true test of faith is allowing God’s goodness to conquer my heart, not just linger in my mind. I mean, certainly, God has beautiful plans. Certainly, God can heal. Certainly, God desires to be my rock. Certainly, God values me. Certainly, God pursues me. Certainly, God loves me ceaselessly. Why would I trust anything other than that?
God has caressed my soul today. Waking up, he said this is the day that I have made—rejoice! My Joyce Meyer devotion—in Joel 3—this morning was all about smiling, all about letting the Lord be MY gladness today (how appropriate). Later, as Español filled the air in Spanish class, I opened my planner only to find a note card with the beautiful Psalm 45:2, “You are the prettiest of them all! Gracious words stream from your lips. God himself has blessed me FOREVER.” Um, yes please to this distraction from class. How fantastic is God to have someone sneak this in my planning for this day, when I thirsted for Him the most! Then, He provided the most perfect impromptu lunch buddy for me today. This girl had prayed that the Lord would provide her with a lunch date today. Well, God orchestrated this lunch fo sho! Struggles, praises, and amazements filled our conversations. This girl is a Godly stud, and she brought so much encouragement to the table. “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” -1 Thessalonians 5:11. It was a fantastic lunch, and I am so thankful for her friendship in my life. God knew that we needed to see each other today, so He made it happen. After moseying my way back to the casa, I pulled out my Beth Moore 90 Days with Jesus study. Day 6: Perfect Timing. Oh snap, was conversation of God’s flawless timing what just saturated my lunch with Taylor? Yes, it was. A coincidence? I think not. It pulled from Galatians 4:3-7. “when the time had fully come, God sent…” obviously, God is the one making the move. He’s the one that is acting. Oh yeah, and on his watch. It doesn’t say, “and when the time had come…” Mary sent or Rachel decided. God sent. God is the mover and shaker of the Bible. God has a plan, and He’s sticking to it. And it’s according to His timing.
Basically, God has made known his goodness to me all day. Hiking through my emotions and my pitiful distrust in Him, He reached out to me. He gave me a lifeline. He held a neon sign that said, “I love you.” He said that his timing is perfect. He said to trust in Him, to wait on Him. And apparently, waiting on the Lord doesn’t mean being stagnant, it means pushing forward in whatever circumstances while faithfully knowing God is by my side.
Thank you Lord for this encouragement today. You know my needs, and you provide. You abundantly provide.
“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall” –Psalm 55:22.
YAYAYAYA!!!!
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