Escaping with God

I am continually amazed at how God works and the incredible Husband He is to me. I have clung to Isaiah 54:5 quite often. God is Who He says He is. "For your Maker is your husband--the Lord almighty is his name..."

Three months ago, I sold my Jeep to Derek and bought a Ford Escape. I was thrilled with my new (well...new to me) car. I loved the way it handled and enjoyed everything about it. But within a few weeks after buying it, something inside me began to stir. I was getting the feeling that I wasn't supposed to have this Escape. I kept trying to ignore was was gnawing at me, but couldn't shake it. Then there were little things about the car that began to bug me. I was feeling very unsettled.

This past Tuesday, I took it to a Ford dealership to have something minor looked at and they said the entire steering column had been replaced. It wasn't in an accident and there was no recall, so it had to have been vandalism or something else. The carfax report was clean. So I left the dealership and went to the one where I bought it. They agreed, with my insistence, to give me another car at the same value, but I couldn't find anything on their lot to suit me. When I drove off, it was clear I was not going to get my car from them. The salesman was making me very uncomfortable with his weird remarks. So I left and prayed the rest of the week.

Yesterday, I knew I was to go back to the Ford dealership and get another car, so I did. I pulled in and looked around as an older salesman approached me. We talked and I immediately connected with this brother in Christ. I immediately found another Escape that I loved. We drove it and I knew this was the car I was to have. As we sat at the table negotiating price, I told him I could not buy it until I prayed about it one more time. Without hesitation, he offered to pray with me. We sat in the middle of a busy dealership and prayed about my decision. I was so touched. I bought the car and we talked all afternoon as we waited for paperwork to be done. I handed him one of my books and he gave me a hug as I left. I don't know why my path crossed with this wonderful man, but I know my Saturday and my new car purchase was ordained by God.

As I was driving home, I was so filled up that I was about to explode. I was breathing Jesus. It felt like God was sitting next to me in my new Escape. He guides me, protects me, gives me wisdom and brings wonderful people in my life. He is also a God who lives in my reality and speaks to me in very practical ways. I am so grateful and so humbled.

It's God Above All

Shortly after Jim died, I made a very tough decision that has totally changed the way I approach dealing with trouble that comes my way. And we are assured in this life, we will have trouble. When I was consumed with my grief very early on, I realized that I must put my relationship with Jesus above everything, even that of my grieving boys. That was very, very hard. However, as I stayed focused on Him, He began to do a good work inside and revealed things to me that paved a wonderful healing path for all three of us.

Sometimes I’m just dealing with a minor skirmish with one of my teenage boys, but sometimes the problem is deeper and presents a greater challenge to work through. I had one such problem over the past few weeks. As soon as the issue smacked me in the face, I immediately set aside the people and problem involved and focused completely on what God wanted to teach me. This gave me peace almost immediately. I made the issue about my relationship with Him and nothing else. Slowly I worked through the problem, but it was through the lens of my relationship with Jesus and not anyone or anything else. When I did this, clarity and change came through scripture that was revealed and a heart-change on my part. It was not easy to process this most difficult situation, but it was way easier than if I would have cluttered it with flawed personalities, recrimination, self-doubt and all the things that the devil would have me think were valid approaches.

I can’t begin to describe the work that God did as a result of this approach. He took what could have been a devastating circumstance and brought great freedom to me. He moved. He taught. He conquered. And it all started with putting Him completely in the center without distraction. I now feel joy in a different way and peace that didn’t exist when the trouble came my way.

I praise Him. I praise Him. I praise Him. For He alone is worthy!!

His Will, Not Mine

This past week has been a bit challenging for me. God is on the move in my life and sometimes it’s painful. I continue to watch Him work out His plans before me since returning from Haiti. He is allowing me to be involved in His work and I’m excited about all that I see ahead of me. But sometimes as God prepares me for assignments, He must develop my character. That hurts.

I believe in God’s perfect timing and I recently learned in a Bible study that when He speaks with me, when I encounter God Almighty, it is a very serious matter. I must follow through until His word comes to pass. I have not always been so good at that. I hear God speak, but I don’t spend weeks and months if necessary meditating on it until God does the work surrounding that encounter that He intended. I move on. I move on too quickly before He really has a chance to do what He originally intended.

So I’ve been camping on the concept of really praying and reflecting on what He reveals to me. I’m determined to allow Him to follow through by abiding in Him regardless of how long it takes. In one passage of the Bible study I’m doing, it talked about really discerning God’s voice. The process is all about my relationship with Christ, but it starts with getting my heart into such a state that it no longer has a will of its own. Wow! That is where I stopped this week.

I have been praying and praying over that very specific idea. I desire greatly to be so focused on Jesus that what I want no longer even comes into play. I’m not there. I do know that the power of the Creator resides in me. That power can transform my most broken parts and bring me to a place of complete surrender. John 14:26 reminds me that “The counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” So I can bank on that. I can hold on to the Truth of God’s Word that says He will teach me all things.

I’m still seeking, still praying, and still being still. I’m confident on the other side of His good work; I’ll look a little more like Him and a little less like me.