Entrée

The Sweetest Reminder

This morning as I was walking and enjoying a brisk breeze outside, I asked our Father, “What will You have me to say to Your daughters today?” He did not respond immediately, so I continued to walk and just breathe Him in. (Have you taken a moment to just breathe Him in? If not, you should try it today. Stop everything, close your eyes, and breathe deeply. Open yourself to His presence.)

I simply waited, listening for that still voice, and God’s response made my heart smile. He said, “Tell them that I love them, I see them, and I hear them.” Such simple words, but my heart is so full right now. That led me to Jeremiah 31:3:

The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.”

I know that God loves me, really loves me. I do. He has shown me that in the most awesome ways throughout my life. The fact that His love is everlasting is truly amazing to me, because I am not deserving of that love. But His love is not based on what I deserve; it’s based on Who He is. He truly has drawn me to Him—even this morning, I could feel Him all around me. But His message today was not just that He loves us.

Entrée

Stuck in the Mud

Have you ever experienced a time when you couldn’t seem to move forward? You prayed, fasted, studied the Word, heard from God, believed what He said, but you still couldn’t seem to move, even a step, forward? And I’m not talking about the waiting period before the promises of God will manifest, which is its own battle. I mean that moment when you wonder, “Is there a disconnect, because I heard clearly from God and still seem to just be stuck right here?”

I have experienced moments when I have been bombarded with so many thoughts, ideas, and plans that I didn’t know where to even begin. And that state of inactivity when I was trying to figure it all out caused me to become frustrated. First of all, I didn’t need to waste the time trying to figure everything out. I just needed to follow the steps that God had already ordered for my life. But I’m me, so I spent a great deal of time trying to figure things out, and that caused me to become discouraged. I had heard clearly from God, and what He revealed was going to be a blessing for His people. I received His word and believed it wholeheartedly, but for some reason, I couldn’t seem to act on what He said. And this wasn’t a timing issue (as in Eccl. 3:1-8); it was a matter of position. I was stuck.

I studied more, prayed more, and really sought God—but still there was no movement. I was just stuck in the mud. I had an awesome plan from an Awesome God, and I was stuck in the mud. I had a willing spirit with an available heart, and I was stuck in the mud. Yes, I was a true believer of the Most High God, and I was still just stuck right there in the mud. It actually caused me a great deal of despair.