I received an email late last night from a blogging friend whose comment brought a quick response in my mind … and it was still there first thing this morning.
In her email she told me the story of how God had orchestrated her son’s life journey, bringing him to this week’s trip to Cambodia to build a playground for children who have been rescued from sex trafficking. I hope you’ll join me in praying for him. The exciting thing is that she didn’t see God’s hand until recently when pieces of the last SIXTEEN years of his life came together to make a beautiful picture … and today she stands amazed at how God works.
Her email ended with these words: “I know this is part of your regular life … but it isn’t ours … and I am standing in amazement.”
That’s the statement that jumped out at me …
If you’re a regular here, you know that my involvement with Hope Unlimited for Children has allowed me to have some amazing “WOW, look what God’s doing!” experiences. I am so very thankful for that … but oh how I pray I never get “used” to watching God work — at least not to the point of complacency. Every time God “shows His hand” I stand amazed … and humbled beyond belief that He let me see His activity “up close and personal.”
What grieves me to no end is that He’s just waiting to be active (in our lives, our families, our churches, our world), but we’re too busy doing our own thing unless we NEED Him — and He’s too polite to force Himself on us — and so we miss out … and make messes … and mistakes … and wonder how it happened.
Oh, that we would live with expectancy, prayerfully asking God to go before us and prepare our path; asking Him to use us to bring honor and glory to the Kingdom in ways that are ONLY explained by giving Him the credit and glory and praise.
The truth is that the Creator of the universe (don’t miss out on the magnitude of that!) wants to be part of the mundane things in our lives. He wants us to trust him with the little things … the things we think we can handle ourselves … so that when the big things come (the illnesses, tragedies, deaths, family crises…) our FIRST response is to turn to Him.
He wants to have a relationship with each one of us. He’s just waiting for us to reach out to Him. He’s already reaching out to us … we just have to pay attention … so we don’t miss His gentle reminders that He loves us. He loves YOU.
Know now then that the Lord your God is the only true God! He is the faithful God, who keeps the covenant and proves loyal to everyone who loves him and keeps his commands—even to the thousandth generation! Deuteronomy 7:9
I’m sharing this Hope at Spiritual Sundays and Seasonal Sundays.
This is a lovely post and reminder, Susan. Thank you for sharing this powerful message. I like the point you make of turning to Him with the little things too–the ones we THINK we manage or can manage “alone.” ~Zuni
Let me tell you what God just orchestrated for me. I had just left Chatty Chrone, and she had a hymn on her post that I wanted to listen to. So… I clicked it, minimized it, and came here as the song was playing. The song is “Who Am I?” (Not the comtemporary one, but an old one.) Just as it got to the heart shaped leaf in this post, we hit the gorgeous chorus of “Who am I that King would bleed and die for?”
My heart just skipped a beat.
I love this post, and I’m a fellow prayer warrior for Janette’s son and for ALL those precious souls who are at this very moment being held as sex slaves.
I just LOVE the way God orchestrates things so that they reach us at just the right moment to have maximum impact. What a blessing He gave you this morning! I’m so glad you shared.
Amen! I am amazed each day that I am alive and pray that with my little one…thank you God that you have allowed us to be alive. Seeing Him work is a daily event in my life….being patient to see His work even if it takes 16 years…that is amazing. I want it now so many times….and then He opens the gift that I long forgot about, that was setting on a shelf waiting for the perfect timing.
Thanks for your prayers….he is there now!!