Glorious Unfolding
Yesterday I started a blog with the above title. It’s about a Steven Curtis Chapman song filmed in the UK.(I didn’t’ know this at the time) This song has always inspired me and spoken to me so I googled the making of it and found an amazing story of God’s provision and perfect unfolding of his plans in his time. The prayer for provision was from a coffee shop in Ireland.
Those of you who know me, know my number one thing on my bucket list is to visit Ireland and read the psalms overlooking the cliffs.
Things got very crazy and I never finished it. I now know why, the story wasn’t complete.
Yesterday was a hard day for me. It started out with a failure on my part. My daughter made me crazy and I lost my cool and yelled at her like I haven’t since she was a teenager. I instantly felt bad and like a hypocrite. I write and talk about our tone, our words and being respectful of them. Here in the first few hours of the day I had already blown it.
I was now asking God for forgiveness of my handling of the situation in every way. I then had to go apologize to my daughter not for my stance, but my tone and choice of words. I wish I could say that it all was better then and there, but the failure lingered with me all day. I hadn’t left it there at Jesus feet. I was still dwelling on it most of the day. (Thanks to the evil one) This is one of Satan’s best tools. If he can get me to give up and make me feel I am so unworthy and incapable of helping others and glorifying my God, he’s won!
The Lord however had other plans for me. This same day. (Last night) I was to go meet two sweet Christian women God has put in my life just this last year through Compassion International.
One had just bought a new home and we were going to celebrate with her. Coincidence of timing? No way. God knew what I needed and he provided an outlet for my hurts, fears and voice to just be heard and not judged. We women share a deep need, part of our makeup when dealing with wounds or failures; we just need a good ear and compassion of others. I found it here. No masks, no pretense, just love, understanding and praising God for his amazing grace. I left with a light heart after holding hands and praying with a dear sister for not only my needs, but hers.
My first scripture of the day was Romans 3:23- For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Paul wrote this. He no doubts had many fears of his failings, just as I do. Only because of God’s amazing Grace can we even expect to live a victorious life. God should be the light bulb shining in our lives always. I think of Moses coming down the mountain after being in God’s presence. His face glowed so much he had to wear a veil. We can live in that same presence.
We Christians are given the spirit of God, not the world.
2 Corinthians 2:12- Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.
When I made it home, I turned on the TV while getting ready for bed. It was on ETV explorer, one of my favorites. Guess where the guide was? Ireland! I wrote down the places he was traveling and was drawn into the beauty, the culture and the people.
I don’t know what God has for me in Ireland. But I do know one day I’ll make it and he has a plan for me there.
Because I tend to focus on the things of this world instead of the things above it’s easy to forget that the same God who parted the Red Sea is the same God I serve today.
Questions to ponder and reflect on: Is his light shining in me? In you? What dreams has he planted in your heart?
He places fires in each of us. What have you got to lose? Take time to stop, pray and listen.
Where is he leading you? What is he asking you to do?
We don’t have to have all the answers right now. It is a glorious unfolding as we walk one day at a time in our Lords presence.
James 1:2-4-Consider it all joy, my breather when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance and let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Psalms 16:11- You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
