First a Trickle...
Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 3:16PM 
Greetings, Dear Friends!
And to those visiting, I say welcome! I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way. Each month I give away a $10.00 Starbucks gift card to someone who posts on my blog. So share a story or an insight, bless lots of people, and just maybe you'll win a jolt of java for you and friend!
NEW RELEASE!!!
I am very excited to announce the release of my newest book, "Embracing Your Freedom: A Personal Experience in God's Heart for Justice."
Bless my socks off and pick up a copy today! I believe the message of this book is an important word for women in our day. Follow the Amazon link below to get a look at my book. Please post a review if you've had the chance to read 'Embracing Your Freedom' (thank you so much!):
Embracing Your Freedom on Amazon...
Now on to my topic...
If you're new to my blog, I'm dedicating the weeks in November to some uncommon aspects of gratitude. The first week we remembered afresh our gift of freedom and thanked God for it. The call was to pull over to the side of the road and take in the beautiful sunset, because you can. Slow down and enjoy that conversation with your friend, because you can!
Last week we considered the unknown path ahead of us a beautiful thing. Why? Because Jesus is already there. He goes before us and He is behind us. He's even right beside us. And though the ground feels unsteady beneath our feet, Jesus is holds us steady and makes us strong. We as Believers have the glad assurance of God's precious and personal presence and for that, we are grateful.
This week we're going to look at the precious gift of answered prayer. Every one of us is either wearing, living in, or in some other way, enjoying full-fledged answers to past prayers. In fact, we've prayed countless prayers and then forgot about them only to enjoy the answer later with no thought of God's faithfulness. God forgive us. But there's still today. Let's thank Him today for every blessing we enjoy.
So where's the uncommon in all of this? Let's thank Him too for the prayers that remain unanswered - at least as far as our eyes can see. We must know that our God is fully engaged with us on this journey, an ever present help in times of trouble (see Psalm 46:1).
The Lord wants us to ask and keep asking. Seek and keep seeking. Knock and keep knocking. He loves our tenacity and our faith. He is always moving. Always intervening in response to our prayers. The thing is, many of those answers and life-changes are invisible at first.
When we bring our requests before God and when we hold on to the promises from His Word, things change. In the spiritual realm first. Just because we cannot see Him work in our kids, our spouses, our workplace, or our own lives, it doesn't mean He isn't working. He is. And He moves in beautiful and divine ways.
Isaiah 43:18-19 is a great reminder for us:
Forget the former things. Do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a NEW THING!
Now it springs up; do you know PERCEIVE it?
I am MAKING A WAY in the desert and STREAMS in the wasteland.
We pray. We trust. We thank God for His faithfulness. And we continue to walk on in faith, knowing He'll come through for us.
And suddenly one day - sometimes when we least expect it - we notice a stream in the wasteland, a trickle of water finding it's way through the dry and weary places of our lives.
We get discouraged when we pray because too often, we look for the BIG answer, the finished product, and the final solution, all the while missing the trickle of life making its way into our lives.
As we acknowledge God's faithfulness in our lives, as we hold on to faith, walk in obedience, and trust in God's Word, that trickle in due time becomes a rushing river. May we never minimize those small beginnings and those little glimpses of change. We can find God in every nook and cranny of our lives.
Lean in and listen to what God has to say to you today. A new thing springs up. Can you perceive it? Do you trust Him enough to thank Him for the answers that are on their way? Answers are on their way you know, just for you.
If you see a trickle of water flow through your dry and weary land, celebrate! If you see a small, fist-sized cloud in the sky, jump up and down and praise Him! (See 1 Kings 18). God is moving in ways we cannot see. And He loves, loves, loves it when we wholeheartedly embrace that truth.
Bless Him today with your faith. Thank Him ahead of time for the ways He is moving on your behalf.
~Until next week.
Reader Comments (10)
I'm still pondering and giving thanks for the unknown - that post was a word I needed to hear.
Megan
Contrast that to my prayers for my family, my church family, where I can see the hand of God sometimes immediately answering my prayers. The overwhelming joy that comes in His intimate response is exhillerating.
Then on the flip side, I need His encouragement to press in for the unbelieving and unrepentant to come to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to be poor in spirit, to be pure in heart...
Thanks for the reminder of His continual movement in answer to prayer...I love you Susie!Kathy
No apology needed! But it's always nice to hear from you!
I praise God with you for the answers to prayer that you're beginning to see. He is always on the move and yet it is so encouraging to start to see breakthrough in a particular area. You are a faithful, woman of God. This I know, much heavenly activity surrounds you!Have a GREAT Thanksgiving holiday!
I don't know, it does something for my faith to thank God by faith for the things I know He wants to give me. I can tell it pleases Him and it sure strengthens me. Bless you, my dear sister.
Thank you for your post. I'm so very thankful God has been speaking to you in profound ways these days! And I celebrate with you that the wilderness season is behind you. I know those seasons are necessary for our refinement, but oh, the joy of getting on the other side of them!
Have a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving holiday~
Your surrendered, trusting heart is such an inspiration to all of us! You remind me of one of my favorite Old Testament people: Joseph (with the exception of the whole guy-thing). :)
The way you follow the Lord, lean on Him in waiting, trust Him with your disappointments, and praise Him as you go...how can He NOT give you His absolute best? I know He delights to do so.
Please be sure to post a report and even regular updates. I want to know how this story unfolds.
Bless you, sister!
You make an important distinction between the places where faith abounds and where it's almost non-existent. Yet, we're called to blaze trails in both places. Sometimes I speak at events where I can tell almost no prayer has happened, and then I understand why my previous week in prayer was such a battle, and then other times I walk into events and it's like stepping into a slice of heaven - the ground is prepared, the hearts are readied, and God moves mightily. But even with those un-prayed for events, I see God move, it just requires more tenacity and battle in prayer. It's interesting. Anyway, bless you for being so faithful in prayer. You're a beautiful woman of God.