Rest in the Lord

     People told me what God could do. They gave me example after example of how God came through for them either by providing direction, financial sustenance or simply encouragement when it was needed most.They even gave me scriptures like:

     Psalms 34:17 (King James) 

The righteous cry and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.    (Living Bible) Yes, the Lord hears the good man when he calls to Him for help, and   saves him out of all his troubles.    

     Proverbs 3:5-6 

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.           In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Living Bible) Trust the Lord completely; don't ever trust yourself. In everything you do, put God first, and He will direct you and crown your efforts with success.

    

     But I was still focused on what Nina could make happen and I didn't get it. I acknowledged God, but I really didn't understand how to accept his guidance and direction. 

    But I'm not there anymore and the latest proof is this morning.

    

An emergency came up any my pastors had to leave town. On Thursday morning my Pastor called me and asked if I could step in to teach his class about the Gift of Teaching. A lot of the leaders had been stepping in to teach and lead to keep the facility running.

     

Now let me stop to tell you that my response to this was definitely not what it would have been about a year ago. I would have started freaking out. Gotten angry that he asked me "at the last minute" and became so stressed I couldn't sleep or eat until it was over and done with. Most importantly, I would have looked straight to Nina, and any other human being she could find, to be the source of all of the information that I believed I needed in order to be successful.

     

But, because of God and the people he has placed in my life to teach me, I've grown tremendously so my response was a strong and clear, "of course I can do that pastor, no problem," and I meant exactly that. I wasn't too worried about failure, though a little nervousness is a good thing. I researched the topic, found relevant scripture to support the things that I thought I wanted to say and then most importantly, I prayed and asked God what he wanted me to do and say to get the point across. 

     

At 6 a.m. Friday he responded.

    

He gave me direction about how he wanted me to teach this class. Not vague just tell them this kind of stuff, but scriptural references, information on how to present, and even examples in the Bible that would support what he wanted me to say.

     

Wow. A clear and present help in time of need, INDEED.

     

I don't take moments like that lightly anymore. I got out of my bed, turned on my light, and wrote down everything God said to me. I thanked him, praised him and went even further this time to actually get up and write this blog. 

    

So if you don't get anything else about God and his love for you, know that HE does provide what you need when you ask for it, look for it, and do what you need to do on your end to prepare whether that is research or getting out of the bed at 6 a.m to write it down. When you do that, the outcome is ALWAYS that people are affected, people are given a new understanding and people are empowered. Amen.

Scripture References for further study

Isaiah 41:10

Psalms 40:1-3 - King James

1 Peter 5:7

Isaiah 40:31

Deuteronomy 31:6

Psalms 37:7