As some of you may have read, a few weeks ago, our son's car's fuel intake (?), I think, took in too much water, as he tried to start his car, ... seeing water, from a nearby, much-flooded creek (looks more like a small river; I've been there), was up to the bottom of his car's two doors. He had walked away, ... for a short time, rain began falling (a very hard downpour), and ... well, the rest is history (his story?). ;o)
Anyway, this update is here to let you all know that The Lord *is* faithful ! He comes through for us, even though there are times when we must wait a bit longer than we had thought we'd have to. God works in ways that are higher than our ways. And He thinks at a much higher level than we do (or can).
He is always working for our good, for our benefit. (... from Romans 8: 28, among other places in God's Word) We don't always see it that way. But even with our limited vision, God does show us, sometimes, that He will let us "see" with our spiritual eyes more of "what He's up to," if only we will do what He has commanded us to do, and listen to Him attentively.
Asking The Lord to "Go ahead and do whatever You want, (Abba) Father in Heaven," and having a willing heart to accept the results, and having a soul / spirit that is already sensitive to The Holy Spirit's promptings (through making the right responses to His promptings, in the past), will bring us wonderfully amazing blessings from The Lord.
He is always ready to "show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect (mature, fully grown) toward Him." ... from II Chronicles 16: 9
(wow! I sure am long-winded!) Here is the update: The Lord has chosen to "open a door" of "love" and "kindness," I call it generosity, among true believers we have come to know, only through the Lord's working, on our behalf. I cannot say we've been faithful, but just trying to be available and ready to serve. I would not say our motives are always pure, though I wish they were. We are human. God calls us His children, and has welcomed us with open arms, only because of His Son's Righteous Love, He showed us by His willing, obedient choice to redeem us, by His Blood and life He sacrificed for us, in our place, to pay the penalty and debt we owed to our Father God (The Creator, Elohim), on the Roman execution stake (the "tree"), outside the walls of Jerusalem, as The Lamb of God.
Anyway, The Lord has chosen, this past month, to pull together several resources, and some ingenuity, plus some time, and a very generous heart of a believer in The Lord, to provide a way for our son to have another car, to use, as he continues to work for other believers, in various locations in the U.S. The Lord seems to be blessing our oldest son, in a big way, and for that, we thank our Father in Heaven. !!! He knows God is doing this, because we've never been in a situation like the one we are now in.
God, our loving Father, Who has already given us the best, most hugely-wonderful Treasure we could ever ask for, has now chosen to have us in a financial situation in which we can do "virtually nothing" for ourselves. He's doing this just so He can, then, show us He will still provide "a way" for good things to happen. God is awesome!!
And He has been using our life situation (being in full-time ministry and depending more completely on Him for our sustenance than we ever had to, before) to arrange situations and people (who are also His children) who have the capability and the means, the "way" and the ability, ... to produce some amazing results, all of which give God some of the Glory His Name deserves! It is amazing to watch! The timing is something we see He is choosing so that, along the way, God is still teaching folks like me "more patience," and "contentment." ;o) Can you tell those are two areas of my soul that are not yet "finished?"
God has now made "a way" for our oldest son to have a car he needs, and it seems to be coming together this weekend. That's the time when he did need it. But ... he, and we, thought it might "come together" before this weekend. But God's arranging for the car to be made ready this weekend only proves that He is never late, but always 'on time.' We just need to realize what is God's "timetable." He is not on our timetable! And He should not be! But if I "stress" over when some anticipated activity will occur, ... or when some goal will be reached, ... I will only have negative results in my health, and maybe the health of others around me. ;o( So, He is teaching me, through this "special provision" (for our oldest son), that my choosing to trust in God does require me to "tell Him my request," and then, leave it with Him, as if laying it down upon His altar, and then going back home, to wait for Him to answer my request.
God is able to see deep into my soul, much further than I am able to see, myself! He knows what lessons I need to learn. He waits for me to do the right thing, as He has taught me, ... in His Word. He waits for me to show the correct (spiritual) response to each "event" along the way, that He allows to occur, in life. He watches to see if I will do what He has commanded me to do, which will "open the door" for Him to, then, bless me.
As I see what's going on, I can see that, as our son has made some wise, unselfish, sacrificial and very mature choices, in his life, in recent years, and has gained more of a servant's heart, ... for The Lord, God is now bringing him some of the many (possible) blessings He has planned for him. (Wow!) That's exciting!! Hallelujah!!
Until "the rest of the story" is finished being "written," I will leave it at this, ladies and gentlemen. ;o) Please check back, to find out what "the rest of the story" is.
God is so good! Before He brings forth your "next, big blessing," please go ahead and praise Him, and thank Him, for the good things He is doing (though we cannot yet see them with our human eyes), and is working on, which He will manifest soon, in His timing. The Lord Almighty is ever working on what we might call "projects" meant to encourage, exhort, edify, help and heal us! And He manifests these things in His timing.
Keep praying! Keep trusting The Lord! He knows what you need! He knows how to lift up your heart and how to strengthen you! He wants you to praise Him, so He can, then, reveal to you "the victory" He wins only as we praise His Holy Name!
He knows I tend to want to see the results, before I praise Him. But He is teachin' me to praise Him long beforehand, because His Word says He dwells in the midst of our praises! And He fights our battles *for* us, as we praise (aloud) His Name (haShem Adonai Elohenu)! Remember the battle of Jericho? Remember the other battles the Israelites fought, in which Yahovah (YHVH; Jehovah) God won as a result of His people praising His Name, loudly? He says "the Joy of The Lord is your Strength." (Nehemiah 8: 10b)
And He has shown us that He will use our willingness to praise His Name to increase our Joy in Him, so that we "delight (ourselves) also in The Lord, and He will give (us) the desires of (our) heart." (Psalm 37: 4) So, I'm again applying His teachings on 'praising His Name' ... as I leave with Him my requests. And though The Lord works out many miracles without my having asked Him, or having been faithful to pray, He is using my prayers to bring about some things that I can only explain as being "of God." Only He could have brought these amazing results!! So, He gets all the glory and all the praise for them! So, I can testify to you that The Lord El Elyon is truly The Most High God, our El Shaddai, our All-Sufficient One. And He is fully able to do such awesome acts that no human could ever claim to have brought about, as YHVH Yireh (Jehovah Jireh, The Lord our Provider).
And as I see Him show He is being so lovingly attentive to our prayer requests, especially for others (including many on the mission field and many who home educate their children, from the southern U.S. to Canada, and England, New Zealand and Australia ....), I see Him showing Himself as YHVH Shammah (Jehovah Shammah).
Remember, Daniel 10 -- The Lord begins bringing the answer to our requests the moment we pray. So, keep asking, seeking and knocking! He is there to answer you!
