Laced With Grace

Jim and I are both going through health issues.  I have been living with chronic pain/illness for over 25 years, with the past 10 years mostly home-bound and needing assistance in my daily life.  Now Jim is going through some serious health issues as well.  So what do you do when your main care-giver needs assistance as well?

The other day when a family member called to check to see how Jim and I are feeling, she said, “This is so depressing. You two much be devastated!”  I was a little taken back with that reaction at first, then I replied, “no way, maybe a little perplexed, but not depressed.  God is in control.  He will never allow us to go through more than we can handle.”  Although to be honest, there are moments that I think to myself, “I wish God did not trust me enough to ‘handle’ this much!”

In all seriousness, I believe in the Sovereignty of God.  That all things are under God’s rule and control, and nothing happens without His permission. God works not just some things but all things according to the guidance of His own will (Eph. 1:11). God’s purposes are all-inclusive and never thwarted (Isa. 46:11).  There is nothing that takes Him by surprise. The sovereignty of God is not only that God has the power and right to rule all things, but that He does so, continually and without exception.

A.W. Pink said it beautifully in The Sovereignty of God, Chapter 1.

“What do we mean by [the sovereignty of God]? We mean the supremacy of God, the kingship of God, the god-hood of God. To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that God is God. To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is the Most High, doing according to His will in the army of Heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, so that none can stay His hand or say unto Him what doest Thou? (Dan. 4:35). To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is the Almighty, the Possessor of all power in Heaven and earth, so that none can defeat His counsels, thwart His purpose, or resist His will (Psa. 115:3). To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is “The Governor among the nations” (Psa. 22:28), setting up kingdoms, overthrowing empires, and determining the course of dynasties as pleaseth Him best. To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is the “Only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Tim. 6:15). Such is the God of the Bible.”

So what do you do when the care-giver needs a care-giver?  You trust in the Sovereignty of God.  I rest assured, “… that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”  Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

For the past 2 years, my husband and I have been embroiled in a complicated and frustrating battle regarding a real estate issue. It’s truly a current day David and Goliath scenario, and we’re little David. Day by day, it’s up and down emotionally as the lawyers go back and forth.

So we decided that whenever our minds drift into the “what if’s” and the figuring out, we would turn our thoughts to scripture, specifically Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”

This discipline has kept our minds fixed on truth instead of faulty thinking. Last week, we received a call from our lawyer saying that we were at a dead-end. I felt my stomach flop, but my husband (normally the worry-er) was strangely at peace. Then he shared with me an email he read moments before the lawyer’s phone call. It was from our friend, Pastor Chuck:

“‘What do you mean, “If I can”?’ Jesus asked. ‘Anything is possible if a person believes.’” (Mark 9:23 NLT)

 God will build your faith by planting a dream within you. But that dream will require a decision of faith, and then God will stretch your faith as you face delays, difficulties, and dead ends.

It is then that God comes in and delivers. God does a miracle. God provides a solution. For instance:

·   In Moses’ case, God parted the Red Sea. 

·   In Abraham’s case, he and Sarah miraculously conceived a child. 

·   In Joseph’s case, all of a sudden his dream came true, and he found himself no longer imprisoned in a dungeon; instead, he was the second in command in Egypt. 

 And Jesus was resurrected! God can even turn a crucifixion into resurrection, and that means he has the power to transform your dead ends into deliverance. He builds your faith through delays, difficulties, and dead ends, so that when he delivers you, God gets all the credit!

 When faced with a dead end, the best response is to expect God to act. What are you expecting God to do in your life? Jesus says, “According to your faith let it be done to you” (Matthew 9:29b NIV).

 When you wait for deliverance, then God gets the credit. And you can look back to see how God led you through a path of faith, expanding and increasing your trust of him with every step. Your faith is stronger, and now you can say with confidence, “I am expecting the Lord to rescue me again, so that once again I will see his goodness to me …” (Psalm 27:13 LB).

Reading that email moments before the phone call gave my husband the wisdom to know how to respond. We’ll wait for the Lord, and we’ll wait with the expectation that He will be glorified when this issue is resolved. Already, we have seen God work, and soon the lawyers and town officials and many others will too.

Are you facing a difficult circumstance? One which seems impossible? Leave a comment so I can pray for you, and you can pray for me too. Together we will see God do the impossible! 

Susan

www.eternitycafe.blogspot.com

www.susanpanzica.com

I saw God.

Let me explain. Lately I have discovered that my spiritual eyes have opened just a little bit wider. I’ve witnessed glimpses of God around me.

Most recently, I heard God. It was early Easter morning. You can read about that story on my Facebook page (look for the post on Sunday, April 8, 2012.)

But the story I feel compelled to tell is this one:

Several years ago, I found myself in what I would describe a very real spiritual battle. I had been praying for my unsaved husband and the spiritual warfare over him was intense.

At that time I began to pray for angels to be dispatched from the Lord’s throne to my home. To stand guard at every window and door, with their swords drawn ready to fight for me, my husband and our family.

God listened and Wow, what a battle it was. You can read that story (here). I am utterly convinced God dispatched those angels and they have been standing over this home ever since.

But, one of the amazing little miracles that came from that period of time was the doves.

DOVES

In God’s Word we learn that after the flood the Lord sent a rainbow as a promise He would never again destroy the world by flood.

Genesis 9:13-15 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.

Now this might seem a little strange but in the same way God has sent a promise to me through the doves.

Ever since that time of battle, I have noticed that doves are all around. In the late afternoon two doves arrive to sit outside of my kitchen window on the fence. I see them on the back fence from time-to-time as well.

One recent morning while on my jog and praise, I spotted a dove sitting on the streetlight above the sidewalk where I was jogging. And as I finished my jog and was walking toward home during my cool-down, there it was…. the small dove flew down from the streetlight and started hoping down the sidewalk in front of me.

If you could have seen me, I burst into the broadest smile and started praising God and thanking Him for the angels that He sent to protect and care for me and my family. (yep, the neighbors think I’m strange)

I can’t help but praise the Lord …. out loud…. in the street because He is so very good to me.

Psalm 91:9 If you make the Most High your dwelling— even the LORD, who is my refuge- then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

How amazing and awesome is that passage? It’s true.

What I’m discovering is that for many, many years I really didn’t understand the God truly delights to make Himself visible. As my grandma would say, “It tickles His heart.”

But it took a long time for me to discern these glimpses. What I want for you is to learn how to see God in and around you in your daily living and to enjoy His love now and not wait years in the way that I did.

So, I’m wondering, have you seen God? Do you know how to open your Spiritual Eyes? Would you be interested to know more about how our God reveals Himself to mere humans?

Leave me a note in the comments when you caught a glimpse of God or/and give me your thoughts about the questions above.

Be blessed, Lynn

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