Perfect Timing

Reading in Daniel chapter 3 this morning; the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. I am certain I have heard this story hundreds of times throughout the years.  But today, the Lord showed something different.  God did not intervene for these three men before they were put into the fire.  They had to go through the whole process of being bound up and led into the fire.  And while they seem to have great faith, I would say it’s safe to assume that at some point in the walk to the furnace, they were hoping that the God they believed in would come through for them in some way.  I mean there were human after all, I probably would have at least thought that if not tried to fight my way out the whole way.  But back to the original thought, God could have easily showed up to rescue them at any point in all of this.  He could have protected them from even being caught.  But, He didn’t He chose to wait until they were actually put into the furnace.  It is so easy to say that God has perfect timing (and He does) but as I’m being thrown into a furnace I might be thinking where are you now?  He was faithful to these three men and in His perfect timing.  If God would have stepped in at any other moment there could have been logical explanations.  The king could have even claimed to have changed his mind and he would have received glory.  Glory for the earthly king is not something God wanted; instead He chose to step in at a time that was truly miraculous.  In doing this, He brought glory to His kingdom.  There is no possible way to explain how anyone could survive being thrown into a furnace, especially when men who didn’t even enter were burned up. 

I myself have been frustrated with the Lord’s timing, and shockingly on more than one occasion.  But the more I contemplate all this could mean, I am realizing that He’s not just timing things our perfectly for our benefit, but for His.  I so often get so caught up in myself, and try to see why God things this is the perfect timing for me.  I would venture to say that His perfect timing is about bringing Glory to Himself.  And sometimes that might mean that we have to be thrown into the furnace.   It is about remembering that even my own life is not all about me.  My life should be a testimony to God, and bring glory to Him. 

My New Habit, Change

Why do we resist the changes that need to happen in ourselves?  Or why can’t those changes just automatically happen.  Why can’t I get revelation for something that I need to change, store it away and as I sleep my mind just automatically changes?  Wouldn’t that be amazing?  There are things the Lord has been revealing to me, areas that I need to change my actions, my outlook, my attitudes, etc.  But this is such a struggle, I am so used to acting (or better reacting) a certain way in certain situations, that as much as my heart has wanted the change, my mouth does not show that.  I immediately revert back to the same old ways.  Even worse, I am not sure when or why these certain responses started.  And sadly at this point, it seems that I do not realize my words or attitudes until it has already come out of my mouth. 

I have begun to get used to feeling the need to defend myself, versus really trying to hear what someone else is saying.  I automatically assume that this person does not have my best interest at heart.  I do not let the Lord filter the words, I hear certain things and it’s like I automatically tune out everything else after that.  I guess it’s like a button has just been pushed and off I go.  Creating this new habit is like creating any other habit, it definitely takes discipline.  I guess a change in our thoughts and attitudes takes the same type of discipline that doing anything else does.  It is a daily thought process and execution of these new things.  Trying our best to make these new changes and to stick to them.  It is so easy to get the revelation, and to realize what needs to be changed.  However, at least for me, my execution of these things is what needs work.

I am amazed at how much the Lord is revealing, it seems like so many things I need to be reminded of each day and to be disciplined in.  And yet, they are all tied in together in these amazingly intricate ways that only the Lord can put  together.  I guess all I can say to that is Lord please help me, without you there is no way!  I couldn’t even take a breath without Him, forget doing anything else.

Daily Checklist

Once again I sat here with nothing to write about.  I even tried earlier today, but what I began writing about did not seem right.  I had some good thoughts, but I just knew it wasn’t what He wanted me to write about.  So as the house is quiet, baby asleep, watching a movie with my hubby; I began thinking about my blog.  I asked the Lord if there was anything I was to write about, because I had nothing.  And He spoke trust to me.  As I think about that it strikes me as funny, because I am trying to be obedient to what He has asked me to do, which means that I have to trust him.  It is so obvious. 

Trust is a huge thing for all of us.  I know we like to say that we trust in the Lord.  And I know there are all kinds of verses in the Bible that talk about this.  However, for me, it is easier said than done.  It is so hard to actually do.  Is the little bit of trust I can muster up enough?  Does saying it repeatedly help?  I honestly do not know.  Maybe it is just learning step by step and day by day that the Lord will always be faithful.  It is being obedient and taking that leap.  It is battling the fear to not step out and carry out His will.  I guess it seems silly to think that the Lord has to earn our trust.  But in reality we have been betrayed by others in our lives that I think it can make it so difficult to understand that He will actually do what He says.  Trust in the Lord is being obedient and disciplined.  It is keeping our end of the bargain.  I truly believe that the Lord wants us to see that He is trustworthy by practicing.  How can we ever be sure if all we do is read and hear about trusting in the Lord.  We have to put it to practice to see it in tangibly in our lives. 

Trust is defined as reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing.  We need to truly learn how to rely on the Lord no matter what.  I honestly do not have the answer on how to do this.  I think it is in our personal and daily walk with him.  It is through the relationship that we build with the Lord that we learn how to walk and trust in Him for all that we need.  I know for me that all gets very mixed up with my wants.  Being obedient, walking in discipline and learning to trust in him.  It seems that those three things are delicately woven together.  It is so easy to see how that is possible when I am walking into something new that desperately hinges on these three things.  If I am missing one of those things, then I am doomed to fail. 

That is a good daily checklist;

1. Am I being Obedient?

2. Am I Walking in Discipline?

3. Am I Trusting the Lord?   

A definition can change my life

As I sat down to write today, I honestly had nothing.  I wasn’t even going to write anything, until my new number one fan asked me if I was going to blog.  So I sat there debating on whether or not I was going to.  I just wasn’t “feeling” it today, I am just tired and wanted to get through the night as quickly and with as little effort as possible.  Then I felt that I needed to be obedient to do it.  Of course I was then trying to quickly come up with something to write about, but nothing.  It wasn’t until I actually starting to just type something that the Lord hit me with one word, DISCIPLINE.  My first reaction to that word, ugh!  I have always viewed discipline as some sort of punishment.  The Lord led me to look up the definition. 

Discipline is defined as training to act in accordance with rules or activity, exercise, or a regimen that develops or improves a skill.  Like I said before, I looked at discipline as punishment, not as something that is for my own good.  Once again I am blown away with how quickly the Lord has changed my outlook on my whole life with just one simple revelation for just one word.  This is true to form as the Lord is continuously redefining so many things for me.  Although, I guess if I was not aware of the true definition in the first place, the Lord is leading me to truth versus redefinition.  He is helping me to seek out what I have just accepted for so long.  And also true to form my assumptions were not at all correct.  I was not looking at discipline in the right light.  I was simply accepting discipline as I am suppose to as a good Christian. 

So for me today, discipline looks like me sitting at the computer willing to write something, because the Lord has told me to do so.  In doing this I am improving my skill and acting in accordance with rules.  Through this discipline that Lord once again has been faithful to come through for me.  He has given me something to say and a whole new outlook on a word that I have heard so much.  And I am in awe!

Here We Go

Lately my daughter has started throwing fits. Not full blown tantrums. But she’ll push my hands away if she is mad that she cannot have something. Or when we have to do something necessary, like a diaper change. It has occurred to me that we tend to react the same way with the Lord. We throw our little fits when the Lord tells us no to something that we want. And sometimes we do this for something He is doing for our own good. I know I tend to throw my little fits when He tells me to do something that I do not want to or that I am scared to do. A good example of me doing this is starting a blog. Blogging sounds like a good idea, until I am sitting at my computer typing one up and wondering why He wants me to do this. And wondering if anything I have to write about will mean anything to anyone else. Ultimately, I am realizing that if no one else ever reads this, I have to be obedient and to know this is all for a reason.

And so I sit here wondering when I became a writer. Writing is definitely not something I had ever thought or dreamed of doing. And now suddenly, I find myself wanting to write all the time. I am currently working on book, but I find myself wanting revelation for other things. It truly is amazing how one day I get some “crazy” revelation of writing a book; and the very next day it seems my whole outlook on writing has changed. And of course once again, I find myself in a unique place. I have come to embrace the fact that I am a prophet. The Lord revealed to me that that gifting in me does not look like it does in anyone else. He has created me so differently, I have no one to compare myself to and I shouldn’t. Here I am again trying to embrace my writing gift. Trying to figure out what all this looks like for me and what I should use it for. Amazingly as the Lord has been healing me in certain areas of my life I find that this writing thing has been coming up behind that. I have realized that I have lost so much of myself through the years. But it seems I am finding parts of myself that I did not know where there. I have sat and tried to remember what I used to be like. But maybe it is not about me figuring out who I was, but who I am.

The Lord brings so much revelation through my writing. Why wouldn’t I want to write all the time? I think I have an expectation that I should have more done. But I know that I just need to take it day by day, letting the Lord lead me. After all the Lord will not leave me alone about writing. His voice can be hard to ignore for very long. And when I am obedient, He is so faithful. From one thought or even a few I can sit and write a few pages.

So I guess here we go.