A Glorious Sunday

Today’s been a great day, but it didn’t start out that way.  I was up rather late last night waiting for Daddy and Bruce to get home from a business conference.  Needless to say, I was not very happy when my shadow, Missy, started waking me up much earlier than I’d planned.  I finally gave in after about 1/2 an hour, got up and started to realize she was acting like something was wrong.  I quickly headed out to do chores, fully expecting to see the horses loose in the yard.  What I found was 2 dogs killing our chickens, again!  Somehow they’d managed to pull off the back of one of the tractors, tear a hole in the chicken wire and one of them was actually in the pen.  I tried to scare them off, but they weren’t wild dogs so they simply looked at me and wagged their tails.  I got Bruce and he managed to kill one of them (while I fled to the house) and hopefully, mortally wound the other (he tracked it a ways through the woods and said it was bleeding pretty good).  We ended up having the sheriff come out as they did have collars on just in case someone reported a shot dog.  So all my plans of having a restful morning were shot.

We considered not going to church since we were all really tired (I can’t believe I even thought about it – there was no one there today that could fill in for me on the piano and I knew that.  I must not have been as awake as I thought I was!  haha).  I’m convinced the whole mess this morning was just Satan’s attempt to keep us home and I’m so glad we went to church!!  It was such a wonderful, encouraging service.  The song service was refreshing and uplifting.  Daddy was able to share our testimony about his job and the marvelous ways God has provided for us this past 16 months.  Many others also testified to God’s goodness and recognizing, remembering and sharing the proof we have of His involvement in our lives always strengthens the Body.  Church could’ve ended there and it would have been filling, but that was simply the appetizers.  Mr. John started preaching and I swany I think God gave him a copy of my journal from the past few months to help him prep.  It was incredible!  From the life of the disciples (Mark 1:16-21) he shared how important it is that we learn to obey God immediately, “straightway”, not delaying to understand the details, but trusting Him through His Word (Ps. 119:105) to give us just enough light for the next step.  The disciples “forsook” or gave up everything not knowing the details.  They were fishermen: average, working, basic men, probably not very educated or equip for the tasks that lay ahead of them. (Acts 4:13) BUT, God doesn’t call the equip, He equips the called.  Spending time with Jesus prepares you for His calling on your life. (Ps 119: 99-100) 

Not a single time did he use the word “abide” but that’s exactly what this is and this lesson was so timely.  Not one thing really stood out, it was as if God was just giving me a recap of the past several months.  The importance of waiting, resting, being in Christ, abiding in Him and in His Word. (John 8:31-32) It was a good reminder to be redeeming this time in my life by really saturating myself in the Word of God, allowing Him to prepare or equip me as He desires, requiring no details (but trusting Him to be the God who knows and fashions each one) and obeying Him instantly, regardless of what must be forsaken. (Is 6:8)

Isaiah 55:11

So shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the things whereto I sent it.

God does it.  Therefore, I must be in Him and His Word must be in me.  I must abide…