When God Steps In

I got some unexpected good news today – God is faithful! Beyond the fact that the news was encouraing, the way that it came about was so clearly an only-God-could-have-done-it thing that I can’t help but offer words of thanks and praise to HIm for His attentive care for me! There simply is no other explanation for what transpired.

There are those who might say, “Well, it really isn’t that big of a deal.” However, that’s not how I see it. I found myself at something of a crossroads today – never mind the asthma stuff I’ve been dealing with, as you know – and (make no mistake about it!) God simply intervened in my circumstances and changed things for the better. Of this I have no doubt.

I am grateful, and am feeling quite hope-filled, too. However, I know that the road in front of me isn’t necessarily an easy one. In fact, I feel a bit like Nehemiah (if you’re familar with the story, you know that he petitioned the king for permission to rebuild the broken-down walls around his hometown of Jerusalem). Nehemiah prayed for favor, waited for God’s timing, and then when the Lord presented the right opportunity, he recognized it and responded immediately. And if you don’t know the story, take a few minutes to read the book of Nehemiah! There’s a lot of good stuff in there.

Indeed, always read God’s Word for yourself, rather than relying upon someone else’s intepretation of it. Find a translation that works for you and then simply start reading, and leave the rest in the Lord’s hands!

But I digress. Back to Nehemiah. As you may know, his adventures were only just beginning atter the king gave him the green light to take a sabbatical from his job, travel out of the country, and lead a massive construction project in a city he’d not seen for quite some time! In fact, Nehemiah still had to travel to Jerusalem – some distance away – marshall the people there to work with (and for) him, and oversee a massive rebuilding effort (something he’d never before done)! The only way that Nehemiah was able to make it through was by relying totally on the Lord. The way forward wasn’t easy, but it was rewarding, and worth it in the end.

I feel the same right now. I celebrate the door that the Lord clearly has opened, but recognize that there is still much in front of me, and I won’t be able to accomplish the task that He has set before me unless I rely on Him totally – like Nehemiah.And that is my plan!

Anyway, I wanted to share this praise report, just in case someone out there reading this is going through some challenging times (and you all know that I’ve been dealing with some turbulence lately). Remember that God is faithful! He does come through – often when we least expect it! And when He does, we must remember to give Him the credit, as David does here in Psalm 75. Yes, we must always give thanks to the Lord for His faithfulness and never forget to “recount [His] wondrous deeds.”