Believing God -- Week 1

"I've been over at Meyer's On the Hood this morning after finishing the first week of the Believing God Bible study by Beth Moore. It's not too late to sign up and get started on this remarkable study!"

Okay, so that's as far as I got yesterday morning. This post sat there like that all day long yesterday waiting to be written...it was after midnight before I could sit down to finish this post.

Can I ask you a question? Do you believe in coincidences? You know, flukes? Luck? Because I don't. Not since I met the Son of God!

Allow me to explain the sudden transition here: I have sat down at this computer an untold amount of times wanting to write this post. Something always got in the way. I think it was purposed that way because there was a small test for me coming...and it needed to be included here.

One of the biggest things I have gotten from this first week of study is that God, being who He says He is, loves and cares for me -- and I really am who He says I am: joint heir with Christ, and the seed of Abraham! So what am I so worried about all the time? Is He going to care for me or not? Is He good even when I don't feel worthy of receiving His goodness? Is He good even when things around me look hopeless?

These are rhetorical questions; of course He is. His plan always has His best interest in mind, which is also my best interest. And yours. He's that good.

This is what's been on my heart and mind all day. Since I've been acknowledging it all day, isn't it fitting that my belief in that statement would be tested at the end of the day?

Last night as I sat down to work on this post again, I got an email from a lady asking for urgent prayer for a mutual friend. A family that we know quite well was watching their house burn to the ground. The firemen had just arrived and were still connecting the hose to start to battle the raging fire as she wrote the email.

They have five children; the two older ones were out, as were the parents. A babysitter (family member) was at the house with the younger three children. Praise GOD they all got out in time and no one was hurt! The house was apparently struck by lightening, and the fire ensued in the garage. They have since extinguished the fire, leaving absolute devastation behind.

While I was praying for this family after I read the email, I was led to ask the Father for one very specific thing. I am always so careful about asking anything too specific because if it's not God's will, I don't want it to "look" like He isn't listening. Duh. Am I believing God or not? See, I struggle not with can He, but will He?

So I finally exercised my belief that God was leading me in this prayer, and I specifically asked God to pull something out of the ashes, something that was meaningful and could be salvaged.

My husband went to their house (what was left of it) just to be there for them. He called a bit ago and explained what he saw. He said the flames engulfed the whole house, coming out at the roof and through the windows. The family and neighbors just stood and watched as almost 20 years of their lives together billowed up in a wretched cloud of smoke.

But then he said something I had to ask him to repeat: he said that a fireman just came out with a jewelry box and handed it to Evangeline. She began to cry.

Today is Evangeline's 16th birthday.

They also came out with the hard drive off their computer...containing all their family pictures.

Lord, in your infinite wisdom and foreknowledge, You have asked me to pray for something You had already determined to do. I believe you did that to show me that I can trust You when You lead me to pray for something, even when it's something that seems insignificant. How can I forget how you have everything in mind, you know what we need before we even know it, and you never, ever forget even the small things about us? Forgive me for my forgetfulness and my unbelief.