Answered Prayer

Saturday was my first day off from work in 20 days.  Though I had an extremely long and busy morning going school shopping with some family, the Lord provided me with an extremely peaceful afternoon.  I was house-sitting at the Downs and so it was just me and Clancy (the dog).  I knocked some homework and emails out of the way and spent the rest of the evening with the Lord.  No one was around to interrupt--I had an entire empty house to sort out the whirlwind that had become my life (see previous entry here).  At one point I even got on a raft and floated around in the pool, praying out loud.  For an hour.  If anyone saw me they probably would have thought I was on something hahaha.  But I just took everything to the Lord.  All of my doubts and fears and sins and excitement and uncertainty and sadness and joyfulness--I gave it all to Him.  And after I did all the talking I could manage, I just laid on the raft, eyes closed, drifting all around.  I needed to just be still before Him (Psalm 46:10)--something that I don't seem to do enough in the midst of my busy life.  I rested in His presence until I was sure that a storm was about to strike and hurried myself inside.  I felt so much better, so rejuvenated, by just being still before Him.  On Sunday I was called out of work because of the massive thunderstorm (another day of rest given to me by God).  I sat for another hour or so in the quietness of the porch, listening to the rain fall.  Again I just felt at ease.  The stresses of life seemed to float on by me.

I've been struggling with a few things for a very long time and generally only bring it to Him "when I feel like it." (What does that even mean anyway?  Shouldn't I ALWAYS be bringing to Him?  But more often than I'd like to admit I try to handle things myself...)  I realized that sometimes I doubt that the Lord can fix my problems.  I doubt that He can take away my temptations or change my heart in the lifelong battles I've been fighting.  But He can (Jeremiah 32:27) and wants to actively make me more like His Son.  "The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still" (Exodus 14:14).

When we give our problems to Him and stop trying to fix them on our own, He will move in great ways.  We just need to sit and wait and be still.  He wants to fix us.  He's fighting for us.  He's fighting for me.

Well there's a concept that I don't try often enough:  BEING STILL BEFORE HIM.

I'm now waiting for God to show me a sign for a very important decision in my life.  It's frustrating me that He hasn't already made it clear to me (or maybe He has and I've just been blind to it?  Always a possibility...).  But I just need to wait and be still and trust that He will see it through.  He will cause me to pick the right choice.  He is working in my life and won't let go of the plans He has for me.  Jesus taught me first hand this whole "being still" concept just two days before the stresses of not knowing this decision began to really sink in.  The Lord's timing is always perfect...
 
Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.  The LORD works out everything to its proper end. --Proverbs 16:3-4a