Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, Ephesians 3:20 NIV
Motivational Monday doesn’t just end with the video…it was just the beginning.
When I finished recording the video journal entry I continued to sit in the red Adirondack chair, by the pond, to read scripture and pray.
I reread Wayne’s favorite verse, and my eyes moved upwards to begin reading in the fourteenth verse. God’s words are so comforting, powerful, and alive.
When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Ephesians 3:14-20 NLT
Y’all, God is the Creator of e-v-e-r-y-thing! (Warning…lots of !!!) His resources are unlimited! He empowers us with the Holy Spirit! When we trust in Him, He resides in our heart! The more we grow in Christ the stronger we become! His love for us is so wide, long, high, and deep! We cannot escape His love! God gives us unbelievable power and life! Glory to God in the highest! He is able! He mightily works in and through us! He delivers beyond our comprehension!
Thinking about how I have asked God for a sign before in a situation, I boldly asked for another. I whispered, “Lord, if it is Your will to heal Wayne on earth, please show me a deer tonight while I’m sitting out by the pond.”
While waiting, I thought how I shouldn’t put my trust in a sign, but in God alone. Agree! Some of you may think me asking for a sign is totally wrong, and others may say it is fine. This topic is both negative and positive in the Bible, but I’m not here to debate this topic right now, I’m just sharing what happened to me tonight.
Anyhow…when you are sitting still in the midst of nature, you hear every little snap of a stick, wrestle on a squirrel in the woods, and all God’s creatures singing a joyful noise. With each snap and wrestle, my eyes would peer to and fro. I continued reading scripture and praying to my Heavenly Daddy. Then…I glanced across the pond, squinted my eyes to make sure I was seeing correctly, and a deer appeared. Then another, and another, and another! Tears were streaming down my face. I didn’t want to move a muscle to spook the deer away. I was having the quietest ugly cry you’ve seen. Then…two more deer came from the other direction. My mind went to “Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”
He not only provided “a” deer, but SIX beautiful doe.
Observing the deer, I’d watch each move and was remind how we must be alert at all times.
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 NIV
The longer I sat the closer the deer would come in my direction. At that time James 4:8 washed over me.
Come near to God and he will come near to you. James 4:8a ERV
I couldn’t wait to run to the house to share the Scripture and “sign” with my guys, but I didn’t want to move. With tear-stains on my cheeks and peace in my heart, I sat patiently and prayerfully.
Only God knows how Wayne will live out his life on earth, but for those few minutes God brought joy to my heart in the hope of healing.
God’s will be done, is always my prayer and desire. To God be all the glory today and forever.
Blessings to you and yours,
Stephanie
(In the above photo, we celebrated my father-in-love’s 72nd birthday. No, he’s not 62, I just didn’t have a #7 candle. LOL! Stick with me, I’ll make you younger. Hahaha)
There is a right time for everything, and everything on earth will happen at the right time. There is a time to be born and a time to die. There is a time to plant and a time to pull up plants. There is a time to kill and a time to heal. There is a time to destroy and a time to build. There is a time to cry and a time to laugh. There is a time to be sad and a time to dance with joy. There is a time to throw weapons down and a time to pick them up. There is a time to hug someone and a time to stop holding so tightly. There is a time to look for something and a time to consider it lost. There is a time to keep things and a time to throw things away. There is a time to tear cloth and a time to sew it. There is a time to be silent and a time to speak. There is a time to love and a time to hate. There is a time for war and a time for peace. Do people really gain anything from their hard work? I saw all the hard work God gave us to do. God gave us the ability to think about his world, but we can never completely understand everything he does. And yet, he does everything at just the right time. I learned that the best thing for people to do is to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live. God wants everyone to eat, drink, and enjoy their work. These are gifts from God. I learned that anything God does will continue forever. People cannot add anything to the work of God, and they cannot take anything away from it. God did this so that people would respect him. What happened in the past has happened, and what will happen in the future will happen. But God wants to help those who have been treated badly. Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 ERV