Tonight was wonderful! I got to join two of my best friends in worshiping at the Deeper Still conference with Kay Author, Beth Moore, and Priscilla Shirer. It was such a special time with a wonderful message. Priscilla was the featured speaker for the evening and I had never heard her before. She was incredible!!! She spoke to us about the times when God has us in the "wilderness" of our life. We have all been there... Amen? Mom, I thought about you the whole night. Sometimes I lay awake at night just praying that if the Lord would have you endure what you have endured, that He would have something so SPECIAL and AMAZING to show you that you would go through it all again 100 times. Then I realized... that is what we are suppose to feel like when we have walked through the "wilderness". Jesus wants to hold us, love us, and teach us so much that we are more than we could have ever become without our struggle.
Here are a few things that really triggered my heart through the night that I wanted to share. First... Do I (or any who are reading this) have a prayer that I have stopped praying for simply because I have already told myself that God isn't going to answer it??? Imagine how sad that must be to Jesus to know that I could give up that easy. Unfortunately I would have to admit that I have done that before, but tonight I realized that as certain as I am that the dawn will break tomorrow morning, is how CERTAIN I need to be that God is going to show up in my life and either answer my prayer, or teach my through my situation. Don't you want that??? I do?
Priscilla used the example that one day she watched as the rain clouds were rolling in while she and her two children were walking through their neighborhood. As she studied them she begin to pray that just as that rain were to pour down, the God would pour down his teaching, guidance, and purpose for her upon her heart. Just as she finished praying the storm clouds opened and the rain began to pour down hard. She and her children ran as fast as they could. As she ran she thought about the inconvenience of being soaking wet, and her kids being wet and dirty, and all the duties they would have to do to get cleaned up. As she went down the list of annoyances, she realized God was saying.... This is what happens when you pray for me to pour out my love and teaching into your life, it is inconvenient because it brings you out of your normal routine , and it brings you out of your comfort zone. I think this is an amazing image. We want Jesus to pour down like rain in our lives, but we aren't willing to make the changes that come along with it.
What it so wonderful about the "wilderness", is that when we are FLAT ON OUR BACKS, there is no where else to look but UP!!!! Intimacy is ignited in the "wilderness" , so why is it that we hate those season's of our life? I know I hate them too, but from now on I am going to pitch my tent and camp out so I don't miss anything that God has for me. I want to soak up the rain that pours until He is ready to move me into dry land =) You know what I mean?
There is nothing greater that true intimacy with the Lord, and in the culture we live in today God has to stop us in our tracks and drag us into the "wilderness", just so He can spend time with us!!! He wants to love us like no one else can... LET"S ALLOW HIM TO!!!!!!!!!!
Jesus!!! I love you so much! Thank you for the hardships God ,that draw us so much closer to you and your mercy. Lord I pray that you would Take up residence in my life, and the lives of those who I love dearly, so that you may EMPOWER us like never before. We need you Lord!!! We need you to indwell in us because YOU can do everything that we CANNOT do ON OUR OWN. Thank you for being our Savior Lord, and for loving us with an EVERLASTING LOVE! Please continue to draw us DEEPER STILL to your GREAT LOVE.
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