The only thing that is worthy and justifies incorrect grammar, is when God intervenes.
BUT God,’ (Ephesians 2:4) in the bible comes in moments where there seems to be no hope, then God suddenly intervenes to reveal His supernatural powers and His sovereignty. Its like He is storming in shouting ‘ No , no no, don’t close that chapter yet, I am not done with that season yet, I still have a say in it’/ don’t shut me out’.
God’s goodness goes beyond all our expectations and imagination. It is bigger than all of us
As human beings, we have a reputation for ‘selective forgetfulness. We tend to allow our hearts to forget the good things especially during hard times. Deuteronomy6:12 take care that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery“. So many times, the Israelites had to look back and be forced to remember how they had been rescued.
Since we got engaged and later married, going 12 years this year, I have had a book where each month I have been writing prayer points, come back and write answered prayers both for friends, family and myself. There are so many answered prayers the last 10 years but also unanswered prayers both for friends/family or myself.
However, in this season, I choose to count my blessings. In those seasons when I am between what God has done and waiting for the things he is about to do, I always take that book and go through it. Every single time, I am always ‘surprised ‘ at some of the answered prayers which could have been easily forgotten.
Whenever, I went back to read what God had answered, I would highlight what spike to me most especially if we were going through the same season of waiting.
It is very easy for us to fall back on the place where answers haven’t been given, where there’s uncertainty, that place where God didn’t come through for us the way we expected him to because that’s where our mind loves to thrive on, ~ places of doubt, regret and the ‘what ifs’. Instead of falling back to the familiar seasons and moments where we were at our darkest moments BUT GOD, came through for us. Let us remember that each day we rise He has new mercies at our disposal
Lamentations 3:22-24″ The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;2 his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new mevery morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him”
God’s best friend David invites us to intentionally schedule time to look back into the details of our lives and think on the goodness of our father.
“My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever.Psalm 145:21. On the other hand, we might be thinking ‘ what’s there to praise God for when all that surrounds you is heart ache after heart ache.
No matter how deep the valley you are in, please know that God will never forsake us. His word confirms this 1john 1:16. I think I love this translation better:
“For out of His fullness [the superabundance of His grace and truth] we have all received grace upon grace [spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favor upon favor, and gift heaped upon gift]”.Amp.
Like David, we need to slowly look back this past year and really deeply check mercies that had the almighty Gods doing to take place. There’s no doubt that we will find not one but several glimpses of His blessings and actual riches of his blessings.
As much as it is hard to reflect on His goodness, we need to walk in the confidence that “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:32
The same God that gave His only son for your life will give you everything He has promised and He is with you always. No works will make us deserve His kindness, but out of his mercy and grace, He continuously purposes to choose us over and over again.
2 Peter 1:3 “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence”
Therefore, even in the midst of the storm the psalmist urges us to reflect and give praise to God, acknowledging that He is the one able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can ever imagine.
When there’s a positive motivation or reward, praise automatically comes easy. We are happy and feel generous so it only comes natural for us to say good things in response to what we might have received or actions that might have been done to us.
However, there are seasons where our hearts don’t seem to do this automatically. This is because, the praise is not coming from a motivated generous heart but one that is at the crossroads of waiting on God or in seasons of pain and hurt. Where we don’t see His goodness and our environments constantly magnifies the negativity around us and the unanswered prayers.
When we bring ourselves to praise God in these moments, we honour God as we choose to offer sacrifices of praise to Him. Not because of what He has done but who he is in our lives. Its praising in the pain. Reminds me of the song ” I will praise you in the storm….’
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise–the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. – Hebrews 13:15.
I want to encourage us to always remember moments where ‘But God’ is mentioned, because those are the moments where what all seemed impossible, is made possible by His grace.
I want to also challenge us, to look back especially in the seasons of waiting. The seasons where the enemy seems to be winning , take moments to acknowledge God and all the has done in your life. God will not look down on this form of praise, He will gladly and proudly inhabit in it.
Ephesians 2: 1…for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins…..Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Prayer
Father God, thank you that while we are in the waiting season, you show us glimpses of the blessings to come. We praise you for who you are in our lives and for your continued faithfulness this past year. Teach us to look more deeply into your goodness and to always count our blessings. In Jesus name.
Amen.
Lots of love,
Mama Faith, Hope and Love.