Have you ever noticed that when you repent of something—especially when it is difficult and you’re not sure how to go about it—Jesus opens the way and supports you? You only need to ask and follow.
This morning, I felt called to spend a few minutes in intimacy with the Lord. When I closed my eyes and tried to focus on God, all I could see and hear were the challenging conversations from the day before. It made it very difficult to do what I felt called to do.
So I called on the Lord, repented, and asked for help in overcoming the confusion and the sticky, messy chaos that had come from the conversations of the night before.
I kept trying to be still, yet I kept falling back into the offence, defence, and controversy. So again I asked for help.
“Lord, please help me release these hard feelings, these controversies, and this self-positioning and stance that had become reinforced through conflict.”
It helped. I felt a softening and an acceptance of where I was. I wasn’t having to defend my position. I could rest in the truth that God loved me.
This was comforting. However, my mind kept returning to a conversation where I had become a bit aggressive toward what I perceived as the other person’s wilful ignorance, eventually calling him an impotent turkey.
Again, I asked God to help me.
“Lord, how do I simply accept someone wilfully agreeing with dangerous ideologies and not feel compelled to stand up for people?”
And I left it in His hands.
The next thing I recall was remembering that God is omnipresent. He is with us at every moment of our journey. Then I heard a bird singing outside, and I was reminded of Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:
“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”
— Matthew 6:26–27
I then remembered that God is also with this man and is working all things together for good. I could let go and trust that God had these things in hand.
My heart released its burden.
Ahh… a moment of sweet relief as I felt the peace of heaven return to my soul.
I looked out the window and watched as the clouds formed what appeared to be a great throne, with a godly figure seated upon it. I was in awe, yet hesitant to accept it for what it seemed to be.
I finished my prayers and came down to the lounge room. There I found a link to someone’s worship playlist and thought, “Oh, this sounds interesting.”
I pressed play, and the first two songs reminded me that God is on His throne and that we are safe within His blessing.
In my mind, I had ended the conversation when I stopped praying. Yet this experience reminded me that God is always near and always ready to remind us that He is with us. We simply need to trust Him and receive His grace.
Thank You, Lord, that You care so much for each of us that You are willing to be personally involved in our lives and help us become the people You created us to be.
We are so blessed by Your presence, Lord, and I simply want to say thank You—not just for this, but for everything You do for us, seen and unseen.
Thank You, Lord Jesus.
Amen.