"Then the LORD opened the donkey’s mouth, and she said to Balaam, 'What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?'"
~ Numbers 22:28
Hello, and a happy Monday to one and all!
You may have noticed I took a bit of a hiatus.
In all honesty, I thought it was just for bookkeeping and tax projects, but it turns out God used it for more... much more, actually.
Apparently, I needed draining, though heaven knows why. I went through a season of, who am I, flawed as I am, to stand for Him? But, as ever, God's timing was perfect. He allowed the questioning and doubt at just the right moment, and then He set to renewing, restoring, and refilling.
While that was worthy of mention, it's not at all what I wanted to share with you today.
While on this hiatus, I traveled to Las Vegas to see Van Morrison in concert. My father's idea. He and my mother so treasured the memories of all of the live musicians they had seen together in that neck of the woods that he suggested I up and go. So, I did.
The night of the concert, I went to my very favorite Thai restaurant anywhere. I'm not alone in that sentiment, so there's always a line.
The gentleman in front of me struck up a conversation by asking, "So, where's everyone from?"
The people in front of him were from Georgia, as was he, so they had a nice chat.
The woman assumed we were together when we arrived at the front of the line. After some conversation and clarification, she selected a table for him. He looked at me and said, "Unless you want to join me?" So I did. Table for two!
Over the course of the evening, I had the pleasure and privilege of hearing about his family, his successful marriage of 33 years, and his business. It was a joy.
But the most impactful thing was this...
Have you ever had God answer a prayer you didn't even know you had in a most unusual way?
This gentleman is a passionate, practicing pentecostal. His prayer before dinner almost made me cry, not because it was earth-shattering, though it was lovely. It was simply an answer to a prayer I didn't even know I had.
The world and the media would so often have us believe that as followers of the Messiah, we are a dying breed.
I had been feeling that sense of aloneness. Lonely is sometimes where we have to stand in our spiritual battles, but I don't believe it's where we optimally stand.
You are not alone in the human sense. As a believer, you are not alone.
Sometimes we can go to church, Bible study, and who knows what else and still feel that way.
We started by saying, "God really can use anything."
In this case, He used the line in front of my favorite Thai restaurant on an excursion I hadn't planned to take to whisper to a gentleman that I didn't know to not only extend an invitation to dine together but to pray the way he did before our meal.
He used a donkey, a whale, a burning bush, dry bones, and so much more. And, on this particular evening, He used a stranger to remind me that I do not walk or battle alone.
When Praiseworthy Goods is cleaned up and ready to go for its reopening, this gentleman is even going to pray over it, that it would touch hearts and minds and make a difference in lives.
We just never know where and when and how God is going to show up with what we need, even when we have no idea there's a need there.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for knowing us even better than we know ourselves.
Thank You for knowing what we truly need and for showing up for us in that need.
Thank You for being willing and fully able to work in our lives and on our behalf, sometimes right in front of our noses and sometimes behind the scenes.
It is such a privilege, blessing, and joy to be part of your story.
Thank You. Thank You. Thank You.
And, thank you, too, for helping us to have the eyes to see and the ears to hear the countless ways You show up for us every day.
Amen.
"Now the LORD had appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the fish." ~ Jonah 1:17
"There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from within a bush. Moses saw the bush ablaze with fire, but it was not consumed." ~ Exodus 3:2
"And He said to me, 'Prophesy concerning these bones and tell them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Lord GOD says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh grow upon you and cover you with skin. I will put breath within you so that you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’ ' "So I prophesied as I had been commanded. And as I prophesied, there was suddenly a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to bone. As I looked on, tendons appeared on them, flesh grew, and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them. "Then He said to me, 'Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and tell the breath that this is what the Lord GOD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, so that they may live!' "So I prophesied as He had commanded me, and the breath entered them, and they came to life and stood on their feet—a vast army." ~ Ezekiel 37:4-10
May the Good Lord bless you and keep you, friends... always, in all ways. Amen.
Bonus song of praise... ♥
Sharables! ...and, hey, thanks for sharing. ♥
********************* Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture citations are sourced from The Holy Bible, Study Bible, BSB.
Copyright ©2016, 2018 by Bible Hub
Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
*********************