Coming into camp, I was so full of joy and excitement. I couldn’t wait to meet my team and see what God had planned for the week. By Wednesday afternoon I was exhausted. My joy was gone and I was ready to pack up and go home. I was frustrated with myself for doubting God, and I was fearful of what the next 11 months may hold. That evening, we spent time “listening” to God’s voice, and asking Him to give us a word or picture for one of our teammates. One thing you should know about me is that I love to talk, so the idea of “listening” to the Lord is not something I have had a lot of practice doing. Little did I know, God had some powerful words for me to hear. Half of the team lined up, closed their eyes, and asked God for a word or picture for the girl or guy who would be standing in front of them. The other half of us randomly stood in front of one of our teammates, waiting to see what the Lord would say to us. I was the last person to be paired up, and I stood in front of my new sweet friend Emily. She had no idea what had been going on with my that day, so I was blown away when I heard the words God had given her to say to me.
She opened her eyes, not knowing that I was the one she had been seeking a word from the Lord for, and she started to describe the picture God had placed in her mind. She said she saw a girl standing on the beach with her arms held out and her face tilted up to the sky. She said the sun was shining and rain was falling down on the girl. The words the Lord wanted the girl to hear were that "joy was coming!" He was speaking to this child and telling her not to be afraid because He was sending her peace and joy.
I just laughed and cried and praised the Lord. He is so good to us even when we have such little faith, and He leaves us wanting MORE of Him. This is just one moment in the past week when God chose to speak to me when I least expected it, and each time He reminded me that He loves me and He cares about my heart.
The verse He had given me this particular morning was from 2 Corinthians 10:5: “We demolish arguments and every high minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” I didn’t fully understand why until I looked back on this day and realized that I had believed lies Satan had been speaking over me.
Instead of believing lies, I pray that I will take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. I want to believe God is everything He says He is. I am so overwhelmed with His goodness and faithfulness.
"Weeping may last for the night, but Joy comes in the morning." Ps 30:5
