Our God truly is an awesome GOD. There is POWER in the testimony and therefore, I’m about to TESTIFY to God’s sweet goodness. 🙂
I had been planning to have a World Race outdoor fundraiser volleyball tournament (along with a BBQ and some chillage) for months at my friend Mike’s house. The day it was supposed to happen (back in May), it completely got rained out and we had to cancel it. I was kinda bummed. But after going back and forth on dates to reschedule it for weeks, we finally decided on June 6th (yesterday) since it was pretty much the ONLY time that would work for everyone before I left.
As the date started approaching, the weather forecasts became troubling. “Not again,” I thought to myself. They were predicting a 90% chance of precipitation, clouds, rain, hail, thunderstorms, and even a tornado watch. A tornado watch?! We’re in BOSTON! I got pretty frustrated and was about to call it again until one of my friends sent me a message:
“Hey, take authority over that weather report – we have a good Dad who
loves to give us good things and do great things in us, through us and
for us! C’mon, I know you can speak to the rain!”
I was slightly encouraged by that, but this was my response back to him:
“Thanks for that reminder, David. I really appreciate it. 🙂 I need to be
reminded of the authority we have in Christ. (And I have spoken to the
rain, don’t worry. 🙂 )
But I’ve been struggling with some big
questions of faith recently… mainly because one of my pastors
just died of colon cancer last week. Thousands of people were praying
and fasting for him for two years. I guess I am just wondering why God
decides to miraculously heal people sometimes and not others. There’s
inconsistency in divine intervention and I don’t get it. I know I need
to trust and have faith in His plans… it’s just hard… and
frustrating.
So yea, I know God can make the rain go away and
allow the sun to shine brightly all day, despite the 90% chance of
thunderstorms all afternoon. But I guess I’m just like… will He? I’m
praying for it. But honestly, it’s not on me. It’s on Him.”
I realize that sounded pretty dismal. But I had to be honest about where I was at. Yea I can pray for sun, but will it happen? I can pray for healing, but will it happen? I guess it won’t unless I step out in faith and ask. I was reminded that I am a daughter of the King, and as such I should not plead for something like a beggar… I should just walk up and ask my Father with authority.
I woke up the next day and the weather reports were looking darker than ever… yet I was determined to push through. “I declare SUN on this day,” I said, and believed it would be done in His name.
As I showed up to Mike’s house for the tournament the sun was shining brightly. “THANK YOU, Lord, thank you, thank you, thank you,” was the only thing I could whisper.
It ended up raining a little here and there throughout the day but it was actually a refreshing break from the heat. For the most part, the SUN was out and we had a blast. It was amazing. I feel like the whole day was such a sweet, sweet
gift from the Lord. Mike was watching the radar of the storm online and at one point he came out and said, “It looks like the storm is literally splitting in two and will go right around us.” A smile inched across my face as I thought about God parting the Red Sea. “I’ve been praying for this,” I said. I felt so protected and loved.
On top of that, I was able to connect with a girl who might want to do The World Race simply by hearing about it from an email I sent out! I love how God works. 🙂 I randomly met her on a church web board and she contacted me because she was interested in hearing more about the race… and happened to play volleyball as well! We drove to the tournament together and just shared about what God has been up to in our lives. On the way home we encouraged, spoke life into, and prayed for one another… it was beautiful. She (along with many others recently) prayed that my hands would be hands of healing to those around the world. So tight. She has recently been practicing praying for healing for everyone she meets who has a need – and has been seeing GOD MOVE and PEOPLE HEALED! It was amazing to hear her countless testimonies of God’s provision and faithfulness. (There is POWER in the testimony! It builds our faith and according to Revelation 19:10, “…the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” This infers that what Jesus does, He’s going to do AGAIN!) It turns out Kelly and I are very similar, which was so fun to discover. It was incredibly inspiring and encouraging to see her passion for, obedience to, and pure JOY in the Lord… and my faith was definitely increased by our time together. New sisters in Christ are awesome! 🙂
All in all, I felt ridiculously cared for and provided for by Jesus. I felt like a daughter of the King – He is so good. 🙂 I really needed that as a faith-builder too… and DUH! HE KNOWS WHAT WE NEED BEFORE WE EVEN ASK! 🙂 I raised way more than I should have because people gave GENEROUSLY (thank you so much!!) and more people came than I expected. So cool.
So, I am testifying to God’s sweet goodness in my life and trusting that as you read this, your faith will be increased and you will see the goodness of the Lord in your life as well. I love you guys!
Now ENJOY some pictures from the day!
Sheila, Steph, Kelly, and little Luke before the tourney 🙂
Mike can jump!
Enjoying some chips and salsa during a game off – mmmm. (Sheila, me, and Kelly)
This was our crew! (Minus Mike – he was generously grilling up some dinner!)
Andddd we’re silly 🙂
Enjoying some grub after a long day of playing. 🙂 Thanks SO MUCH Mike and Ulana for generously hosting the festivities! 🙂
(More on Training Camp soon!)
