12-21-15 Unexpected God Time
I’m convinced that God’s favorite pastime is setting me up for lessons.
For some reason, I felt the need to look through my jewelry the minute I woke up. As I sifted through my tiny box, observing the familiar gold and silver tones all tangled together, I suddenly noticed that the rings I acquired in Greece and Macedonia were both missing.
What the junk. They were both in here yesterday.
I began to alternate between frantically praying and calming myself down.
Kayla, this is not worth stressing about.
God, I know that you know all things and I thank You that You will help me find my rings.
Alright, breathe. It’s going to be okay.
Lord, I know You care about me and nothing is too small for You. Please lead me to where they are.
A good 10 minutes of this pass by. Then, I heard the Lord speak to me.
“I wish you would pray for my people the way you are praying for these rings.”
…
Have you ever been told something that just knocks the wind out of you? Yeah. That’s what it felt like for me.
I started to slow down in my search and postured my heart before the Lord.
“God, What? Are you saying that I care more about jewelry than your people? Are my priorities off?”
“Your priorities are not off; your awareness is.”
He began to show me that I wasn’t at all concerned about my rings until I was aware that they were missing. In the same way, God is seeing broken, hurting people here in South Africa that I am not aware of.
12-22-15 …There’s More?
The squad came together for worship around the campfire. We broke off into groups and had discussions about the book of Philippians. As we were wrapping up our time together, one of my squadmates said they felt like God was wanting us to pray and lay hands on a specific individual. We gathered around her and began to pray. I heard the Lord speak to me again:
“I wish you would pray for my people the way you prayed for those rings”
I know God. You told me. I get it already…
He began to show me how I’ve searched and searched my tent multiple times, and although the possibility of finding my rings seemed nearly impossible, I still had hope. He encouraged me to hold on to that kind of faith when it comes to His people who are lost and broken. Even when it seems nearly impossible that they would ever come to know the Lord or give their lives to follow Him, He wants me to pray for them the way I was praying for my rings, with hope and faith that He could do ALL things, no matter how hopeless it may seem.
12-23-15 : Walk It Out
Getting revelation isn’t the equivalent of obedience. When He’s faithful to give you the revelation, you need to walk it out.
Even if you see no hope, ask Him to ignite faith in your heart to see what He wants to do. Without going into in-depth detail, that’s precisely what I did.
12-24-15 The Moment We’ve All Been Waiting For
Christmas Eve. It was a slow morning on the campsite. After breakfast, I thought it would be a good idea to re-organize my tent. I unzipped the entrance to my tent and looked around at the piles of dirty clothes and miscellaneous items. In the quietness of my tent, I heard the Lord speak to me again:
“Thanks for listening to Me. Look in your bag again.”
But I’ve already looked there.
I was reminded of the story in scripture where Jesus tells the disciples to cast the net over the boat a second time. Hey, it worked for them.
I opened the front pocket of my backpack and shuffled around a few things (as I’ve done before), and found both my rings!! I ran out of my tent with tears and rejoiced with my squadmates! He is so so good!
If you feel the Lord setting you up for a lesson, press into it. It’s always one worth learning!!
