Confirmation

I got out a devotional my family had given to Mom on August 30^th, 2002 to celebrate her 60^th birthday.  Her devotional is another thing of Mom’s I truly cherish.  I started reading the devotional the first week of January 2004 because I finished my other devotion book.  This devotional seemed like it was just for me.

I was floored by the devotionals for January.  The title for January 7^th was “Thank You for Calling Me.”  The scripture was from Isaiah 43:10, “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.”  That scripture was enough in itself to blow me away.  The devotion stated, “Who am I?  Only one little insignificant person in this great world.”   

It is as though each thought I start having gets confirmed by reading this devotion and others.  This devotion spoke of the work the Lord had for me to do here on earth and about me wanting to tell everyone about all He has done for me.  The responsibilities He has put on me at times have seemed overwhelming through the process of writing and editing this book.

Mom did not write in the journal I gave her.  As I was flipping through it last week, I noticed she had highlighted March 30^th.  The title of the devotion was, “Passing the Test.”  Part of the devotion stated, “I felt tested to the limit, Lord, but through it all I knew You were there, helping, strengthening, and comforting me.  I don’t know why I had to struggle, but You knew the answers and I trusted You.”

If she did this devotion on March 30^th, she was going through things by herself before she told anyone.  That would be just like Mom to know there is something wrong and not tell us.

Thursday night, I was struggling to write my overview for the book.  It just wasn’t coming to me.  Friday morning, I asked the faculty at school again to pray for me to have wisdom.  During chapel, that morning, a student which normally leads our singing said a prayer.  During the prayer, he mentioned, “It will come.”  He was probably praying for the students to recall the material they studied, to me God was telling me it will come.  I sat down to type, and it came.  And as I was typing, the confirmation came as well.  While I was typing about Mom walking in faith, the song, “Walk by Faith,” by Jeremy Camp came on.  This song talks about walking by faith, so I included Mom walked by faith instead of in faith.  I have heard this song over and over along with, “Here with Me,” by Mercy Me, exactly when I needed to hear it. 

Saturday I took Ashton to his basketball game at a church.  During half-time a lady spoke about her testimony and how God uses “ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things.”  She also spoke of it being for “His glory.”  Two more words of confirmation to me.

Before I went to church this past weekend, I prayed the Lord would speak to me through His word.  When I got in church, I noticed in the bulletin, the sermon was on stewardship.  I was disappointed and immediately thought to myself I wasn’t going to get anything about my book during the sermon.  Boy was I thankfully surprised!!  My pastor, Brother Bill, spoke of two main points about stewardship.  The points were to use our God-given resources for His glory and to minister to others.  Wow!!  These were the exact two reasons I feel the Lord had me write this book.

 

God answers prayer, maybe not the answer we want or when we want it, but He answers according to His will.

U  Are you learning to trust in Jesus even though He may not answer your prayers the way you want?  U

 Donihue, Anita Corrine. When I’m On My Knees Daily Devotional Journal.

            Uhrichsville:  Barbour Publishing, Inc., 2001. January 7 and March 30.