God's Whispers

Last week was kind of tough, nothing major happened just a bunch of little things that when added together seemed much worse than they were. I dealt with a ton of anxiety, many sleepless nights because I couldn't relax and we faced some unplanned expenses that we really just didn't want to deal with at the moment.

I remember sitting on the couch during a low moment and wondering "would this happen if I read my Bible more, if I prayed even more?" And the answer is yes, we all have to go through hardships. What I forgot for a moment is that God wasn't punishing me and that He isn't trying to "get me." He's trying to help deliver me from these hardships. And He is always trying to teach us something through the difficult times. If anyone knows this, it's me as I've seen first hand the teachings that come through hardships. But during my moment of distress, I let the enemy pop into my head and say some untrue things.

But you know what is awesome? The very next day (yesterday) God whispered to me all day long. We started our Sunday like all others, by attending Lifelife Church. But there was a different energy than normal; it was like our normal energy was multiplied times 100. I was able to make so many more connections with people than I normally do on Sundays. I engaged in some amazing conversations and had an incredible worship experience with my husband by my side. One of the people I met yesterday had even attended our church in Northern Virginia several years ago and knew all about it. This news was like God was whispering to me, "I haven't forgotten about you and the desires of your heart. Lifeline Church is your home now and you will grow and prosper just like you did at DC Metro Church." Not that I ever doubted anything about Lifeline, but I definitely miss all of the close relationships I had at DC Metro Church. The goodness continued all day, with the cherry on top being that we attended a small group with other young couples from our church and had an absolute blast. This group is seriously a gift from God as Tolar and I really want to form deep connections with others while we live in SW Virginia. God kept whispering to me while I was chatting with new friends "you are not alone, I'm here, I will take care of you."

It really is awesome to see how fast God works. On Saturday I had sent a message to some friends explaining what was going on in our lives and telling them that I was going through some unhappy times. I even put a post on instagram asking for a little bit of prayer. And the very next day God placed some life giving relationships in my life right when I needed them most. The prayers were felt, God's whispers were heard.

The Lord doesn't promise a life full of rainbows and butterflies. But He does promise peace. He does promise that He will be with us and will not forget us. And that is a promise worth more than anything else.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." JOHN 16:33