2 by 2

Do you ever wonder?  About all of it.  Where am I going?  Where will it lead?  How will it end?  What will happen?

Wonder, wonder wonder..... and all too often it seems I sit here with more questions than answers.

BUT God....  You will remember this one as I use it often. One of my favorite phrases.  But for God.... who knows all, sees all, and takes all things into His hands.  To include this weary girl.

A friend who is a powerful prayer warrior reached out during a particularly exhausting week recently and sent me the following words. 

"I believe God showed me your new calling and positioning for 2020.  (See the 2 by 2 in 2020?)  It's important.  It's a calling, an appointment, an anointing and a position.  It is all about Jesus and His kingdom and the place He is bringing you into.  You are the vessel He is working through.  I believe you made this trip through obedience and sacrifices even now.  Pray for your enemies, do good to those who spitefully use and abuse you but be wise as a serpent and gentle as a dove.  Be quick to hear and slow to speak.  For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans for good and not for evil to give you a future and a hope.  Hope that does not disappoint.  Hope that springs eternal in your soul.  Glory bless the name of Jesus.  Yes I know your sacrifices.  Even to not get together.  Choosing the best even when you don't know and understand why.  Shalom, shalom, shalom.  Have eyes to see and ears to hear.  It just won't stop.  What God has blessed no man can curse.  May the blessings of the Lord our God be upon you for Jesus has come in the flesh.  Rejoice.  The joy of the Lord is your strength.  Amen.  Now give the Lord the intents of your thoughts and motives of your heart.  Give your mind completely over to Him in shalom peace.  Follow Him closely in faith trusting Him alone.  He will broaden the path beneath and beyond you.  Jesus is your 2 by 2.  He will never leave you nor forsake you.  A friend like none other who sticks closer than a brother."  

And she closed with this:  I feel like the Lord will be speaking to you with verses.

I don't know about you, but I feel like I could spend a lifetime trying to comprehend the breadth and depth of what was written above.  And the crazy of it all is how quick the Lord is to bring confirmation when we earnestly seek His voice above the noise of the world.

I just returned from California (late last night) where I had traveled for business on a wing and a prayer.  This meant that I ate the continental breakfast served by the hotel, I ate the lunch provided by conference, and I ate the hotel provided evening service.  Because I literally went on blind faith that God would provide all I had need of.  I traveled to California with 2 close friends who have faith in the leading that God is providing and have humbled me by coming on the journey with me.  Can you

While in California, I couldn't release the thoughts of my dearest friend and prayer partner that I haven't seen in over 20 years.  I knew she lived in California but had no clue where.  Turns out, she was roughly an hour from where I would be for the next week.  My heart soared!! Nothing I wanted more than to figure out how I could make time to meet with her and relish speaking to her in person.  I nearly cried when there was a hard check in my spirit that I was not to do that but to focus on the task at hand.  Being the "doer" that I am, my mind set to work on how I could accommodate everything and still meet my friend.  Can you picture me working to balance the see saw?  Quite clearly the door was closed once more.  I couldn't understand.  My friend is such a beautiful story of a Godly woman and powerful prayer warrior why would God not want me to see her?  It broke my heart but I obeyed and stayed.  None of which I shared with my sweet friend.  But as you can see above in what she shared, God definitively had other plans and was faithful to reveal that not only to her but to me as well!!  How good is He to protect our hearts when we are faithful to Him and His leading.

This morning after a week that was mentally and physically draining I awoke to a rather excited Homer bouncing on my head demanding I roll out.  And he, being the boss of the home that he is, succeeded and out I rolled.  As I grabbed my coffee and headed to my refuge, longing for my warm comfy bed called me to just indulge a little.  I deserved it didn't I?  After all, I had been up at 3 a.m. most every single day and hustled til after 7 every evening.  I was feeling oh so depleted and even more justified in why it was ok to crawl back in my bed with my coffee and just lounge.

I just couldn't dismiss that pull.  The pull of God called me to my refuge and to open His word so that I could hear from Him on how to move about my day.  So in I trudged (yes trudged not skipped with delight) to plop down with coffee in one hand and the bible in the other.  For those who don't know, I follow a regimented reading plan that encompasses the old testament, psalms, proverbs, and the new testament daily.  And I always read in the order the books fall in the Bible.  My inherent nature that craves order won't allow me to do any different. Now you grab a hold of your coffee and take a listen to how God moves in the hearts of his people when we will be obedient.  Because just as sure as I am sitting here, this is fully God on display and nothing of me.

The first reading was 2 Samuel chapters 7 & 8.....  One verse leaped off the page to me.  8:6 "So the Lord preserved David where he went."  yes daughter, as I will preserve you if you commit your life to Me.  My head whipped around.... I thought for sure someone was standing there speaking.  He was.  The great Alpha and Omega loves me beyond what I can understand and reached out to make sure I am fully aware of His calling on my life and His direction that I am to follow. 

The second reading was Psalm 119:33-48 Every single one of these verses just sang a song in my heart that even now is ringing with joy.  The verses plead for God to reveal His will and word to His people.  That He opens their understanding.  Asks for strength in walking in His ways.  And it goes on and on and on and on.  My heart is just quivering for without a doubt God is walking me through His holy word to reveal Himself to me so that I may know "this is the way, go in it."  I am humbled and for once..... speechless.  I can only say over and over and over "yes Lord, your will only my King."

Next in line is Proverbs 15:33  "The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom and before honor is humility."  I am listening Lord.  Strengthen me to be obedient.  Place my feet on Your path so that they do not slip. 

Lastly today's verses wrap up with John 14:15-31 Verses 15-18 stopped me in my tracks completely.  God reminding me that if I truly love Him I will be obedient to His commandments.  And more than that:  He will equip me to do so by sending His Holy Spirit to me forever so that I am not left as an orphan. 

As I closed my bible I was awash in emotion and my thoughts were just swirling like a riptide pulling me deeper and deeper.  God wasn't quite done with me..... I kept wanting to pick up my phone which is something I have committed not to do while in my refuge.  I am easily distracted so it is important that I push things aside so that God can truly have my heart and my time.  The thought wouldn't go away.  Over and over, "pick up your phone, read now what Janet has sent to you.... read it now." 

And read it I did.... and there was my come apart.  Tears streaming at the goodness of the Father to lead me once more to His throne of mercy and grace so that I might find all that I need there. 

I have highlighted corresponding revelations so that you can see how God unfolded everything so that I could rightly understand it. 
If you would like to test me, (wink wink) open the bible app and go to day 145.....  for that is where I am on my year through the bible journey in this application.

Listen closely my friends for God is calling out to you just as surely as I am writing this to you.
Take the time to hear Him.... you won't ever regret it....

Hugs from me to you......