I Asked, and He Delivered

This morning as I prayed, I asked the Lord to show me areas of sin in my life, areas that I may not be aware of. I didn't hear or feel an immediate poke in the ribs, but shortly thereafter, I checked my email. I received an email from a great friend who shared some of the struggles she has had to overcome and thought that maybe I dealt with some of the same things. My first response was that no, those weren't struggles of mine. I emailed her back, thanked her for sharing her wisdom, and kind of left it at that. However, the Holy Spirit didn't quite leave it at that. I just kept thinking about the email. It has been on my mind all morning.

I came upstairs this afternoon to pray, and I felt a nudge to check my email, so I did. There, in my inbox, was another email from my sweet friend who shared more specifically of the struggles she has overcome and an apology for assuming that I dealt with the same struggles. Immediately, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit and had another "AHA!" moment. I felt the Holy Spirit nudge me and say, "Ah hem...(how do you spell the clearing of a throat?). You asked me to show you areas of sin in your life. Ah hem...".

Oh!!! I got it, Lord!!! You see, with the first email, I was blinded by my own sin, my own pride. It took that second nudge to show me. The blinders came off, and I indeed realized that my friend was right. She showed me an area of sin that I was blinded to.

Thank you, sweet sweet friend (you know who you are). Thank you, LORD, that you haven't given up on me. I asked, and YOU delivered. Praise God!

"I am confident that the good work God has begun in me will be perfected." Philippians 1:6

AHA!

If you read my last post, you saw that God allowed me to sit in on my own trial, and I got to personally hear Jesus take the penalty for each of my sins. It was a powerful, powerful time for me. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out my last post.

What's even more amazing is that while I was at church on Sunday, God made His great reveal to me. As Channing and I entered the sanctuary, I saw the sacraments. We were going to be taking communion. Immediately, I had the great "AHA!" moment. I realized that on Wednesday, God was directly preparing me for what was to come Sunday. He allowed me to sit in on my trial so that when I took communion on Sunday, I would truly realize the great sacrifice that Jesus made for me. It was SO POWERFUL. It reinforced to me that God is there with me all the time. He hears my every prayer. He knows the struggles I am facing. It was reinforcement that I am going to be ok.

I share this to give you hope. I think we all go through times where we feel disconnected and far from God; times where we think He has much more important things to deal with than whether or not our child gets over his cold, whether or not our work goes well, whether or not He cares that we are hurting. Let me assure you, He does hear, He does care. Last week, He showed me that He hears everything I'm saying to Him. It has increased my faith, and I hope it helps yours. Trust in Him. According to the Psalms, He is:

• The One enthroned in Heaven
• Father
• My King
• a Righteous Judge
• A Refuge for the oppressed
  
• He who avenges blood
• the helper of the fatherless
• the LORD who counsels me
• my rock
• my fortress
• my deliverer
• my shield
• the horn of my salvation
• my stronghold
• the Most High
• God my Savior
• the God of truth
• he who forms the hearts of all
• my loving God
• my honor
• my help
• A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows
• my hope
  
• my confidence

Today, I took the time to pray the names of God, and I could sense the presence of the Holy Spirit. AMAZING! Just in case you don't know them, here they are:

Adonai: Lord, Master
Jehovah-shalom: The Lord is Peace
El Elyon: The God Most High
Jehovah-sabaoth: The Lord of Hosts
Elohim: The Creator
Jehovah-mekoddishkem: The Lord who Sanctifies You
El Olam: The Everlasting God
Jehovah-jireh: The Lord Will Provide
El Shaddai: The All-Sufficient One
Jehovah-raah: The Lord my Shepherd
Yahweh: Lord (Jehovah)
Jehovah-rapha: The Lord who Heals
El Roi: The God who Sees
Jehovah-shammah: The Lord is There
Quanna: Jealous
Jehovah-tsidkenu: The Lord Our Righteousness
Jehovah-nissi: The Lord my Banner

Today, I hope you know that YOU are loved and cherished.