We went through fire and flood, but You brought us to a place of great abundance. Psalm 66:12b
There is a time, when the fire has ceased, and the flood waters subsided, and you know from the very center of your soul that redemption is here. You can still see the smoke from all that’s burned up and are still soaked from the drowning, but your song of great abundance begins.
A song of hope restored and glory coming, rises in your heart. The shadow from your mind lifts and the fog around you clears. The song of great abundance begins before you see the fruit of it. It starts from within…you birth it.
In the gestation of a Job season, you realize you are about to give birth to something truly great. Something uniquely yours, that cannot be replicated. We have begun that season.
You can hear God speaking to you, much like He did to the Israelites…”You have been wandering around in this hill country long enough; turn to the north.” Deuteronomy 2:3
Suddenly the fragrance of spring is upon you, and you feel a mixture of sheer relief and deeper gratitude than you can express with words. Gratitude that He held you. Gratitude that you have made it through. Gratitude for the journey, even though you never thought you’d feel that way. Gratitude for all the refining, because in the scorching you found something special…you found how to surrender to the flames. Gratitude for what’s grown during the season of stretching. Gratitude for the intensity of unconditional love that has been borne between you and those who walked through this with you. Gratitude for learning how to thrive in all things. Finally, gratitude that those who abandoned you during the walk have been removed, because you become acutely aware that they weren’t meant to be with you forever. Now, with a winnowed down life, in every way, the newness begins, and things are far less crowded.
It’s time to start again.
Again, reflecting on the Israelites…and realizing how relevant the words the Lord spoke to them are for you, you feel the breath of God as you know with absolute certainty God is enough…
“For the Lord your God has blessed you in everything you have done. He has watched your every step through this great wilderness. During these forty years, the Lord your God has been with you, and you have lacked nothing.” Deuteronomy 2:7
Thankfully, it didn’t take forty years, but it took long enough. Suddenly, you realize He let you wander this road until you found gratitude in the midst of the journey. You walked until you found joy in the middle of struggle. You went through fire until you learned to lean on Him in the midst of severe pain.
He leads us until we learn that He is all we need.
Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what He did for me. For I cried out to Him for help, praising Him as I spoke. If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, Who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw His unfailing love from me. Psalm 66:16-20
365 Days in the Presence 